Chapter 425 - 264

Chapter 265: The Speech Incident (Part 2)!"Therefore, the real culprit is none other than Hody Jones!!"King Neptune used this heavy and firm verdict to put an end to this cold case that had lasted for over a decade.Boom—!Although the plaza had tried its best to remain silent while the King was speaking, the mental shock brought by this earth-shattering truth was simply too great, inevitably stirring up uncontrollable waves of shock among the crowd.Low gasps, sharp intakes of breath, and incredulous whispers gathered into a buzzing wave of sound.Countless people widened their eyes and opened their mouths, their faces filled with confusion and shock, as if they needed time to piece together the cognition that had been shattered in an instant.Although King Neptune did not display the complicated chain of evidence on stage, almost 99% of the public chose to believe him without hesitation after the initial shock.The reason was simple: Queen Otohime was Neptune's beloved wife and the mother of the three princes and Princess Shirahoshi.No one would believe that a husband and a father would make such a cruel joke with his late wife's innocence and reputation.And Hody Jones?An agitator and thug who had just been proven to have colluded with human pirates, intended to overthrow the country, and had his hands stained with the blood of his own kin!Between the two, there was simply no comparison in terms of credibility and motive."Ahem!"Neptune cleared his throat, using his voice to pull people back from their chaotic thoughts.His expression turned solemn, and his voice, transmitted through the amplification device, clearly reached every corner:"Now, for the second matter!"He turned to the side, raised his hand in an inviting gesture, and announced loudly:"Let us welcome... the saviors of our Fish-Man Island, representatives of the Straw Hat Pirates to the stage!!"As the words fell, the brief silence was instantly broken!"Straw Hat Luffy—!!!""Hero!!!""Long live—!!!"Deafening cheers, screams, and shouts were like a tsunami that had been suppressed for a long time, sweeping across the entire plaza with overwhelming force!Camera flashes danced wildly again, gathering into an ocean of light.Right in the midst of this tsunami-like roar!Swoosh!A golden figure, moving at a speed beyond human reaction, darted onto the high platform like a teleportation, precisely occupying the position in front of the microphone!Sanji feigned coolness, one hand casually tucked into his dress pant pocket, while the other hand brushed back his golden hair, a smile he considered most charming and mature plastered on his face.He deliberately lowered his voice to be deep and magnetic, and spoke into the microphone:"Hello everyone, I am the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates, Sanji."He paused slightly, his gaze sweeping casually over the female mermaids in the front row who were looking at him with curiosity and gratitude, the curve of his mouth deepening:"I believe that after yesterday's events, everyone here, especially the beautiful ladies, has heard more or less of my... insignificant deeds.""Over the years, I have always adhered to the way of a gentleman, aiming to become a true knight who protects ladies and upholds justice!"Just then, his gaze inadvertently caught sight of more beautiful female mermaid figures in the distance, and his tone instantly became more impassioned, filled with a "sense of justice":"Please rest assured, I, Sanji, will definitely use my life to protect this beautiful island, to protect the peace and tranquility here...""...especially you, the beautiful, moving mermaid ladies who are like deep-sea pearls and in need of protection!"Below the stage, in the Straw Hat seating area.Watching Sanji on stage trying so hard to look cool while faintly exuding a "loser" vibe.Zoro's fists clenched until they cracked, and the veins on his forehead bulged;The others, like Usopp and Chopper, had their eyelids twitching wildly, watching in trepidation, fearing that he would say something shocking in the next second."Haha, is Sanji giving a speech? How interesting!!"At this toe-curling moment, a clear, casual laugh broke the silence.A silver flash passed, and Luffy was already sitting leisurely in his vacant exclusive seat, his arm resting on the back of the chair, looking at Sanji on stage with great interest, looking like someone watching a show who wanted it to get even bigger.No one knew that this Captain, in order to escape this "speech" which he found more troublesome than fighting, had even sacrificed his precious breakfast time, only arriving "belatedly" right on time.Nami still had a hint of a charming flush on her face that hadn't completely faded after exercise.She glared at Luffy unhappily, then walked to her seat and sat down elegantly (though slightly unnaturally).On stage, Sanji was completely immersed in his own "Knight's Declaration" and the admiring gazes of the mermaids below, his emotions rising higher and higher:"In short, this experience on Fish-Man Island is like a beautiful dream I never want to wake up from!"He opened his arms, as if to embrace the entire plaza:"If any of you beautiful mermaid ladies encounter any difficulties in life in the future, whether it's fixing water pipes, driving away annoying harassers, or needing to taste a dish that can warm your soul... please don't hesitate!"He bowed slightly, performed a standard gentleman's salute, his voice filled with "sincerity":"What I am best at is giving my all to take care of, protect, and please every beautiful lady!"Seeing that the atmosphere was set, a flash of light appeared in Sanji's eyes, and he felt it was time to leave behind a "bond"!He leaned close to the microphone and quickly rattled off a string of numbers:"My private den den mushi number is: 3838—09438...""Whoa—!!!"Before the string of numbers was finished, two fair but exceptionally strong hands shot out from behind Sanji like lightning, one tightly covering his mouth, and the other grabbing his collar.With a shoulder throw, he was hurled from in front of the microphone like trash, and slammed heavily off the high platform!Bang!Sanji landed on the ground below in a standard "X" shape, kicking up a cloud of dust.