"Sha ha ha ha ha!"
"I have to admit, your combat plan is quite impressive." Hody nodded in approval. "If it were any other Fish-man here, you really would have shaken them off."
After saying this, Hody paused briefly before continuing with a cold sneer. "But unfortunately... you're facing me, who has consumed a large amount of Energy Steroids!"
Against such a powerful him, mere humans with special abilities could never hope to escape!
Sha ha ha ha ha! Damn it!
Watching Hody's maniacal laughter, Merry's expression turned extremely grim.
If it weren't for the seawater weakening her Power of Wind, how could a guy like this possibly dodge her attacks?!
Merry then began to think of a way to resolve the current situation.
'Right now, I need one hand to hold onto Luffy, so I can't use Wind Arrows...' Merry thought to herself. 'In that case... I'll just use the wind to attack him!'
Though she didn't know if this move could kill Hody, as long as she could use the wind to blow him away, it would serve the same purpose!
That way, she could take Luffy into Noah!
Thinking this, Merry raised her right hand toward Hody, clearly intending to use her ability to attack him.
"What, still trying to hit me with your weird abilities?"
Hody, who had instantly shifted away from Merry's front with a flash, said coldly, "Do you think I'd let you hit me?"
Don't be ridiculous!
Knowing full well that the opponent's attack power was relatively strong, there was no way he'd let them land a hit on him!
With a cold sneer, Hody gripped his trident once more.
'Damn it, I refuse to believe I can't hit you!' Merry inwardly shouted. 'Water Tornado!'
"BOOM!!"
In the next moment, a terrifying Power of Wind erupted from Merry's hand.
This power then began to spin beside Merry, transforming in the blink of an eye into a horizontally oriented Deep Sea Water Tornado!
"BOOM!!"
After releasing the attack, Merry immediately retracted her arm and swiftly turned to dash upward.
The next moment— "Thud!"
"Ah!!"
"Gurgle..."
A sharp trident pierced through the arm Merry was using to hold Luffy, causing her to scream in pain. This also made the girl involuntarily swallow a mouthful of seawater.
But Merry knew that continuing like this would mean death, so she forcefully clamped her mouth shut.
Then, she looked down at her pierced arm, her eyes gradually growing moist.
'It hurts...'
If she hadn't retracted the wind power below in time... this arm would have been torn off by now.
Thinking of this, Merry felt a strong urge to cry.
But remembering the current situation, she forced herself to hold back.
After all... Luffy could only rely on her now!
"Mer... gurgle gurgle gurgle..."
Seeing Merry's condition, Luffy instinctively called out, but because they were in the sea, he had only managed to utter one syllable before uncontrollably swallowing seawater.
After drinking a large amount of seawater, Luffy gradually began to roll his eyes back.
"Sha ha ha ha ha!"
Seeing this, Hody immediately burst into laughter.
"So, humans are the lowest race," Hody said with a laugh. "Faced with the sea, all you can do is let out a few desperate cries of despair!"
"Sha ha ha ha ha..."
Merry ignored the noisy guy, enduring the intense pain as she lowered her head to look at Luffy below.
If she hadn't held on and refused to let go of Luffy, he would have been swept away by the whirlpool by now...
"Dammit, what should I do now?!"
Meanwhile, Hody's eyes lit up as if he had discovered something interesting.
"It seems you really care about this Straw Hat Boy~" Hody grinned. "How about we play an interesting game?"
Hearing Hody's words, Merry immediately looked up at him, her expression turning fierce.
She looked as if she wanted to tear a piece of flesh from Hody's body.
But unfortunately... such a look held no threat in Hody's eyes. Instead, it gave him a feeling of fierce cuteness.
"Little thing, glaring at me won't help," Hody said. "Because I'm the one in control now."
"Sha ha ha ha ha!"
Dammit...
Trembling, Merry looked up at Noah. The ship was once again pulling away from them.
