At this point, King Neptune was convinced that Hody Jones was a cancer on Fish-Man Island, and he had to be removed, even if it meant charging him with killing one of his own race. This was not only for Queen Otohime's revenge but also for the peace of Fish-Man Island.
"Hahaha, you can't beat me!" Hody Jones declared. "Fish-Man Karate: Water Shot!" Hody Jones was the first to attack, launching a ball of water toward Jinbe.
"Fish-Man Karate: Gosenmaigawara Seiken (Thousand Brick Fist)!"
With a serious expression, Jinbe stepped forward and punched, sending a massive ripple of water rushing forward. When Jinbe's powerful technique met Hody Jones's Water Shot, it immediately dispersed the water attack and struck Hody Jones, sending him flying backward.
Instantly, the Dragon Palace soldiers cheered loudly. The onlookers also couldn't help but cheer. Everyone disliked Hody Jones, who had murdered Queen Otohime and was full of lies. They trusted their King and Jinbe, so seeing Jinbe knock Hody Jones back naturally made them happy. Poor Hody Jones had no idea that the people's hearts were entirely with the King. Even if he were to rule Fish-Man Island, it wouldn't be for long.
"That's truly amazing. You're worthy of being the strongest knight on Fish-Man Island. No wonder you became the captain of the Sun Pirates!"
Hody Jones stood up again, wiped the blood from his mouth, and took out a few capsules. He swallowed them, and his injuries quickly healed.
"Sure enough, you stole the banned medicine!" Jinbe said angrily. "Do you realize how dangerous that drug is? It's banned precisely because of its danger!"
Hody Jones countered, "Shut up! You had such a powerful medicine, but you hid it and allowed the Human race to bully us. You are the sinners of Fish-Man Island!"
Jinbe shook his head helplessly, confirming his belief that this guy was beyond hope.
Luffy couldn't help but be curious. Hody Jones's injury wasn't severe, but it was miraculous how he recovered instantly after taking those capsules.
"If nothing else, it's a drug that drains away one's life force," Law said as he walked over.
"Trafalgar, you're here too. Where did you go just now?" Luffy greeted him with a smile.
"Just handling some things."
Law kept his eyes on Hody Jones as he explained, "There are many miracle medicines in this sea, but none can instantly restore a person without consequence. Since this medicine is banned, it means it's highly harmful."
"Look closely. Hody Jones's hair has already started turning gray, which is a clear sign that his life force is being drained."
The Straw Hat Crew looked over and indeed saw that Hody Jones's white hair was becoming more noticeable. Law truly lived up to his skill in medicine, discovering the problem so quickly. In comparison, Chopper was still a bit inexperienced and needed to study harder.
"In other words, he's fighting Jinbe by sacrificing his life? That's just asking to die," Luffy commented.
"You could say that. But he had no other choice. He's too reckless," Law analyzed rationally. "With his current strength, even with the banned drugs, he's still no match for Jinbe."
"True enough!" Everyone agreed.
At that moment, the entire Sea Forest descended into chaos. The Dragon Palace soldiers and Hody Jones's men completely engaged in battle.
The three princes—Fukaboshi, Ryuuboshi, and Manboshi—led the charge, fighting their way through the crowd. They quickly encountered Hody Jones's main officers.
Zeo, the Striped Fish-Man, was swinging an iron chain and clashed with Fukaboshi.
Hyozo, the Octopus Swordsman, was drinking while randomly cutting down soldiers; the number of casualties he caused was already unknown.
Ikaros Much the Squid, Hammond the Eel, and Daruma the Dugong Fish-Man were also fighting in various ways, and the soldiers were no match for them. However, Ryuuboshi and Manboshi's strength was very low, and they couldn't contribute much to the fight.
King Neptune tried to join the battle himself, but the Left and Right Ministers, who had rushed over, desperately restrained him. If the King himself had to enter the fray, the situation would become genuinely difficult to control.
Shirahoshi was now nervous and anxious, but there was nothing she could do to help.
She looked at Luffy, pleading through her tears, "Luffy-sama, please help us! Please, help us!"
Luffy grinned immediately. "Originally, this should be considered civil unrest on Fish-Man Island, and it's not convenient for us to intervene. But since a friend is asking, I will naturally agree."
When the Straw Hat Crew heard this, they all smiled. It seemed everyone, like Luffy, had been waiting for this request for a long time. It wasn't that they had to wait for someone to ask for help before taking action, but as Luffy said, intervening in a civil war on Fish-Man Island was tricky. It could cause major problems, such as sparking panic among the common people toward the powerful Humans, or even affecting the royalty's authority on Fish-Man Island.
However, a friend asking for help was different. Isn't it only natural for friends to help each other?
"Looks like things are getting lively here. We're not late," Carl's voice sounded from the air.
Everyone looked up and saw Carl flying, with Robin, Mari, and Nami sitting on the giant sword he used as a platform. With their arrival, the entire Straw Hat Crew was now present.
Carl had come after sensing the excitement in the area. He hadn't expected Hody Jones to move up his plans. It seemed the Fish-Man was truly ambitious and couldn't contain his growing desire for power. Hody Jones's officers were assembled, but their strength was only a fraction of the $100,000$ Fish-Men Hody had in the original story. To attempt a rebellion with such limited forces showed remarkable courage or severe brain damage.
This is good, though. It's a good way to clean up Fish-Man Island, Carl thought.
"Mr. Carl, Robin, Nami, Mari, you're here too! We're about to start a war, hahaha!" Luffy laughed, putting his hands on his hips.
"Then let's have some fun before entering the New World. Consider this a warm-up battle," Carl said with a yawn. "I won't be doing anything. I'll let you all handle the fight. Play however you like."
Carl landed with the three women, and Mari quickly rolled out a mat and brought out some biscuits and tea. Soon, Carl and Mari were sitting on the mat, resting, and showed no intention of fighting.
"Mr. Carl has gotten lazy ever since he finished teaching us," Usopp couldn't help complaining.
"That's normal. The only new students were Brook, Franky, and Jean Bart. The teacher naturally gets lazy when there aren't many students," Usopp analyzed reasonably.
"It just so happens that the opponents aren't high-level enough. I don't think the top five of the Straw Hats should fight," Jean Bart suggested, glancing at Luffy, Zoro, and Law.
The top five Straw Hats: Carl, Luffy, Zoro, Law, and Mari! This ranking was immediately accepted by everyone.
Sanji seemed to understand the meaning behind Jean Bart's comment and couldn't help but feel upset and angry. He was ranked outside the top five, losing not only to Zoro the Mosshead but also to Law, the medical team captain, and even to a little girl like Mari.
It's too embarrassing!
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse