King Neptune's trident struck the ground heavily with a dull thud. He looked down at the charred Hody Jones, his voice low and authoritative.
"Humanity's strength far surpasses that of Fish-Men! Your radical actions will only bring disaster to our race!"
"Look at the current situation! Don't you understand? Even the strongest Fish-Man warrior stands no chance against humanity's top powerhouses."
Hody Jones struggled to prop himself up, laughing wildly. "You're wrong! Fish-Men's talent is far superior to humans! The only reason we're oppressed is because of Devil Fruits!"
His voice carried fanatical conviction. "As long as we persistently collect Devil Fruits, hide them in the sea, the Devil Fruits humans can obtain will continuously decrease! One day, the world will belong to Fish-Men!"
These highly inflammatory words made many young Fish-Man soldiers ponder.
'Did that… make sense?'
Ace crossed his arms, unable to help snorting upon hearing this. "If humans truly relied entirely on Devil Fruits, then we ability users should be the captains. But reality? We ability users serve a Captain who isn't an ability user."
Hody Jones sneered, his eyes flashing with hatred. "He must be a Celestial Dragon! That's why you lapdogs serve him! Humans without Devil Fruit powers absolutely cannot be Fish-Men's match!"
His voice overflowed with hatred. "Humans should be exterminated!"
Ace shook his head and sighed, his tone carrying pity. "This Fish-Man is beyond saving. Completely living in his own delusions."
He turned to Neptune, confused. "King Neptune, why does he hate humans so much? Was he abused by humans?"
Neptune smiled bitterly, his expression complex. "On the contrary. Not only was he never persecuted by humans, he tortured and killed many humans himself."
Ace was momentarily speechless. "Then where does such hatred come from?"
"Because I am a man raised in the hatred and anger of Fish-Men!" Hody Jones laughed arrogantly. "Not just humans! I personally assassinated that woman, Otohime!"
This instantly ignited the fury of King Neptune and the three princes.
"What did you say?" Fukaboshi's fist slammed into his face.
"That woman wanted to eliminate hatred between humans and Fish-Men! Of course I had to kill her!" Hody Jones laughed maniacally. "I used her death to intensify the hatred between humans and Fish-Men!"
"You bastard!" The three princes couldn't hold back, continuously punching Hody Jones's face.
At that moment, Vander Decken IX, electrocuted to near-death, suddenly struggled to lift his head, issuing a hoarse threat. "Release me! Otherwise, I'll use my ability to summon Noah and destroy Fish-Man Island!"
Hody Jones laughed wildly upon hearing this, his eyes flashing with destructive light. "Do it! Let these traitor Fish-Men perish with us!"
Vander Decken IX inwardly cursed the madman, emphasizing, "King Neptune, you know my ability. This isn't an empty threat."
King Neptune indeed hesitated, deep worry appearing between his brows.
Seeing this, Vander Decken IX decided to add fuel. "It seems you still don't believe. Then go to the palace entrance and watch! Watch how your precious Fish-Man Island is destroyed!"
With that, he activated his Mato Mato no Mi ability.
A deep, muffled roar suddenly came from the deep sea, as if directly striking everyone's hearts, making the entire Ryugu Palace tremble.
The previous guard rushed in again in panic. "Terrible! Your Majesty! Noah is charging toward Fish-Man Island at an alarming speed! At this rate, Fish-Man Island will be sunk by Noah!"
Neptune's expression changed dramatically. "Stop! I agree to let you go!"
Vander Decken IX revealed a sinister smile. "Too late. The terms have changed now. Unless you hand over Princess Shirahoshi, I won't stop."
King Neptune naturally wouldn't agree to Vander Decken IX's escalating demands. "Impossible! I will never give Shirahoshi to someone like you!"
Vander Decken IX let out a spine-chilling laugh. "Bahohoho! Then watch your beloved Fish-Man Island perish with us!"
Setsuna yawned lazily, sounding utterly bored. "Is this your final trump card? How pathetically weak."
King Neptune snapped out of it, urgently requesting. "Chiaki-sama! Could you have your giant serpent intercept Noah?"
"No need for such trouble," Setsuna said offhandedly. "That fool beside him doesn't believe in human strength, right? Take him outside. Let him see properly."
With that, Setsuna walked out of the palace. Like an arrow released from its bow, he shot into the sky, passing through Fish-Man Island's bubble membrane, directly reaching the deep sea.
"Chiaki-sama intends to stop Noah single-handedly?" Neptune was shocked. "Is that even possible?"
"Heh, go see for yourself," Ace whistled, leisurely walking out of the palace.
King Neptune quickly dragged Hody Jones and Vander Decken IX outside.
Looking up, he saw Noah's speed increasing rapidly. Fish-Man Island was already trembling slightly.
In the deep sea, Setsuna slowly raised his fist, then struck the surging seawater fiercely.
"Vast Knocking!"
Instantly, the entire Noah, along with several nautical miles of surrounding sea, froze in space, as if someone pressed a pause button.
Upon reaching the realm of Hearing the Voices All Things', he could now use pressure points on non-living things, like Master Jirou.
"This can't be! Move! Noah! Move, damn it!" Vander Decken IX screamed in terror. But no matter how he activated his ability, Noah remained embedded in the sea, utterly motionless.
The light completely vanished from Hody Jones's eyes. He stared blankly at the frozen sea.
Being able to move freely in the sea undoubtedly proved the other party wasn't a Devil Fruit user.
'That man truly relied on human strength alone, stopping Noah with a single punch.'
His lips trembled. "Could it be… Fish-Men are the inferior race?"
King Neptune was equally speechless with shock. Though not as extreme as Hody Jones, he too believed human strength largely depended on Devil Fruit powers.
Leveraging Fish-Man Island's geographical advantage, those ability users couldn't do much to Fish-Men.
But this scene completely shattered his understanding. The strength of humanity's top powerhouses had long transcended geographical limitations.
If humans truly harbored ill intentions, destroying Fish-Man Island would be nothing difficult for them.