"Blood-Eyed Ninja..."
Hody, lying inside Noah, stared in shock at the terrifying giant beast enveloping the ship and said, "To think he can even do something like this...
Moving Noah with just one person's strength... Is this the power of the Blood-Eyed Ninja?
This is too terrifying!
"Now Noah won't be able to crash down on Fish-Man Island," Hody muttered.
This way... his plan could no longer be carried out!
At this thought, Hody's expression twisted into ferocity.
Damn it!
Damn it all!
"Why are you getting in my way, you damned Blood-Eyed Ninja!!" Hody roared.
Outside, Meiser, who was dealing with Noah alongside his clone, sneered upon hearing this. Even at a time like this, he was still saying such things—who knew what this guy was thinking.
"There are our comrades on Fish-Man Island. There's no way we'll let you succeed," Luffy, who had approached near Hody, stared at him and said, "Just give up on that idea!"
"Make me give up?" Hody raged, "That's absolutely impossible!!"
With that, Hody pulled out a large amount of Energy Steroids from his pocket once more and stuffed the dosage—enough to instantly kill an ordinary person—into his mouth.
Seeing this, Luffy was momentarily stunned.
"Taking drugs?"
Why would he still be taking drugs at a time like this?
"Sha ha ha ha ha...
"The power of the Energy Steroids is truly intoxicating!"
Feeling the sudden surge of power in his body, Hody immediately burst into wild laughter.
Then, flexing his muscles, he pulled himself out of the ship's hull and stopped not far from Luffy.
"Straw Hat Boy..."
Hody, whose muscles had grown even more terrifying, coldly glared at Luffy and said, "I'll show you what true power really is!"
By now, Hody had completely lost his sanity to the Energy Steroids, leaving only endless killing intent!
He would use his own life to wipe out these damned humans!
All humans deserve to die!
"No wonder Jimbei said your power is fake," Luffy frowned and said, "Power gained through drugs doesn't truly belong to you."
At least in his view, power earned through training was what truly belonged to oneself!
"Don't give me that preachy talk," Hody smashed a nearby piece of wood with a punch and said coldly, "I don't need it!"
Fake power?
So what?
As long as he could achieve his goal, not only would he take drugs that shortened his lifespan, he would do it even if it cost him his life afterward!
Then, he roared, "Straw Hat Boy, I'll kill you first, then go kill the others!"
"Humans, all of you must die!"
By now, Hody no longer felt any fear toward Meiser—only endless killing intent!
It could be said that the Energy Steroids had turned him into a killing machine.
"You won't get that chance!" Luffy, assuming an attacking stance, said, "Because I'll defeat you right here!"
"Second Gear!"
"Then let's give it a try!"
After Hody roared, he charged toward Luffy.
Seeing this, Luffy immediately launched an attack without hesitation.
"Gomu-Gomu Jet Pistol!"
"Bam!"
"Wha..."
Upon realizing he had only struck an afterimage, Luffy's pupils instantly contracted.
How could this guy's speed become so terrifying?
"It's useless, Straw Hat Boy!"
Hody, now positioned elsewhere, sneered and said, "After consuming a large amount of Energy Steroids, I am invincible in the sea!"
"Sha ha ha ha ha!"
Although the other guy had that strange Bubble allowing him to move freely in the sea... he himself was a noble member of the Fish-Man race!
In the sea, he was invincible!
So... a mere Straw Hat Boy could never be his match!
This time, Straw Hat Boy was definitely dead!
"I refuse to believe I can't hit you!" Luffy shouted.
As he spoke, Luffy attacked Hody again, but unfortunately... this attack also missed.
Just like that, after dodging several of Luffy's attacks, Hody successfully closed in on him.
"Too slow, Straw Hat Boy..."
"Bam!"
While speaking, Hody delivered a whip kick to Luffy's body, sending him flying toward the towering Water Dragon Wall above!
"Pop"
In the next moment, the Water Dragon Wall seemed to come alive, absorbing Luffy into it while also dissipating the immense kinetic energy he carried.
After accomplishing this, the Water Dragon Wall spat Luffy out, returning him to Noah.
"What an incredible Water Release Technique."
Feeling the changes in his body, Luffy showed a surprised expression before turning his head and shouting outside, "Thanks, Meiser!"
"Mm!"
Hearing Luffy's words, Meiser responded with a single syllable, acknowledging Luffy's gratitude.
Meanwhile, Hody glared fiercely at the high Water Dragon Wall and said, "So he intends to make us fight to the finish here...
Doesn't that bastard fear I might kill his captain?
Or does he have immense confidence in Straw Hat Boy's strength?
If that's the case... then I'll just slaughter Straw Hat Boy right here."
