Chapter 311: You Will Die!

Hiss—!

A piercing scraping sound rang out in the harbor.

Shark Star looked up toward the distance, immediately witnessing a horrifying scene.

The bullet that had left the barrel was pinched between two fingers by the man standing at the ship's bow, twisted out of shape, and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Gao Wen glanced at the fleeing figures behind the crowd, his voice carrying a hint of coldness:

"Xiang Keluo!"

"Understood, Captain!"

Xiang Keluo responded.

He leaped down from the ship; before anyone could even catch sight of him, he vanished into thin air.

Only a razor-sharp gust of wind blew toward the distance!

"It has been a long time since anyone dared to strike at us proactively!"

"You are quite something!"

"I also want to follow Gao Wen's example and kill a fish once!"

"Hee hee hee~"

……

In the distance.

At the exact moment the bullet left the barrel, Mu Xi, who had made the move, abandoned his gun and fled backward, his speed so fast it even surpassed the limit of his entire life.

Yet the killing intent drawing closer behind him made his scalp go numb!

I will die!

One step slower and I will be killed!

"Just being looked at once by those eyes makes one feel chilled to the bone!"

"That fellow is perhaps stronger than Hody, no, stronger than Jinbe!"

"But…"

While sprinting, Mu Xi swallowed hard; besides fear, his eyes held an indescribable madness.

"This time, as long as I successfully enrage that fellow, with his strength, not just the harbor, but the entire Fish-Man Island will descend into chaos!"

"Warfire, slaughter, destruction…"

"Only by letting those commoners who harbor hopes for humans see the brutal side of humanity will they realize that there is fundamentally no chance for peaceful coexistence between themselves and humans!"

Da!

Da!

Da!

Mu Xi's footsteps grew faster and faster, so fast that he began to hallucinate.

It was as if he had returned to that day several years ago when, together with Hody, he had acted to assassinate Wang Fei Otohime; the bullet had pierced through that woman's chest, completely burying the possibility of peace between fish-men and merfolk!

"Between humans and fish-men, there is no possibility of peace!"

"There can be only one race standing at the top of the food chain, and that is the fish-men!"

"No!"

"It was not us who killed Otohime, it was the humans!"

"It was the Deeply Guilty humans!"

Thinking thus, Mu Xi's gaze became indescribably ferocious.

"Everything is the fault of humans!"

"The sins of humanity—!"

Hiss!

Suddenly a wild wind swept past; Mu Xi only felt a chill run down his back, and in the corner of his vision, he saw two arms separate from his body.

Before he could even feel the pain transmitting from his wounds, he barely managed to lift his head, and what met his eyes was a man wearing glasses, with a refined appearance, yet whose body radiated killing intent so dense it seemed almost tangible.

Bang!

Mu Xi halted his steps, nearly crushing the floor beneath his feet.

This was simply because he inexplicably felt that if he took one more step forward, he would be torn apart by the man before him in an instant!

"Caught a rat that's neither big nor small~"

Xiang Keluo raised his hand to remove his glasses, then took out a handkerchief from his bosom and began wiping them carefully.

His movements were gentle, his posture leisurely, and the killing intent radiating from his body retracted in an instant, making him resemble a frail scholar.

But Mu Xi did not dare harbor such thoughts even slightly; forcing himself, he said:

"I don't recall knowing any great figure like you~"

"Is that so?!"

Xiang Keluo didn't even lift his eyelids.

He scanned the surroundings, connecting the cause and effect described by Shark Star with the events currently unfolding in the harbor, and immediately understood.

Someone was provoking trouble, attempting to stir up conflict between the Ryugu Kingdom and the pirates.

"Who ordered you to make your move?!"

Mu Xi forced himself, unwilling to leak even a shred:

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Xiang Keluo lifted his head and glanced at him:

"Is that so? Since you refuse to speak, then let it be."

"In that case, I..."

Hiss—!

Mu Xi's words were not even finished when a blood arrow erupted from his waist and abdomen, spreading all the way to his shoulder, nearly splitting his belly open.

The intense pain nearly destroyed his will in an instant.

It was only at this moment that Mu Xi noticed the semi-transparent tail behind Xiang Keluo, and the razor-sharp blade at its tip!

Xiang Keluo's indifferent voice reached Mu Xi's ears:

"Since you refuse to speak, you hold no value to me whatsoever."

"Fortunately, I learned a technique for killing fish from Gao Wen; I shall use you to conduct an experiment."

"What do you mean?!"

"According to that fellow, killing a fish is actually very simple, amounting to nothing more than eight words..."