What should I do?
What should I do?!
"Listen carefully, little thing," Hody said, holding his harpoon and stroking his chin. "If you're willing to let go of the Straw Hat Boy, I'll let you go up to Noah. How about that?"
"That way, you can survive for a while longer~"
"Sha ha ha ha ha~"
After laughing, Hody lowered his head and continued, "Of course, you have a second choice."
"Keep holding onto the Straw Hat Boy and try to escape up there with him!"
"But if you choose that, you'll face my attacks immediately!"
After saying this, Hody paused, his eyes turning fierce as he added, "Once you make that choice, I'll tear you to pieces without hesitation!"
As if afraid Merry wouldn't believe him, Hody continued, "Little thing, in my eyes, there's no such thing as special privileges for young ones!"
"Anyone who poses a threat, I'll kill them all!"
"So I advise you to choose the first option."
"Sha ha ha ha ha!"
By the end, Hody was roaring with laughter again, clearly enjoying the feeling of putting pressure on others.
"Make your decision, little human girl!"
"Sha ha ha ha ha!"
But as he laughed, Hody noticed something strange. Why hadn't this little human girl's expression changed at all?
Shouldn't she be relieved to have an option to survive?
As long as she abandoned the Straw Hat Boy, she would have a chance to live!
Even if only temporarily, it was still better than being killed by him immediately, wasn't it?
But the other party... Why was she like this?
At that moment, Hody was filled with confusion, unable to understand why Merry was reacting this way.
"Kid, don't you want to live?"
"Partner!"
In the deep sea, Merry struggled to utter those two words, raising two fingers to make her choice.
Then, she glared fiercely at Hody, her expression seeming to say: "Want my life?"
"Then take it!"
"But if you think I'll abandon my comrades to survive... I'd rather die!"
To her, to her comrades in the Straw Hat Pirates, the word "comrade"... was never a multiple-choice question. Then, Merry raised her uninjured hand toward Hody, clearly intending to attack with her ability.
Even if this attack might tear her arm off, she didn't care!
Compared to her own arm, she wanted Luffy to survive even more!
"So this is your answer..."
Hody, understanding Merry's thoughts, fell silent. He truly couldn't comprehend why this little human girl possessed such courage.
Wasn't she afraid of death?
Why did she, who looked only a few years old... have such resolve?
For a moment, Hody even felt a flicker of confusion.
Then, shaking off these strange thoughts, Hody's expression turned ferocious.
"In that case... then die!"
'Come on!'
Seeing Hody's fierce gaze, Merry's eyes also turned fierce. She was ready to fight with her life.
But before she could act, she suddenly saw a figure rushing over from afar.
That was... Shirahoshi's brother!
As if realizing what he intended to do, Merry immediately abandoned her earlier plan and began gathering a different attack.
At that moment, Prince Fukaboshi charged to Hody's side, raising his sword with a fierce glare as he swung it at Hody.
"Die, Hody!!"
Hody: ?
Seeing Prince Fukaboshi suddenly appear before him, several question marks popped up in Hody's mind.
'Why is this guy here?' Hody wondered inwardly. 'Even after being beaten like that... he can still move?'
Though unsure of the reason, Hody had no intention of taking a beating for nothing.
So, he pulled the harpoon from Merry's arm to block.
The next moment...
"Clang!"
The harpoon and longsword collided, producing a clear, sharp sound.
"Hody!"
"Prince Fukaboshi..."
Looking at the Merfolk glaring at him so fiercely, Hody curled his lips into a smirk. "You dare cause trouble for me, you trash? Aren't you afraid—"
Before he could finish, he sensed a change in the surrounding water currents.
Then, as if remembering something, Hody turned to look at Merry.
"You little thing, you—"
"Whirlpool Storm!"
"Boom!!"
A terrifying Power of Wind churned the seawater, then slammed fiercely into Hody, sending him flying toward the distant Noah!
