The Pirate Princess Becomes Queen

When he saw the overturned star leading soldiers to find him, the madman laughed and then stabbed himself in the heart with a dagger.

The death of Vander Decken IX caused a huge uproar among the fishmen. It was no secret that he wanted to marry Shirahoshi, and the entire operation was likely orchestrated by fishmen behind the scenes. He was definitely a celebrity among the fishmen. Now that he was a corpse in the hands of the Overturning Star, all sorts of suspicions, both real and false, arose.

The fish-people, whose homes had been destroyed, gathered on the ruined streets of Fishman Street. The corpse of Vander Decken IX reignited their pent-up resentment.

A tall, thin fish-man, as if possessed, suddenly jumped out of the crowd and shouted at Hody Jones, a three-meter-tall great white shark-man with long, curly black hair and sharp teeth.

"Big brother! Those merfolk bullied us, and now the humans are bullying us too. We've been bullied to this extent, I can't take it anymore!!"

"Yes, brother! Aren't we fish-men the most superior race in the world?"

"Brother, King Neptune is a coward; he will destroy the fish-men race!"

Once one was born, another followed. At a time when Hody Jones had not anticipated, the fishmen's emotions erupted completely.

Even Hody Jones, who is three meters tall and has shark-like teeth, was stunned.

Whitebeard is currently a guest in Ryugu Palace! You want me to betray you now? Are you crazy? Or am I crazy?

Most of the fishmen in Fishman Street were watching him, and even his closest confidants were watching him, as if to say, "Brother, you make the decision."

I'm not going to come up with any ideas whatsoever!

He tried to suppress the emotions of the fishmen, but found himself unable to speak.

It's hard to go against the will of the people. He had instilled too much hostility and hostility in the fishmen, and now the backlash was coming. If he didn't comply, this ruthlessness would mercilessly crush him.

He didn't have time to think it through; he could only choose the direction that was most advantageous to him.

"Follow me!" With a wave of his arm, he led his followers out of the Merfolk Street and, not far from the Dragon Palace, surrounded the Cart Star carrying the corpse of Vander Decken IX and a group of mermaid soldiers.

Chapter 182 Hody Jones

The Pirate Princess Becomes Queen

"What are you trying to do?!" the driver yelled.

He was surrounded by mermen. Most of the mermen from Merman Street had come. There were thousands of them. Some of them were still bleeding from the wreckage of the giant ship. Some were holding the corpses of their relatives and children. Most of them were armed and staring at the corpses of Fanche Star and Vander Decken IX with hostility.

The merman prince killed a "hero" of the merman race. Many mermen didn't know what had happened. The pent-up resentment from their daily lives turned into hatred that had to be vented today.

The current situation on Fishman Island is exactly the same as that in Alabasta: internal conflicts are too great to be resolved, and the subordinates are preparing to change the status quo by launching a rebellion.

Vivi didn't want to quell the rebellion with violence; she hoped to unite everyone. To that end, she set up a formidable enemy: the pirates.

Hody Jones did something similar to her. In order to unite Fishman Island, Hody Jones also created a powerful enemy: humans.

Hody Jones, who was hailed as the leader by a large group of radical murloc fanatics, is now in a very difficult position.

Today is absolutely not a good time to launch a fish-man rebellion; the timing is terrible! Jinbe is here, Whitebeard is here—how can they possibly rebel? But the die is cast, and he has no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

The gates of the Dragon Palace opened, and King Neptune emerged with his ministers. Vivi, like any other passerby, stood at a distance, hands in her pockets, watching the spectacle.

Hody Jones grinned menacingly and shouted at King Neptune, "Neptune! Your son killed a fishman! For the sake of Fishman Island, you must give all of us fishmen an explanation today!"

"Give us an explanation!"

"The murderer must not be let off!"

"Those humans are accomplices! They're the ones who destroyed our Fishman Street!"

The initial slogans were tolerable, but the later statement concerning humanity made Hody Jones's heart skip a beat.

He wanted to look back and see who the idiot was who shouted those words. The conflict should be confined to Fishman Island. Why are you yelling "human"? Are you stupid?

But he really couldn't blame them, or even turn back, because the fish-men were hostile to humans—this was a slogan he had been vigorously promoting for many years. That's what he thought and said. Now, to turn back and say that we are good friends with humans? Are you kidding me! What's said is said.

He glared fiercely at King Neptune with a stern face.

The Mermaid King was very worried about his three sons who were surrounded, and even more worried about the fishmen who had appeared around them.

