Chapter 420 - 259

Chapter 260: Hody VS sandai kitetsu!At the same time, the giant communication channel between Ryugu Palace and the outside world slowly connected amidst the roar of machinery.It revealed a waterway corridor large enough for sea beasts to pass through.The glimmer from the deep sea at the other end of the channel projected inward, reflecting in Hody Jones's crimson and feverish eyes."Heh... that group of human trash who were launched as 'cannonballs' actually succeeded in opening the channel?"He licked his sharp teeth, the hideous grin on his face expanding—a mixture of contempt, cruelty, and the ecstasy of his imminent ambition being realized.He raised the trident in his hand high, a symbol of plunder and conquest, and suddenly threw his arms up and shouted."Do you see! Even fate is on our side! The gates for invasion have been flung open for us!""Now is the moment to rewrite history! Go, warriors of the New Fish-Man Pirates!""Let those weaklings who indulge in a false peace witness true power!""We... are the true Fishman race who have inherited the unfulfilled will of Brother Arlong!!""Ooooohhh—!!!""Crush Ryugu Palace!!""Fishman Supremacy!!"Fanatical shouts and roars filled with hatred erupted among the fish, merging into a heart-palpitating wave of sound.The pirates, dominated by energy steroids and extreme ideologies, had blood-red eyes. They brandished their weapons as their morale swelled to its peak."Hahaha!! March forth—!!"Amidst Hody Jones's frantic laughter, the Giant Manta Ray beneath his feet, which looked like a moving mountain, let out a dull and oppressive low growl as its massive tail fin swung violently.Boom!!!Its massive body kicked up surging undercurrents and, along the open channel, crashed headlong into the magnificent and defenseless core of Ryugu Palace!...Ryugu Palace, Banquet Hall.The hall of former festivities was now a battlefield where swords were drawn.The brilliant lights reflected the tense faces and sharp trident tips of the Ryugu guards, while also illuminating the uninvited guests who had broken through the doors."Hahaha! This is so sickeningly ironic, King Neptune!!"Hody Jones strode swaggeringly into the hall, his crimson eyes sweeping over the tables of delicacies and fine wine that had yet to be cleared.His gaze finally settled on the massive, ashen-faced King on the throne, his lips curling into a sneering arc."Over the years, humans have hunted our compatriots like catching fish and shrimp, kidnapping them as slaves and putting them on auction blocks with price tags!""And what about you? Our 'noble' King actually bows and scrapes, treating humans as honored guests and throwing a grand banquet here?!"He suddenly threw his arms wide, his voice shrill with resentment as it echoed in the silent hall:"Neptune! You are not only a disgrace to the royal family, but a complete... traitor to the entire Fishman race!!""Hody—!"A deep, heavy shout interrupted the piercing accusation.Jinbe stepped forward. He gazed at this junior who had been completely consumed by hatred, his heart aching with grief."Wake up! Do not let prejudice and lies blind your eyes any longer! There are indeed villains among humans, but they are by no means all of them!""The 'hatred' you have identified is dragging you and those who follow you into an abyss of eternal damnation!""Refusing to come to my senses? Heh... Hahahaha!"Hody acted as if he had heard the world's biggest joke. His laughter suddenly became shrill and crazed. He pointed at Jinbe, the bloodshot color in his eyes almost overflowing."How did the hero Fisher Tiger die? He died from human betrayal and ambush!""And under whose gun did Queen Otohime fall? It was the despicable sniper fire of human pirates!""And then there's Brother Arlong... he was personally defeated and sent to prison by the 'Straw Hat Pirates'! And what about you, Jinbe?!"He almost squeezed the final question through his teeth, every word soaked in the fury of being betrayed:"As Brother Arlong's former companion, as the 'First Son of the Sea' of the Fishman race, you wagged your tail and begged for mercy, joining the ranks of our enemies!""Who is the one refusing to come to their senses?! Who is the real... traitor who betrayed the blood, tears, and will of the Fishmen!!!"Before his voice could fade, a violent killing intent that was almost tangible, mixed with years of accumulated hatred, erupted from Hody's body like a deep-sea storm!He said no more. The ground beneath his feet shattered as his figure turned into a blue blur. The trident in his hand tore through the air, piercing straight for Jinbe's throat!"It's useless."Facing this strike full of hatred, Jinbe only let out a calm sigh.He didn't even move his feet; he simply lowered his stance. With his right fist held at his waist, azure-colored water silently gathered and compressed at the tip of his knuckles."Fish-Man Karate: 5,000 Tile True Punch."The punch was delivered in an unremarkable manner.Bang—!!!A shockwave condensed to its limit struck first, accurately slamming into Hody's chest.Hody's violent forward charge suddenly froze, and then he was sent flying as if struck head-on by an invisible giant hammer.His whole body turned into a blurred afterimage, violently crashing into and collapsing a giant coral stone pillar that would have taken several people to encircle, kicking up a cloud of dust."Cough... cough cough!"Hody struggled to crawl out from the rubble, vomiting a large mouthful of blood. His chest was clearly caved in.He raised his bloodshot eyes and stared fixedly at the motionless Jinbe, yet a twisted smile appeared on his face."Impressive... as expected of a former 'Seven Warlords of the Sea.' Jinbe, you are indeed terrifyingly strong."He stood up tremblingly and reached into his clothes, pulling out a handful of red and white pills that emitted an ominous faint glow.Without any hesitation, he stuffed the entire handful of pills into his mouth and swallowed them whole!"