"Whoosh!"
"Argh!!"
Struck by this blow, Hody spat out a mouthful of blood, his expression turning especially savage.
In the end, the man was sent flying by Merry's power to the edge of Noah, where he became embedded in the wood.
After doing this, Merry's face turned pale from blood loss, and her strength began to fade bit by bit.
Yet even so, she did not let go of Luffy's hand.
"What a terrifying little girl…" Prince Fukaboshi watched Merry with lingering fear, never imagining that this small girl could be so frightening.
If that attack had been aimed at him, he would have been sent flying too.
"Save… gurgle gurgle gurgle…"
Merry, who was pointing at Luffy, only managed to utter those words before uncontrollably swallowing seawater, clearly reaching her limit.
Seeing this, Prince Fukaboshi immediately took out a Bubble Coral and rushed over.
After grabbing both of them, Prince Fukaboshi used the Bubble Coral to create a bubble, providing Luffy and Merry with a space to survive.
"Cough… cough…"
Merry, breathing air again, struggled to cough out the water she had swallowed, then began inhaling oxygen in large gasps.
After a few breaths, Merry turned and pressed her uninjured arm against Luffy's body, forcing the water out of his stomach.
"Pfft!"
"Cough, cough… I'm… I'm alive…"
Luffy, spitting out the water, coughed violently, his expression one of relief after a narrow escape.
He had finally survived.
Then, he looked at Merry with concern and said, "Merry, are you okay!"
"I'm fine."
Merry, clutching the wound on her arm, shook her head and looked up at the sky. "But… that guy might still be alive."
Her attacks were significantly weakened in the sea, so the other person was likely still alive.
"It's fine, as long as you're okay," Luffy said. "I'll handle him."
"But your wound…"
"I probably won't die," Merry shook her head.
Though Merry said this, Luffy still felt overwhelming anger.
"That bastard Hody…"
Luffy looked up at the sky, his eyes instantly filled with intense rage, as if he wanted to tear Hody apart with his bare hands!
"I won't let him get away with this!"
Hody, that bastard, dared to hurt Merry… He would definitely make that bastard pay!
Just then, Merry let out a light cough, making Luffy tense up again.
"Merry, you…"
Merry glanced down at the large bloody hole in her arm and shook her head. "I told you, I won't die for now."
Though she was still bleeding, at least she wouldn't die anytime soon.
Luffy fell silent for a moment. Was this really just about not dying for now?
If Merry's arm wound wasn't treated promptly, this little girl could die because of it!
Thinking this, Luffy's eyes grew panicked.
But he quickly calmed down, because he remembered Meiser!
"I know how to help you!"
"What are you going to do?" Prince Fukaboshi asked.
"Huh?"
Hearing the voice, Luffy turned around and saw the massive shark Fish-man behind him.
"You're… Cowardly Star's brother?"
Prince Fukaboshi: ?
Cowardly Star?
Was he talking about his sister?
Though his sister was indeed timid, calling her Cowardly Star was a bit much…
Sighing silently, Prince Fukaboshi said, "If you're talking about Shirahoshi, then yes, that's me."
"My name is Prince Fukaboshi."
After finishing his words, Prince Fukaboshi paused for a moment before speaking again, "What do you plan to do?"
"Go directly to find Cowardly Star and Meiser."
Luffy glanced at Merry's continuously bleeding wound and said, "Let Meiser treat Merry."
If Merry kept bleeding, she would die, so... he had to find Meiser first!
"I understand, now let's find..."
Just as he said this, Prince Fukaboshi froze, then looked at Luffy with a shocked expression and said, "Who did you say?!"
Because he was too shocked, Prince Fukaboshi's voice rose several times, and his eyes bulged out in astonishment.
"Meiser."
"Meiser?!"
"Is it the Meiser I know?!" Prince Fukaboshi quickly asked, "Didn't he already die?!"
