Chapter 24: The Tide Turns
"Hody... what did you say?!"
"I SAID—I KILLED THAT DAMN QUEEN OTOHIME!!!"
Hody's roar echoed across Gyoncorde Plaza, a declaration of murder that shattered the last illusions of peace.
Around him, the New Fish-Man Pirates emerged from the shadows, dragging behind them dozens of human prisoners bound in iron chains. The square filled with their numbers—a seemingly endless tide of murloc soldiers.
Hody's smile widened as he surveyed his army.
"Now—we have 50,000 human pirate slaves!"
His arm swept wide. "Add to that our 70,000 brothers from Fishman District!"
He paused, savoring the moment. "That's 120,000 soldiers! The so-called 'madmen' and 'outlaws' you fear—there are 120,000 of them here today!"
The watching fish-man residents trembled in terror.
"120,000?! The enemy has 120,000?!"
"Fishman Island... it's truly over..."
Hody raised his hands, drinking in their fear.
"I've been planning this for TEN YEARS!"
His gaze fixed on Shirahoshi—the mermaid he most wanted dead, the one with the power of an ancient weapon, the Poseidon who commanded Sea Kings.
"Shirahoshi! You never knew—I killed your mother! Another murloc! One of your own kind!"
The New Fish-Man Pirates howled with laughter.
Shirahoshi lowered her head.
"I know."
Silence.
Jinbe stared. "Princess..."
"I know," Shirahoshi repeated, tears streaming. "But I CAN'T hate you. I WON'T hate you."
Her voice cracked with pain. "Before she died, my mother told me—no matter who killed her, I must not hold grudges. She didn't want the seeds of hatred to grow on Fishman Island!"
The watching residents wept.
"Princess Otohime... that noble soul..."
"THAT'S why I can't hate you!" Shirahoshi sobbed.
Hody's shock twisted into manic glee. "SO WHAT?! You SHOULD have hated me! You SHOULD have killed me!"
He spread his arms wide. "NOW I'VE GROWN STRONG! I'LL BECOME THE NEW KING OF FISHMAN ISLAND! BUILD A NEW EMPIRE! DESTROY THIS STUPID—"
"Hody."
The voice cut through his tirade like a blade. Madam Shyarly stood atop a nearby structure, pipe in hand.
"You foolish child."
Hody froze.
"My prophecies are never wrong." Shyarly's voice carried across the square. "The one who will destroy Fishman Island is NOT you."
Hody's eyes narrowed. "Not me?"
"It is the man in the straw hat."
"STRAW HAT?!"
"The Straw Hat boy will destroy this island."
A water bullet tore through her abdomen.
"MADAM SHYARLY!!!"
She collapsed as Hody lowered his hand, trembling with rage.
"Shut up, old woman!"
He turned to his army. "EVERYONE! After the execution, we'll purge this island! Clear out the new murloc territory! Move EVERYONE from Fishman District here!"
He raised his blade toward Neptune. "BUT FIRST—THE EXECUTION! BEGIN!"
Tens of thousands of murlocs cheered.
Hody gathered another water bullet—BOOM—another hole in Neptune's stomach.
"FATHER!"
"FATHER!!"
Water bullets rained down like a machine gun, tearing into Neptune and the princes.
The residents of Fishman Island collapsed in despair.
Beside the wounded Shyarly, a murloc child sobbed. "Madam Shyarly! When will the Straw Hat come to DESTROY this island?!"
Shyarly blinked weakly. "Destroy...?"
"Yes! DESTROY IT! Then we won't have to see THIS anymore!"
Around them, the cry spread.
"STRAW HAT! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"DESTROY THIS ISLAND!"
"BETTER HODY THAN THIS—STRAW HAT, COME DESTROY US!"
"STRAW HAT! STRAW HAT!"
"WHERE ARE YOU, STRAW HAT BOY?! COME AND DESTROY EVERYTHING!"
Shirahoshi's tears fell like rain. "Luffy-kun... please... PLEASE COME!"
Hody laughed wildly. "Desperate people clutching at straws!"
His officers joined in. "Pathetic!"
"NOW WATCH!" Hody raised his sword toward Neptune. "THE DESTRUCTION OF THE RYUGU KINGDOM! THE BIRTH OF A NEW KING!"
The blade descended—
URGH.
Mekaro, Shirahoshi's pet shark, thrashed violently. Something was struggling inside its mouth.
Hody glanced sideways—
Mekaro gagged, and a figure shot out, tumbling across the plaza before launching directly at Hody.
WHAM.
Luffy's kick connected with Hody's chest, sending him flying hundreds of meters into the surrounding rock. The cliff face collapsed around him.
The plaza went silent.
The New Fish-Man Pirates stared, jaws hanging.
Nami's voice cut through the stillness, suddenly appearing beside Dosun.
"Getting Luffy to follow a plan is IMPOSSIBLE."
She held a letter—the Celestial Dragon's letter she'd stolen moments ago.
"Good thing Itachi understood you, Jinbe."
Jinbe exhaled in relief. "That man... without him, none of this would work."
Nearby, a murloc suddenly shouted: "THE CELESTIAL DRAGON'S LETTER IS GONE!"
"Not just the letter—" another patted his waist, "THE KEYS! THE KEYS ARE GONE!"
On the platform, Robin's hands moved. Palms sprouted on Sharkstar and Shirahoshi, unlocking their chains instantly.
"Got them," she smiled.
"LOOK!" A murloc pointed skyward.
The Thousand Sunny, modified into a flying lion, soared overhead. Franky fired the Lion's Roar cannon—BOOM—obliterating the execution platform and sending murlocs flying.
"GO, WHALE-KUN!"
Neptune's throne whale, Hall, burst forward, scooping up the wounded king. The princes, though confused, quickly mounted and escaped skyward.
Dosun lunged with his hammer—but Hall twisted away at the last second.
The royal family was safe.
Franky landed the Sunny beside Shirahoshi.
On deck, Chopper stood in the bow, transformed.
"Look! There they are!"
Chopper surveyed the square. "So many enemies..."
Usopp counted rapidly. "At least seventy or eighty thousand! Maybe a hundred thousand!"
"Yohohoho! A bit tricky!" Brook laughed.
Zoro's hand found his sword. "You could all hide in your rooms. I'll handle this."
Franky cracked his knuckles. "My fists are itching. Let's go."
Zoro glanced beside him—Itachi stood silently, arms crossed, eyes sweeping the vast murloc army.
"You regret getting dragged into this, Itachi?"
Itachi's expression didn't change.
"It's much better than fighting underwater."
The barest hint of a smile touched his lips.
(End of Chapter)
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
Where you can read Extra Advance Chaters
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 300 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