Chapter 227: Fish-Man Island! (5)

This was an enormous ship, nearly half the size of the entire Fish-Man Island. 

Even in the depths of the sea, its colossal presence exuded an oppressive aura. 

The ship's name was 'Noah'. 

Inside the cabin, laughter echoed. 

"Bahohohohoho! Shirahoshi must be trembling in fear now! This is what happens when she refuses my love!" 

A four-legged fish-man burst into wild laughter. He was Vander Decken IX, a wielder of the Target-Target Fruit. 

"Idiot," a low, menacing voice growled from the shadows. 

Emerging from the darkness was a great white shark fish-man with cold, calculating eyes. His gaping mouth revealed rows of razor-sharp teeth. 

This was Hody Jones, the leader of the New Fish-Man Pirates. 

Hody Jones was a fervent believer in merman supremacy and sought to overthrow King Neptune of the Ryugu Kingdom. To further his ambition, he had twisted the ideals of the late Queen Otohime, using the letters she had written for peace to justify a massacre of royal families. 

If not for Vander Decken's Target-Target Fruit, which created chaos for the Ryugu Kingdom, Hody would have killed the fool long ago. 

To Hody, Vander Decken was wasting a valuable ability, using it only to coerce the Fish-Man Princess Shirahoshi into accepting his warped version of love. 

If Hody had that power, he would have eliminated Neptune already and seized the throne of the Ryugu Kingdom. 

But consuming a Devil Fruit meant losing the ability to swim, an essential trait of the noble fish-men. Without the ability to navigate the ocean, one would be no better than a human—a despicable "lesser race" in Hody's eyes. 

As he stared at Vander Decken, Hody's gaze grew colder. To him, the four-legged fool who had forfeited his ability to swim no longer deserved to be called a fish-man. 

The moment the Ryugu Kingdom fell, Vander Decken would meet his end. 

"You'll use your ability to help me kill Neptune," Hody said, a vicious grin spreading across his face. "Once that's done, Shirahoshi will be all yours. How does that sound?" 

Hody spoke with feigned generosity, carefully hiding his true disdain. 

Vander Decken frowned. "I told you before, I don't take orders from anyone." 

His tone carried the pride of a man who saw himself as a descendant of the original Vander Decken. He had turned down Arlong's invitation for the same reason—he would not bow to anyone. 

"It's not about working under me. Think of it as... a partnership," Hody said, suppressing the murderous glint in his eyes and forcing a smile. 

"Partnership, huh?" Vander Decken mused for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. I'll agree to that." 

He figured it would speed things along. After all, how much longer would it take to make Shirahoshi his if he waited? Once the Ryugu Kingdom was destroyed and the royal family eliminated, Shirahoshi would have no choice but to accept him. 

"Then it's settled. A pleasure working with you," Hody said, his sharp teeth flashing as he extended a hand. 

Vander Decken glanced at the gesture, his face indifferent. "I don't shake hands," he said flatly. 

Hody's grin stiffened, and his shark-like eyes briefly flashed with a hint of bloodlust. 

"Fine," he said, his tone masking his irritation. "Then when Neptune is dead, and the Ryugu Kingdom is ours, we'll celebrate with a thousand drinks." 

Vander Decken nodded, his expression brightening with anticipation. 

By then, Shirahoshi would undoubtedly be his. 

However, Vander Decken failed to notice the predatory gleam in Hody Jones's eyes. The shark-man's expression had turned sinister, the grin on his face now one of barely concealed malice. 

To Hody, Vander Decken was nothing more than a defective pawn. And once he'd served his purpose, he too would be discarded. 

This fool, a defective product who had abandoned his noble fish-man heritage by eating a Devil Fruit and losing the ability to swim, still dared to refuse his handshake? 

Hody Jones's eyes glinted with malice. He decided that when the time came to kill this useless waste, he would take great pleasure in using his razor-sharp teeth to crush Vander Decken's bones to dust. 

The corners of Hody's mouth curled into a cruel smile, but he quickly masked it. He knew he needed to maintain composure so as not to alert Vander Decken, who, despite being a nuisance, still had some value as a tool. 

Feigning curiosity, Hody shifted the topic. 

"But what was the cause of that whistling sound earlier? It seemed to be heading toward the Hard-Shell Tower." 

"Hey, Decken, don't tell me that wasn't your attack, was it?" 

