A Frog at the Bottom of a Well, Completely Unaware of How Vast the World Is or How Powerful the Strong Are!

"This Den Den Mushi walks really slowly," Perona remarked.

So much time has passed, and this huge creature still hasn't emerged from the forest and reached them.

"After all, it's a type of snail," Xi Yan said with a smile.

It's perfectly normal for snails to walk slowly.

Perona blinked upon hearing this, and it seemed to make sense.

Jinbe looked at Shirahoshi seriously and said, "Princess Shirahoshi, don't worry. If I find that guy Decken, I will definitely take him down."

"Then you won't need to worry about that guy's threats anymore."

"Um!"

Shirahoshi nodded vigorously upon hearing this, clearly showing great trust in Jinbe.

"Speaking of which...we've met that guy named Vander Decken," Nami said.

"Are you talking about that time in the ocean?" Xi Yan asked, glancing at Nami.

If it were that time, there would be no need to mention it, after all... they didn't even get to see Vander Decken.

"Not that time."

Nami shook her head and said, "Before the four of us came here, we encountered that guy named Vander Decken in mid-air."

"He even tried to attack us, but Perona's Negative Ghost made him fall from the sky."

After recalling the situation, Nami nodded affirmatively.

Xi Yan:???

Is that so?

"That's true," Perona said. "It's a pity I didn't know at the time that this guy was the one who bullied Princess Shirahoshi, otherwise I would have taken him out with the Ghost Bomb."

Such a great opportunity... and she just missed it.

Thinking of this, Perona showed a regretful expression.

"That's a real shame," Xi Yan said.

I almost solved the problem for Shirahoshi.

"So what if we missed it?" Jinbe said calmly. "Anyway, this guy is on this island; we'll find him sooner or later."

If he can catch this guy... he can take him down!

This time, the others simply nodded and said nothing more.

Just then, the giant Video Den Den Mushi walked up to the group.

Then, the giant creature slowly raised its eyes and shot a beam of light into the Bubble Membrane in the air.

Then, something resembling a screen appeared in mid-air.

Seeing this, Perona asked curiously, "Is this the live stream footage from the Video Den Den Mushi?"

"Yes, that's right." Dan nodded, then said, "I just don't know who's doing the live stream."

In such a tense situation... who has the time or energy to deal with this?

"Who else could it be?" Xi Yan chuckled and said, "At a time like this, besides those guys from the New Fish-Man Pirates, who would be so high-profile as to pull off something like this?"

Although he didn't know how the other party wanted to become king, he knew that it would definitely require the entire population of Fish-Man Island to know about it.

Therefore... it makes perfect sense to spread this news through live streaming.

Upon hearing Xi Yan's words, Dan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

"That really isn't a good live stream..." Dan said.

"Look, there's a picture!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Sizzle sizzle~"

"Buzz~"

The next moment, a man appeared in the frame, his expression looking extremely fierce.

"It really was him..." Jinbe said, frowning.

Xi Yan was right; the person doing the live stream really is Hody Jones, the captain of the New Fish-Man Pirates!

"Is this the guy Hody?" Sanji said, frowning. "He looks a bit like a shark."

"That's right, it's him." Jinbe nodded first, then explained, "Hody is Great White Shark Fish-Man, that's why he looks like a shark."

Upon hearing this, Sanji was immediately rendered speechless.

Hody, that troublemaker, is Great White Shark Fish-Man.

Arlong and Jinbe also look like some kind of shark-like Fish-Man...

Looking at it this way... none of the Fish-Man associated with sharks seem to be well-behaved.

"Something's not right," Xi Yan said, frowning.

"What's the meaning?"

"He's currently located in the same place we were in the Ryugu Kingdom before," Xi Yan said, pointing to the image above. "The decorations are exactly the same."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the others immediately changed.

"Does that mean Zoro and the others have been captured?" Nami asked, frowning.

"How is this possible?"

"Zoro is so strong, how could he possibly be captured?"

Perona's first reaction was disbelief, after all, Zoro is really strong.

So she didn't believe that this guy had been caught.

"But the fact is, Hody is right here in the main hall of the Ryugu Kingdom, while Zoro and the others aren't," Nami said.

Upon hearing this, Perona was immediately rendered speechless, for she could not find any rebuttal.

