"Are we saved?!"
"That Marine saved us!!!"
Someone touched their unharmed body in disbelief, muttering subconsciously.
Meanwhile, the Fish-Man District thugs, hidden in the crowd, wore expressions of doubt as their resolve began to waver.
A man who could scare off large Sea Kings just with his aura—is this someone Boss Hody can defeat even with the [Energy Steroids]?
"What was that just now... it definitely didn't happen by chance."
Jinbe, standing to the side, had beads of sweat on his forehead. He looked at the departing figures of the giant Sea Kings with a look of trepidation.
That power, if he wasn't mistaken...
It should have come from Princess Shirahoshi.
But that terrifying Conqueror's Haki?!
Jinbe looked at Atlas in mid-air. A sudden flash of insight struck him, and he seemed to grasp something. He shouted urgently:
"Sir White Tiger, could you please treat Queen Otohime? Fish-Man Island will be grateful to you for generations!!"
"Lord Atlas, can you save my mother?"
Hearing Jinbe's words, Shirahoshi wiped her tear-streaked face and pleaded with Atlas in a crying voice.
On the other side of Fish-Man Island.
A broad-banded tiger shark fish-man, wearing a small bowler hat, with black hair curling up at the sides and braided goatee whiskers, watched the slowly departing large Sea Kings with a coveted look on his face.
Slowly extending his webbed palm, he adjusted the bowler hat on his head slightly to hide the sweat beads left by his fear just now, but his expression grew increasingly excited.
Finally...
Found her!!!
He was Vander Decken IX, a descendant of the first Vander Decken.
His ancestor, the first Vander Decken, had come to the ocean floor in pursuit of that legend.
The legendary Mermaid Princess possessed an incredible ability—the terrifying power to command even Sea Kings.
One must know that in the entire world, the ocean occupies the largest area, and Sea Kings are undoubtedly the most powerful creatures in this world!!!
One can imagine how terrifying a Mermaid Princess controlling such power would be.
And now—
He had found this power, Vander Decken IX!!
"Ancestor!! I finally!! Found her..."
Amidst his excitement, he couldn't help but roar to the sky, venting his emotions to his heart's content.
"That's great, Captain!!"
"The true meaning of this legend is known only to our clan. It should be—like this."
A fish-man with a diamond-shaped, chubby face also danced with excitement.
"Shh~~ Shut up!!"
Vander Decken IX first shouted sternly to stop him, then looked around to ensure no one was there before breathing a sigh of relief.
"What if someone hears us?"
"Don't worry, Captain. We checked the surroundings before coming here; there's absolutely no one."
The diamond-faced fish-man said, grinning.
"Hmm~ That's good. But the main problem now is—I must first become the Princess's husband!!"
"But Princess Shirahoshi is just a little kid right now?!"
"Hmm~~ That is indeed a problem."
Decken IX rubbed his chin, looking somewhat troubled.
"By the way, what was the name of that Fish-Man District thug who came looking for me last time?"
"Captain, was it that guy Hody Jones?"
"Did he have any business with me then?"
Decken IX tried hard to recall, but found he had no impression at all.
Although the other party sent a representative to seek cooperation to overthrow Neptune's rule together, he had mercilessly rejected even Arlong's invitation back then, let alone this brat Hody Jones.
However, he seemed to have vaguely heard the conversation between the Fish-Man District representative and his subordinate at the time. He didn't pay much attention then, so his memory was a bit hazy.
"He seemed to be seeking a Tamatebako hidden deep in Ryugu Palace, saying he would share half with us."
Another fish-man crew member said with a smile.
"Tamatebako? What is that?"
Decken IX twirled the few long whiskers under his nose and asked with a frown.
"According to them, it's a miraculous drug that can exchange life for power."
"With that thing, will anyone become older?"
Decken IX asked from a unique angle.
"...Theoretically, yes. After consuming life force, age will indeed increase."
The fish-man crew member looked hesitant.
The topic seemed to be heading in an unpredictable direction.
