After swallowing over a dozen ES energy steroids, Jack had transformed into a monstrous, inhuman sphere of muscle.
With just a single charging straight punch, he shattered Jinbe's Armament Haki defense, sending the Fish-Man flying from the port of Fish-Man District like a meteor. Jinbe crashed through coral mountains, plowing a straight trench across the plaza of Ryugu Palace.
BOOM!
An earth-shattering explosion erupted against the cliff face in front of Ryugu Palace.
The sturdy cliff collapsed in massive chunks as Jinbe's body slammed into it. Enormous boulders rained down onto the plaza below, kicking up clouds of dust.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
The deafening explosion triggered shrill alarms throughout Ryugu Palace, its grand dragon-carved rooftops trembling. Columns of armored Fish-Man soldiers, armed with spears and swords, poured out from the palace, rushing toward the plaza.
Neptune, King of the Ryugu Kingdom and known as the "Knight of the Sea," gripped his trident tightly as he approached the collapsed cliff and peered down.
"Shark, did you see who was sent flying just now?" he asked, turning to his eldest son, who held a long spear.
Shark's expression was grave as he nodded. "Yes, Father. It was… Boss Jinbe."
Neptune tightened his grip on his trident and looked toward the edge of the plaza.
There, a bloodied, inhuman figure was bouncing across the ground, rapidly closing in.
"Jinbe was sent flying… Just how strong is that Calamity Jack?" Neptune muttered in disbelief.
Shark frowned, watching Jack approach. Suddenly, his pupils shrank, and he blurted out, "No! Father! Something's wrong with Jack's condition!"
"What do you mean?" Neptune was startled and looked closer.
When he saw Jack's blood-red eyes and sensed the violent aura radiating from him, a possibility immediately struck him.
"Energy steroids! He took the energy steroids!"
"But that can't be! The theft of the energy steroids from the Tamatebako happened years ago. I don't recall any Beast Pirates ships docking at Fish-Man Island back then."
Shark furrowed his brows, thinking for a moment before saying grimly, "Or perhaps he took something similar. But if the theft was connected to Hody Jones and the New Fish-Man Pirates, then it all makes sense."
Neptune's massive frame shuddered.
Shark's theory was sound.
Jack had landed in Fish-Man District.
The earlier commotion must have been caused by Hody Jones and his gang of human-hating thugs.
The two quickly descended the plaza with their guards.
By then, Jinbe, covered in blood, had already pushed aside the boulders pinning him and climbed out of the crater in the shattered cliff.
"Boss Jinbe!"
"Jinbe! Are you alright?"
Neptune stepped forward, his face filled with concern as he took in Jinbe's bloodied state.
"King Neptune, you must leave. Now. The situation has taken a turn for the worse."
Jinbe clutched his left wrist, his expression darkening.
The bones in his left arm had been fractured by Jack's punch.
For a fighter of Jack's caliber to also take energy steroids—sacrificing his lifespan for temporary power—was terrifying beyond words.
"How can we leave? If something happens to you, Fish-Man Island is finished!"
Neptune's face twisted with urgency as he glared at Jack, who was now closing in. He roared:
"Calamity Jack! Fish-Man Island is under Whitebeard's protection! Do you want to start a war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Beast Pirates?"
His intention was to make Jack hesitate, fearing Whitebeard's wrath.
But even if Jack hadn't been in his current frenzied state, his reckless nature would have ignored the warning.
Jack paid no heed, his bloodshot eyes locked onto Jinbe.
WHOOSH!
A gale of wind and debris swept across the plaza.
The ground beneath Jack's feet shattered as he launched himself forward like a cannonball, charging straight at Jinbe.
"It's no use, King Neptune! All of you, get back! Take Shirahoshi and leave Fish-Man Island! Wait until the steroids wear off and Jack suffers the backlash before returning!"
Jinbe shouted, gritting his teeth as he dashed forward, throwing a straight punch at the oncoming Jack.
"Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique: Vagabond Drill!"
His fist, coated in black Armament Haki, tore through the air, scattering rubble as it collided with Jack's massive fist.
BOOM!
The deafening impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, blasting away every guard within a hundred meters, blood spraying from their mouths.
Even Neptune and Shark were sent stumbling back, unable to withstand the force.
"We can't interfere in their battle!"
"Father! Return to Ryugu Palace! Do as Jinbe said—take Shirahoshi and the others away!"
Shark struggled to shout over the chaos.
"You're not coming?" Neptune asked, his heart heavy with dread for Fish-Man Island's future.
