The forbidden drug, E.S., full name: Energy Steroid.
Taking this drug multiplies the user's strength. One pill doubles it, two pills quadruple it, and so on. The price is a shortened lifespan. Furthermore, excessive use of the drug causes physical mutations, induces intense pain, and ultimately accelerates the user's aging process.
This forbidden drug was once kept in the Ryugu Palace treasury, forbidden to all. But Hody Jones, having learned of it from somewhere, stole it from the palace. Over the years, he had consumed dozens of these pills, using their power to defeat numerous rivals, and was on the verge of uniting the entire Fish-Man District under his rule. After consuming so many Energy Steroids, the great white shark fish-man's body had already undergone significant mutations. At the same time, his strength far surpassed that of an ordinary fish-man by several times.
The inherent strength of the fish-man race was already astonishing; Hody Jones's power was enough to easily crush steel. But a character of his caliber could only show off on Fish-Man Island. A man who didn't even understand Haki—how strong could he possibly be?
There was a strange phenomenon: the fish-man race had a population of millions and no shortage of strong individuals. The pirate crews of Roger, Shiki, and now Kaido and Whitebeard all had powerful fish-men among them. Jinbe himself was a Warlord of the Sea, his Armament Haki incredibly formidable. Yet, on Fish-Man Island itself, those proficient in Haki were few and far between.
The hero of the fish-man race, Fisher Tiger, was a powerhouse who did not know Haki. Despite possessing an incredibly powerful physique, he didn't know Armament Haki. As a result, during a battle to free slaves, he was shot in a vital area and ultimately bled to death.
On another note, Fisher Tiger was the first person in modern history to rampage through Mary Geoise and the first to dare challenge the World Government. For that, Bellamy held a great deal of admiration. Just for daring to attack Mary Geoise, in Bellamy's mind, that fish-man was infinitely stronger than those spineless weaklings.
"Perhaps it's due to the different body structure of the fish-man race."
Bellamy wouldn't dare claim to have a deep understanding of Haki. He speculated that the human body's structure might be more conducive to awakening Haki. After all, the vast majority of the world's famous powerhouses proficient in Haki were human. Strong individuals of other races were exceedingly rare.
The trait of easily awakening Armament Haki through a strong physique and abundant vital energy might only apply to humans. The physique of a fish-man was clearly much stronger than that of a human. If this trait also applied to them, then Fish-Man Island would become a place even more terrifying than Amazon Lily. Human slave-catching crews would never dare to casually capture fish-men from the island. The mere fact that everyone possessed Armament Haki would be enough to keep ordinary slavers at bay.
But it was clear that the fish-man race lacked powerhouses with Armament Haki. The merfolk, on the other hand, often produced individuals with a natural talent for Observation Haki. However, the boost Observation Haki provided in combat was far less direct and brutal than that of Armament Haki.
After shattering Hody Jones's right hand with a casual blow, Bellamy flickered to his side and slammed another punch into his abdomen. The gut punch nearly ruptured Hody Jones's stomach on the spot. Suffering such a heavy blow to his abdomen, the great white shark fish-man immediately lost all ability to fight.
Trash of this level didn't even require Bellamy to act personally. If they weren't in a hurry to get to the New World, Ross alone would have been enough to grind the entire Fish-Man District to dust.
After easily dispatching the two fish-man scumbags, Bellamy found several hundred Energy Steroids in Hody Jones's pocket. With these special drugs in his possession, Hody Jones no longer had any reason to live. Bellamy casually twisted off his head and tossed it into a stinking gutter by the street.
"Honestly, killing you feels like dirtying my hands."
He was truly disgusted by such trash. After wiping his hands on his pants in distaste, Bellamy picked up the unconscious Vander Decken IX and strode out of the Fish-Man District.
Not long after he left, news that a human had caused trouble in the Fish-Man District finally reached the Ryugu Palace. King Neptune was in the middle of a discussion with his ministers about why the Celestial Dragons' vessel had suddenly appeared and how they should respond. Hearing the news, he was instantly alarmed.
Those guys in the Fish-Man District were always trying to stir up trouble between humans and fish-men. A human entering their territory was giving them the perfect opportunity. Moreover, the Celestial Dragons' ship was currently docked at the port. If something were to happen, it would lead to a major disaster.
Neptune quickly summoned the Ryugu Guard and rushed towards the Fish-Man District with his sons. His reaction at this moment was truly interesting. When his own people were being persecuted by humans, Neptune pretended to see nothing. But when a human was about to be persecuted by fish-men, he immediately led his troops to the rescue. Such behavior made one wonder whether he was the king of the fish-men or the king of the humans.
When Neptune and his large contingent of soldiers hurried to the Fish-Man District, the bloodstains all over the street made his heart sink.
"Damn, we're too late."
He thought the human had already been killed and felt a sense of dread. Just then, a fish-man who had been watching from a distance saw Neptune and ran over, slapping him across the face.
"How dare you!"
The slap was completely unexpected. Neptune never thought a fish-man would dare to attack him. Fortunately, the guards beside him were diligent and quickly intercepted the attacker.
"Why did you attack me?!" Neptune looked at the fish-man furiously, unable to understand why he had been slapped.
"Hody Jones was killed by a human! Are you satisfied now?!"
This fish-man had just witnessed the entire process of Bellamy killing Hody Jones. In the eyes of these fish-men who hated humans, Hody Jones was their greatest hope for revenge. With his death, their hearts died with him. And Neptune, who had always preached peace between the two races, was, in their eyes, the mastermind behind this tragedy.
In that short period of time, the fish-men of the district had already concocted a grand conspiracy in their minds. It was no wonder; besides hatred, they had nothing left. Now that their only hope for revenge had been extinguished, they could only vent their anger on Neptune.
Following this fish-man's impulsive act, the other residents of the Fish-Man District angrily swarmed out, surrounding Neptune and his Ryugu Guard.
"We don't need an incompetent king! We want revenge!"
"Revenge! Revenge!"
"Revenge on the humans!"
Neptune never expected things to escalate to this point. Not only had the human not been killed, but he had also killed Hody Jones in the Fish-Man District. This should have been a cause for celebration, but looking at the furious eyes of his people, Neptune couldn't bring himself to smile.
"Can the hatred between humans and fish-men truly never be resolved?"
"Otohime, what should I do?"