"So, for example, a little munchkin like this..."
Decken IX gestured a height near the ground, then looked expectantly at the fish-man crew member: "Could she also quickly turn into a mature, sexy young lady?"
"...Probably?"
The diamond-faced fish-man crew member braced in agreement.
By the way, Captain, don't you think your focus is a bit strange?
"What do you mean by 'probably'?"
Decken IX's face fell, and he spoke with slight dissatisfaction.
"Definitely!! Absolutely!!"
Seeing this, the other fish-man crew members beside him nodded frantically.
"Well done!! Now the problem is finally solved!!"
"In that case, I can marry Princess Shirahoshi immediately!! That should be it!"
Saying this, Decken IX became more and more excited, to the point of starting to dance. "Hurry to Ryugu Palace and snatch that Tamatebako!!"
"But Ryugu Palace is heavily guarded. We can't get in just by ourselves!"
"But if you marry Princess Shirahoshi first, won't you be able to enter and exit Ryugu Palace freely?"
With a dim-witted captain, the subordinates generally weren't much better. Several fish-man crew members bombarded Decken IX with brain-dead logic.
"You guys really have good brains!! Bahohohoho!!"
"But wouldn't it be more convenient to snatch the Tamatebako directly from Hody Jones?"
"Shirahoshi's looks are quite good. If she grows another ten or twenty years, she will definitely become a great beauty!!"
"But her size will also be bigger!"
The diamond-faced fish-man chimed in with a dampener.
"That's called robust! Besides, I don't hate big women!! The moment I become her husband—"
"I can get my hands on it!!"
"The dream pursued by the Vander Decken clan for generations!!!"
"You have to propose first!! Captain Decken!"
Several crew members reminded him in unison.
"Right!! I'll write the wedding invitation right now!!"
While the Flying Pirates led by Vander Decken IX were fantasising wildly...
Centre of Gyoncorde Plaza.
A ball of green fluorescence enveloped Queen Otohime, who was lying in a pool of blood. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd...
Granulation tissue sprouted from the penetrating wound in her chest at a visible speed. The heart, which had been gradually weakening, beat again. A large amount of blood was produced and circulated throughout her body.
Suddenly, three squads of Ryugu Palace soldiers ran over hurriedly from a distance.
"Your Majesty Neptune, Boss Jinbe, we heard someone assassinated Her Highness Otohime..."
Before he could finish, a blood-stained soldier interrupted him hoarsely, "It's bad, Boss Jinbe! Those bastards from Fish-Man District suddenly launched an attack on Ryugu Palace!!"
As soon as these words came out, the squad captain who had just been interrupted turned pale, sensing something bad.
"What?!"
Jinbe was shocked. Disregarding everything else, he stepped forward, grabbed the soldier by the collar, and scolded sternly: "Is what you're saying true?!"
Since Boss Tiger was captured and became a Warlord of the Sea, the stark contrast had caused most fish-men in Fish-Man District to despise him.
So Jinbe rarely went to Fish-Man District.
But he didn't expect those guys to be so bold as to dare attack Ryugu Palace now.
"Boss Jinbe, what he says might be true."
"We just received a report from Hody Jones saying a riot occurred in the plaza, a human assassinated Queen Otohime, and they needed our support..."
The squad captain's voice was strained, and he felt immense resentment towards Hody Jones in his heart.
That guy... actually dared to play him!!!
"Boss Jinbe, those guys have already captured the Royal Palace. Even the three princes are about to be captured by him!!"
The blood-soaked soldier wiped the blood covering his eyes and said urgently.
"What?! Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi have also been captured?"
Neptune swayed, the golden trident in his hand squeezed slightly out of shape, and his eyes suddenly became sharper.
"Impossible!! With just those few scoundrels in Fish-Man District, how could they defeat the Royal Army so quickly!! Even Hody Jones alone has limits!"
Jinbe instantly smelled something unusual.
The fish-men in Fish-Man District now were more like a group of thugs than criminals.