"Strip the scales, remove the bones, split the belly open!"

Mu Xi struggled to crawl backward; the excruciating pain made his entire body tremble uncontrollably, yet the biological instinct for survival drove him to struggle continuously!

But all of this was ultimately futile before Xiang Keluo.

He had not even lifted a hand; merely by manipulating the airflow in the air, he completely suppressed Mu Xi.

Hiss!

The first strike fell.

A leg separated from Mu Xi's body, blood spraying everywhere.

The intense agony made his eyes bulge wide; before he could utter a second word, another arm flew through the air!

"Wu-ah—!"

A piercing scream spread along with the sea breeze; a cold wind blew into the port, chilling everyone to the bone.

Xiang Keluo's voice was not loud, yet it was clear enough for everyone to hear; after realizing its meaning, nearly everyone felt an inexplicable chill of dread.

This fellow... his mind is not right!

There is definitely something wrong!

Staying here any longer, even for a single second, poses a danger; we could be caught in the crossfire, killed like a fish!

The pirates who had been fighting Shark Star and the other fish-men immediately started their pirate ships and headed toward the side of the port, fearing that staying one second longer would enrage Gao Wen's group, especially Xiang Keluo!

As for Shark Star and the Neptune Royal Guards behind him, their legs trembled so violently they could barely stand!

He instinctively wanted to stop Xiang Keluo's actions, yet no matter what, he could not open his mouth.

This was due to fear, and also because it was Mu Xi and the others who had caused this disturbance!

He had already guessed who was behind this riot!

"It is Hody!"

Accompanied by a wail, Mu Xi finally could not endure the physical and mental torment and loosened his lips.

Now he only wanted to get far away from this monster!

What fish-men, what humans, what superiority of races, what food chains...

It's all bullshit!

Living, staying alive is everything!

"It was also him who plotted this fish-man kidnapping case, hoping to exacerbate the conflict between fish-men and humans!"

"I said, let me go!"

"I do not recall ever saying such words."

The tail behind Xiang Keluo swept across, severing Mu Xi's head, then he lightly leaped, reappearing beside Gao Wen.

"He confessed; the mastermind behind this is named Hody; it seems he should be from Fish-Man Island."

Gao Wen understood; this answer was as expected.

According to Gao Wen's understanding.

Within the fish-man race, they could roughly be divided into three factions.

The conservative faction led by Neptune and others, the neutral faction consisting mainly of commoners, and the radical faction led by Hody and his subordinates of the New Fish-Man Pirates.

And the only ones with a motive to exacerbate the conflict between humans and fish-men were the radical faction, who would profit from it.

Gao Wen raised his head to look at the crowd present, slowly drew the long blade from his waist, and said indifferently:

"Since the mastermind behind this has been eliminated, this battle ends here."

"If anyone else wishes to fight next, I will accompany you!"

Gulp—!

Golden Conqueror's Haki radiated outward with Gao Wen at its center, covering the entire port in an instant.

Wild barks howled, crimson Lei She danced in the void, and countless humans or fish-men with weak wills immediately lost consciousness.

Even the ships beneath everyone's feet developed cracks!

The entire battlefield suddenly became terrifyingly quiet, yet no one dared to make a move again; after all, this battle was originally a mistake secretly guided by Hody and his group, so continuing to fight held no meaning.

Seeing this.

Shark Star also breathed a sigh of relief; he was just about to report back the news that Hody had acted to kidnap fish-men, attempting to provoke conflict between humans and fish-men.

However, he did not expect that the moment the call connected, a strange voice came from the other end.

"Yo~ Your Highness the First Prince, calling Neptune at this hour, have you already guessed the truth? It seems you are not yet stupid beyond salvation, however, it is too late..."

"Hody, it really is you!"

Shark Star flew into a rage.

During the battle at the port, the casualties among the Neptune Guards were countless.

Should I tell him now that these people did not die while surrounding their own kin, but rather fell victim to a conspiracy?

"If you act like this now, Jinbe will absolutely not stand by and watch!"

"Hahahahahaha!"

Hody sneered:

"Jinbe?!"

"That fellow should be arriving very soon."

"What do you mean?"

Shark Star froze, sensing something inexplicably amiss, yet at that moment, a familiar sobbing sound came through the receiver.

"Now it's time for you to choose: the fish-men in the harbor, or your own father and sister?!"

"Bastard!"

"Beep—!"

The call was cut off by Hody.

Shark Star stood in the harbor, gripping the receiver tighter and tighter in his hand, yet he felt only a chill running through his body.

Just at that moment.

A powerful large hand rested on Shark Star's shoulder.