With that thought, the killing intent emanating from Hody grew even more terrifying.
After roaring, Hody appeared directly in front of Luffy and aimed a punch at his head.
"Die, Straw Hat Boy!"
"Fish-Man Karate: 5000 Tile True Fist!"
"Gomu-Gomu Jet Bazooka!"
"Bam!"
The moment their attacks collided, the seawater around them churned violently.
"Boom!!"
"Too slow, Straw Hat Boy!"
Hody roared, then lowered his head and grabbed Luffy's arm before biting down hard on his shoulder.
"Crunch!"
The sharp fangs combined with terrifying bite force pierced through Luffy's defenses, causing him to scream in agony.
"Ah!!"
"Sha ha ha ha ha."
Looking at Luffy's pained expression, Hody immediately revealed an excited grin and said, "What a delightful scream! Let me..."
"Gomu-Gomu Fire Fist Gun!"
Without giving Hody any more chance to ramble, Luffy immediately infused Haki into his arm after swinging it out, then set it ablaze.
After doing this, Luffy delivered a fierce punch to Hody's abdomen.
"BOOM!!"
The terrifying force sent Hody flying backward, skidding across the deck.
After sliding nearly several dozen meters, Hody roared and forcefully slammed both feet onto the ground, finally bringing his body to a stop.
Then, the man threw his head back and roared again, causing his fangs to regrow.
"Sha ha ha ha ha~"
"Straw Hat Boy!" Hody said with a ferocious expression, looking at the huge fang left on Luffy's shoulder. "That hurts, doesn't it?"
"My fangs aren't just for show!"
"Dammit..."
Glancing at the massive tooth lodged in his shoulder, Luffy's expression darkened.
He truly hadn't expected the opponent's fangs to be able to pierce straight through his defense. Aren't these teeth a bit too sharp?
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Luffy pulled out the huge tooth and fixed his gaze on Hody, frowning as he said, "My Fire Fist Punch was working just a moment ago, so why..."
"Sha ha ha ha ha!"
Hearing Luffy's words, Hody burst into laughter again.
"Because I've received power bestowed by the heavens!" Hody declared with a laugh. "With this power, I can kill all you damned inferior humans!!"
After saying this, Hody paused, then pointed at the bubble on Luffy's body and continued, "Do you think having that thing on you means you can defeat me?"
"Don't make me laugh!"
"In the sea, the Fish-Man race is invincible!"
"Whether it's you or the Blood-Eyed Ninja!"
"None of you can be my match!"
"Sha ha ha ha ha!"
Lost in his newfound power, Hody no longer cared about anyone.
In Hody's eyes at this moment, he was the strongest person in the world!!
"I told you," Luffy straightened up and said. "I will defeat you!!"
"Still spouting such big talk even now..." Hody mocked, looking at Luffy. "Humans really don't give up until they see the coffin."
"You're far too overconfident, Straw Hat Boy!"
"You have no idea how vast the gap between us is!"
By this point, Hody was practically shouting.
"Now, I'll use my power to make you understand who truly rules this world!"
"ROAR!!"
After roaring, Hody raised both hands and grabbed the seawater on either side, unleashing Fish-Man Karate without hesitation.
"Fish-Man Karate—Water Heart: Shark Swarm!"
"Whoosh"
"Whoosh"
"Whoosh"
Numerous blobs of water shot from Hody's hands, transforming into one shark after another in midair.
Then, the swarm of sharks roared as they charged toward Luffy.
"Sharks?"
Watching the sharks drawing closer, Luffy showed a look of surprise. Why does this guy's move seem somewhat similar to Meiser's Water Release Technique?
While thinking this, Luffy dashed to the side, successfully dodging Hody's attack.
"It's not over yet, Straw Hat Boy!" Hody bellowed.
As he spoke, Hody unleashed another wave of sharks, relentlessly attacking Luffy.
Seeing this, Luffy immediately dodged to the side, but due to the sheer number of attacks this time, he was ultimately struck by one of the sharks.
Boom!
With a single hit, Luffy was sent flying!
"Sha ha ha ha ha!"
Seeing this, Hody burst into laughter and said, "See that, Straw Hat Boy!"
"This is my power!"
"Sha ha ha ha ha!"
If he possessed invincible strength... he could definitely kill all humans!
Sha ha ha ha ha! "No one can stop me from taking revenge on humans!" Hody roared. "No one!"
Perhaps he wouldn't live many years after taking the Energy Steroid, but... before he died, he would drag all humans down into the sea!
Just then, the Water Dragons surrounding the area vanished, and along with them, the Clones disappeared as well.
Seeing this, Hody was momentarily stunned before narrowing his eyes and saying, "This environment...