"I'll try to stop Jack!" Shark turned and sprinted toward Fish-Man District's port.
"He's a Devil Fruit user, right? Then he's weak to seawater. I'll bring some back—maybe it'll drain his strength!"
Watching Shark vanish into the distance, Neptune clenched his jaw and ran toward Ryugu Palace.
Suddenly, his face paled as he spotted a massive, round head peeking over one of the palace's side buildings.
A bald giant, nearly as tall as Ryugu Palace itself, grinned foolishly as he gripped a black spire, trying to wrench it free from the palace roof.
"Wadatsumi! What are you doing?! Stop this instant!"
Seeing the giant's actions, Neptune's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull, his face flushing with rage.
He raised his trident and charged toward the tower.
That tower was the home of his beloved daughter, Shirahoshi, the mermaid princess of Fish-Man Island.
The reason Shirahoshi had been confined there for years was because of the captain of this very giant—Vander Decken IX, the user of the Mato Mato no Mi.
The despicable Decken had shamelessly proposed to Shirahoshi when she was just six years old.
After being rejected, he flew into a rage and used his Devil Fruit powers to hurl all manner of objects at her residence daily—sometimes weapons, sometimes boulders, even the corpses of Sea Kings.
This forced the palace to remain on constant alert, and Shirahoshi lived in perpetual danger.
Neptune had built the hard-shell tower specifically to protect her.
To evade Jinbe's pursuit, Decken rarely showed himself on Fish-Man Island.
Wadatsumi was his only subordinate.
Now, the giant was brazenly attempting to tear down Shirahoshi's tower.
"Where is Vander Decken?! Is he here too?! Show yourself, Decken!"
Neptune roared, leaping high into the air, his trident aimed at the mountainous Wadatsumi.
"Eek! It's the Knight of the Sea, Neptune!"
Wadatsumi panicked, shrinking back as if to flee.
"You idiot! Hold him off!
Jinbe's tied up, and Neptune's just a fat old man—long past his prime.
This is our chance! Soon, Shirahoshi will finally be mine!
Hohohohoho!
With her, I'll rule the world! Because of her power…"
Just then, a four-legged Fish-Man leaped onto a guard's corpse, using it as a foothold to launch himself toward the tower.
It was Vander Decken IX, the octopus Fish-Man.
"Decken! You monster! I'll kill you!"
Spotting Decken, Neptune abandoned Wadatsumi and lunged at him with his trident.
"Ooohohoho, can't let you disturb the captain, King Neptune~"
Wadatsumi, all eighty meters of him, spread his massive arms and swatted Neptune out of the air like a fly.
THUD!
Neptune crashed to the ground.
"Hohohoho! My sweet Shirahoshi, I've waited five long years for you."
Decken cackled as he landed before the tower's door, his hands gripping the handles as he slowly pushed it open.
Inside, a pink-haired mermaid with watery blue eyes and a shimmering tail huddled on her bed, trembling.
Tears welled in her large eyes, her face a mask of terror.
"Father… brothers… Boss Jinbe… please save me…"
At just eleven years old, Shirahoshi stood eight meters tall, yet her heart was fragile.
Now, she was paralyzed with fear.
When the door burst open and Decken's grinning face appeared, the timid princess could no longer hold back her tears.
"Hohohoho, don't cry. I'll take good care of you, my wife~"
Decken eagerly grabbed Shirahoshi's wrist, yanking the sobbing princess out of the tower.
Below, Neptune's face twisted with fury as he heard his daughter's cries.
"Decken! Release Shirahoshi!"
WHOOSH!
He hurled his trident at Decken with all his might.
"Father-in-law, is that any way to treat your son-in-law? What if you hurt my beloved Shirahoshi?"
Decken smirked as a massive hand intercepted the flying trident.
THUNK!
Wadatsumi yelped in pain, lifting his hand to see the trident embedded deep in his palm.
"Ow!"
His colossal size made the weapon seem like a mere splinter—barely an inconvenience.
"Hohohoho! Without Jinbe, the Ryugu Kingdom is nothing. Shark's gone too, Neptune. Today, whether you like it or not, Shirahoshi will become my wife!"
Decken gloated, dragging the weeping Shirahoshi onto Wadatsumi's outstretched palm.
The giant lifted them both, clutching Shirahoshi's waist as he stomped away from Ryugu Palace.
Guards on the ground stabbed at Wadatsumi's legs with spears, but his strides were too vast to hinder.
