Chapter 309: Hody Jones!

Deep sea.

The ocean currents were bone-chillingly cold.

As the depth increased, visibility gradually decreased until it finally turned completely dark.

Even if lights were lit on a pirate ship, in this vast ocean they were nothing more than a speck of dust; instead, this only made the massive figures looming in the seawater appear even more terrifying.

At the same time, setting out from Sabaody Archipelago to enter the New World via Fish-Man Island, Gao Wen's group was naturally not the only one.

One after another, at least a dozen pirate ships sank into the deep sea.

At this moment.

Several thousand meters beneath the seabed.

A pirate ship drifted with the current, slowly advancing toward Fish-Man Island.

"Captain, how much longer until we reach our destination?!"

A pirate wearing a headscarf scanned the dark, profound sea, feeling that at any moment a fierce beast would dart out and swallow him whole along with the pirate ship beneath his feet.

Such things had already happened countless times.

The captain, whose head resembled an onion, checked the Eternal Pose pointing to Fish-Man Island, carefully compared it with the sea chart in his hand, and then spoke to comfort them:

"Our current depth is already close to eight thousand meters, while the depth of the Ryugu Kingdom lies beneath ten thousand meters of the seabed."

"However, we have already passed the most dangerous volcanic vents; the vast majority of accidents occur there."

"In other words, we have entered a relatively safe route, and unless something unexpected happens, the path ahead will be clear."

"Once we pass through Fish-Man Island and enter the New World..."

Saying this.

The Onion-Head Captain clenched the compass in his hand, his eyes burning with fervor:

"The One Piece is there! Once we obtain it, we can have everything!"

The pirates on the deck similarly had fiery looks in their eyes; after all, most pirates embarked on this journey for this very day.

And those capable of entering the New World were the elite among them; if not as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, they were at least one in a hundred, and they were exactly such existences!

Their captain, the man nicknamed Onion-Head, even possessed strength comparable to a Marine Vice Admiral.

His bounty was close to 400 million Berries, a figure that surpassed the original bounties of the vast majority of the Seven Warlords of the Sea; in their eyes, if their captain were willing, he could easily take a place among the Seven Warlords!

Yet at this moment.

In front of the pirate ship, a blurry figure slowly materialized.

"What... what is that?"

In the lookout tower, the pirate responsible for keeping watch rubbed his eyes, thinking he must be hallucinating.

After all, a normal person in such deep sea would likely be crushed instantly by the water pressure, with their internal organs spraying out from their mouth.

But when he looked toward the distance again, that figure became increasingly clear.

A figure about three meters tall, with a robust physique, grayish-blue skin, and eyes that faintly glowed red, all of which made one feel chilled to the bone!

That figure's presence was even far stronger than the Sea Kings swimming all around!

"Could it be?"

"Wait, this guy is..."

"The Fish-Man Hody!"

On the deck, a startled cry suddenly rang out.

Everyone abruptly turned to look into the distance, but Hody's figure had already vanished.

Boom!

After a loud roar, the ship's hull shook violently; even visible fragments of shattered wood pierced through the coating and drifted into the seawater.

Within a few breaths, they were crushed and deformed by the seawater, slowly sinking down.

Then came the second impact, the third impact...

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

In just a few short breaths, the Onion-Head, who was the captain, was covered in blood and in a wretched state, yet he hadn't even seen a shadow of Hody.

The advantages of Fish-Man aquatic combat were displayed here to perfection.

A physique several times, even dozens of times, superior to ordinary humans, moving freely underwater with even greater agility, manifested as extremely terrifying destructive power!

"Hody!"

The Onion-Head Captain, filled with both shock and rage, only had time to let out a roar before he was smashed apart, turning into a mist of blood, swallowed by the sea along with his pirate ship.

The ocean currents washed away the blood on Hody's body; he stood calmly in the seawater as the scarlet color in his eyes gradually faded.

"Truly an astonishing effect!"

Hody lowered his gaze to the pale red capsule in his hand, and within his eyes, which were gradually returning to normal, surged an indescribable madness and confidence.

He put away the capsule in his hand.

Hody looked at the pirate ship sinking into the seawater in the distance, the corner of his mouth curling into a ferocious sneer:

"This guy's strength wasn't bad; he was much stronger than the vast majority of pirates entering the New World."

"Even with my original strength, defeating this pirate crew would probably have taken some effort."

"But with this kind of drug, the physical capabilities of Fish-Men will be amplified severalfold; perhaps..."

