The rapidly spinning vortex grazed the whale shark fish-man's body, slicing off half of it as if cutting through tofu. The gruesome sight instantly terrified the fish-men charging from behind.
"Run! He's one of the strong humans!"
The fish-men who had just been eager to eat Bellamy alive, upon witnessing his power, turned and fled. This was only natural. What kind of powerful figures would stay in the Fish-Man District? Those with ideals and ambition had either joined the Ryugu Kingdom's guard or had long since gone out to sea. Very few skilled individuals would remain here.
Vander Decken IX and Hody Jones, the two who had stayed in a place like this, both had ulterior motives.
Vander Decken IX's name alone suggested his unusual origins. The Vander Decken family was a very ancient clan among the fish-men. This family had been secretly searching for the secret of Poseidon, attempting to seize this world-destroying power. After nine generations of waiting, when Shirahoshi was six years old, Vander Decken IX personally witnessed the little mermaid princess summon several Sea Kings with her cries. He understood everything in that moment: Shirahoshi was the one his ancestors had been searching for for years, the legendary mermaid princess who could control the Sea Kings—Poseidon!
In order to obtain Poseidon, Vander Decken IX had been deluding himself with the idea of marrying Shirahoshi. As the user of the Paramecia-type Mark-Mark Fruit, he possessed an extremely special ability. Any living being he touched would be automatically tracked by any object he threw, no matter where they went in the world. The tracking would only stop if the object was shot down or blocked by an obstacle. However, if he washed the hand that had locked onto the target, the lock would be removed, and he would have to touch the target again to re-establish it.
Ever since he had touched Shirahoshi with his right hand, Vander Decken IX had not washed it for years. He had been hiding in the Fish-Man District all this time, occasionally throwing a few axes at the Ryugu Palace, trying to intimidate Neptune into marrying Shirahoshi to him. Such idiotic behavior was simply incomprehensible.
Fortunately for him, the one he was intimidating, the king of Fish-Man Island, Neptune, was a complete waste of space. Other than yelling curses, he didn't dare to do anything. The ruler of a nation, not even daring to send troops into the Fish-Man District to arrest someone, with the excuse that it would cause great turmoil on the island. Such an incompetent ruler was a rare sight even in the entire world.
As for Hody Jones, he was a thorough-going racial supremacist. He was not an orphan, nor had he ever been persecuted by humans. But when it came to hatred for the human race, no fish-man could compare to Hody Jones. Even a guy like Arlong paled in comparison to an extremist fish-man supremacist like him. Hody Jones embodied the accumulated resentment of his ancestors towards humans; he was a monster born of hatred. His sole purpose in life was the complete annihilation of humanity. Hody Jones would do anything that was detrimental to humans without hesitation.
Queen Otohime had died at his hands.
Hody Jones was in the Fish-Man District because he was secretly plotting to seize control of Fish-Man Island. The Ryugu army rarely entered the Fish-Man District, making it the perfect place to hide troops and plan a rebellion.
After Bellamy defeated a group of stragglers with a single move, not all of the charging fish-men fled. The Fish-Man District was not entirely filled with trash. Some were just not yet old enough to escape their desperate birthplace, while others stayed to help their own kind. After most had fled, ten fish-men still stood before Bellamy, which surprised him a little.
"Human, why have you come to the Fish-Man District?"
"The Fish-Man District does not welcome any humans! Get out now!"
There were still a few level-headed individuals in the Fish-Man District. But such people were a tiny minority. Hatred for humans was still the dominant sentiment here. A conversation like this could not continue.
Bellamy had no patience to explain anything to these fish-men. He was about to make a move when he suddenly saw two figures rapidly approaching from behind.
"Yo, here they come."
It was Vander Decken IX and Hody Jones. The moment these two appeared, Bellamy's objective for this trip was achieved. And he got Hody Jones as an extra bonus. He had been coveting the forbidden Energy Steroids on Fish-Man Island for a long time.
"This trip was not in vain."
Vander Decken IX definitely held some significant secrets. The information related to Poseidon alone was enough to make anyone greedy. This was Poseidon! The legendary power that could overturn the world.
In comparison, Hody Jones, aside from the Energy Steroids, had no value.
Bellamy turned his gaze to the fish-man wearing a small top hat. "I'll start by capturing you."
Before his words had even faded, his figure vanished from the spot. The ten fish-men confronting him were startled, instantly realizing something was wrong.
"Everyone, form a circle! Don't let this human succeed!"
These fish-men had no idea that if Bellamy had wanted to attack them, they would have all been dead in the time it took to say those two sentences. While the fish-men were in a panic, Bellamy's figure silently appeared behind Vander Decken IX. With just a light tap on the back of his head, the evil old creep who had terrified Shirahoshi fell into Bellamy's hands.
Hody Jones, who was right behind him, saw everything and immediately knew something was wrong. The two of them had been secret allies for a long time, one plotting for Princess Shirahoshi, the other for the throne of Fish-Man Island. Vander Decken IX's strength was comparable to his own. Without taking Energy Steroids, the two of them would at best fight to a draw. But this human who had suddenly appeared had so easily knocked out Vander Decken IX and captured him. It was clear that his power was far beyond what he could match.
"Damn it! A mere human!"
But Hody Jones was an extreme fish-man supremacist. He refused to believe that a mere human's power could defeat a fish-man. He pulled out a handful of pills from his pocket and was about to stuff them into his mouth.
"Hey, hey, hey. Who gave you permission to eat my things?"
Hody's hand was only halfway to his mouth when a white flash of energy shot through the air, severing his wrist.
Bellamy blew lightly on his index finger, brushing away the non-existent smoke.
"Wasting such good stuff on you would be a real shame."