Have we reached the Fish-Man District already?
Damn that Blood-Eyed Ninja, his Water Release Technique is truly terrifying.
But it doesn't matter. Once I kill Straw Hat Boy, I'll go and kill him next!"
Thinking this, Hody sneered coldly and turned his gaze toward Luffy.
"Damn it..."
Glancing at the wound on his shoulder that had begun spurting blood, Luffy frowned and said, "No time to waste..."
If he continued to waste time, he might lose consciousness from excessive blood loss.
So... he had to end this quickly!
With that thought, Luffy charged out of the crater in the ship's hull and shot into the air at incredible speed.
"Gear Third!"
"Armament Haki Hardening!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Luffy's enlarged fist was immediately coated in Armament Haki, and his aura grew even more intimidating!
"Using this move again, huh."
Watching Luffy enlarge his fist, Hody sneered and said, "Straw Hat Boy, this move is useless against me now!"
Right now, he was invincible!
So... even if this guy enlarged his fist, he couldn't possibly defeat his invincible self!
Sha ha ha ha ha!
"Whether it works or not isn't up to you!" Luffy roared. "Gomu Gomu no... Elephant Gun!!"
With that, Luffy swung his massive fist toward Hody.
"Then let's give it a try!"
Hody roared as well, simultaneously launching his attack.
"Shark Swarm: Chaotic Star Strike!!"
Whoosh
Whoosh
Whoosh
A massive number of water sharks surged forth from Hody's side, their quantity utterly staggering!
The next moment—
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Countless sharks slammed into Luffy's fist, forcibly halting it mid-air.
Seeing this, Hody immediately burst into laughter and said, "See that, Straw Hat Boy? This is my—"
"I'm tired of hearing you talk!" Luffy roared. "Just fall already!"
With Luffy's furious roar, the fist suspended in mid-air began inching forward bit by bit, until finally...
It successfully shattered all of Hody's water sharks!
Witnessing this, Hody froze on the spot.
"This... how is this possible?"
How could Straw Hat Boy shatter his strongest move?
A mere human... how could he?!
"Straw Hat Boy!!"
Watching the approaching fist, Hody roared, "I'll kill you!"
As he spoke, the man leaped up, using the force of the seawater to charge toward Luffy's fist, clearly intending to crush Luffy head-on.
But the moment he made contact with Luffy's fist, he knew he was wrong.
Terribly wrong.
The opponent's fist, as massive as that of the Giant Race, was simply not something he could resist!
Thud!
Whoosh!
Boom!!
Struck by this punch, Hody flew out like a cannonball, landing instantly by the side of Noah and embedding himself in the wood.
"Damn Straw Hat Boy..." Hody glared at Luffy with bloodshot eyes and said, "I'll kill you!!"
"You can still move, huh..."
Seeing Hody still trying to stand up and fight him, Luffy's expression darkened. "In that case..."
Realizing that simple moves wouldn't defeat his opponent, Luffy decisively transformed his other fist into a giant form as well, simultaneously infusing it with Haki.
"Rubber·Elephant Gun Gatling!"
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Without giving Hody a chance to crawl out, Luffy immediately slammed his two enormous fists onto Hody's body,
showing no mercy!
"Ah!!"
"Straw Hat Boy!!"
Hody, struck by the attacks, let out a furious roar, but there was no way for him to resist under such an assault.
In the end... after half a minute of relentless pummeling, Hody's bones were shattered by Luffy's fists.
Crash!
As the edge of Noah shattered, Hody's body flew out along with the debris.
"Hmm?"
Glancing at Hody, who had flown out with the debris, Prince Fukaboshi showed a look of astonishment and said, "Is that Hody?"
"He... he was defeated by Straw Hat Boy!"
"Yes."
Dispersing all his clones, Meiser used Observation Haki to sense Hody's condition and said, "His consciousness is gone."
"Great, that's truly great!" Prince Fukaboshi exclaimed excitedly. "That monster Hody has finally been defeated!"
With this, the crisis of their Fish-Man Island was completely resolved!
"Lord Meiser, Lord Luffy..."
Shirahoshi, taking in the figures of the two, said with tears streaming down her face, "Thank you, thank you..."
As if the immense pressure on her shoulders had vanished, the tightly wound young girl finally couldn't hold back and began to sob uncontrollably.
But this time, the three brothers didn't say much, after all... there were tears in their eyes as well.
"Why are you crying again?"
Luffy, emerging from Noah, looked at Shirahoshi in confusion and said, "The danger is over now."
At this moment, Luffy simply couldn't understand why Shirahoshi was crying.
"Perhaps tears of joy," Meiser said with a smile.