"If Hody, that Fish-Man, destroys the buildings of the Ryugu Kingdom and lets seawater into the Ryugu Kingdom, then Zoro and the others might be captured," Xi Yan said. "Don't forget that this guy has two Devil Fruit User with him."

If the enemy uses the ocean to target Usopp and Brook, Zoro will definitely try to protect them.

In this situation, Zoro, being in the sea, might not be able to defeat those Fish-Man.

"If I had known things would turn out this way, I would have let Merry stay here," Nami sighed.

If Merry were there, things might not have turned out this way.

"No one expected things to develop this way."

Sanji lit a cigarette, took a drag, and continued, "Besides... there's a possibility that Green Algae Head and the others might escape."

Since they haven't seen any footage of Zoro and his crew being captured yet, they can't definitively conclude Zoro they have.

The others thought for a moment after hearing this, and then nodded in unison.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. What if Zoro and the others escaped beforehand?

That's a possibility!

Thinking about this, these people gradually calmed down.

"Let's see what he has to say first," Xi Yan said.

"Profound!"

Just then, Hody picked up the microphone and said calmly, "All the islanders of the Fish-Man Race, can you hear me?"

"I am Hody Jones, captain of the New Fish-Man Pirates!"

After saying that, Hody paused for a moment, then continued, "Now, I have something important to tell all the islanders of Fish-Man Island!"

"Today, this nation will be destroyed once, and then... it will be reborn under my leadership!"

"And I, Hody Jones, am the new King!"

"Hahahaha!"

After saying that, Hody grinned, looking exceptionally arrogant.

He then picked up a drink and took a sip, giving the public time to process the information.

"This guy seems pretty arrogant," Perona said, somewhat annoyed.

"They all want to become the new king of this country, how can they not be arrogant?" Xi Yan said.

In this guy's eyes, he's probably already more than halfway to success.

Then, he glanced at Jinbe and said, "Jinbe, I now have reason to suspect that this guy is the one who will destroy Fish-Man Island in the future, Luffy is just taking the blame."

At least Luffy never showed any intention to destroy Fish-Man Island, but Hody bluntly stated it.

So... this guy might really be the one who destroyed Fish-Man Island!

"I feel that way too," Jinbe nodded and said.

Although Madame Shyarly's predictions have never been wrong in the past, who can guarantee that this time will be correct?

At least he doesn't think Luffy will destroy Fish-Man Island.

"Damn it, they actually Luffy take the blame..." Merry gritted her teeth and glared at Hody, saying, "That guy is a villain!"

Seeing Merry baring her teeth and claws, seemingly about to rush up and punch the live stream, Xi Yan pulled her down and said, "What are you trying to do?"

I want to punch him!

"We can't beat him up here..." Xi Yan said helplessly, "Let's see how things go first."

Upon hearing this, Merry blinked, then seemed to understand what Xi Yan meant, and obediently nodded. She then stayed in Xi Yan's arms without saying a word.

Seeing this Xi Yan relented, then glanced at Luffy, who remained silent.

This guy hasn't said a word since Hody appeared; he's just staring at the live stream, and I don't know what he's thinking.

But since the other party didn't speak, Xi Yan didn't ask any questions.

At that moment, Hody in the video put down his glass and grinned.

"After I become the king of this country, it will undergo unprecedented changes!"

"And on Fish-Man Island under my rule, an absolute rule needs to be established."

"The rule is this: any Fish-Man who wants to befriend humans must disappear from this country!"

"As powerful Fish-Man, we have no need to help those weak humans!"

At this point, Hody's expression gradually became somewhat ferocious.

In his view, weak humans are not worthy of peaceful coexistence with the powerful Fish-Man Race!

"Weak humans..." Sanji, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, frowned and said, "You really dare to say that."

"He's probably being compared to ordinary humans," Xi Yan said calmly. "If we compare him to the strong, he's nothing."

Ultimately, this guy can only be arrogant in the ocean.

As long as they can fight in a place without water... he's nothing!

"Can he really succeed?" Merry asked doubtfully. "Even if he conquers Ryugu Kingdom, he can't change the will of everyone on this island, can he?"

Without the approval of the island's inhabitants... can he truly hold onto that position?

That's probably unlikely.

"Have you forgotten what I just said?" Xi Yan said, "This guy brought quite a few people with him."

