"Cough... Damn little thing."
Hody, embedded in the wood, snarled with a twisted expression. "Not bad strength.
To knock me all the way onto Noah with one hit... I really underestimated her."
If it weren't for having taken the Energy Steroid, that blow might have knocked him unconscious!
"And that Prince Fukaboshi," Hody said angrily. "If it weren't for him, I would have already killed those two humans!"
What a meddlesome bastard!
After cursing inwardly, Hody flexed his muscles and pulled himself out of the ship's hull, then turned to look in the direction where Merry and the others had been moments before.
"Huh?"
"They're gone..." Hody frowned. "Did Prince Fukaboshi already take them inside this ship?"
Thinking about it carefully, it wasn't impossible.
After all, that little human girl's goal from the start was to get the Straw Hat Boy inside there.
"In that case, I'll just go into the ship to find you," Hody sneered. "Might as well look for Vander Decken while I'm at it!"
With a cold laugh, Hody burst out of the crater and quickly charged toward the direction where he had last seen Vander Decken. "Just you wait, Vander Decken!"
He would make this traitor understand just how severe the consequences of betraying him were!!
"The scale of this ship is even more exaggerated than I imagined," Merry said, looking up at the structure above.
She wasn't sure if her abilities would allow her to control this vessel.
"It really is huge," Luffy agreed, also looking up before turning to Merry. "Merry, can you control this thing?"
If Merry could control this ship... could they forcibly move it away?
"I don't know."
Merry shook her head honestly. "I haven't tried."
"Then give it a try!"
Luffy's eyes lit up as if he had thought of something. "If you can control this ship, you could fight that guy named Decken for control."
That way... they wouldn't have to worry about this ship anymore!
"Luffy," Merry said somewhat helplessly. "This ship is in a damaged state; it can't sail. Even though I haven't gone up to inspect it, just from observing the exterior, I can tell its condition.
A ship damaged to this extent absolutely cannot continue sailing!
"Is that so?" Luffy asked, puzzled. "Then why could the Merry Go move back at Enies Lobby?"
"That's because Uncle Iceberg repaired me," Merry explained.
If Uncle Iceberg hadn't fixed my hull, even with my special ability to control ships, I wouldn't have been able to sail to Enies Lobby to rescue everyone.
"So that's how it was..."
After saying this, Luffy fell silent. So that's what happened back then.
"Although I don't understand what you mean, Noah cannot sail right now," Prince Fukaboshi said without turning his head. "To make this ship move, we must first repair it."
But the current situation did not allow them to do so, so Prince Fukaboshi didn't consider how long the repairs would take.
Luffy frowned upon hearing this. It seemed this matter was a bit tricky. It looked like they could only have Shirahoshi lead the ship away or forcibly destroy it.
No matter what, he couldn't allow this ship to fall onto Fish-Man Island!
After all... their companions were on it!
"Alright, don't overthink it," Merry said, looking up at the massive Noah in the sky. "Even if that thing really falls, it's fine. I believe Meiser can stop it."
In her view, with Meiser's current strength, stopping this thing shouldn't be a problem.
After all... that man was truly strong now!
To this, Luffy only nodded and said nothing more.
After all... he trusted Merry and Meiser completely!
Prince Fukaboshi, however, showed a shocked expression. Stop Noah?
Just how terrifying was Meiser's current strength?
Although he didn't know exactly how strong that man was now, if he could truly accomplish such a feat... then their Fish-Man Island could be saved!
Thinking this, Prince Fukaboshi's eyes became incredibly excited, and the speed of his tail's movement grew faster and faster.
Soon, through his efforts, the three successfully reached the bow of the ship.
"Over there!" Luffy pointed in Shirahoshi's direction. "Shirahoshi and Meiser are there!"
Although the lighting here wasn't very bright, his Observation Haki still detected the presence of two people.
"I see."
Prince Fukaboshi nodded, then quickly rushed toward Shirahoshi.
"Hmm?"
Meiser, who was chatting with Shirahoshi, seemed to sense something and instinctively turned to look to the side, noticing Luffy standing behind Prince Fukaboshi.
