"Fukaboshi! Go quickly and see what has happened!"
Neptune had already received information from the soldiers at the bubble-making chamber that Shirahoshi had appeared outside the bubble at the top of Fish-Man Island.
Thus, he had been desperately rushing upward.
But at this moment, a violent gust of wind suddenly swept past him, and he felt something flash by like lightning, plunging deep into the earth of Fish-Man Island!
The eldest prince, Fukaboshi, who was beside him, immediately shot straight downward.
A moment later, Fukaboshi emerged from the shattered earth, carrying Jinbei in his arms—his chest skin torn, muscles shattered, and sternum collapsed—with an expression of utter disbelief.
"Jinbei!! How is this possible? Even Hody Jones, who consumed the Energy Steroid, couldn't possibly inflict such injuries on Jinbei! Who is the culprit?"
Fukaboshi trembled all over.
He couldn't help but be tense.
After all, Jinbei's prowess had even surpassed that of the Fish-Man race's great hero, Fisher Tiger.
He was now hailed by the world as the strongest Fish-Man alive!
But at this moment, this guardian of the Fish-Man race had rolled-back eyes, blood continuously trickling from the corner of his mouth, and had fallen into a deep coma.
"Fukaboshi! What on earth... happened! Jinbei!!"
Seeing the person cradled in Fukaboshi's hands, Neptune's mind instantly buzzed, his strength drained away as if sucked dry.
His massive body swayed a few times before he collapsed to the ground, sitting heavily.
BOOM!
Another earth-shattering explosion sounded, coming from the ground not far from them.
The blast jolted Neptune and Fukaboshi back to their senses, and they quickly turned their wary gazes toward the source.
Amid the dissipating smoke, a terrifying Fish-Man, over nine meters tall, strode toward them, holding a struggling Shirahoshi in one arm!
In the pupils of Fukaboshi and Neptune, nothing else existed.
At this moment, it seemed as if only the figure of this Giant God-like Fish-Man remained in their eyes!
With each step he took, they experienced an illusion.
As if the entire Fish-Man Island were shaking in rhythm with his footsteps!
Neptune swore that the aura of this Fish-Man was the strongest he had ever seen in his life, without a doubt!
Even Fisher Tiger, the hero of the Fish-Man race, was not one-tenth as formidable as the Fish-Man before him!
"Father! Brother! Jinbei!"
Shirahoshi's timid, delicate voice snapped Neptune and Fukaboshi out of their shock.
They hurriedly looked over and saw tears welling in Shirahoshi's eyes, her face filled with sorrow as she gazed at the severely injured and unconscious Jinbei.
Fukaboshi's eyes instantly turned bloodshot. Letting out a furious roar, he cast aside his fear of the opponent, gripped his steel trident, and charged at Caesar, thrusting it forward!
Caesar leisurely raised his large hand.
Clang!
A resonant, bell-like clash echoed. The steel trident Fukaboshi had thrust shattered into several pieces. The immense impact force caused him to spit out a mouthful of blood, and his body was sent flying backward.
Neptune gritted his teeth, gripping his trident as he prepared to charge forward.
Tears brimmed in Shirahoshi's eyes, her voice trembling as she cried out.
"Father! Brother! Stop! Mas... Master won't harm you."
Unexpectedly, upon hearing the word "Master," Neptune's eyes instantly turned crimson with rage!
"Bastard! I'm going to kill you!"
As the King of the sea and a former top-tier fighter among the Fish-Man race, Neptune's strength, while not matching Jinbei's, was still formidable.
The power he unleashed in his extreme rage was truly considerable!
Clang!
Caesar merely extended a single index finger to block the tip of Neptune's thrusting trident.
This trident was a weapon passed down through the Fish-Man race for over a thousand years.
It was both a symbol of the Fish-Man king's identity and a powerful weapon no less formidable than a Great Grade Blade!
The veins on Neptune's massive arms bulged as he gripped the trident's hilt with both hands, frantically trying to pierce through Caesar's body.
Yet no matter how much strength he exerted, his trident remained blocked by Caesar's single index finger.
It was a perfectly ordinary index finger, not even coated with Armament Haki.
"M-Master! Please don't harm my father and brothers, I beg you!"
Caesar's mind suddenly echoed with Shirahoshi's pitiful sobbing voice.
The corner of his mouth curled slightly as he gave a gentle flick with his index finger.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Neptune's massive body was instantly sent staggering back dozens of meters, his enormous fish tail scraping a trench in the ground.
Unable to stop his momentum, his huge frame tumbled backward like a rolling gourd, flipping several times before finally crashing headfirst through a coral cluster and coming to a stop.
"Father!"
Shirahoshi struggled violently and rushed toward Neptune.
Caesar released his grip, allowing her to run and support her aged father.
"Halt!"
Prince Fukaboshi stood before Jinbei holding a broken steel trident, his face tense as he stared at Caesar.
Caesar stretched lazily, yawned, and sat directly on the ground, speaking calmly.
"So, which of you is the king of the Fish-Man race? If you're not dead, come talk with me."
"Please leave! Fish-Man Island is not welcome to you!" Fukaboshi's hand gripping the broken trident turned white from the strain.
Caesar glanced indifferently at this strangely featured yet peculiarly handsome merman, his tone turning serious.
"This is actually the first time I've been this polite to anyone. Wherever I went before, I'd first beat my opponents until they cried for their parents before discussing terms. Your courage is commendable, but if you continue like this, I'll punch this entire Fish-Man Island to smithereens."
Caesar's words were casually spoken, but the terrifying implication behind them sent a bone-chilling cold through Fukaboshi.
Staring at this man he was utterly powerless against, Fukaboshi suddenly felt the illusion that if this person really struck, Fish-Man Island might truly be destroyed with a single punch!
Fukaboshi opened his mouth to say something more, but his throat seemed blocked, unable to utter a single word.
"I am Neptune, king of the Fish-Man race!"
Suddenly, Neptune's slightly aged voice came from behind him.
Fukaboshi quickly turned to see his sister Shirahoshi supporting Neptune as they slowly swam over.
"Father! Shirahoshi! Are you both alright?" Fukaboshi asked urgently with concern.
Neptune waved his hand without speaking, instead looking toward the seated Caesar.
He let out a long sigh and came to sit before Caesar.
"I presume you are the renowned captain of the Beast God Pirates, Barbarossa Caesar? I truly never expected you to be a Fish-Man."
Neptune's words caused Fukaboshi's pupils to contract violently, his heart shaking with shock.
Caesar shook his head: "I am not a Fish-Man. This is merely my Devil Fruit ability."
Under the astonished gazes of Neptune, Fukaboshi, and Shirahoshi, his Fish-Man features rapidly faded away, and two pitch-black demon horns sprouted from his head, revealing an incredibly formidable physique.
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