Vander Decken

Fish-Man Island, inside the prison of Ryugu Castle.

As the door opened, Neptune looked up and saw Jinbe Whale Shark Fish-Man, being dragged in bound.

With a bang, the two Fish-Men Mutants threw Jinbe into the prison, closed the gate, and walked out without paying any attention to Neptune, who was also in the prison.

"Mr. Jinbe! Are you alright?"

Neptune stepped forward, his face full of worry, and asked, What's wrong Jinbe, who was bruised and battered, his face covered in blood, raised his swollen eyes and glanced at Neptune with a complicated look in his eyes:

"Your Majesty Neptune... didn't you say that the effects of that Energy Steroids wouldn't last too long?"

I fought those Fish-Men Mutants from day to night. At first, I could put up a few fights, but in the end, I could only fight and run away, playing guerrilla warfare!

If it weren't for the information Neptune had given him—that the effects of the Energy Steroids would only last a few hours at most—he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on and would have run away long ago.

Who would have thought that after fighting for 12 hours, these people still showed no signs of weakness. Instead, they were exhausted and captured, beaten so badly that even their own mothers couldn't recognize them!

Neptune fell silent, speechless. Even if it hadn't been 24 hours since he was captured, it had been about 17 or 18 hours. Logically, those Fish-Man should have finished their medicine and become extremely weak by now.

However, looking at the two Fish-Men Mutants who brought Jinbe in, they couldn't be described as weak and feeble. On the contrary, they looked energetic and vigorous, even more so than before.

How could they not be energetic? These Monsters have truly taken over the entire Fish-Man Island! They used to be just a bunch of thugs from Fish-Man District, but now they've suddenly risen to the ranks of the leadership. It would be strange if they weren't energetic!

"Well... um... I'm not quite sure what happened either. Could it be because so much time has passed that the descriptions of the medicinal effects passed down from our ancestors have some issues?"

Neptune thought for a long time before finally managing to come up with a reason, to Jinbe simply rolled his eyes:

"Through my observation with my Observation Haki, those Fish-Man who took the drug didn't show any signs of burning life force. Instead, it's as if they've undergone human modification or eaten some kind of Zoan Devil Fruit, and they've become much stronger!"

"Your Majesty Neptune, could it be that... these Energy Steroids left behind by your ancestors are not actually life-burning substances?"

Neptune was jolted, as if struck by lightning, and his face was filled with a blank expression.

It seems... nothing is impossible, right? Because the power was too strong to control, it was sealed away?

Although this is not something a normal person could do, how many normal people are there in the world of Pirate King?

At least Neptune thought this was perfectly normal.

Jinbe watched as Neptune's face turned pale and then Satori what was happening, and he closed his eyes in anguish—what was going on?!

It was clearly a family heirloom passed down within the royal family, but it ended up in the hands of the enemy and played a crucial role in defeating the entire Ryugu Castle —is this a plot device from some novel?

Now, we can only hope that these people will behave themselves and at least not start a war with humans so soon, otherwise Fish-Man Island might really be doomed.

Just as Jinbe Neptune were worrying unnecessarily, the three princes who had escaped and Shirahoshi also encountered trouble.

Although the Hard-Shell Tower is located in a remote area, it is actually not too far from the Ryugu Castle. It's just that because Deckard IX, who possesses the Target-Target Fruit, throws weapons there Tenten, there are no buildings or people there.

The three princes easily reached the Hard-Shell Tower. Even though Fish-Man Island was in chaos at the moment, no Fish-Man or mermaid was willing to go to such a dangerous place where weapons often fell from the sky. This made it easy for the three of them to bring Shirahoshi out.

Shirahoshi was confined in the Hard-Shell Tower since she was a child, making her a truly naive and innocent girl. As soon as she heard that her three older brothers were going to take her out to play, she immediately followed them without thinking.

However, the term "naive and innocent" is just a descriptive term. Shirahoshi's intelligence is not a problem, and she quickly sensed that something was wrong.

"Brother... why don't we go to Fish-Man Island? It seems like it's the deep sea outside!"