As he spoke.

A figure equally tall floated up in Hody's mind.

His eyes grew increasingly dangerous at that moment:

"With this kind of monster, even that fellow Jinbe is no match for me!"

What Hody failed to notice was that the lock of hair on his forehead had somehow turned silver-white.

"Hody!"

Accompanied by a low voice.

From the pitch-black seawater, a fish-man slowly emerged, his entire body enveloped in a long robe striped with blue and purple.

The newcomer was none other than Zeo, a shark fish-man and one of the members of the New Fish-Man Pirates.

Seeing Hody's abnormal state, Zeo could not help but speak up to remind him:

"Hody, that fellow Caesar said this drug is still in the development stage; excessive use will cause rapid aging of the body."

"The development of the finished product will still take some time."

"According to him, the efficacy of the finished product will be much weaker, but the burden on the body will also be far smaller."

"With this semi-finished version now, it is best to use it with caution."

"Ah~"

Hody responded with a sound, yet his eyes carried a hint of disdain:

"That fellow previously conducted human experiments only on humans, but fish-men are a race far superior to humans!"

"What is poison to humans will have no effect whatsoever on us."

"But the power brought by this drug is already sufficient for us to complete that plan!"

Zeo was startled with horror:

"You are already confident you can defeat Jinbe?!"

Hearing this, Hody subconsciously gripped the Evil Drug E-S in his hand even tighter:

"Of course!"

"As long as we defeat that fellow Jinbe, the royal family led by Neptune will be nothing to fear!"

"Fish-Man Island possesses the natural barrier of ten thousand meters beneath the sea; even the World Government cannot attack in. At that time, we will have the opportunity to counterattack the land!"

"Let those inferior races see that fish-men are the most powerful existence!"

"Not commodities to be sold!"

"Hahahahahaha—!"

The laughter, carried by the seawater, spread extremely deep and extremely far, startling even the Sea Kings lurking nearby into retreat.

However.

Watching Hody's high spirits, Zeo, who had just received news from Dosun, still wore an expression of solemnity on his face:

"Dosun discovered the whereabouts of Gao Wen and his group; judging by their course, they are also heading toward Fish-Man Island."

"That fellow is currently the most rising pirate; even Hawk-Eyes, who shares the title of Seven Warlords of the Sea with Jinbe, was defeated by him."

"His appearance at Fish-Man Island at this time will likely be detrimental to our upcoming plans."

"No!"

The smile on Hody's face grew even broader:

"For him to appear at Fish-Man Island at this exact moment is actually the most beneficial thing for us!"

Seeing this, Zeo paused slightly, then ceased questioning and simply nodded, saying:

"I understand."

"Mm."

Hody responded with a sound; as if recalling something, he turned his head and asked:

"By the way."

"Have Bugatti and Emmet been found?!"

Zeo shook his head, a trace of ferocity floating in his eyes:

"Not yet."

"More than half a month has passed since the incident occurred; the hope of survival is slim."

"Moreover, there are traces left by human pirates at the scene of the incident; I fear..."

"Unlucky fellows."

Hody muttered a complaint, but his expression turned cold:

"Neptune's Wang Zu is truly too incompetent."

"Despite fish-men possessing such powerful talents, they have been oppressed by humans to this extent, to the point where even their own clansmen are captured, sold, and made into slaves."

"They have become an obstacle to the revival of fish-men; I will eradicate them along with everything else!"

As his voice landed.

The two summoned their hidden sea beast mounts from the trench and swiftly departed.

The great sea once again returned to its previous tranquility, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Emmet, my name is Emmet."

Lion Heart Knight.

Navigation Workshop.

Nami was leaning over her desk, diligently drawing a sea chart, when a childish voice reached her ears at that moment.

The speaker was none other than the whale shark fish-man youth whom Gao Wen and his group had rescued a few days prior.

This was also the first time Emmet had spoken in several days.

Nami focused on drawing, did not turn around, and merely waved her hand:

"You can call me Nami."

"Next, we will pass through Fish-Man Island and Enter the New World; you can disembark there to search for your own family."

Emmet's gaze darkened, and he pressed his lips tightly together:

"I no longer have any family."

Nami was stunned, put down the pencil in her hand, and upon turning her head, she saw Emmet barely holding back the tears in his eyes.

In a flash.

Nami seemed to see the scene where Bellemere had rescued her from the battlefield.