How many murlocs are there? Tens of thousands, right?

It's heartbreaking, sad, and even more so, a feeling of helplessness.

The eldest and second princes, who had previously represented the king on a tour of the territory, returned today with their armies. The two sides were on high alert, glaring at each other, and seemed ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

"Father! I'm going to talk to Hody." The eldest prince is a shark-mermaid with long, wavy blue hair. He is serious and responsible and is considered the king's capable assistant.

At this point, he wanted to negotiate with Hody Jones on behalf of the king.

“No, I am the king, it is my duty.” King Neptune rejected his eldest son’s proposal and, without any guards, swung his fishtail and came before Hody Jones.

In his youth, Neptune was known as a great warrior and was able to befriend Whitebeard. He was indeed a formidable fighter. Now that he is old and his fighting prowess has declined, he is not lacking in courage.

"You want to talk? Fine, I'll talk to you."

Hody Jones laughed heartily: "My terms are very simple..."

He drew out the sound, trying to put psychological pressure on the other party. According to his plan, King Neptune was weak and easy to bully, and he could find plenty of opportunities in this situation. In any case, he had to get through this today. As long as Whitebeard and Jinbe left, he could secure more living space for the Fish-Men. After that, he could drive Neptune off the throne, become king himself, and take revenge on the humans.

But before he could say anything, a whole bunch of mermen behind him started yelling again.

"A state funeral will be held for Vander Deikun IX!"

"The royal family will fund the renovation of Fishman Street, and no merfolk officials will be allowed to be stationed there in the future!"

The first two points actually aligned with Hody Jones's wishes, but then, out of nowhere, another fishman appeared and shouted, "Let Fishman Island truly unite! We need a unified ideology! Humans who can't even breathe in the sea deserve to be enslaved by us!"

The voice was so loud and assertive that it resonated with many of the fishmen, who nodded vigorously.

"That's right!"

"That's always been my thought!"

"Brother Hody, lead us to build a true fishman kingdom!"

Hody Jones was sweating profusely. He thought King Neptune would agree to the conditions of a state funeral for Vander Decken IX and the restoration of Fishman Street, but what he said next... was absolutely impossible! This involved the national policy of a country.

King Neptune was prepared to suffer some injustice to resolve the conflict, but he never expected the fish-men to make such a demand: What are you trying to do? Are you declaring war on the World Government and all of humanity?

The Mermaid King said in a heavy tone, "Hody, I remember you. You served in Neptune's army and were among the best soldiers, but your actions now are creating war and dragging Fishman Island into the abyss. I implore you, calm down, and don't let hatred cloud your judgment."

I'm very rational! But I can't control the rationality of my subordinates! Hody Jones felt like he was being roasted over a fire.

The fishmen grew increasingly excited, and slowly, even some of his trusted subordinates began to waver.

"Brother! History has been wrong for too long; it's time to correct it!"

"Yes, brother, haven't we been preparing for this moment for so many years?"

Just as Hody Jones was filled with fear, another merman suddenly spoke up: "Brother, didn't you say before that you were going to attack Mary Geoise, kill all those human kings, and establish merman dominance?"

Objectively speaking, these words were indeed Hody Jones's own words. He had heard about the recent incident where the sand crocodile "stormed" the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, and then came up with the idea of ​​using terror to establish the fish-men's hegemony.

He wasn't drinking at the time, and he was perfectly sober. Many merfolk around heard him say those words, and it was indeed he who said them...

But this is like many people cursing their company supervisor to be hit by a car and die. You can't take it seriously. You say it one day, but the next day you still have to go to work and call your supervisor "brother" or "sister".

I was just saying it casually, why did you all take it seriously?

Hody Jones was drenched in sweat. What should he do now? Should he follow public opinion and rebel today regardless of the consequences, or should he suppress the emotions of his men first?

Chapter 183 Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki

Hody Jones glanced at the entrance of the Dragon Palace. Marco, who had been relaxed and watching the show with amusement, now stood up straight with a very serious expression. Ace's fists were blazing, and Vivi also placed her right hand on the hilt of her sword.

In his eyes, these three "lowly" humans were alright. This was the ocean, and he looked down on these humans who had eaten Devil Fruits. What Hody Jones cared about were Jinbe and Whitebeard.