The newspaper clearly stated that the Blood-Eyed Ninja had died, so why would the Straw Hat Boy... Could it be that man isn't dead?
Thinking of this, a hint of wild joy appeared in Prince Fukaboshi's eyes.
If that man was really here, then Fish-Man Island could be saved!
"Hey, Luffy!"
Merry, clutching her wound, stared dumbfoundedly at Luffy and said, "How could you just blurt out that Meiser is still alive?!"
Didn't we agree to keep it a secret?!
"Is there anything more important than your life?!" Luffy shouted, "Besides... Meiser also said that when necessary, we could tell others about him."
"And Brother Star isn't an outsider—he's Cowardly Star's brother."
"So I think it's fine to tell him."
Even Cowardly Star could know that Meiser was still alive, so it should be fine for her brother to know too.
Besides, he had no other choice now, right?
Upon hearing this, Merry pursed her lips but didn't say anything else, silently accepting Luffy's words.
Meanwhile, Prince Fukaboshi said excitedly, "So that man really is still alive, right?!"
"Right?"
At this moment, Prince Fukaboshi was so excited he could hardly contain himself.
After all, to him and to Fish-Man Island, Meiser, a human, was a hero!
"That's right, Meiser is still alive." Luffy nodded and said, "But Meiser said this matter needs to be kept secret from others."
"So... can you keep this secret for us?"
"This..."
Prince Fukaboshi swallowed hard, suppressing his excitement as he said, "Then can I tell my father about this?"
"If he knew, he would be overjoyed."
After all... Fish-Man Island's hero is still alive!
"You'll have to ask Meiser yourself." Luffy said, "I only told you now because there was no other choice."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have said anything."
With that, Luffy picked up Merry, carefully pressing his hand against her wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
Seeing this, Prince Fukaboshi opened his mouth, wanting to say that this might cause an infection.
But upon further thought, there seemed to be no other way to stop the little girl's bleeding right now, so... let it be for now.
As for infection?
Only those who survive have the chance to get infected!
"Hold on tight, Straw Hat Boy!" Prince Fukaboshi placed the two on his back and said, "I'll get us to the ship's bow as fast as possible!"
Although they were currently in the area beneath the stern, half a Fish-Man Island away from the bow...
At his speed, he could definitely arrive within minutes!
So... little girl, you must not die!
Otherwise... he wouldn't know how to face that hero of Fish-Man Island!
"Please, Brother Shirahoshi!"
"Ooh!"
"Bwahahahaha!"
"Shirahoshi, your anxious expression is just so captivating," said Vander Decken, appearing on the deck with an armful of items, looking excitedly at Shirahoshi. "I like it so much!"
"Bwahahahaha!"
"Now I'll give you one more chance. As long as you agree to marry me, I'll spare your life. How about it?"
"Bwahahahaha!"
"So, think about it!"
At this moment, Vander Decken's face was filled with excitement, clearly convinced he had Shirahoshi in his grasp.
"I'm sorry..." Shirahoshi, swimming hard with her eyes closed, shouted, "My answer remains the same—you're not my type!"
"Crack..."
Once again deeply hurt, Vander Decken clutched his chest and knelt on the ground, his entire body turning ashen gray.
At this moment, he felt profound despair.
A moment later, he suddenly raised his head and said, "In that case... then die!"
Enraged, Vander Decken picked up a large number of weapons and mercilessly hurled them toward Shirahoshi.
But unfortunately... all these weapons were knocked away by Meiser!
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Damn human!"
Looking at Meiser standing on Shirahoshi and staring at him, Vander Decken felt both anger and jealousy.
He was angry that this bastard dared to interfere, and jealous that he could stand on Shirahoshi.
"Damn... the one standing there should be me!" Vander Decken roared inwardly.
"Are you done talking?" Meiser calmly looked at Vander Decken and said.
Vander Decken was taken aback, then frowned. "What do you mean?"