"Luffy?"
Meiser showed a surprised expression and said, "What are you doing here?"
Shouldn't Luffy be fighting Hody on Fish-Man Island at a time like this? Why was he here?
Could it be... the battle in the plaza was already over?
That's efficient!
"Meiser!"
"Hurry, save Merry!" Luffy said anxiously.
"Merry?"
Meiser was momentarily stunned, then his expression changed. "What happened to Merry?"
"She's injured."
As he spoke, Luffy lowered his head and lifted Merry from Prince Fukaboshi's hair, then continued, "Please heal her quickly."
"So she was in the hair," Meiser murmured upon seeing this. "No wonder I didn't see Merry earlier."
With that, Meiser's body instantly vanished from Shirahoshi's shoulder.
When he reappeared, he was already on Prince Fukaboshi's back.
This scene directly stunned Prince Manboshi and Prince Ryuboshi.
"So fast!"
To cover dozens of meters in an instant... what kind of terrifying speed was this?
Even their Fish-Man race couldn't achieve such terrifying speed in the deep sea.
Shirahoshi and Prince Fukaboshi also stared at Meiser in shock, clearly not expecting this human to be so formidable.
Not minding the reactions of the others, Meiser took Merry from Luffy's arms, carefully examining her wounds.
"Meiser..."
Watching Meiser attentively checking her injuries, Merry immediately broke down, tears streaming uncontrollably.
"Don't be afraid." Meiser looked at Merry with heartache, reaching out to pat the little one's head as he said, "With me here, you'll be fine."
"Mhm..."
The little one nodded, then said tearfully, "But it hurts so much..."
She felt as if her arm was about to break—it really hurt terribly.
"It's okay, Merry, it's okay..."
While releasing Medical Ninja Technique, Meiser said, "Once you're healed, it won't hurt anymore."
"Okay..."
"What happened to Merry?" Shirahoshi said anxiously. "How did she get hurt?"
She desperately wanted to come closer to check on the little sister's condition, but because of the massive Noah behind her, she could only continue swimming upward.
"Explain, Luffy." Hearing this, Meiser turned to look at Luffy and said, "Why is Merry injured?"
"And why are you all here?"
Under normal circumstances, shouldn't Chopper have given Merry emergency treatment? At least that would have stopped the bleeding!
"I saw Hody coming here, so I decided to chase after him," Luffy said. "And Merry thought she could help me, so she came along."
"Merry came with you into the sea to chase Hody?" Meiser frowned.
Did Merry insist on following along...
"Yes," Luffy nodded honestly. "It's a good thing Merry was here, or I'd already be dead."
After saying this, Luffy paused briefly before continuing, "As for Merry's injuries... Hody caused them."
After hearing Luffy's explanation, Meiser understood exactly what had happened.
Then, anger surfaced on Meiser's face.
"That bastard Hody dared to hurt Merry like this... He deserves to die!"
"Is Merry okay?" Luffy asked worriedly.
"With me here, she'll be healed soon."
Although Merry couldn't stop the bleeding on her own due to her small size, Medical Ninja Technique would heal her quickly.
"That's good..."
Luffy first sighed in relief, then his expression darkened as he said, "Meiser, give me that. I'm going after Hody!"
He would never let that bastard who dared to hurt Merry get away!
"Alright."
Understanding what Luffy meant, Meiser nodded and then used Wood Release Technique to create a clone.
"Is this the legendary Clone?!" Prince Manboshi exclaimed in astonishment, looking at Meiser's Wood Clone. "It looks exactly like the original!"
There wasn't a single flaw to be seen!
Although Prince Fukaboshi was also surprised, he knew now wasn't the time to discuss such matters, so he said, "When I came here earlier, I took a look at Noah and realized there's no air on it."
"So... fighting Hody up there would put you at a serious disadvantage."
Even bringing a Bubble wouldn't help, because... the entire place is filled with seawater!
"No air is no air," Luffy said. "As long as Meiser's Ninjutsu is there, it'll be fine."
