Fishman Island was encased in a perfectly round, massive bubble, as if it could never burst.
Although the entire island lay deep beneath the sea, it was still bathed in abundant sunlight—thanks to the Sunlight Tree Eve.
The Sunlight Tree Eve was as famous as the Treasure Tree Adam.
The Treasure Tree Adam was renowned for its strength, often used in shipbuilding—the Pirate King Roger's ship, for instance, was made from it.
The Sunlight Tree Eve, however, served a different purpose.
Its roots burrowed deep into the seafloor, while its crown stretched high above the ocean's surface. With a mysterious power, it channeled sunlight down into the depths, illuminating Fishman Island ten thousand meters below.
Even so, there remained a place on Fishman Island that sunlight could not reach.
That was the Fishman District, built beside the "Ark of Oath, Noah."
Darkness. Cold. Chaos. Violence… All of these were synonymous with Fishman District.
The giant fishman Wadatsumi had been ordered to remain outside the district; his immense body made him unfit to enter.
Vander Decken IX, staggering, his left hand clutching his severed right arm, brushed past the hostile stares of the guards and stepped into a massive clam shell.
Inside was the base of the New Fishman Pirates.
The moment he entered, his pitiful state drew a wave of laughter from all around.
"Well, if it isn't Captain Vander Decken! What happened to you?"
"I heard your arm got cut off. Let me see—can it still be put back?"
"Heh, of course it needs to be reattached. That's your right hand, the one locked onto Princess Shirahoshi as your target!"
"Ha ha! Look at him—his right arm's all limp. I doubt it'll ever be stiff again!"
Hearing this, Vander Decken's anger flared, his face reddening. He remembered that his right arm's mark had already been erased from Shirahoshi, and the thought only made his frustration worse.
The ones mocking him were all Hody's men.
Each of them grinned, eyeing him up and down as though he were some rare curiosity.
Before Vander Decken could lash back, a voice cut through his fury.
"My esteemed Captain Vander Decken… To think you'd come to me of your own accord. How very unusual."
On the central sofa sat Hody Jones. With a mocking smile, he added,
"What happened? Did one of the Ryugu princes finally snap your arm? After all, they've endured the pain of their sister being imprisoned for eight years—maybe they've finally come to settle the score with you?"
"I share true love with Princess Shirahoshi!" Vander Decken could only manage a weak retort.
Hody sneered, "Now that's a rare kind of love. Neptune still hasn't given his daughter to you, has he? Seems he plans to keep testing your devotion for a few more years."
The fishman pirates roared with laughter. Some laughed so hard they tumbled from their chairs.
Clutching his limp right hand, Vander Decken's face darkened.
He began to regret ever coming here. He should have known this would be their reaction.
Not a single fishman pitied poor Captain Vander Decken.
How hateful!
His anger nearly burst out, and he turned to storm away.
Finally, Hody waved his hand, and the laughter gradually died down.
He could see Vander Decken had truly gone through something serious—otherwise, he wouldn't have come all this way just to endure humiliation.
Crossing one leg over the other, Hody leaned back with an air of ease. Beneath his soft cap, his pale, chiseled face lost its smile.
"Bring him a seat."
At once, a chair was carried over.
Vander Decken's legs were trembling from the long journey. The moment he sat, he let out a sigh of relief.
Someone handed him a cup of water. He accepted it but didn't drink right away.
His eyes darted about slyly.
He knew that his revenge—and the chance to reclaim the Flying Dutchman—now lay in Hody's hands.
Times had changed. He could no longer act with the same arrogance as before.
So Vander Decken put on a humble, pleading demeanor.
The moment he spoke, both Hody and his men were taken aback.
"Captain Hody, my good brother…"
Vander Decken's voice trembled with grief, nearly breaking into tears.
Everyone listening shuddered, goosebumps rising at his display.
"You don't know what I've been through. I could have just fled, but the thought of leaving you unaware—of letting my good brother fall into danger—drove me here without rest."
Hody, skeptical of his sudden show of loyalty, nevertheless raised a brow at his submissive tone. "What happened to you?"
"It was the Davy Jones Pirates!" Vander Decken spat through clenched teeth. "They're here—around Fishman Island. First they attacked me. Next, it'll be you."
"Davy Jones? That fraud calling himself the 'Lord of the Deep Sea'?" Hody sat forward, his powerful muscles tensing, at last showing interest. "Why did he attack you?"
"How should I know? I figure he just took a dislike to my crew and wanted us wiped out. With my broken-down ship, what else could he want? No, his real goal must be to eliminate all pirate crews on Fishman Island so he alone can dominate it!"
Vander Decken concealed the truth about the Flying Dutchman's secrets, spinning his own theory—but unknowingly came close to the truth.
Hody had always despised Davy Jones, so his words struck a chord. Still, he ordered, "Send two men. Have them ride the fastest sea beasts and scout the waters around the island. Make sure Davy Jones doesn't notice."
At once, two fishmen were dispatched.
"You still don't believe me?" Vander Decken put on a wounded expression. "I've always been your most loyal brother."
"I only know this—you refused my invitation to join the New Fishman Pirates more than ten times, each time with some excuse."
Pausing, Hody added, "Still, I believe you. Because only a few days ago, Arlong's sister, Madam Shyarly, foretold with absolute certainty that Davy Jones was coming. I've been prepared ever since."
Vander Decken's eyes widened. Madam Shyarly's name was famous across Fishman Island.
"Madam Shyarly's prophecy? Captain Hody, my good brother, that's not right—how could you not tell me sooner? If I'd known, I might have avoided disaster!"
Hody only gave him a sidelong glance, ignoring the complaint. Instead, he asked, "You were the first to meet that imposter. Tell me—what kind of man is he?"
"He's no imposter, my good brother! Do you know what he did? He broke my arm, tamed the Kraken, and even made Wadatsumi too terrified to move. I think my lanternfish is dead because of him, too."
"What? He tamed the Kraken?" Hody was startled. "The giant beast from the North Sea?"
"Yes, that one."
Hody's face darkened.
He had recently been planning to threaten the Kraken by targeting its kin, forcing it into the New Fishman Pirates. But now Davy Jones had beaten him to it.
"How did he tame it?"
"How could I possibly know? My good brother, it's a miracle I'm even alive to tell you this!"
Vander Decken gulped down water, his trembling hand showing a terror that could hardly be faked.
Hody snorted.
"Regardless of how he did it, that Kraken is a threat to us. We'll need to eliminate it."
"Yes, yes, exactly!" Vander Decken nodded rapidly.
Though he spoke so, Hody wasn't overly concerned about the Kraken.
His crew already commanded countless sea beasts. And beyond that, he still had his trump card—Energy Steroid Pills (E.S.).
With enough pills, Hody alone could slaughter the Kraken.
"Besides the Kraken, who else was on Davy Jones' ship?" Hody pressed on, hungry for more intelligence.
Vander Decken didn't hold back. "His ship gave off a grim, eerie air. I couldn't make out how many crew there were. But I did see a clown who could take off his own head."
"A clown… who takes off his head?"
"Yes… scared me half to death. Thinking back, he must have been a Devil Fruit user like me."
Hody sneered.
A Devil Fruit user daring to come into the depths of the sea? What do you think this is—the Whitebeard Pirates?
"Besides that clown, I also saw Hachi."
"Hachi…" Once, Hody would have called him "Hacchi-san." But now, to him, Hachi was a traitor to the Fishman Pirates. "So he dares return here…"
Hody turned his gaze aside.
Leaning against a stone pillar in that direction was a leopard-spotted octopus fishman, a gourd of sake in hand, drinking himself into a stupor.
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