The entire kingdom stood powerless before the giant's retreat.
"Put her down!"
Neptune, now unarmed, sprinted after them, his eyes bloodshot.
On the plaza, Jinbe—locked in a brutal clash with Jack, their battle shaking the earth—sensed the unfolding disaster through Observation Haki. His expression darkened further.
"That damn Decken… taking advantage of the chaos to kidnap Shirahoshi!"
He landed a heavy punch on Jack's chest, sending the berserker flying, then turned toward the fleeing Wadatsumi.
"I can't let Decken take her. Shirahoshi is the future of our people—she can't fall into his hands!"
With that resolve, Jinbe stomped down, shattering the ground beneath him as he rocketed skyward, landing atop the plaza's cliff in a single bound.
In seconds, he closed the distance to Wadatsumi and Decken.
Seeing the bloodied Jinbe charging toward them, Decken nearly wet himself in terror.
"J-Jinbe?! Run, Wadatsumi! NOW!"
The giant needed no urging—he broke into a panicked sprint.
Shirahoshi, still clutched in his grip, sobbed harder.
"Boss Jinbe… please save me…"
"Don't be afraid, Princess. I'll—"
Jinbe forced a reassuring smile, but before he could finish, an overwhelming sense of danger flooded his mind.
"Damn it—Jack!"
He whirled around, Armament Haki surging over his entire body.
A blood-red sphere of muscle tore through the air, trailing shockwaves as it barreled toward him.
Before Jinbe could react, two massive arms shot out from the sphere, slamming into his chest.
CRUNCH!
Jinbe's torso caved in, blood erupting from his mouth and nose as he was sent hurtling downward.
"HAHAHAHA! PATHETIC!"
Jack's jagged maw split into a mad grin as his trunk swelled, smashing into Jinbe mid-air and driving him into the ground like a meteor.
BOOOOOOM!
The earth quaked as a crater dozens of meters wide exploded open.
At its center, Jinbe lay motionless, his chest shattered, unable to rise.
"Jinbe!"
Neptune's eyes widened in horror.
"Boss Jinbe!"
Shirahoshi's tears fell like rain, her mind blank with grief.
For a moment, the world seemed to freeze.
Then Decken's laughter shattered the silence.
"HOHOHOHO! Serves you right, you meddling fool! I hope that monster finishes you off!
Shirahoshi, my love, nothing can stop us now!
Tonight, we consummate our marriage!"
"Shirahoshi! My daughter!"
"Release the princess!"
Decken's taunts, Neptune's cries, and the guards' shouts blurred together in Shirahoshi's ears.
Her vision swam, her mind numb with despair.
"I don't want to leave Father… or Ryugu Palace… I don't want Boss Jinbe to die…
Someone… please… save me…"
As Shirahoshi's emotions shattered, something vast and ancient stirred within her.
Deep in the ocean beyond Fish-Man Island, the waters trembled.
Mountainous shadows loomed in the abyss, rising swiftly.
"Huh? Why's it getting dark?"
Wadatsumi, momentarily distracted from Jinbe's defeat, blinked dumbly at the sky.
Even Jack, mid-rampage through the guards, froze, his instincts screaming of imminent death.
Neptune's jaw dropped as he stared beyond the island's bubble.
Five colossal shapes emerged from the darkness.
Just outside the bubble, the deep sea split open, revealing a single glowing green eye—over a hundred meters wide.
Then, an eel-like head, hundreds of meters across and stretching beyond sight, breached the barrier.
Its maw, a yawning chasm lined with endless teeth, snapped shut around Wadatsumi, Jack, Decken, and Shirahoshi—before vanishing back into the depths.
THUD.
Neptune collapsed to his knees, his strength gone.
"Shirahoshi…"
Tears streamed down his face.
In the crater, Jinbe gazed weakly at the titanic Sea Kings circling the island.
"Did Shirahoshi summon them…? The Ancient Weapon Poseidon's power… has it awakened in her already?"
He wasn't worried for her safety.
As the Sea King, all Sea Kings were her subjects.
Sure enough, minutes later, the giant eel returned Shirahoshi—unharmed but dazed—to the plaza.
Wadatsumi, Decken, and Jack were nowhere to be seen.
Deep on the ocean floor, the eighty-meter giant lay motionless, his body riddled with gaping holes, half his head missing.
Jack, now missing his lower half and an arm, clung to life—but his golden hair had turned gray, his muscles withered.
As for Vander Decken IX?
Not a trace remained.
(End of Chapter)
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