"Don't do anything rash! Brother Jack is just a guest I invited!
Hody Jones quickly stepped forward to explain, "He won't stay here either."
He was met with indifferent stares from the Fishmen.
"If it weren't for your mermaid royal family's persistent desire to relocate to the land, things wouldn't have turned out this way."
"As royalty, you can't even protect our Ann. What face do you have to speak here?"
"If Boss Jack isn't staying here, then we'll go with him. Staying here will only get us arrested as slaves sooner or later!"
The Fishmen's accusations made Hody Jones feel ashamed, because it was true.
Let alone these Fishmen, even he felt he should give up his dream of living on land.
If it weren't for Doflamingo's sudden inspiration, Hody Jones would now be an ornamental fish in a Celestial Dragon's aquarium.
The commotion attracted the attention of many Fishmen, and many of them spontaneously spread the word, causing more and more to gather.
And their gazes toward Jack gradually became more fervent.
This is the world's highest-paid Fishman, with a whopping 1 billion Berries, equivalent to two Jinbes or fifty Arlongs...
He descended from the sky and rescued the captured Fishmen. In their eyes, Jack seemed to be shrouded in a ray of light.
Compared to the spineless Neptune, a hero like Jack is the one worth following!
Jack was still racking his brains...
If it were the original Beasts Pirates, he wouldn't hesitate; naturally, the more subordinates the better.
Kaido even incorporated the ninja forces of the Oniwabanshu and the samurai forces of the Mimawarigumi of Wano Country into his ranks. At its peak, the Beasts Pirates numbered 30,000.
But the Buggy Pirates are different...
Buggy's boss set the original Buggy Pirates crew's skill level as a threshold; anyone with less than a 110-millionBerries-level skill was dismissed and sent to other jobs.
Although Fishmen are naturally stronger than humans and can easily learn Fishman Karate, there aren't many who meet the combatant standard of the Buggy Pirates.
This is so frustrating... What should I do?... There's no one I can talk to...
"Wait a minute…" Hody Jones suddenly realized something was wrong. "Where's the Neptune Army? The Alabasta men have already reached Fish-Man Island—where are they?"
With such a large commotion, the Neptune Army should have appeared long ago.
"The Neptune Army? They only protect Ryugu Palace!" one of the mermaids said dismissively.
"I just saw them; they're all guarding the Hard-Shell Tower!" said a Fishman who had just arrived.
"Impossible! Something must have happened…" Hody Jones couldn't believe they would ignore Fish-Man Island like this.
He wanted to rush back immediately, but he was worried about leaving Jack alone here.
Given the current situation, Jack could immediately become the leader of the Fishmen if he wanted to.
Hody Jones alone had already made the royal family miserable—if Jack stepped in, Fish-Man Island could change rulers overnight.
Unless Shirahoshi intervenes...
"This is so troublesome, Third Idiot, what should I do?" Jack suddenly said.
Why does going out to sea always turn into trouble? No wonder Boss Buggy prefers him to stay on land.
"How about we go to Ryugu Palace first and check the situation?" Hody Jones suggested.
"Alright, I need to head back anyway." Jack gave up thinking about it entirely.
"Ryugu Palace is this way."
Hody Jones quickly led the way.
After they left, the remaining Fishmen began discussing.
"Did you hear that? Lord Jack called Prince Hody Jones 'Third Idiot,' and he actually accepted it..."
"As expected of Lord Jack—he treats royalty like nothing!"
"But why won't he accept us?"
"What if he thinks we're too weak?"
"Should we call everyone? There are 300,000 Fishmen on Fish-Man Island!"
"Not just Fishmen—call the merfolk too!"
"You mean…"
"The royal family's rule must end!"
A fierce light flashed in one Fishman's eyes as he looked at the mermaids.
"You don't want your children to be captured too, do you?"
He pointed at the corpses of the Slave Capture Team.
"Neptune always says to endure and avoid conflict—but what has that brought us? More hunting!"
"If not for Lord Jack, we'd already be slaves. If this continues, our children will suffer the same fate!"
The mermaids hesitated, then one spoke tremblingly:
"...You're right. We can't let the next generation live like this."
"We need a hero—not cowards."
"Gather everyone. Bring your weapons. We meet at Ryugu Palace!"
They dispersed to spread the message across Fish-Man Island.
Meanwhile, unaware of all this, Hody Jones brought Jack to Ryugu Palace.
The palace stood grand and heavily guarded, with the entire Neptune Army stationed there.
The Hard-Shell Tower—Shirahoshi's residence—was surrounded.
Hody Jones spotted his brother Shark Star guarding the entrance.
"Brother! What's going on? Why is the entire army here?"
Shark Star was overjoyed to see him return—but immediately tensed upon seeing Jack.
"Jack…?"
He recognized him instantly.
Among Fishmen, Jack's fame ranked second only to Jinbe.
After a quick explanation from Hody Jones, Shark Star relaxed slightly and said:
"Thank you for bringing my brother back."
"Now tell me—what happened?" Hody Jones pressed.
"Alabasta's forces have reached our borders. Why is no one responding?"
Shark Star sighed.
"Because of the tense situation—and your disappearance—Father begged Madam Shyarly to perform a prophecy."
"But she stopped doing that!" Hody Jones was shocked.
"She only agreed after repeated pleas. The assassination of Cobra shook Father deeply… Fish-Man Island is too weak in this world."
"Then… the result?"
Hody Jones felt a chill.
Everyone knew Shyarly's predictions never failed—and were rarely good.
"This time… It's worse than ever."
Shark Star's expression darkened.
"Not only is someone targeting Shirahoshi…"
He paused, voice heavy.
"...the royal family of Fish-Man Island will also disappear."
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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