"Boom—!"
A foot came crashing down from above, stomping Hody Jones's head straight into the floor. Only his two legs were left sticking out, twitching twice before going limp.
"Captain!"
"Captain Hody!"
"..."
Several officers cried out in alarm the moment their captain was struck. Their eyes instantly turned bloodshot as they glared fiercely at Leno, as if they were about to charge at him and fight to the death the very next second.
They didn't care what had happened.
Hody was their childhood companion, someone who had grown up alongside them, a kindred spirit.
Whoever touched him was their enemy—no exceptions!
The other members also snapped out of their shock, though confusion still lingered on their faces.
Princess Otohime was killed by their captain? And now the hero was beating up the captain?
What were they supposed to do?
Standing at the entrance of the hall, Leno swept his gaze across them and spoke with a teasing tone:
"So? You're not attacking?"
"Don't get too arrogant, you damn human!"
Zeo, the color-changing Fish-Man, snarled as his body slowly turned transparent, silently advancing forward.
Leno looked ahead with mild amusement. Such a crude invisibility technique—did he really think it could fool him?
He casually raised the long blade in his hand and gave a light thrust forward.
"Pshk—"
Blood sprayed out.
Zeo's figure gradually reappeared. His eyes were wide open, staring fixedly at Leno.
"How about that, you bastard!"
"???"
Does this guy have a screw loose? Leno quietly watched him perform.
"Didn't you feel the power of the meat-shield counterattack I launched against your blade?"
Lightly wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Zeo continued weakly:
"This attack… will take effect slowly afterward…"
"..."
Before the words even finished, his head tilted to the side, his breathing gone.
"Huh?!"
That ridiculous display left everyone present completely speechless. They stared dumbfounded at Zeo's lifeless body.
Someone muttered under their breath, "How strong does your pride have to be to deny getting stabbed even as you die…?"
"Zeo!!!"
"Why are you still standing around?! Get him, you bastards!"
The remaining officers' eyes nearly split as they roared, rallying the others to raise their weapons and charge at Leno.
Leno had no interest in playing around with these remaining lackeys.
They were all desperadoes anyway—there was no need to hold back.
Crimson blade light flashed again and again. Blood sprayed throughout the hall, the sound of slicing never stopping.
In just a few moments, the floor was covered in severed limbs and broken bodies.
The New Fish-Man Pirates were completely wiped out!
...
Ryugu Palace.
Leno dragged the blood-soaked Hody Jones into the main hall and found everyone already gathered there.
Even Ace was present, his entire body wrapped in bandages, busy eating and drinking.
Casually tossing Hody aside, Leno greeted the wounded man with a grin.
"Yo~ Ace, you're finally awake."
"Pfft—!"
Hearing Leno's voice out of nowhere, Ace, who had been stuffing his face, sprayed everything out on the spot.
After reacting, his face flushed red as he hurriedly replied in embarrassment:
"Ah! Uh, yeah~"
He felt a bit too ashamed to face Leno now. They had clearly agreed to experience the gap in strength.
Yet in the middle of the fight, he had actually lost focus.
It was mortifying.
Even thinking about it now made his cheeks burn.
At that moment, Nami ran over. She glanced at the bloody figure on the ground and asked curiously:
"Hey, idiot, who's this? How did he end up like that?"
It wasn't just her—everyone present was curious. Leno had only stepped out briefly. How did he come back carrying a half-dead man?
Glancing at Shirahoshi, who looked terrified, Leno slowly spoke:
"Hody Jones—the murderer who killed Queen Otohime back then."
"What?!"
"What did you say?!"
One sentence sent shockwaves through the room. Neptune, the three princes, and Jinbe all turned pale.
They instinctively straightened up, knocking over tables and chairs without noticing, their eyes fixed on Leno in utter shock.
"L-Lord Leno… are you certain? Wasn't the one who killed my mother a human?"
The eldest prince, Fukaboshi, spoke with trembling disbelief, tears welling in his eyes.
His mother's death had been an eternal wound in his heart. For all these years, he had harbored hatred toward humans because of it.
And now someone was saying the murderer was a Fish-Man?
Seeing their expressions, Leno sighed inwardly and turned his gaze toward Shirahoshi.
"The truth… Shirahoshi has known it all along."
"…!!!"
The flood of information left them utterly stunned. Eyes wide, they slowly turned to look at Princess Shirahoshi, who was silently crying.
Feeling their gazes, Shirahoshi pursed her lips. Tears streamed down her cheeks as her lips trembled.
"…Yes. I already knew, several years ago."
"How could this be…" Jinbe's eyes were bloodshot with disbelief. With urgency—and a hint of reproach—he said,
"Princess Shirahoshi, if you knew, why didn't you tell us…?"
"I couldn't say it!" Shirahoshi cried out, covering her face with both hands as her body shook violently. "If I said it, someone would definitely hate Hody…"
Everyone froze at her words. At this point, wasn't hating Hody only natural?
Then they heard her sobbing voice continue:
"And that would only make my late mother sad!"
"This was the final promise I exchanged with my mother! No matter who the culprit was, I must not feel anger, and I must not harbor hatred!"
Listening to that heart-wrenching cry, everyone looked at the helpless, sobbing girl, their hearts shaken to the core.
Recalling their mother's final words, the three princes stared at their sister, a storm raging in their hearts.
"Shirahoshi… you—could it be that you stayed alone in the Hard-Shell Tower all this time…" Fukaboshi wept openly, his eyes filled with pain, "just to honor Mother's last wish?"
His voice was hoarse beyond belief. He couldn't imagine how his sister had endured these years.
"Shirahoshi…" Neptune's eyes reddened as he stepped forward and embraced her. His daughter had borne far too much.
After hearing the full story, everyone looked at Shirahoshi with nothing but awe.
She didn't hate the one who killed her mother.
Even if it was her mother's dying wish—how many people in this world could truly do that?
What an unimaginably kind and pure-hearted girl!
"Hehehe…"
"What a fool~ Hahahaha…"
Hody, who had somehow regained consciousness on the floor, suddenly burst into manic laughter, his eyes filled with madness as he looked at everyone.
Knowing he wouldn't survive, making these people suffer before dying made him feel much better.
Jinbe stormed forward in fury and punched him several times.
"You bastard—shut your mouth!"
…
…