What did he mean by "Are you done talking?"
"If you're done, you can shut up now."
As soon as the words fell, Meiser removed the sunglasses from his face, revealing his pair of Mangekyō Sharingan.
Vander Decken: !
The moment he saw Meiser's eyes, Vander Decken was so shocked that his eyeballs nearly popped out, his face filled with disbelief.
If he wasn't mistaken... these were the eyes of the Blood-Eyed Ninja!
"Damn it, didn't he die already?!
This man was clearly killed by the human kingdom two years ago, so why is he still alive and even here at Fish-Man Island... Why?
Wait... could it be that this man didn't die two years ago?
Otherwise, there's no way to explain why he's here now."
Then, a feeling of despair arose in Vander Decken's heart.
He... was no match for this man.
The next moment, the light faded from Vander Decken's eyes, and he was completely controlled by Meiser.
"Huh?"
Shirahoshi, glancing back at Vander Decken's state, was momentarily stunned, then asked in confusion, "Brother Meiser, what did you do?"
Why did Vander Decken suddenly become as if controlled, motionless?
"He has already been controlled by me." Meiser, withdrawing his gaze, turned to look at Shirahoshi and smiled: "Now he can neither hear our voices nor continue to launch attacks."
If it weren't for Vander Decken running into the cabin to get his weapon earlier, Meiser wouldn't have given him the chance to stay conscious until now.
"Lord Meiser, you can actually control others?"
Shirahoshi looked at Meiser in surprise, clearly not expecting him to have such an ability. This was truly amazing!
"Of course," Meiser said with a smile. "For me, controlling someone like him is a very easy task."
After all, Vander Decken was just a minor character, not worth mentioning.
Then, Meiser looked up at the massive Noah and said, "Shirahoshi, if you don't swim faster, Noah is going to crash down on you."
Hearing this, Shirahoshi was startled and immediately turned to swim into the distance, saying, "Lord Meiser, didn't you already control Vander Decken? Why is this thing still coming after me?"
"I did control him, that's true. But if I kill him now or make him release his ability, Noah would crash directly into Fish-Man Island below," Meiser explained. "So I can't touch him just yet."
"So that's how it is..."
Understanding what Meiser meant, Shirahoshi nodded, then raised her head and shouted, "Lord Meiser, I'll do my best to swim far away!"
"Alright."
At that moment, two figures rushed over from the distance, their expressions growing increasingly shocked.
"Hmm?"
Noticing them, Meiser was taken aback and said in surprise, "Aren't these Shirahoshi's second and third brothers?"
Why were these two here?
"Shirahoshi!"
"Who... who did you just say?" Prince Manboshi asked excitedly, looking at Shirahoshi.
Prince Ryuboshi also stared at her eagerly, waiting for her answer.
"This..."
Seeing the expectant looks in their eyes, Shirahoshi hesitated. Should she... tell her two brothers about this?
After thinking for a moment, Shirahoshi looked at Meiser, hoping he would give her an answer.
Seeing this, Meiser nodded, indicating it was fine.
These two were Shirahoshi's family, so there was no problem letting them know.
With Meiser's approval, Shirahoshi raised her head and said, "Brother Manboshi, Brother Ryuboshi, you heard correctly. I did just say 'Lord Meiser.'"
"Then... does that mean..."
The two princes trembled, their eyes filled with disbelief as they looked at Meiser.
Could this man be the hero who stormed Mary Geoise two years ago and saved their Fish-Man race, Ōtsutsuki Meiser?!
"Hello," Meiser said with a smile, reactivating his Mangekyō Sharingan as he looked at Prince Manboshi and Prince Ryuboshi. "Let me reintroduce myself. I am Meiser."
"It really is you!"
After receiving confirmation, Prince Manboshi and Prince Ryuboshi became extremely excited, trembling even more intensely.
The hero of Fish-Man Island... was really still alive!