Although the Fish-Man race becomes exceptionally powerful in the deep sea, Meiser's ninjutsu can also grant him formidable combat abilities in the depths!
This time, he would defeat Hody openly and fairly in the deep sea!
"What do you mean?"
Prince Fukaboshi and his two brothers all wore puzzled expressions, clearly not understanding Luffy's meaning.
Luffy had no intention of explaining it to them—it was too much trouble anyway.
Once Meiser's technique was unleashed, they would naturally understand.
The clone that understood what Luffy was thinking nodded, then turned and approached the main body, retrieving a scroll from the main body's ninja tool pouch.
Poof
A puff of white smoke appeared, and a special barrel of resin materialized in Meiser's hands.
Prince Fukaboshi: !
What is this now?
Creating something out of thin air?
Or a spatial ability?
"Lord Meiser can also take things out of a scroll?" Shirahoshi, who had been glancing back to observe the situation, exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, you could say it's one of my abilities," Meiser replied without turning his head.
Then, Meiser took out the resin and, combining it with a Water Release Technique, cast a customized version of Water Release: Dance of the Swimming Fish on Luffy!
Hum
In the next moment, a faint film appeared around Luffy's body, firmly protecting him within.
"Is this... a bubble?!"
Prince Ryuboshi stared in shock at the bubble enveloping Luffy, clearly not expecting Lord Meiser to produce something like this.
This coating technique on the body was far more impressive than what their Fish-Man race could achieve!
At the very least, their close-fitting bubbles weren't this strong!
"More or less," Meiser nodded in agreement.
In a sense, his ninjutsu could indeed be considered a special kind of bubble.
It was just that this bubble's functionality was far more comprehensive.
"Finally, I can move freely in the deep sea..."
Luffy clenched his fists, his gaze gradually sharpening.
"Luffy!"
"Right!"
Hearing Meiser's words, Luffy nodded, then turned to look at the Noah behind him and declared, "I'll take down Hody!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Luffy shot out of the bubble with a whoosh and swiftly charged toward the Noah behind them!
If he remembered correctly, Hody was hiding behind the Noah!
"His speed has become so fast!" Prince Fukaboshi exclaimed in amazement. "Is this the power of your ninjutsu?"
"Yes."
Meiser nodded and explained, "This ninjutsu not only allows humans to move freely in the deep sea for extended periods but also minimizes the effects of seawater on humans to the greatest extent."
In other words, this technique grants humans abilities in the deep sea comparable to those of Fish-Men!
"Then Hody's advantage is gone," Prince Fukaboshi said with a smile.
The reason Hody had been able to overpower the Straw Hat Boy and the others was due to the Fish-Man race's agility in the deep sea.
But now that the Straw Hat Boy possessed this ability as well... Hody was as good as dead!
"Exactly."
Prince Manboshi and Prince Ryuboshi nodded in deep agreement, clearly sharing their elder brother's sentiment.
Against a Straw Hat Boy like this, Hody had no advantage whatsoever.
"Meiser, will I have a scar...?" Merry looked up at Meiser and asked.
If an ugly scar were left on her arm... she would be very upset.
"Don't worry," Meiser said softly. "With me here, it won't happen."
"That's good..."
After receiving the affirmative reply, a smile reappeared on Merry's face.
But this smile... was a bit pale.
Seeing this, Prince Fukaboshi sighed silently. This young girl was truly having a hard time.
Then, he shifted his gaze to the Noah behind them, thinking to himself, 'I wonder where that Hody is right now.
Noah is so huge; finding him won't be an easy task.'
Thinking this, Prince Fukaboshi spoke up, "I'll follow Straw Hat Boy over there to take a look. Maybe I can be of some help."
"Go ahead."
Meiser replied without looking up, "We can handle things here."
As soon as he finished speaking, Meiser's Wood Clone performed a Water Release Technique, creating a Water Dragon that lifted the group and the bubble, swimming off into the distance with Shirahoshi.
"A Water Dragon..."