The real elites had been essentially taken over by Tiger, forming the previous Sun Pirates.
And he had served with the Ryugu Palace soldiers for a time. Although claiming they were battle-hardened might be an exaggeration, they were definitely not paper tigers.
The time difference between the two groups coming for support and reporting was almost negligible, which meant—
These Ryugu Palace soldiers only held on for a moment before collapsing!!
"I don't know what happened either." After being slowly put down by Jinbe, a trace of confusion flashed across the blood-soaked soldier's face. "At the beginning, although several squads of soldiers were lured away, it was basically evenly matched, but..."
Seemingly recalling a terrifying scene, the soldier couldn't help shivering, fear revealing itself in his eyes.
"Hody Jones suddenly ran out from inside Ryugu Palace. Then, for some unknown reason, all the Fish-Man District rioters suddenly surged in strength, defeating us instantly and occupying Ryugu Palace."
"Strength surged?! How is it possible to gain power out of thin air?!"
"Did those Fish-Man District rioters have any obvious characteristics after their strength surged?"
Queen Otohime, whose complexion was gradually returning to rosy, propped herself up from the ground, forcibly steadying herself. Taking a deep breath, she asked, "Did their eyes turn into red irises with white pupils?"
"Seems so..."
The soldier recalled.
"Otohime, do you mean..."
Neptune came over to carefully support Queen Otohime, his eyes hesitant.
"Yes, it should be the Tamatebako. You once said it contained power obtained by trading with the devil. Their appearance matches the legend exactly!"
"Infinite power can be obtained by paying the price of one's life!!"
"With just that brat Hody Jones, even if he exhausts his life, his power will be nothing more than that of a small fry!"
Jinbe took a deep breath, then turned to look at the calm-faced Atlas beside him.
"Sir White Tiger, I am truly sorry that your trip to Fish-Man Island has encountered such unfortunate events. It's embarrassing, but please leave the subsequent matters to us, Fish-Man Island."
"Alright. Since it's an internal affair of Fish-Man Island, it's not appropriate for me, an outsider, to intervene."
Atlas nodded, showing no intention of taking action.
Offering help in a crisis is always better than adding flowers to a bouquet.
Taking action at the final critical moment maximises the benefits.
Ryugu Palace.
Smoke and fire filled the air. A large number of Fish-Man Island soldiers lay on the ground, their armour tattered, breathing faintly, clearly not long for this world.
In the centre of the battlefield, a tall Great White Shark fish-man with red eyes held a red trident, exposing serrated fangs. He slowly scanned the surroundings, crimson blood dripping from his body, forming a pool on the ground.
Such powerful strength...
Slowly clenching his fist, he couldn't help narrowing his eyes, seeming intoxicated by the powerful force in his body.
"Have those three fools from Ryugu Palace been caught?!"
Opening his eyes abruptly, his crimson gaze fixed on a fish-man beside him, asking murderously.
"Of course they were caught, Big Brother Hody. Those three little guys can't resist us!"
"Jahahahahaha!! That's good. Now we can use them to threaten Neptune and the others. With his wife dead and his sons about to die at our hands, our 'Knight of the Sea' will surely go mad, right?"
Thinking of Neptune's spectacular expression later, Hody Jones couldn't help laughing to the sky.
"But what about Jinbe? Although he betrayed our Fish-Man race, his strength is undeniable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been conscripted by the World Government to become a so-called Warlord of the Sea."
"Yeah, and there are Marines on Fish-Man Island."
"Jinbe?"
Hody Jones continued looking up at the sky, slowly lifting a corner of his eyelid, revealing a look of contempt.
"With the power of the Energy Steroids, even Jinbe is no match for me!!"
He had just tried the terrifying power of the Energy Steroids. Consuming just one was enough to double his strength on the spot!!
Two could quadruple it!
But he hadn't considered that when the strength gap is too large, even the power gained by trading all his life would result in nothing more than a slightly larger ant.
"As for the Marines, presumably, they are being besieged by those idiots right now? Jahahahahaha!!"