Hody's question carried genuine confusion. 

Vander Decken frowned, his face darkening. "Now that you mention it, I'm concerned as well. Could there be someone else coveting Shirahoshi?" 

In Vander Decken's mind, Shirahoshi was already his. If anyone dared to take her from him, he would ensure that both she and her would-be suitor perished together. 

"Then I'll just attack again!" 

With a furious roar, Vander Decken ripped off his gloves, exposing his hands. 

The power of the Target-Target Fruit resided in his hands, allowing anything he touched to become his target. However, the ability had its limits—there was only so much he could mark at a time. 

To ensure his current targets were never unintentionally overwritten, Vander Decken always wore gloves when not actively using his powers. 

This limitation was also why he had been so reluctant to team up with Hody Jones earlier; he needed to conserve the precious utility of his ability. 

Still, Vander Decken hesitated. He wanted to confront Shirahoshi directly, to confirm if someone else was vying for her. But he wasn't a complete fool. He knew that if he showed up in person, the soldiers of the Ryugu Kingdom would surely capture him. 

Instead, he decided to unleash another attack—this time on a massive scale. 

If someone truly dared to contest his claim over Shirahoshi, they would retreat in fear when faced with such an overwhelming assault. 

"Bahohoho! Go to Shirahoshi!" 

Vander Decken cackled as he prepared to activate his powers. 

But a low chuckle suddenly echoed through the cabin, halting Vander Decken mid-motion. His pupils contracted in alarm. 

"Who's there?!" 

Hody Jones's eyes turned bloodshot, his predatory gaze scanning the shadows. 

The other officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates grew tense, their faces hardening as they prepared for a fight. 

"Hody, your stubbornness never ceases to amaze me." 

A familiar voice rang out, causing Hody's expression to freeze. 

"So it's you?" Hody said mockingly, though his grin faltered as a figure emerged from the shadows. 

It was Jinbei. 

Hody's lips curled into a sneer as he laughed loudly. 

"Ah, Boss Jinbei! What an unexpected honor." 

He spread his arms in mock welcome. 

"Now that you've overheard, I suppose there's no hiding anything. Tell me, Boss Jinbei, why don't you join us? Together, we can accomplish great things for the fish-men! 

The fish-men are meant to rule this world! Those lowly humans exist only to be our slaves." 

Hody's voice was filled with self-righteous conviction. 

Jinbei remained silent for a moment, but before he could respond, another voice spoke—a low, mocking chuckle. 

"Slaves, huh? So, you want to be like the Celestial Dragons?" 

A second figure stepped out of the shadows, his calm demeanor sharp and imposing. He came to a stop beside Jinbei. 

"Who the hell are you?!" Hody snarled, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. 

Vander Decken's face twisted in recognition, his voice breaking the tense silence. 

"Silver Rayleigh! A Commander of the Entei Pirates' Zero Division!" 

His words caused a ripple of shock through the cabin. 

The infamous live broadcast of the Flame Emperor Incident had made the world aware of the Entei Pirates. Even hidden away in the depths of the sea, the New Fish-Man Pirates and Vander Decken had learned about them. 

"Flame Emperor..." 

The name left Hody's lips, and his blood-red eyes darkened further with hatred. 

"Did that bastard who killed Brother Arlong come to Fish-Man Island too?" 

Hody's voice shook with anger, his mind consumed by memories of vengeance. 

To Hody, it wasn't the Entei Pirates' feats in Sabaody Archipelago that mattered. What burned in his soul was the fact that the Flame Emperor had killed Arlong, his elder brother. 

Countless other noble fish-men had fallen to the Entei Pirates. Such an unforgivable hatred could only be settled with blood. 

"Jinbei!" Hody bellowed, his voice trembling with rage. 

"You've fallen so low as to ally with the subordinate of the man who killed Brother Arlong? You've betrayed the fish-men race!" 

Jinbei stepped forward, his face etched with fury. 

"It is you who has betrayed the fish-men!" he roared. 

"Do you think your actions honor the efforts of Princess Otohime?!" 

Jinbei's booming voice reverberated through the cabin, silencing Hody's sneering retort. 

"Princess Otohime? You mean that fool who dreamed of uniting the noble fish-men with those lowly humans?" 

Hody Jones sneered, his lips curling into a twisted grin. 

"I'm sorry, but I killed that idiot! Jahahaha!" 