Prince Fukaboshi immediately showed a look of astonishment. So this was Lord Meiser's Water Release Technique?
Incredible!
But with this, his presence here was indeed no longer needed.
With that thought, Prince Fukaboshi turned without hesitation and rushed toward the distance.
"Hody!!"
"Get out here!" Luffy roared.
"Hmm?"
Hody, who had just arrived not far from Vander Decken, paused in surprise before turning his head upward in astonishment. "That voice... Straw Hat Boy?"
Instead of thinking about escaping, this guy was actually provoking him?
Looking for death?
After a moment of thought, Hody shook his head and said, "Never mind. Straw Hat Boy can be killed anytime. I should deal with Vander Decken first."
Otherwise, Noah might be moved away from above Fish-Man Island, and his plan would be impossible to carry out!
With that in mind, Hody quickly charged toward Vander Decken.
Once he reached Vander Decken, Hody said coldly, "You really made me search for you, Vander Decken!"
"You bastard, how dare you betray..."
Before Hody could finish, he realized something was wrong. Why was this Vander Decken completely motionless, as if he hadn't even seen him?
Puzzled, Hody waved his hand in front of Vander Decken's eyes, trying to see what was wrong with him, but the other showed no reaction from start to finish!
"Is he dead?" Hody wondered.
Instinctively, he reached out to check Vander Decken's pulse and found that the man was not dead.
"He's not dead..." Hody said in surprise. "Then why isn't he reacting at all?"
It was as if he had been controlled...
After a moment of thought, Hody shook his head and said, "Forget it, it doesn't matter. The priority is to kill this guy."
Although he didn't know exactly what had happened, he didn't need to figure it out.
After all... his goal from the start had been to kill Vander Decken!
With that thought, Hody unhesitatingly thrust the trident in his hand into Vander Decken's body, piercing straight through him!
"Gah!"
"Urgh!"
Vander Decken, his body pierced, let out a pained groan, but his body remained in a controlled state.
Seeing this, Hody frowned and said, "It seems simple attacks like this won't be enough to kill you."
In that case... then let's cut him in half!
With that thought, Hody unhesitatingly drew out a large sword shaped like a shark's dorsal fin.
Then... without mercy, he bisected Vander Decken at the waist!
"Guh!"
"Ahhh!!"
Bisected, Vander Decken was immediately jolted back to consciousness by the extreme agony, his body simultaneously falling into a deathly state.
Turning his eyes to look at his own body, Vander Decken's expression instantly twisted.
"My body..."
His organs pierced, his body cut in half—
With injuries of this severity, he probably wouldn't last much longer.
Damn it, why did it come to this!
"Sha ha ha ha ha..."
"Looks like you've finally regained consciousness, Vander Decken," Hody sneered.
"Hody?"
Vander Decken, fallen on the ground, turned to look at Hody, then noticed the large, still-dripping sword in the other's hand.
This immediately made Vander Decken understand why he had been bisected.
"You're the one who cut me?!"
"Why?!"
"Answer me, Hody!"
Looking at Vander Decken, who had become more spirited in his final moments, Hody sneered and said, "That's right, it was me.
"You, a traitor, intended to kill me along with the rest. How could I possibly let you go?"
When dealing with traitors, he would show no mercy whatsoever!
"Heh... So that's how it is..."
As his expression gradually grew listless, Vander Decken immediately understood Hody's reasoning.
Fair enough. If their positions were reversed, he wouldn't have shown any mercy either.
"Alright. It probably won't be long before this massive Noah crashes down on Fish-Man Island," Hody said coldly, looking up toward the outside. "When that happens, every human on that island will die!"
As for the Fish-Man race?
As long as those guys are smart enough, they can escape from the island. And then... with his absolute power, he'll still have subordinates he can use!
Sha ha ha ha ha...
"You're even more ruthless than I am..." Vander Decken said.
While Noah crashing down would certainly kill those humans... many of Hody's own subordinates would also die!
Yet this guy doesn't care at all... He really is something else.
"You, who left the Sea God to die, have no right to say such things," Hody scoffed.