"Sweetie, Shirahoshi, let's go for a trip outside the Deep Sea this time..."

"Oh~"

Princess Shirahoshi, who is nearly ten meters tall and has a perfect figure and appearance, is only disproportionate to her size in that her voice and expressions are incredibly soft, making her the most typical example of a pampered princess.

After listening to her brother's words, Shirahoshi suppressed her worries slightly, but soon she noticed something was wrong again.

"Brother... we're moving too fast!"

"Because the place is quite far away, we must speed up!"

As she ventured into the increasingly desolate and dark sea, Shirahoshi's resolve wavered, and a look of fear and panic crossed her face.

"Brothers, what happened?! Why did you bring me to such a desolate place?"

The three princes exchanged glances, their faces showing helplessness. Finally, the eldest of the three Fukaboshi, spoke in a low voice:

"Shirahoshi, Ryugu Castle is in some danger right now, and Fish-Man Island is in chaos. Father has asked us to take you to hide there for a while..."

As mentioned before, Shirahoshi is just a bit naive and innocent, but not a complete idiot! She even made me escape directly, so how could the situation on Fish-Man Island be just a bit chaotic and dangerous?

Immediately after hearing her brother's words, tears welled up in the corners of this "beautiful" woman's eyes, and she looked utterly pitiful.

"Brother... Waaah... Tell me... how is Father now?"

The three princes did not reply, but their expressions were very somber. Shirahoshi immediately understood what was going on and couldn't help but sob.

Just then, a flash of cold light appeared, and the huge axe came crashing down on Shirahoshi. Fukaboshi reacted instantly and raised his Trident to block the axe.

"Watch out! This is Vander Decken IX's ability attack!"

"Damn it, of all times, this guy has to come at this time! He's like a persistent ghost!"

Before they could finish speaking, a huge black shadow appeared in front of them in the deep sea.

"Hehehehe! Shirahoshi, my dear Shirahoshi! You've finally left that damned Hard-Shell Tower, and that Fish-Man Island that should have been destroyed long ago!"

"Now all the obstacles that were preventing us from getting married have disappeared! Come and be my bride!"

The shadows gradually became clearer, and a Bald Sea Monster, pulling a coated ship, slowly walked up to the group.

At the very front of the ship stood a strange Fish-Man with a small top hat, spiky hair, a beard, and multiple necklaces. He had four legs and a smug, lewd smile on his face as he looked at Princess Shirahoshi.

Dedeken IX, Devil Fruit User, can mark targets with his palms, ensuring that any projectile he throws hits its mark. Each palm can only mark one target at a time, and the previous mark is overwritten when a new target is reached.

Simply put, this is an ultra-long-range tracking ability with a guaranteed hit effect. With this fruit, taking someone's life from 800 miles away is no longer a joke.

Because Vander Decken discovered Shirahoshi's true identity Poseidon when Shirahoshi was 6 years old, he has been pursuing Shirahoshi relentlessly ever since, wanting to gain both her and his wealth.

At first, she used her Devil Fruit powers to send love letters, but when she received no response, she started threatening Shirahoshi with weapons. This is the culprit behind Shirahoshi living in the Hard-Shell Tower Tenten.

What's even more terrifying is that, in order to keep marking Shirahoshi with his abilities, this guy hasn't washed his hands for many years!

"No, no! Mr. Deakin, I don't want to marry you!"

Shirahoshi was so frightened that she stopped crying and shook her head vigorously, directly refusing.

King Vander Decken IX, who had been smiling, immediately turned pale upon being rejected.

"Damn it, even after all I've done for you, you still want to reject me?! In that case, I'll have no choice but to take you away by force!"

"Damn Vander Decken IX, what is this guy doing here?"

Manboshi looked around, frowned, and said anxiously, "You know, they escaped into a rather desolate area, so normally they shouldn't be able to be found."

Upon hearing this, a thought flashed through Fukaboshi's mind, and he spoke with a mixture of shock and anger:

"Vander Decken IX! You've teamed up with that Hody Jones guy? You're part of the chaos on Fish-Man Island too?"

"Hehehehe! You only realize this now? Isn't it a little too late?"