She stepped forward and pulled Emmet into her embrace.

The boy spoke no words, yet tears filled his eyes; the emotions he had barely managed to hold back completely burst their dam the moment he found someone to rely on.

"Waaah~...!"

Emmet's sobs echoed through the cabin; that auction had cost him his father, yet now he did not know exactly whom he should hate.

After a long while.

Emmet's crying gradually subsided.

He broke free from Nami's embrace, looked at the woman who had saved him, and whispered:

"Nami, you are different from other humans."

"You are a good person; when I someday inherit my lord Arlong's will and help Big Brother Hody rule the world, I will—!"

"Get out!"

Emmet was slightly stunned, not understanding what had happened:

"Sister Nami, I—!"

"I told you to get out!"

Nami's expression was ice-cold; she suppressed her emotions with all her might just to keep herself from losing her temper at a boy.

She grabbed Emmet by the collar, pushed open the door, and threw him out.

Bang—!

The door slammed shut.

Emmet stood timidly at the doorway; he did not understand what had happened at all, wanted to knock yet dared not raise his hand, and simply stood there dumbfounded.

Very soon.

Miss Kalifa noticed the situation inside; she walked over quickly, reached out to rub Emmet's head, and said softly:

"What's wrong?"

"Little one of the Fish-Man race."

Emmet shook his head with a look of utter confusion.

Miss Kalifa knew Nami's temper; under normal circumstances, she would never have done something like throwing an injured boy out of a room.

Under her repeated questioning, she quickly pieced together the truth of the matter.

It was just that.

As Emmet repeated the words he had just spoken to Nami, Miss Kalifa's expression gradually turned cold.

"Hey~"

"Although disparaging a child's dream is not something an adult should do."

"But..."

"Emmet, do you know exactly what that my lord Arlong you speak of did to Nami?!"

Emmet shook his head, yet the voice reaching his ears made his whole body tremble.

"Arlong killed Nami's mother, enslaved everyone in her village, and even toyed with Nami's dreams for his own amusement.

"If our positions were reversed, if I were Nami, I absolutely would not have acted to save you."

Having said this, Miss Kalifa rose and left, the crisp sound of footsteps coming through.

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

The corridor soon fell silent.

"But..."

Emmet opened his mouth, his instinct being to defend Arlong.

Simply because, since childhood, the Arlong he had heard of and come to know was a hero of the Fish-Men, a liberator just like Tiger.

Originally, he had been utterly certain of all this, yet now he could not bring himself to say such words.

He recalled his father's words: among humans, there are also exceptional beings.

And Nami was undoubtedly that exceptional being.

But if that were so, then what exactly was Arlong's treatment of Nami's family?!

What difference was there between him and those pirates who came to Fish-Man Island to poach?!

For a moment.

In Emmet's eyes, there was nothing but unspeakable bewilderment and guilt.

……

……

……

At the same time.

On the top level of Fish-Man Island, within a building bearing traces of Wano Country's influence.

Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, looked at Hachi, who knelt before him, hidden anger barely contained in his eyes:

"You say that fellow Arlong enslaved dozens of villages in the East Blue and killed countless civilians?!"

"Yes, Brother Jinbe!"

Hachi bowed his head even lower.

After returning to Fish-Man Island, he had waited before Jinbe's door for a full five days before finally meeting this former big brother.

And after witnessing everything along the journey from the East Blue to the Sabaody Archipelago, he could understand all the more clearly why Jinbe had made such a decision back then.

He understood even more clearly what heinous, heaven-defying crimes he and Arlong had committed together in the past.

"This time, even if it costs me my life, I will end this hatred with myself; at the very least, I cannot allow Gao Wen and his group to vent their fury upon Fish-Man Island."

"I beg you to intervene and grant me a chance to atone for my sins, nyu~"

"Have you made up your mind?!"

"I have made up my mind!"

"Then prove it to me!"

Clang—!

Jinbe coldly tossed a long sword onto the ground before Hachi.

His meaning was obvious without words.

Whether regarding Hachi or Arlong, both of whom were once his comrades, he still harbored some feelings of friendship in his heart.

This was also why, when he had agreed to the World Government's demands to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, his additional condition had been the release of Arlong and the others from Impel Down.

He had originally thought that after this incident, Arlong's nature would become more restrained, yet he never expected it would bring such suffering to the civilians of the East Blue.

"After this matter is settled, I will carry your head and go to offer my apologies in person."

(End of Chapter)