They were just two of a kind.
Then, Hody said, "Vander Decken, before you die, tell me who it was that reduced you to that state earlier.
"Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I can even help you get some revenge~"
"Sha ha ha ha ha..."
Hearing Hody's words, Vander Decken immediately understood the other's intention.
He wanted to get information about that man from his mouth...
But how could he possibly give such important information freely to the one who had killed him?
"You think I'll tell you?" the listless Vander Decken said with difficulty. "Don't dream!"
"Aren't you afraid I'll torture you further right now?" Hody frowned.
But unfortunately, such words held no meaning for Vander Decken, who was about to die.
"Hody..."
"What?"
Hody leaned close to Vander Decken's mouth. "Speak louder. I can't hear you."
"I'll be waiting for you in hell..."
Hearing Vander Decken's words, Hody's face instantly bulged with veins. How dare this bastard still curse him?
Did Vander Decken really think his dead ancestor could help him curse Hody?
Thinking of this, Hody cursed, "Do you think I'm like you, a useless piece of trash?"
"I won't just survive—I'll become the king of Fish-Man Island!"
"You, the useless trash, can just watch from down below!"
"Sha ha ha ha ha~"
By the end, Hody couldn't help but burst into laughter, as if he had already witnessed that scene.
Upon hearing this, Vander Decken opened his mouth, wanting to mock Hody a few times.
But his body could no longer produce any sound, so he simply stared at Hody with a mocking gaze, trying to disgust him.
"Staring at me like that won'tt change anything, because what you're hoping for will never happen!" Hody said coldly.
He would kill all who resisted and then... become the true king of Fish-Man Island!
Sha ha ha ha ha! And after hearing Hody's words, the mockery in Vander Decken's eyes grew even stronger.
Hody... you have no idea what you're up against.
That man is not someone the likes of us can handle!
Let's keep each other company on the road to the afterlife, ha ha ha ha ha! Just then, Meiser appeared in the sky above Noah, holding two people in his hands.
"Vander Decken has been cut in half, huh." Frowning as he looked down at Meiser, he thought, "No wonder the Illusion Technique was dispelled..."
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Luffy, who was being held like a chick by Meiser, complained, "Let go of me! I need to go find Hody!"
Prince Fukaboshi looked somewhat awkwardly at Meiser. Being held by someone so much smaller despite his large size... felt really strange.
Meiser ignored these two idiots and instead stared intently at Vander Decken, who had been sliced in two by Hody below.
"This is... truly beyond my expectations."
Hearing this, Luffy and Prince Fukaboshi were stunned for a moment before turning to look where Meiser was staring.
"That person cut in half is... Vander Decken?!"
Once Prince Fukaboshi realized what had happened, his pupils shrank to the extreme.
If that man is killed... Noah will fall straight down!
Thinking of this, Prince Fukaboshi immediately panicked.
What should we do?
Luffy seemed to understand something as well, glancing down at Noah and saying, "If this guy dies... will this ship fall?"
"Yes."
"Can you save him?" Luffy pointed at Vander Decken and asked.
If this person could be revived, everything should be fine, right?
"Injured like this, there's no saving him," Meiser said gravely.
With injuries of this severity, even Medical Ninja Technique wouldn't be able to revive him.
"Then what should we do?" Prince Fukaboshi said anxiously. "If Vander Decken dies... this ship will fall!"
Once this ship lands on Fish-Man Island, Fish-Man Island will be finished!
Meiser didn't answer the question. Instead, he frowned as he looked at Vander Decken, pondering what to do next.
"Then let's just smash this thing!" Luffy suggested.
"No."
Prince Fukaboshi shook his head firmly. "This ship holds great significance for us on Fish-Man Island. It cannot be destroyed."
"Then what do you suggest we do!"
"Hmm?"
Hearing the commotion, Hody instinctively turned to look at the sea above, then sneered, "Heh, I never expected you guys to dare come looking for trouble with me... You really have no idea what death means!"
"In that case, let me—"
Before Hody could finish his sentence, he realized something was wrong. Why were these two humans not surrounded by bubbles?
