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Chapter 263: Undercurrents of Fish-Man Island
The Moby Dick sailed through the deep.
The ocean floor, ten thousand meters down, should have been dead and cold. But right now, this massive whale ship was radiating heat and hope.
"Gurararara... Marco, where are we?"
Whitebeard stood at the bow. His figure remained as imposing as a mountain, but the IV lines he had torn off were nowhere to be seen. He didn't sit; he stood tall against the crushing deep-sea pressure.
"Pops, we're almost at Fish-Man Island!"
Marco flew to Whitebeard's shoulder, his tone unable to suppress his excitement. "We're just passing through. We'll say hello to Neptune and head straight for the New World entrance!"
"Yeah."
Whitebeard nodded, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dark waters. He could feel the scorching gazes of his "foolish sons" behind him. Gazes full of expectation, worship, and infinite longing for the future.
Return to the peak, huh...
Whitebeard clenched his fist, feeling the familiar, dull ache in his heart. He knew his body was at its limit.
But now, a "miracle" had appeared in the weakest sea, East Blue.
If Shiki, that crippled old bastard, could stand again... why couldn't he, Edward Newgate?
"Gurararara!"
His heroic laughter echoed through the deep sea, sending ripples through the water.
Fish-Man Island.
When the massive Moby Dick emerged from the darkness and docked at the port, the entire island erupted.
"It's the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Pops is here!!"
Countless fish-men and merfolk poured out of their homes, gathering at the port, cheering from the bottom of their hearts. To them, Whitebeard was the guardian deity of this island.
Soon, King Neptune of the Ryugu Kingdom, accompanied by his three sons—Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi—arrived personally to welcome him.
"Whitebeard-dono! Long time no see. You look as imposing as ever!"
Neptune bowed his massive frame slightly, expressing his highest respect.
"Gurararara, Neptune. I'm just passing through."
Whitebeard looked at his old friend, his voice booming. "I have urgent business in East Blue."
"East Blue?"
Neptune paused, confused. What in that "Weakest Sea" was worth the personal attention of the World's Strongest Man?
"Nothing major. Just going to meet an interesting brat." Whitebeard didn't explain further. He glanced at his high-spirited sons behind him and smiled. "When I get back, let's drink."
"I leave Fish-Man Island to you. When I return, we drink."
"Yes! I will await your return!"
Neptune nodded heavily, his eyes full of gratitude. He knew that with just those words from Whitebeard, Fish-Man Island would continue to enjoy peace.
This scene was broadcast via Video Den Den Mushi to every corner of Fish-Man Island. The sunlit port was filled with peace and joy.
However, separated from the port by a wall, in the dark and filthy Fish-Man District... the atmosphere was starkly different.
Inside a crude hideout, a group of fish-men with vicious faces stared intently at the screen. Their leader was a young great white shark fish-man.
Hody Jones.
When he saw King Neptune—the supreme leader of the fish-man race—bowing and scraping to a human pirate, the blood vessels in his eyes burst.
Crack!
The coral wine cup in Hody's hand was crushed into powder.
"Look at him! Look at our King!"
Hody's voice was hoarse and twisted, filled with extreme rage and contempt. "Like a dog! Wagging his tail for an aging human!"
"That is not respect! That is humiliation!"
Beside him, the drunken swordsman Hyouzou slurred, "M-Ma ma ma... Hody, don't be so angry. Whitebeard is an Emperor, after all..."
"Shut up!"
Hody spun around and kicked Hyouzou, sending him slamming into the wall.
"So what if he's an Emperor?! He's still a human!"
"A lowly, despicable human who should be crushed beneath our feet!"
Hody glared at his subordinates, roaring like a beast.
"We fish-men are the noblest race in the world! We are born with ten times the strength of humans!"
"We should rule this world! Not hide in the deep sea, begging for a human's 'protection'!"
"That isn't protection! It's a shackle! A brand of shame on our race!"
His words were like poisonous fire, igniting the extreme emotions in the hearts of the fish-men present.
"Boss Hody is right!"
An officer stepped forward, screaming, "Queen Otohime, that naive woman, died for her dream of coexistence! Big Bro Fisher Tiger raided Mary Geoise to free slaves, but died refusing filthy human blood!"
"History has told us! Humans cannot be trusted! They are only fit to be our slaves!"
"Exactly!"
Hody's crimson eyes swept over the crowd before landing back on the newspaper regarding the Golden Lion. That face, laughing maniacally with regenerated limbs, stimulated his nerves deeply.
"Do you see this?"
Hody pointed at the paper, his voice turning fanatical.
"Even a crippled human like the Golden Lion, abandoned by the era, could find new life in East Blue and return to his peak!"
"What does this prove?"
"It proves that Heaven is also abandoning humans! It sent down a 'miracle' so that we, the oppressed race, can seize that power and cleanse this filthy world!"
Hody spread his arms as if embracing a new, mad era.
"That old man Whitebeard is going to East Blue to beg for a cure!"
"But we! The New Fish-Man Pirates!"
"We will go to East Blue and seize that 'miracle'! We will take that power of regeneration!"
His voice echoed through the dark Fish-Man District, filled with undisguised ambition and hatred.
"When the Fish-Man race possesses that power..."
"We will no longer need to live humbly in the deep!"
"We will establish a great kingdom solely for fish-men on the surface!"
"All humans will become our slaves and our food!"
Hody Jones's voice hung over the damp, gloomy district. Every word was a poisoned needle piercing the hearts of those present.
Seize the miracle!
Cleanse the world!
Enslave the humans!
These insane, extreme thoughts spread like wildfire, burning away the last shreds of their reason.
"Boss Hody!"
"We're with you!"
"Kill all humans! Build our Fish-Man Kingdom!"
"WOOOOOHHH!!"
═════ To Be Continued ═════
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