He laughed, the sound tinged with nervous exhilaration. 

"What did you just say?!" 

Jinbei's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking in shock. 

"That pathetic woman actually believed our noble fish-men could coexist with those lowly humans. Her death was inevitable!" 

Hody's tone was laced with contempt. 

"After I killed her, the fish-men finally realized the absurdity of her dream. Living alongside humans? What a ridiculous joke! Jahahaha!" 

He recalled the roars of approval and anti-human sentiments that erupted from the fish-men after Otohime's death—a memory that brought him a perverse sense of satisfaction. 

Jinbei's normally calm demeanor shattered. His fists clenched as his body trembled with fury. 

"You scum," he growled, assuming his fish-man karate stance. "Let me capture you and drag you to Princess Otohime's grave to repent for your sins!" 

Hody Jones cackled, unfazed by the threat. 

"Jahahaha! Things aren't the same anymore, Jinbei. You're facing a new era!" 

Hody signaled to his cadres, and they pulled out small vials of bright red pills. 

"These are E.S. pills! They double the strength of anyone who consumes them. Only noble fish-men like us can withstand their power!" 

Hody tossed the pills into his mouth, swallowing them without hesitation. As he did, his body underwent a grotesque transformation. His eyes turned crimson with white pupils, his muscles bulged, and his expression became unhinged. 

"I'll show you the might of our noble fish-men!" 

Hody roared, his laughter echoing wildly. 

Rayleigh, standing calmly nearby, observed the changes with a cold expression. His Observation Haki captured every detail of Hody and the other cadres as they consumed the pills. 

"I see. The body's tolerance for these drugs depends on its vitality," Rayleigh remarked, his voice detached and analytical. 

Jinbei, on the other hand, looked at the new Fish-Man Pirate leaders with a mix of pity and disappointment. 

"Completely different from Boss Tiger... You've fallen so far, Hody," Jinbei muttered, regret heavy in his voice. 

Hody paid no mind. His face contorted with pride as he roared, "Yes! Only the perfect bodies of noble fish-men can handle the power of E.S! Tremble, humans! Feel despair at our supremacy!" 

Rayleigh's hand rested on the hilt of his sword. Around him, black and purple lightning crackled, roaring like a storm. 

"You talk about supremacy, yet all I see is a delusion as pathetic as the Celestial Dragons themselves." 

Rayleigh's voice was low and sharp, his eyes glinting with fury. The Conqueror's Haki emanating from him thickened, enveloping the space with overwhelming pressure. 

"Ace has already spread the will of 'D' across the world. You and your foolish ideals are nothing but blasphemy against that movement," Rayleigh declared. 

The air grew heavier as his Conqueror Haki intensified. 

Hody Jones, Vander Decken, and the other New Fish-Man Pirate leaders froze, their bodies paralyzed under the sheer weight of Rayleigh's aura. Even Jinbei felt the crushing force of Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki and marveled at its power. 

"As expected of Rayleigh," Jinbei thought. "If we were on land, I might not even survive one attack." 

Hody's blood-red eyes burned with rage. "Why? Why can't I move?!" he bellowed, struggling against the invisible chains binding him. 

"Break! Break free!!!" 

Summoning all his strength, Hody devoured more E.S. pills. His body swelled grotesquely, his muscles twisting unnaturally. But as his strength surged, his hair turned gray, and his vitality visibly drained. 

"Hahaha! I'm unstoppable! Your Conqueror Haki won't hold me, human!" 

With a feral roar, Hody shattered the constraints of Rayleigh's Conqueror Haki and lunged forward. 

Rayleigh's eyes narrowed, his hand gripping his sword hilt tightly. 

"Fool," he muttered. 

"CLANG!" 

The blade sang as it left its sheath, unleashing a terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki infused with his sword strike. 

"BOOM!!!" 

The force crashed into Hody like a tidal wave, his laughter cut short as terror filled his face. In an instant, the attack consumed him, and his body collapsed. 

Vander Decken's consciousness faded as well, despair etched across his features, as the same fate befell him. 

The other leaders of the New Fish-Man Pirates fell like puppets with severed strings, their bodies crumpling under the overwhelming force. 

In one decisive strike, the New Fish-Man Pirates were annihilated. 

"New Fish-Man Pirates, Vander Decken IX..." Rayleigh said, his voice calm. 

"Total destruction."