Feeling his gaze, Jinbe's expression was extremely complicated, and he kept shaking his head at him. Whitebeard, on the other hand, was very calm, seemingly not caring about their words at all. But if Hody Jones were to describe it, it was the calm before the storm. Once he led the Fishmen to take a step forward, the Fishmen would definitely suffer a thunderous blow. And the sad thing is that, as the leader, he would be the first to bear the brunt.

King Neptune's face was extremely grim. He hadn't expected the merfolk to have such a dangerous idea. Seeing a bunch of merfolk still cheering enthusiastically, he knew that today's matter could not be resolved through compromise.

"Guards! On my orders, arrest all these traitors!" He stopped laughing, and the comical "Neptune" was gone from his words. He gave the order loudly, wanting to quell the turmoil as quickly as possible before the other side caused any real division of the country. Fishman Island had 500 million people, and the fishmen in front of him were only a small part of them.

The eldest and second princes led their soldiers to flank from the left and right, while the old catfish minister commanded the palace soldiers to press forward from the front. The third prince, surrounded by fishmen, also looked determined, ready to cooperate with his brother to launch a central attack.

"You must not insult the fish-men!"

"Kill these cowards! Build a true merman kingdom!"

"Fish-men are the most superior race in the world, and lowly humans are only fit to be our slaves! The ocean of this world belongs to the fish-men, and land dwellers should recognize their lowly status!"

The hatred that Aaron, Hody Jones, and their ilk had been instilling in them for years reached its peak today, and the fishmen drew their swords, a great battle about to break out.

"Stop! All of you stop! Hody! I want an explanation!" Jinbe, the knight of the sea, had never been so angry. The hatred of his people made him feel incredulous. All his years of waiting and effort had become a joke.

Seeing that most of the fishmen chose to stand with him, Hody Jones put aside his concerns and spoke to Jinbe, the senior fishman, with utter contempt.

"You? I have nothing to say to you. I once admired the members of the Sun Pirates and revered Arlong, but I will not follow your path and be enslaved by humans? A mere Shichibukai is all it takes? To be exiled? To spend the rest of my life in a barren place like the East Blue? Bah!"

He suddenly raised his voice: "Today I will tell humanity that the fish-men are the greatest race in the world! Humans are only fit to be enslaved by us!!"

Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, was stunned. What surprised him even more was the attitude of the fish-men. Most of the fish-men present agreed with Hody Jones's words.

"Gurararararararar—! How interesting! I protected you, and this is how you repay me?!" Whitebeard strode forward. Marco didn't stop his father this time; he was also furious. These fish-men were completely ungrateful. If it weren't for the Whitebeard Pirates, would they have the life they have now? And they still enslave humans? Calling humans an inferior race? Are you out of your minds?!

"White beard..."

"Is it that strongest man?...?"

"What are you afraid of?! His pirate crew didn't even come! We have 100,000 men!"

The fish-men were initially intimidated by Whitebeard's formidable reputation, but when they thought of their own numbers, they regained their courage.

“Newgate, that was not my intention…” King Neptune apologized to Whitebeard.

Whitebeard said nonchalantly, "I know it's not your idea, but even if it were, I really want to make a move. Old Neptune, you have too many concerns. That's why I like being a pirate. I don't have all your messy affairs. You don't like me? Let's fight, right, kid? A man should settle things with his fists!"

He finally asked Hody Jones.

Hody Jones has no problem making tough statements, but he still feels immense pressure when facing Whitebeard.

Why did things turn out this way? He didn't know Crocodile, otherwise they would have shared a common understanding of the unpredictability of life. Now... now he has no choice but to fight it out! So what if he's white-bearded? This is the ocean!

Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, Hody Jones's anger surged. He pointed at Whitebeard: "Go! He's just a human! Kill him! After that, we'll storm Mary Geoise and let this world feel the pain of the fish-men!"

"Woohoo! woohoo! woohoo! woohoo!" The fishmen, wielding all sorts of weapons, charged toward Whitebeard and Neptune's army behind him.

"Gurara la la la la—" Whitebeard laughed, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. His materialized spiritual power, carrying his own conviction, pressed down on the group of fishmen.

His domineering aura had reached the level of influencing matter. The aura covered a wide area and was extremely powerful. King Neptune, the merfolk soldiers, and Vivi and the other passersby were completely unaffected. On the other side, many merfolk's weapons, surrounding houses, shells, and corals were shattered. The 100,000 merfolk who were making a ruckus at the scene foamed at the mouth, their eyes glazed over, and like wheat being harvested, they all fainted from east to west.

Is this what advanced Conqueror's Haki looks like?