Then, Prince Ryuboshi said excitedly, "Why didn't you tell us you were still alive?"
If they had known Meiser was alive, they would never have caused such a misunderstanding.
"That's right, Lord Meiser," Prince Manboshi added, equally excited. "If you had told us earlier, this misunderstanding between us could have been cleared up."
After all... they trusted in Meiser's character!
"This matter is a long story," Meiser said somewhat helplessly. "In short... two years ago, I faked my death to escape, so the World Government doesn't know I'm still alive."
"So that's why you've been hiding the fact that you're alive."
Prince Manboshi and Prince Ryuboshi understood immediately.
To avoid trouble from the World Government, this was indeed a very effective method.
After all... this way, no one would come looking for them!
Thinking this, the two spoke in unison, "Don't worry, we'll keep your secret!"
"Good." Meiser nodded with a smile.
"Can we tell our father and Prince Fukaboshi?" Prince Manboshi asked again.
"No problem."
Meiser nodded and said, "It's fine to tell your family. I trust that you can keep this secret."
"Thank you for your trust." Prince Manboshi lowered his head slightly.
What a considerate man...
"You're welcome."
"We have so much we want to say to you." Prince Ryuboshi wiped the tears from the corner of his eye.
If their mother could meet someone like Meiser, she would surely be overjoyed.
After all, this man had done what their mother had always hoped for!
At this thought, even more tears welled up in Prince Ryuboshi's eyes.
"Let's talk after we resolve this matter." Meiser turned to look behind him, narrowing his eyes. "The priority now is to deal with Noah."
If this problem wasn't solved, not only would Fish-Man Island be destroyed, but his companions would also be in danger.
So... he absolutely couldn't let this thing fall!
"You're right."
Prince Ryuboshi snapped back to reality, wiping the tears from the corner of his eye. "The most important thing now is to resolve this trouble."
Otherwise, they wouldn't even have the chance to sit down and chat.
"Where is that Vander Decken?" Prince Manboshi asked.
"He's already under my control." Meiser pointed toward Noah. "He's on the deck of that ship right now."
Hearing this, Prince Manboshi glanced back at Noah and immediately spotted the man whose eyes had lost their light.
'He really is under control...
As expected of Meiser, he's truly amazing!'
At this moment, Prince Manboshi felt a surge of emotions.
"Since Vander Decken is under control, things are easier." Prince Ryuboshi looked into the distance. "Now, we just need to move Noah away, and everything will be fine."
As long as Noah could be moved, Fish-Man Island would be safe!
"You're right."
Prince Manboshi looked down at the Deep Sea Megalith constantly scraping against Noah. "But we also can't let this ship..."
Meiser showed a surprised expression. "This ship is already in such bad shape, and you still plan to preserve it?"
It probably can't even sail anymore.
"Our father said this ship holds great significance and must not be destroyed." Prince Manboshi explained. "So we absolutely cannot let it crash into the seabed."
As he spoke, Prince Manboshi glanced in the direction Shirahoshi was heading.
Continuing forward would indeed move Noah away from above Fish-Man Island, but it would also completely destroy the ship at the bottom of the sea.
So...
"Special significance..."
Meiser sized up the massive warship, which was half the size of Fish-Man Island, and remarked, "You don't plan to use this ship to go to the surface, do you?"
Based on Jimbei's earlier description, Queen Otohime had always hoped that the Fish-Man race of Fish-Man Island could live on the surface.
But relocating the entire race was no easy task—at the very least, they would need a ship large enough.
And this Noah... its size was just right!
"I'm not sure," Prince Manboshi shook his head. "Our father never told us whether this ship was meant for relocating the Fish-Man race. He only said it was very important."
"Is that so..."
Meiser stroked his chin thoughtfully, then turned to Shirahoshi and said, "In that case, let's head upstream first."
"Once we're clear of those obstacles, we can swim sideways again."
"Okay!"