"Your Highness, leave what comes next to me."

Shark Star turned his head.

What met his eyes was a whale shark fish-man standing about three meters tall, dressed in a Wano Country-style yukata, with a resolute expression and a body entirely blue-green in color.

It was none other than Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea recognized by the World Government, Fish-Man Island's top combatant, known as the Knight of the Sea!

"Jinbe, you..."

"King Neptune and Princess Bai Xing have been taken hostage by that fellow Hody; we have no choice."

As soon as the words landed, Jinbe had already taken a step, moving toward the harbor.

The crowd naturally parted, all looking at the excessively muscular fish-man before them with faces full of fear.

"This fellow... is he the Knight of the Sea, Jinbe? What formidable spirit! He's a monster on a completely different level from other fish-men!"

"Is he preparing to fight Knight Gao Wen? But the World Government also forbids battles between the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

Some people trembled with fear, sensing something wrong, and began retreating backward.

Others, however, wore faces full of excitement, anticipating the coming battle:

"For people like them, how much binding force do the World Government's prohibitions really have?"

"I have a bad feeling about this!"

"Retreat! Retreat!"

In an instant.

A host of pirate ships retreated one after another toward the harbor's edge, and many pirates even jumped off their vessels, fleeing deep into Fish-Man Island.

The pirates capable of reaching this place were all elites who had fought their way out from the Four Seas, having long witnessed the vastness of the world and the might of the strong.

In their hearts lay the only awe and reverence for those monsters standing atop the great seas!

Bang!

As the crowd scattered.

Jinbe stood firmly before Gao Wen and spoke:

"Arlong was once a member of the Sun Pirates; by allowing him to run wild in the East Blue, I must bear primary responsibility."

"Though I do not know which of the survivors from Cocoyasi Village you are, let me offer my apologies first; after this matter concludes, I will surely bring Hatchan to your door to make amends."

"But due to certain reasons..."

As he spoke.

Jinbe took a deep breath, and when he looked again at Gao Wen and his group, his eyes had become incomparably resolute.

This is Fish-Man Island.

This is already the last pure land for fish-men and merfolk.

The Wang Zu represented by Neptune is one thing, but Bai Xing is different; she is a fish-man, indeed the future of the entire world, and she cannot suffer any mishap!

"I have no choice but to act against you!"

Whoosh—!

The surroundings instantly fell silent.

Gao Wen stood on the deck without speaking, while Keluo and Ah Jin beside him felt somewhat stirred.

Ah Jin licked his lips:

"This fellow... is very strong; Captain, how about leaving this place to me?!"

"Killing fish is more my specialty!"

The tail behind Keluo swayed, the corners of his mouth gradually splitting into a grin as if he had spotted an interesting prey:

"This fellow's strength might even exceed Donquixote Doflamingo's, after all, this is the fish-men's home turf!"

"No!"

Gao Wen shook his head, a smile of keen interest appearing on his face:

"Since he has specifically named me, naturally I am the one to accept the challenge."

"However, this fellow is clearly acting against us because of some threat; you two go check the palace, and you might just find some surprise."

"I have a feeling there might be something interesting hidden there."

The two exchanged a glance, then without further hesitation, leaped down from the deck and sped toward the Fish-Man Palace.

"Wait!"

Jinbe intended to intervene, but his body froze in the next instant.

An extremely violent Haki erupted from Gao Wen, who stood on a ship in the distance, pressing down on him like a mountain range!

Boom!

The ground beneath Jinbe's feet cracked at that very moment!

This feeling...

Jinbe was drenched in cold sweat, having even forgotten to breathe, while the bones in his body crackled loudly.

In this instant, he even harbored the illusion of once again facing Whitebeard directly!

This fellow is strong!

Stronger than anyone I have ever fought!

"Since you wish to attack me, are you mentally prepared?!"

Gao Wen lowered his eyes, looking at Jinbe with great interest.

He already knew who was the mastermind behind the chaos on Fish-Man Island.

To him, that was no problem at all, at most merely a pastime after tea and rice, yet Jinbe's capability truly made him somewhat tempted.

Gold-tier combat power, number one in naval warfare within the worldview of pirates, and furthermore the world's most excellent sailor.

His character could also be considered solid; at the very least, those words spoken before the battle commenced were sufficient to show he could distinguish right from wrong, and could even lower his head to admit his mistakes.

This point was rare and valuable.

"I still lack a sailor on my ship; would you consider it?!"

Jinbe shook his head:

"This life of mine already belongs to Whitebeard."

"That is truly a pity; if you fight me, you will die, you know?!"

(End of Chapter)