"Hahahaha…"
Hody Jones staggered to his feet, casually spitting out a mouthful of blood before bursting into manic laughter. When he looked at Jinbe, his eyes were filled with undisguised contempt.
"Jinbe, people like you are the ones I hate the most!"
"We all grew up in Fish-Man District. Fisher Tiger, Arlong—they were all killed by humans. And what are you doing now?"
His gaze swept past Leno and over the other humans in the hall. He clenched his teeth, hatred pouring out of his voice.
"You're not even talking about revenge anymore. Instead, you're actually colluding with them, slaughtering our own people together!"
"With idiots like you in charge, Fish-Man Island will be destroyed sooner or later!"
Hody Jones split his grotesque mouth into a vicious grin, his savage eyes locking onto Neptune and the Shirahoshi cradled in his arms.
"Neptune, the one I've always wanted to kill… was you!"
With that, he pulled out a large handful of capsule-like pills from nowhere and stuffed them into his mouth like a madman.
"That's…!"
Neptune, Jinbe, and the others' expressions changed instantly. They recognized it at once—the vicious drug ES that had been stolen from Ryugu Palace years ago!
So this was the truth. It had been stolen by this guy all along!
Thump—thump—thump—
As the drug took effect, violent heartbeats echoed through the hall. With each beat, Hody Jones's body swelled larger.
His eyes gradually turned blood-red, and his black curly hair turned snow-white in the blink of an eye.
A brutal, ferocious aura spilled out from his body, like a savage beast awakening, ready to devour its prey at any moment.
Watching Hody Jones double in size in such a short time, his skin turning deathly pale, Leno looked him up and down with interest.
He couldn't help clicking his tongue in amazement.
"I'll say this—if this stuff didn't have side effects, it'd really be worthy of being called a divine medicine. The boost is insane."
"Uh, Lord Leno… now's really not the time to comment, is it? Hody looks pretty terrifying right now~"
The Right Prime Minister, standing below the main seat, had been wearing a grave expression. The moment he heard Leno's words, though, his composure shattered completely.
Still, thinking of this big shot's strength, he felt a bit more at ease.
"Interesting. Way too interesting!"
Yamato, shouldering a kanabo, leaped out excitedly and strode right up to Hody.
After giving him a thorough once-over, Yamato nodded seriously. "Not bad, not bad. You seem way stronger than before!"
Turning to Leno, Yamato grinned. "Leno, leave this guy to me~"
"Don't even think about it. If I leave it to you, who knows what this hall will turn into!"
Leno rolled his eyes, completely exasperated. Yamato never knew how to hold back.
One swing of that club and the entire hall would be finished.
Robin, Nojiko, and the others covered their mouths, snickering. Clearly, they agreed with Leno.
"You bastards! Ignoring me has its limits!"
Feeling his power surge explosively, Hody's confidence ballooned. He was just about to go on a rampage—
Only to realize that no one present was taking him seriously at all.
Fury erupted instantly.
He raised his hand to unleash a Water Shot attack, but suddenly felt a familiar, crushing blow from above. His vision involuntarily slammed toward the floor.
Boom—
The hall shook violently. Hody Jones's head was smashed into the floor once more, and that infuriating voice sounded again above him.
"Hey, hey, hey~ why do you attack the moment you disagree? Interrupting people when they're talking—how rude."
Leno stood there with his hands in his pockets, one foot planted squarely on Hody's head, his tone utterly casual.
He then smiled and nodded at Jinbe. Jinbe had just been about to warn Yamato, but before the word "careful" could even leave his mouth, Hody was already down.
"Bas…tard…"
The muffled voice came from within the floor. This time, Hody hadn't passed out.
He braced both hands against the ground, struggling desperately, but no matter how hard he tried, it felt like a mountain was pressing down on his head.
It didn't budge an inch.
"Lord Leno, you're amazing!"
At some point, Shirahoshi had slipped out of her father's arms. Her mouth hung open in shock, eyes sparkling with stars.
Neptune and the three princes were equally stunned. The aura Hody had just given off had made their entire bodies tremble.
Yet in the blink of an eye, he had been effortlessly suppressed by Leno.
As expected of someone with such a fearsome reputation!
Leno didn't pause. He turned his head and beckoned toward the seats.
"Hancock, come here."
"Turn this guy to stone. Let him kneel like this forever in front of Queen Otohime's grave and repent."
Hearing Leno's arrangement, everyone's eyes lit up.
What a perfect solution.
Truly worthy of the Thunder God—only he could think of something like this!
Hancock stepped forward and activated 'Enchanting Eyes.' In just a moment, an additional stone statue appeared on the spot—kneeling, bowing its head in repentance.
"Lord Leno, thank you… wahh…"
Shirahoshi suddenly rushed over and clasped Leno in both hands, breaking down into loud sobs.
Her cries echoed through the silent hall, pouring out all the grievances she had carried for so many years.
Looking at the little girl crying her heart out, Leno's eyes were filled with pity. He wanted to reach out and pat her head—only to realize he couldn't reach it at all.
Helplessly, he patted the hand holding him and spoke softly.
"Little Shirahoshi, you've suffered all these years."
This kind-hearted girl truly carried immense pain in her heart. It was hard to imagine how someone not even ten years old had endured all of this.
"Lord Leno, thank you."
Neptune and his family, Jinbe, and the King Army in the hall all bowed deeply toward Leno in unison, gratitude shining in their eyes.
Their expressions were solemn as they engraved this debt of kindness firmly into their hearts.
Yet this dignified scene made Leno feel oddly unsettled.
With so many people bowing to him, why did it feel like they were about to send him off?
Seeing Leno being held aloft with that awkward expression, the adventuring women couldn't help but laugh softly.
"Pop—"
A snot bubble burst as Ace opened his sleepy eyes, instinctively chewing.
He had eaten so enthusiastically earlier that he'd accidentally fallen asleep.
"Huh? Is it over already?"
Stuffing food into his mouth nonstop, he asked indistinctly.
His gaze drifted to Leno being held up high, eyes filled with confusion.
What happened? Crying, bowing… were they sending someone off?
Noticing Ace's strange look, Leno's mouth twitched. He glanced at Shirahoshi, who was still teary-eyed.
"Alright, Little Shirahoshi, it's okay now. Let go of me first~"
After a brief pause, he looked at the others below and continued.
"Everyone, please get up. There's no need for this."
To be honest, the idea of making Hody's statue kneel in repentance had just been a spur-of-the-moment thought.
He figured it might help Shirahoshi feel a bit better.
Judging by the result… it seemed he might have gone a little too far.
…
…