How could they move freely without bubbles?
At that moment, Hody was filled with confusion.
"Humans, how did you do this?"
Meiser ignored him and instead turned to Luffy, saying, "Luffy, do what you need to do. Leave this ship to me."
Although things had become somewhat troublesome, they were not impossible to handle.
"Alright, I understand."
Luffy, who trusted Meiser completely, nodded and then quickly charged toward Hody, roaring, "Hody!"
"I won't forgive you!"
"Straw Hat Boy!"
Watching Luffy draw closer, Hody decisively gave up on thinking and grinned viciously, "I don't know what's going on with you, but as long as we're in the sea, you humans can never be a match for us, the Fish-Man race!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Hody moved swiftly, reaching Luffy's front in the blink of an eye.
The next moment...
"Bam!!"
"Boom!"
Their fists collided fiercely, immediately causing the surrounding seawater to churn violently!
"To think you can keep up with my speed in the sea..." Hody observed Luffy up close and said, "Is it because of that strange film on your body?"
Could this be a special technology developed by the Neptune royal family of Ryugu Palace specifically for humans?
Thinking this, Hody's eyes turned cold.
"Inventing something like this specifically for humans... No wonder they're traitors who cozy up to humans! Today, the Neptune royal family must die!"
"That's right, it's because of this," Luffy said coldly. "Now, you're no longer my match!"
"Such arrogance!"
"Do you think this is my top speed?" Hody shouted. "Let me show you the power of the Fish-Man race in the deep sea!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Hody vanished from his spot.
When he reappeared, he was already at Luffy's side.
"Die!" Hody yelled.
As he spoke, he thrust his trident toward Luffy's head, clearly intending to impale him.
But what happened next left Hody dumbfounded, as Luffy merely tilted his head to dodge the trident attack.
Hody: ?
Wait, why is it like this again?
How on earth did this damn human detect his attack?
"Snap!"
After grabbing Hody's trident with his hand, Luffy said coldly, "How could you possibly hit me when you don't even know Observation Haki?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Luffy punched Hody in the abdomen.
"Gomu-Gomu Jet Pistol!"
"Bam!!"
The fist wrapped in Haki slammed hard into Hody's abdomen, causing his eyes to bulge out, and he was sent flying backward toward Noah!
"Boom!!"
"So impressive!"
Prince Fukaboshi stared in astonishment at Luffy's back and said, "Is this the power of that Ninjutsu?"
To think a Devil Fruit Ability User could gain such formidable power in the deep sea... Truly, it is Lord Meiser's Ninjutsu!
"It's mainly because Luffy is strong," Meiser said.
The Dancing Fish technique, in essence, merely grants the ability to move freely underwater—it doesn't amplify combat strength.
That Luffy could achieve this level is primarily due to his own considerable strength.
"Is that so..."
Prince Fukaboshi was taken aback. Did that mean... the Straw Hat Boy's strength was also exceptionally formidable?
As expected of Lord Meiser's companion—truly remarkable!
After this thought crossed his mind, Prince Fukaboshi turned to Meiser and asked, "Lord Meiser, how do you plan to resolve the current situation?"
Although Vander Decken wasn't dead yet, having been cut in half, he could die at any moment!
So... a solution must be found as quickly as possible.
This time, Meiser didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lowered his head in thought.
After a moment, he said, "First, let's see if we can keep this guy alive."
If they could manage to sustain his life, it would buy time for Shirahoshi.
"Are you planning to use the same method you used to treat Miss Merry to heal him?" Prince Fukaboshi asked.
"Something like that," Meiser replied. "But Vander Decken's condition is more severe. We can only try to keep him alive—whether it works or not... we'll see. If it really doesn't work, then we'll have to use the Water Release Technique to move this massive Noah away."
"Then let's give it a try," Prince Fukaboshi nodded.
Better to try and save a hopeless case than to do nothing at all.
Meiser nodded and began swimming downward, saying, "Let's go. We'll assess the situation once we're down there."
"Right!"
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