[Ryugu Kingdom is the fishman island kingdom name]
"Shaahahaha... We'll be back."
Hody Jones looked back at Fish-Man Island above him and signaled his accomplices who had escaped with him to leave quickly.
"I didn't expect the assassination to fail, Doss."
Doss recalled how the assassination had failed, and instead, they had been hunted down and forced to flee Fish-Man Island. His face was full of resentment.
Aside from Hody personally attempting to assassinate Reddy, Doss had assisted by providing an escape route. The other officers each had their own tasks, waiting to attack the convoy from different locations once the assassination succeeded, aiming to create a major scene.
They were well aware of the weakness of the Ryugu Kingdom's royal guards and had been confident about this assassination.
But they hadn't expected Reddy to act so unreasonably, launching a counterattack against them before the Ryugu Kingdom's forces could even intervene.
Fortunately, this was Fish-Man Island, and they were very familiar with the terrain. They managed to escape through the Sea Forest before Reddy's clones could catch them.
Another officer of the New Fish-Man Pirates, Jeppo, corrected with a serious tone, "It was just that guy's luck. We didn't fail. We left Fish-Man Island to find stronger allies."
"True, I underestimated that man."
Hody's face showed no trace of panic. He grinned viciously, "That man truly lives up to being the fifth Emperor of the Sea. It's probably impossible to take him down on Fish-Man Island now, so I plan to kill him when he leaves."
"But just us might not be enough. Vander Decken IX will be our best ally."
This setback didn't make Hody abandon his plan to target Reddy.
He needed the fame that came with assassinating the fifth Emperor of the Sea to attract more fish-men to join his New Fish-Man Pirates and carry out an earth-shattering plan.
"Fish-men are the true rulers of the sea, kaka."
Daruma, another officer of the New Fish-Man Pirates, excitedly shouted, "Once he leaves Fish-Man Island, no one can stop us from killing him!"
Hody and the other officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates laughed loudly, full of motivation as they set off to find the Flying Pirates.
Vander Decken IX's Flying Pirates weren't hard to locate.
Soon, Hody and his group saw a massive shadow moving through the sea ahead, dragging a ship behind it.
"Let's go."
Recognizing the giant kraken Wadatsumi, Hody and his officers sped up.
Before long, they met Vander Decken IX.
Vander Decken IX was a broad-striped tiger shark fish-man, but unlike other fish-men, his entire body was encased in a bubble.
"Hody Jones... I've already told you, I don't want to work under someone else."
Vander Decken IX had long coveted Princess Shirahoshi and had previously refused Hody's recruitment attempts. Seeing Hody arrive with his officers, he assumed it was another recruitment pitch.
"You want Princess Shirahoshi, don't you?"
Hody had thoroughly investigated Vander Decken IX, knowing that this water-fearing fish-man had been obsessed with Princess Shirahoshi.
With just that one sentence, Vander Decken IX's eyes lit up.
Hody had investigated him, and Vander Decken IX had done the same.
He knew Hody had considerable influence on Fish-Man Island, even infiltrating the Ryugu Kingdom's royal guards.
Hody's fish-man supremacist ideology had won over many fish-men who resented human discrimination.
Even the Warlord Jinbe had tacitly allowed Hody's existence for some reason.
"Can you help me get Princess Shirahoshi?"
Vander Decken IX lowered his stance, even bordering on flattery, just to hear a positive response from Hody.
Ever since Queen Otohime's death, when six-year-old Princess Shirahoshi publicly awakened her powers, he knew she was the target his family had been searching for.
But King Neptune had protected Shirahoshi too well, leaving Vander Decken IX with no options. He could only throw things at her daily as threats, hoping to force King Neptune to marry Shirahoshi to him.
"My plan is to take over the Ryugu Kingdom and become the new king of Fish-Man Island."
Hody spoke in a tempting tone, laying out his plan.
"Once I become king, Princess Shirahoshi will be yours."
He understood Vander Decken IX's ambitions perfectly and didn't make empty promises. As expected, Vander Decken IX was overjoyed and agreed without hesitation.
Doss and the other officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates showed expressions that said they had expected it to go this smoothly.
They followed Hody not just because of his radical ideology but also because he was meticulous in his plans, always maximizing benefits.
The New Fish-Man Pirates had quickly taken root on Fish-Man Island, and Hody was the main reason.
"My plan is..."
With Vander Decken IX now on board, Hody laid out the details.
When Vander Decken IX heard that Hody planned to start by attacking an Emperor of the Sea, he was stunned.
Though he was banned from Fish-Man Island, that didn't mean he was cut off from the world.
In the eyes of most fish-men, Hody's New Fish-Man Pirates and his Flying Pirates were the same.
Thus, Vander Decken IX could also gather information from other fish-men.
He had already heard from other fish-men about Reddy defeating the Marines and becoming the fifth Emperor of the Sea, but he didn't know Reddy had come to Fish-Man Island.
Vander Decken IX hesitated, "To become an Emperor of the Sea... that's definitely no weakling."
Hody scoffed dismissively, "Humans in the sea are no different from the lowest bugs. Even if he's an Emperor of the Sea, he's no match for us fish-men underwater."
After a pause, he added reassurance, "Besides, I heard this new Emperor is a Devil Fruit user."
Vander Decken IX immediately laughed.
Devil Fruit users were indeed helpless in the sea.
The Flying Pirates had survived this long by sinking countless pirate ships trying to enter the New World.
No matter how famous a pirate was in Paradise, no matter how high their bounty, once their ship's coating broke, they were all the same.
"When is he leaving Fish-Man Island?"
Vander Decken IX, desperate for Shirahoshi, pressed for the exact date of Reddy's departure.
He knew Hody had the means to get this crucial information.
Hody grinned viciously, "I'll find a way to force him out of Fish-Man Island. You just need to hide near Fish-Man Island and wait for my signal."
"Once you attack that man, I'll create chaos on Fish-Man Island and lead the takeover of the Ryugu Kingdom."
"Once we capture King Neptune, I'll be the new king of Fish-Man Island."
Vander Decken IX immediately interjected, "Princess Shirahoshi is mine. I won't compromise on that."
Hody didn't care about Shirahoshi's awakened powers. He only cared about turning Fish-Man Island into a base for revenge against humans once he took over.
"I swear, once I become king of Fish-Man Island, Princess Shirahoshi will be yours."
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