—Clang!A cold flash of light appeared, and Zoro had already jumped from his seat, the sharp blade of his sandai kitetsu, carrying a biting murderous aura, steadily resting on the neck of the still-dazed Sanji.Zoro's eyes were cold enough to freeze Sea Kings, and his voice was squeezed out through his teeth:"Perverted kappa... you... are... finished!!!""Zoro! Calm down! You must calm down!!"Usopp and Chopper were scared out of their wits, one hugging his waist and the other hugging his leg, dragging Zoro with all their might,"If Sanji dies, who will cook for us?! We'll all starve to death!!""That's right, Zoro! Sanji... he was just excited for a moment! It was unintentional!!"Chopper added with teary eyes."Both of you, let me go!!"Veins bulged on Zoro's forehead, his anger almost becoming tangible,"Today I must slaughter this idiot cook who has shamed our pirate crew!! No one stop me!!"Robin flashed a flawless, gentle smile at Luffy, as if nothing had just happened."Hahahaha!!!""Is this the Four Emperors pirate crew?! They are too interesting!!""Yeah! I originally thought they would be big shots, especially dignified and scary, like Pops Whitebeard!""That cook guy is so interesting! That swordsman guy is so fierce but so cool!"Sanji's completely unexpected and personally characteristic "speech" was like a refreshing and joyful breeze, unexpectedly blowing away the heaviness and oppression brought by the truth about Queen Otohime.In the eyes of the public, the Straw Hat crew, who were originally high above and shrouded in the mysterious halos of "saviors" and "emperor of the sea," instantly became vivid, approachable, and even somewhat... funny and cute.The serious atmosphere of the plaza was broken, replaced by bursts of irrepressible, kind, and joyful laughter, like sunlight piercing through the deep sea, filling every corner of the Fishman plaza.This important ceremony concerning history and the future finally came to an end amidst an unexpected, vibrant, and noisy atmosphere of laughter....Meanwhile, ten thousand meters deep in the dark, lightless, and terrifyingly high-pressure deep sea above Fish-Man Island.An ancient giant ship, huge beyond imagination, like a sleeping primordial beast, floated quietly in the eternal darkness.Its scale was comparable to an island, and its mottled hull was wrapped in ancient chains and seaweed thicker than giant dragons, exuding the vicissitudes and dead silence of having passed through hundreds of years.This was the legendary "noah"!"...Hahaha!! Shirahoshi!! My dear Shirahoshi!!"A burst of maniacal, twisted laughter broke the silence of this absolute domain.Vander Decken IX piloted his dilapidated little boat, which looked like a ghost skeleton, to the side of noah, which was comparable to a cliff.He tilted his head back, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at the distant Fish-Man Island, wrapped in a bubble membrane and emitting a hazy halo, as if seeing the figure he "yearned for day and night.""Now... now is the moment to test the unbreakable love between us!!""My dear Shirahoshi! You are the only treasure the deep sea has bestowed upon me, the bride fate has chosen for me! We are clearly so in love!!"His tone suddenly became cold and paranoid, filled with destructive possessiveness:"Therefore, you can only belong to me, Vander Decken IX!!""...There are only two endings for you: either join me in the eternal hall of love..."He paused, the last trace of feigned gentleness in his eyes completely extinguished, leaving only pure, suicidal madness:"Or... together with your cowardly father and hypocritical kingdom... under the impact of noah, turn into a pile of dust at the bottom of the deep sea!! This is my final declaration of 'love' to you!!"The crazy monologue ended, Vander Deckenturned abruptly, his right hand pressing solemnly and decisively onto the cold, rough, barnacle-covered, and rusted ancient hull of noah.Hum...A muffled sound, as if from ancient times, faintly emanated from inside the huge hull of noah.Immediately after, this super-giant ancient ship that had been sleeping for centuries, that huge hull that stood as immovable as a mountain... actually began to move slowly, carrying a heavy sense of oppression that made the surrounding seawater tremble!The loud noise of chains rubbing against each other was like the breathing of a giant beast, and the undercurrents formed by the displaced seawater instantly became violent.noah, the ark that was supposed to carry some ancient promise, turned into a meteorite aimed at Fish-Man Island, and began to accelerate downwards towards that light wrapped in a fragile bubble!