King Vander Decken IX laughed wildly, his face full of arrogance... In reality, he was also a little confused.

Although he had already contacted Hody Jones, they had not yet fully discussed the matter and should wait until they joined forces before launching an attack on Ryugu Castle.

Who would have thought that Hody Jones would be so audacious, directly confronting Neptune's army and easily storming into Ryugu Castle?

In any case, upon hearing the news of Hody Jones's capture of Ryugu Castle, Vander Decken immediately became excited and led his men into action, intending to take advantage of the chaos to abduct his "fiancée."

However, after heading to the Hard-Shell Tower, he discovered that Shirahoshi had already left. As for Hody Jones and his Fish-Man, they seemed completely unfamiliar to him. After stealing a few glances and confirming that he was no match for them, he made a hasty retreat.

No, it's definitely not because Hody Jones is too strong, but because there are too many of those Fish-Man, and he was just making a strategic retreat.

The only reason they were able to breach Ryugu Castle was because Neptune was too weak! If I had known this earlier, I could have attacked Ryugu Castle sooner, and then I could have lived happily ever after with Shirahoshi.

After some self-reflection, Vander Decken IX prepared to set off to find Shirahoshi.

Using his Target-Target Fruit ability, Vander Decken IX used his power to throw an axe at Shirahoshi, then chased after it in the direction it flew. That's how he intercepted Shirahoshi.

With Shirahoshi, I will have the power to rule the world!

Vander Decken IX looked at Shirahoshi with a burning gaze, his expression almost as if he wanted to devour her, which made Shirahoshi shrink back and hide behind her three older brothers.

Well, given her enormous mermaid size, her three brothers were no match for her at all.

"Catch Shirahoshi, the Bald Sea Monster!"

The Fish-Man ordered by Vander Decken IX was named Mentsumi, nicknamed "Bald Sea Monster," and was a boat puller under Vander Decken.

Although Mentsumi is comparable in size to Sanjuan Wolf and Oars, his strength is far inferior to those legendary monsters. Theoretically, he is a big, dumb guy who poses no threat.

Of course, no matter how big and clumsy it is, with a size of over 200 meters, this Bald Sea Monster's fighting power is definitely not bad, at least much stronger than that of an ordinary giant.

After listening to what Vander Decken IX said, Mentsumi scratched his head, which wasn't actually bald, and replied in a simple, honest voice:

"Yes, Captain Vander Decken."

As he spoke, Mentsumi stretched out his hand and grabbed at Princess Shirahoshi in a daze, looking like a little kid grabbing a toy.

However, with a height of over 200 meters, no matter how simple-minded or foolish he appeared, he could still create a terrifying aura in front of the three Merman Prince.

The eldest of the three Merman Prince, Fukaboshi, was the first to react. Seeing the large hand reaching out to grab him, he roared in anger:

"Stay away from my sister! Time-Flowing Water Gun!"

The sharp Trident slashed out instantly, piercing through Mentsumi's huge hand and creating a huge bloody hole.

Of course, for an ordinary person, it would be a fatal injury, but for Mentsumi, it was no different from being stabbed by a fruit knife used to peel an apple.

Despite the minor injury, Mentsumi stopped abruptly, withdrew her hand, looked at the blood on it, tears slowly welled up in her eyes, and then she grinned:

"It's bleeding, Captain! My hand is bleeding! It hurts!"

The 200-meter giant burst into tears, crying as if he were a 20-meter cowardly star:

"Captain, my hands hurt so much! I'm not fighting anymore, I can't catch them!"

He wiped away his tears with the hand that wasn't bleeding, and without saying a word, he turned and fled into the deep sea, disappearing without a trace in moments.

"Come back here, you bastard! Mentsumi, come back right now!"

Vander Decken IX was stunned for a moment. Seeing that his giant Fish-Man had disappeared without a trace, he finally realized what had happened and called out a few times in vain, but there was no reply.

Not only Vander Decken IX, but also the three Merman Prince and the mermaid princess Shirahoshi were stunned by the Bald Sea Monster's performance, staring blankly at the scene before them.