—Arghhhhh!!!"A shrill, inhuman scream erupted from Hody's throat.His eyes were instantly and completely occupied by a violent blood-red. His entire musculature expanded and bulged terrifyingly like it was being inflated, and veins popped out like coiled dragons.Even more bizarrely, wisps of crimson mist began to uncontrollably seep out from his pores, carrying an aura of blood and madness that swirled around him."Th-that's... energy steroids?!"The Seahorse Minister of the Right lost his voice and cried out, his eyes filled with shock and horror."Ten years ago, the 'Tamatebako' in the Ryugu Palace treasury was stolen, and all the energy steroids inside vanished... So the thief was you, Hody Jones?!""Hody! You're insane!"Jinbe's expression became incredibly grave as he shouted sternly."energy steroids grant temporary power at the cost of overdrawing your life! Eating them like that is suicide!""Heh... Hehehe..."Hody's voice became hoarse, as if coming from hell. He wiped away the saliva mixed with blood from the corner of his mouth, his blood-red eyes locking onto Jinbe."As long as I can achieve my long-cherished wish, as long as I can wash away this disgrace... I don't give a damn about a mere lifespan!!"He stomped heavily, the stone slabs beneath him shattering as a beast-like low growl resonated in his chest cavity:"Today, no one will stop me!!!"Looking at Hody, whose aura was surging and who had almost lost his human form, Jinbe slowly assumed the starting stance of Fish-Man Karate. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, and his voice was as steady as a rock:"Even so... Hody, even if I have to beat you awake, I must stop you here."Even if Hody swallowed energy steroids like candy to forcibly skyrocket his power.In front of Jinbe, who was battle-hardened and had tempered Fish-Man Karate to perfection, this madness built upon external objects was still insufficient to shake that absolute, thousand-times-refined strength.The air in the hall froze to the extreme due to the impending clash... At the same time, the Fishmanpirates, witnessing their Captain being sent flying with one punch, showed brief moments of daze and fear on their faces.They looked at each other, their feet involuntarily shuffling backward."What are you all standing around for?! You bunch of trash!"Hody Jones's frantic roar came from the pile of rubble."Do it now... Charge! Take Ryugu Palace! Kill these traitors and humans!!"This roar acted like a death warrant. Combined with the stimulation of the energy steroids, the eyes of the previously retreating pirates quickly filled with violent red light, as reason was replaced by animalistic instinct."Ooooohhh—!!""Kill!!"Dozens of Fishman pirates in a frenzy roared, brandishing various weapons as they lunged toward the position where Luffy and the others were!"Tch."Facing this surging tide of enemies, Luffy didn't even raise his eyes.He remained sitting calmly on a higher coral reef, his straw hat slightly lowered.Uta knelt beside him, her slender white fingers massaging his temples with moderate pressure. Her purple eyes were cast down, as if the earth-shaking battle cries around them were just irrelevant background noise."Zoro." Luffy's voice was lazy, yet he clearly issued the command."OK."A short and powerful response rang out.A tall figure wearing a dark green coat, like the most solid barrier, silently blocked the path between the charging Fishman pirates and Luffy.—Clang!His thumb lightly pushed the tsuba, and sandai kitetsu revealed a short section of its dark purple blade.In that very instant!Zzt zzt—!!Black and red arcs of electricity exploded out of thin air without warning. A violent, overbearing, and world-disdainful aura, like a slumbering beast suddenly awakening, turned into a visible dark-red airwave that erupted with Zoro at the center!Everywhere the airwave passed, the air let out an overburdened hum, as if space itself were trembling.A "buzz" rang in the Fishman pirates' heads as their consciousness instantly went blank, and their charging momentum came to a halt.A cold arc curled at the corner of Zoro's mouth—it was absolute confidence in his own strength and complete disregard for the enemies before him."To deal with you lot..."His low voice was clearly audible amidst the roar of Haki."...I'll use the back of my blade.""As for how many will survive..."Kitetsu was fully unsheathed, tracing an effortless semi-arc in his hand. The blade flipped, and the smooth back of the sword was aimed at the surging crowd of enemies."...Depends on your luck."Keng—!!!The moment the back of the blade touched the air, Haki compressed to the extreme merged with the slash, turning into a crescent-shaped, tangible dark-red shockwave that swept forward in a fan shape!Rumble rumble—!!!An unimaginably terrifying airwave spread out like a tsunami!A bone-chilling sensation of extreme cold, originating from biological instinct, instantly gripped the hearts of the Fishmen, making their blood feel as if it were freezing.The next second.Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!All the Fishman pirates swept up by the shockwave were sent flying backward off the ground without any power to resist!They spat out blood, their weapons flew from their hands, and they screamed as they tore through the sky, being thrown far beyond the boundaries of Ryugu Palace, falling toward the streets of Fish-Man Island below or the deeper sea further away.Keng.With a soft sound, Zoro sheathed his sword, his movements smooth and natural, not even a corner of his clothes ruffled.He acted as if he had just casually brushed away non-existent dust from his shoulder. He turned back to Luffy's side, crossed his arms again, and closed his eyes to rest.The entire hall, except for the direction where Hodyand Jinbe were fiercely fighting, fell into a dead silence.The guards of Ryugu Palace, from the ordinary soldiers to the Minister of the Right, all stood frozen in place, their mouths hanging open unconsciously, their eyes filled with extreme shock and confusion.They stared blankly at the cleared, messy area, then looked at the green-haired swordsman who acted as if he had done nothing.Finally, their gazes fell back on the straw hat-wearing youth who was still enjoying his massage, the angle of his hat not having changed in the slightest.A bone-chilling coldness, mixed with incomprehensible awe, rose from the deepest parts of their hearts."Is this...""...The crew of one of the 'Four Emperors'?"Someone murmured unconsciously, voicing the shared thoughts of all the survivors.