At Hody Jones' repeated insistence, the merman subordinate finally brought him the Energy Steroid.
This drug significantly boosted physical strength, but its side effects were even more severe—drastically shortening the user's lifespan.
Unlike Luffy's Gear Second or Gear Third, the deterioration caused by the Energy Steroid was almost instant, and the physical toll could be seen with the naked eye.
Hody Jones stared at the red-and-black capsule in the merman's hand, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
His body—immobile except for his head—twitched slightly as he barked at the merman,
"What are you standing there for?! Shove it in my mouth already!"
Startled by Hody's ferocity, the merman nearly dropped the capsule. Trembling, he stepped closer to the reinforced cell, picked up a pill, and carefully placed it into Hody Jones' mouth.
The moment it touched his tongue, Hody bit down hard and chewed with ferocity.
With a loud gulp, the capsule slid down his throat. His eyes widened instantly, and his body began to expand, causing the bandages wrapped around him to snap and fall away.
As power surged through his body, Hody's grin twisted further. He howled,
"Not enough! Give me more!!"
"Boss Hody, if you take too much—this drug is dangerous, you could—"
"I said MORE! Or do you want to die?!"
Overwhelmed by the intoxicating rush of power, Hody couldn't care less about side effects. In his mind, he was already storming Ryugu Palace and tearing that damned human to pieces.
But deep down, even he knew that one pill alone wasn't enough to make that happen.
He needed more.
The merman hesitated, swallowing hard, then reached out to give him another.
But Hody, having regained some mobility, had already lost his patience. He lunged forward, opened his jaw, and bit down on the merman's hand—swallowing a handful of Energy Steroids in the process.
The cell echoed with a blood-curdling scream. A large chunk of the merman's hand was missing, and blood spurted from the wound like a geyser.
Yet no one paid him any attention.
All eyes were on Hody Jones.
He groaned, muscles swelling grotesquely. The rest of his bandages burst off as his form grew larger, and even his old scars vanished.
His jet-black hair turned stark white in an instant—just like in the anime.
But moments later, it began to fall out, leaving his head completely bald, gleaming under the cell lights.
Hody ignored the hair scattered across the floor. Instead, he let out a thunderous roar, the walls trembling with the sheer force of it. There wasn't a trace of his previous weakness left.
Power. More than ever. Enough to reduce Ryugu Palace to rubble with a single punch.
The officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates watched in awe and envy.
They were already outlaws, consumed by their hunger for power.
How could they not be tempted by what they saw?
"Boss Hody! We want to take the Energy Steroid too!" they shouted in unison.
Hody looked around at the eager faces, grinned maniacally, and waved his massive hand.
"Bring them all in! Let everyone take one!"
The remaining capsules were quickly distributed among the senior members.
In no time, the room was filled with rows of shiny, bald heads.
Hody looked over his reinvigorated crew with satisfaction. Fueled by the drug, his ambition now burned hotter than ever.
Raising his thick, veined arm, he bellowed,
"My brothers! Follow me to the plaza! I'll declare to the world that Fish-Man Island belongs to the New Fish-Man Pirates now! Let those weak royals rot in hell!"
"Ohhhhhh!!!"
The Fish-Man District erupted into chaos.
Dozens of fish-men flooded out of their homes, brandishing weapons, and rallied behind Hody Jones. They surged toward the plaza like a tsunami.
---
Meanwhile, inside Ryugu Palace…
Chiga paused mid-bite, a knowing smile playing across his lips.
He set his fork down, then calmly picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth.
Shirley, seated beside him and still focused on her food, noticed his odd behavior and asked,
"Lord Chiga, are you not eating anymore? Is the food not to your taste?"
Neptune's heart skipped a beat at her words, already imagining hundreds of punishments for the palace chef.
But Chiga wasn't displeased.
He had stopped eating because his Heavenly Net had already picked up on the unrest outside.
Large groups of fish-men were gathering in the plaza. Hody Jones had started giving some passionate speech.
Listening to Hody's blustering declarations, Chiga couldn't help but laugh. Compared to a certain failed art student back on Earth, Hody's oration was even more laughable.
The speech rambled about the superiority of merfolk and fish-men, with the occasional curse thrown at him—boldly vowing to take his head.
Shirley, puzzled by Chiga's sudden laughter, glanced at him with concern and asked,
"Lord Chiga? What's wrong?"
He looked up, saw her worried expression, and replied,
"Nothing. Just amused by the words of a few clowns."
"Clowns? Where?"
"In the plaza. Don't worry. Someone will come report it any minute now."
Almost as if on cue, a merman guard burst into the hall in a panic.
Neptune frowned.
"What's the meaning of this?! Can't you see we have guests?!"
The guard panted heavily but ignored the reprimand. He cried out,
"Your Majesty! It's urgent! Hody Jones has taken over the plaza with a large number of fish-men! They're stirring up the crowd to attack Ryugu Palace!!"
"Nani?!"
Neptune's expression changed instantly.
He'd known Hody harbored radical views, but he had assumed they stemmed from misguided patriotism. That's why he had spared him.
But now he realized his mistake. And worse—Hody launched his rebellion while Chiga was present.
This wasn't just treason—it was a direct provocation against Chiga.
If Chiga got angry… what would become of Fish-Man Island's future? The future the prophecy had promised?
Hody was insane.
Jinbe stood abruptly, turning to Neptune with a solemn expression.
"Your Majesty, allow me. This is my fault. I should've guided the young ones of Fish-Man District better."
Neptune nodded without hesitation.
He still believed that with Jinbe's strength and his own, they could suppress the revolt without involving Chiga.
But Chiga, who had remained silent throughout, finally spoke.
"I'll come too. Since Hody Jones is so eager to prove himself by taking my head… how could I not attend?"
---
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