Then, he noticed the bloodstains on Luffy's body and frowned, asking, "What's with the blood on you?"
"Is it from Hody?"
"No."
Luffy shook his head, pulling open his clothes to show Meiser his wound, and said, "It's my own."
As he spoke, blood spurted from the wound on Luffy's shoulder.
Meiser:
Stop pretending to be calm with such serious injuries, you idiot!
"Hey, Meiser!"
Seeing Luffy's wounds, Merry's eyes immediately welled up with tears. She then tugged at Meiser and said, "Go help treat Luffy quickly."
"I know."
Meiser rubbed his temples, then brought Merry over to Luffy's side and began treating him with Medical Ninja Technique.
"If you're injured, just honestly ask a doctor for help. Why pretend to be calm?"
"I just didn't have time to say it yet." Luffy grinned, showing his teeth.
Hearing this, Meiser shook his head helplessly. This guy still had the nerve to smile.
If it weren't for the fact that this idiot was injured, he really wanted to punch him.
"How did you get hurt by Hody?" Merry said, looking at Luffy's wound with heartache.
Such a large wound... Could it have been caused by Hody slashing with the big sword on his back?
"He just bit me." Luffy said nonchalantly.
"Bit?"
Merry was taken aback. What kind of strange attack was that?
"Hody is a great white shark Fish-man, so his bite force is extremely terrifying." Prince Fukaboshi, who had come closer, explained: "Plus, with the boost from the Energy Steroid..."
"Is that why he was able to bite Luffy like this?" Merry nodded after speaking, then asked curiously: "By the way... what exactly is this Energy Steroid?"
Why did Hody take this thing?
"It's a very dangerous drug." Prince Fukaboshi explained: "It can drastically increase strength in a short time, but the side effects are also significant."
"If too much is taken at once, it can greatly reduce lifespan, which is why it's a banned substance."
He had heard about this from his father, so he knew just how terrifying this drug was.
"Reducing lifespan..."
Merry swallowed hard, then turned to look at Hody, who was being dragged over by Prince Manboshi and Prince Ryuboshi, and said: "Is this why his hair turned completely white?"
He had black hair back at Ryugu Palace, but now when they met again, his hair was completely white. How much lifespan must he have lost?
Could it have been decades?
Otherwise, his hair wouldn't have turned white.
"Most likely." Prince Fukaboshi nodded.
Although he didn't know exactly how much Energy Steroid Hody had taken, judging from the current effects... he probably didn't have much lifespan left.
At that moment, Prince Manboshi and Prince Ryuboshi swam over with the unconscious Hody, their expressions growing increasingly complex.
"What, are you planning to take him back?" Meiser glanced at Hody in their hands and said: "Given his current physical condition, he probably won't last much longer."
Meiser could tell that the other's bones had been broken by Luffy.
So... even if this guy didn't die on the spot, he wasn't far from death.
"He's about to die?"
Prince Fukaboshi was stunned. He thought the Straw Hat Boy had just knocked him unconscious, but he had actually brought him to the brink of death.
This time, Meiser didn't answer the question. Instead, he created a Wood Clone to examine Hody's body.
Without wasting words, the Wood Clone appeared and quickly went to Hody's side to check his condition.
Afterwards, the Wood Clone said, "Every bone in his body was shattered by Luffy, and his internal organs were also crushed."
"Most importantly... the vitality of his cells is nearly depleted."
Under such circumstances, Hody could not possibly survive.
"Did you hear that?" Meiser withdrew his gaze and said, "With injuries of this severity, he won't survive."
In a sense, Hody was already dead—only his brainwaves hadn't yet faded.
But... it wouldn't be long before this guy...
...died.
Before his thoughts could fully form, the Wood Clone spoke again: "Hody is dead."
Just moments ago, the other's life force had completely vanished.
"Dead, huh..."
Looking at Hody, now utterly lifeless, Prince Fukaboshi's expression grew somewhat complicated.
He never imagined that this arrogant, overbearing man would meet such an end...
But as soon as he recalled what this man had intended to do, Fukaboshi reined in his emotions.
This was a fight to the death from the start—there really was nothing to lament.
"Inform Fish-Man Island about what happened here," Meiser said. "That should help end the battle over there sooner."
Once news of Hody's defeat spread back, those guys would likely lose their will to fight.
"Understood!"
Fukaboshi nodded, then looked down at Luffy and asked, "But what about Mr. Luffy..."
"Don't worry, this guy won't die."
Meiser glanced down at Luffy and said, "He just lost some blood. He'll be fine after eating plenty later."
After a pause, Meiser smiled and added, "Shirahoshi, come support us. We'll treat him as we move."
"Yes, Lord Meiser!!"
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