The Sea Forest.
A group of unexpected visitors suddenly arrived here. Leading the charge was the curly-haired Great White Shark Fish-Man, Hody Jones. He was followed by his top officers: the Striped Fish-Man Zeo, the Octopus Fish-Man Swordsman Hyozo, the Squid Fish-Man Ikaros Much, the Moray Fish-Man Hammond, and the Dugong Fish-Man Daruma.
With at least a thousand other Fish-Men following behind them, it was clear they hadn't come for a friendly chat.
Fukaboshi's expression turned serious. He demanded, "Hody Jones, what are you trying to do?!"
"Hahahaha! What am I doing?" Hody Jones roared with laughter. "Of course, I'm here to eliminate you royal families who are friendly with the Human race, and to let Fish-Man Island truly stand up for itself!"
Purge the royal family? What kind of joke is this?!
"You are no longer fit to rule Fish-Man Island," Hody Jones continued. "You've forgotten the hatred between Fish-Man Island and the Human race, and you chose to attach yourselves to the Humans. You have completely forgotten how the Human race treats our people."
"So, this time, I intend to capture you, the eldest Prince, and Princess Shirahoshi! I will force King Neptune to step down, and I, Hody Jones, will lead Fish-Man Island into a glorious future!" Hody Jones threw his arms open to the sky, delivering his declaration.
It sounded dramatic, but the Straw Hats standing opposite him made Hody Jones look like nothing more than a clown.
"Who is this guy?" Luffy asked, picking his nose.
"He seems to be Hody Jones. He's a Fish-Man, alright," Zoro answered with a very unconcerned look.
"All this talk is just the ranting of the weak," Sanji stated with determination. "If he wants to catch Princess Shirahoshi, he has to prove he has the ability. Princess Shirahoshi will be protected by me!"
Hody Jones, of course, noticed the Straw Hat Crew. Few people on Fish-Man Island didn't know the reputation of the 'Five Emperors.' However, Hody Jones believed it was all just exaggerated boasting. Fish-Men should be the strongest in the sea, he thought, especially a young Fish-Man like himself who had consumed a large amount of the powerful Energy Steroids (ES) drug.
"The rumored Straw Hat Crew of the Five Emperors? You're just a bunch of skinny monkeys," Hody Jones ranted wildly. "You can't stop my plan. If you're smart, hide away immediately. I might even leave you with a whole corpse!"
Luffy simply looked at Hody Jones and didn't speak. The entire Straw Hat Crew looked at Hody Jones as if they were watching a fool.
At that moment, Shirahoshi's eyes widened. She had fully recognized Hody Jones. Her voice trembled as she spoke, "You… you are Hody Jones? The one who killed my mother?"
Hody Jones was momentarily taken aback, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
Fukaboshi was shocked. "Shirahoshi, what are you saying? Hody Jones is the one who killed Mother?!"
Shirahoshi's tears immediately began to fall. "Eight years ago, Megalo saw it with his own eyes, and then he told me. But my mother said not to hate the assassin, so I haven't said anything. But… but…"
Even for the kindest person, it was impossible to forgive someone who had killed their mother.
Fukaboshi was instantly enraged. He never expected Hody Jones to be the murderer who had killed their mother, Queen Otohime. Even with his mother's dying wish, he couldn't hold back this time. He was determined to kill Hody Jones.
"Die!"
Fukaboshi rushed forward, thrusting his trident with all his might. The sound of it cutting through the air was deafening.
Hody Jones didn't move at all. He simply raised his hand, grabbed the trident, and then flung Fukaboshi and the weapon aside, a look of utter disdain on his face.
"Hmph! You think you can avenge Queen Otohime with that strength? Otohime, as the Princess of Fish-Man Island, advocated for peaceful coexistence with Humans," Hody Jones sneered. "She had already betrayed Fish-Man Island. What's wrong with me killing her? Today, I want to kill all of the royal family."
"We don't need to befriend Humans! We must remember the hatred!" he declared. "Fish-Men are the strongest race! Why should we bow down to Humans? Why should we be enslaved by Humans? I will lead Fish-Man Island to dominate the entire sea!"
"Ohh!!!" Hody Jones's declaration was met with cheers from his subordinates.
It sounded compelling, and Hody Jones looked like a rebellious hero leading a national revival. But this was far from the truth. This guy was driven by his own ambitions. He wasn't stirring up hatred between Humans and Fish-Men for the sake of the island, but for his own selfish desire to rule Fish-Man Island.
"Did you really kill Otohime, Hody Jones?"
An old, pained voice broke through the commotion. King Neptune arrived, riding atop his whale mount.
Hody Jones and his crew were momentarily stunned, thinking their plan had been exposed. But they looked around and realized there were no other soldiers. They immediately understood that Neptune had come alone and instantly regained their confidence.
It's even better if Neptune came! We can just force him to step down!
But before Hody Jones could act, Jinbe rushed in with a troop of soldiers, quickly surrounding the Sea Forest. The Fish-Men from Fish-Man Street were also there, along with many other Fish-Men and Mermaids who had rushed over to watch the spectacle.
Upon hearing King Neptune's question, many people stared at Hody Jones in shock. Before, Hody Jones had publicly claimed that a Human was the one who assassinated the Queen. Now, it was being suggested that he had done it himself. This 'thief crying thief' move was truly outrageous. Yet, many had believed his nonsense at the beginning.
Hody Jones stopped pretending and burst into loud laughter. "I was just trying to make the Fish-Men remember their hatred for Humans. Was there something wrong with that?"
His words made everyone clench their teeth in anger.
Jinbe stood at the very front, facing Hody Jones. He spoke earnestly, "Hody Jones, you don't understand the true strength of the Human race, nor the vulnerability of our Fish-Men. The Queen worked so hard to protect the rights of Fish-Man Island, yet you killed her!"
"Shut up!" Hody Jones snapped back. "Boss Jinbe, I'll call you 'boss' one last time. As a warrior of Fish-Man Island, you always support the Human race and even align yourself with them."
"You've forgotten the cruelty the Human race has inflicted upon our people. Is there something wrong with that? If so, you're also a person who deserves death!"
Jinbe shook his head helplessly. "You are terminally ill. There's no hope for saving you."
It was true that Hody Jones was terminally ill. He was consumed by ambition, and while he raised the banner of avenging the Human race, he completely ignored the actual safety of Fish-Man Island. He just wanted to rule Fish-Man Island, and that was all.
"Since that's the case, I will be your opponent, and I will make you realize your mistakes!" Jinbe said in a deep voice, adopting a fighting stance.
The second and third princes, Ryuuboshi and Manboshi, also arrived with a company of soldiers. They joined up with the eldest Prince Fukaboshi, tightly encircling Hody Jones's followers.
Neptune looked weary. "Jinbe, don't take his life. I will bear all the consequences!"
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