Besides... in this world, becoming a king doesn't necessarily require everyone's approval, does it?

"Most of the civilians on Fish-Man Island are just ordinary people, and their combat strength is definitely not as good as those Fish-Man who fight all year round," Hatchan added.

Therefore, there's a high chance that Hody's plan will succeed.

Listening to their conversation, Merry lowered her head and pondered, and it seemed... that was indeed the case.

Hody then continued, "Soon, warriors from Fish-Man Street will settle here, and they will be in charge of overseeing this matter!"

"What?!"

Hearing Hody's words, the islanders who were also watching the live stream were all dumbfounded.

Are those thugs living in the lawless zone coming to live on Fish-Man Island?

Are you kidding me?!

What will they do then?

They were no match for those hordes of thugs.

If a conflict breaks out, they...

"Hahaha, did you hear that, you lot!" The Fish-Man of the New Fish-Man Pirates sneered at the former islanders, saying, "From now on, we're neighbors!"

"Hahahaha!"

"You're right, let's get along well~"

"Hahaha~"

Hearing the voices of these thugs, the honest Fish-Man immediately showed expressions of fear.

What will they do now?

Damn it, Your King Neptune, where are you?!

These despicable thugs must be punished quickly!

Unfortunately, they received no response from King Neptune; instead, they heard Hody's devilish voice once again.

"I know some islanders still harbor some illusions about humans because of Queen Otohime, but..." Hody slammed his wine glass to the ground, his expression twisted with rage, and said, "Don't forget who killed Queen Otohime!"

"It's a human!"

"If you betray someone once, you'll betray them again. Why can't you understand that?!"

"Humans are an unbelievable bunch of evil creatures!"

Hearing Hody's words, some of the Fish-Man Race who were unaware of the truth began to waver.

Is that really the case?

"It was indeed a human who killed Queen Otohime..."

"But we can't negate Queen Otohime's efforts because of this; she is..."

"Um?"

Upon hearing the man's words, the members of the New Fish-Man Pirates immediately turned grim.

Then, he glared at the man with a ferocious expression and said, "What did you just say?"

"N-nothing..."

"That's good."

The grimacing Fish-Man reached out and patted the other man on the shoulder, saying, "Remember to obey Boss Hody..."

"Oh no, it's King Hody's teachings!"

"Hahahaha!"

Looking at the arrogantly laughing Fish-Man, a hint of frustration appeared in the man's eyes, but due to the other party's overwhelming power, he could only choose to remain silent.

At this moment, Hody sneered, "In the end, the so-called ideals of the Neptune Family are nothing but an unattainable pipe dream."

"So we don't need to believe those things at all!"

After saying that, Hody turned and walked to the side, saying, "Come on, take a look at this."

"Is... is it His Majesty the King?"

The islanders of Fish-Man Island were dumbfounded when they saw Neptune tied up.

Their His Majesty the King was captured by Hody?

Neptune, who was being watched by them, sighed silently.

"Why..."

Who could have imagined things would develop this way?

"Fish-Man Island has no future in the hands of someone like you," Hody said coldly, looking at Neptune. "But in my hands, it will become even more glorious!"

"Hody..."

Looking at the confident Hody, Neptune's expression became somewhat complicated.

This arrogant young man had no idea how terrifying this ocean was.

The Fish-Man Race are incapable of fighting against humans by force.

With that in mind, Neptune decided to say something.

But before he could speak, Hody interrupted him.

"You don't need to look at me like that," Hody sneered. "Sooner or later you'll know I'm right."

"Oh, by the way, you probably won't live to see that day."

"But it's alright, you can watch from below and see how I lead Fish-Man Island to glory~"

"Hahahaha!"

Having said that, Hody ignored Neptune and turned to the screen, saying, "Now, notify all the inhabitants of Fish-Man Island!"

"In three hours, at Gironde Plaza, I will personally behead this incompetent king!"

After finishing his sentence, Hody paused for a moment, then continued, "The current Great Pirate Era began with the execution of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger."

"This also accelerated the persecution of the Fish-Man Race by humans."

"Since that's the case... then I'll use the execution of Neptune as an opportunity to usher in the Great Fish-Man Era, where the Fish-Man Race rule over humanity!"

"Hahaha~"

At the end, Hody burst into laughter, his expression exceptionally arrogant.

Upon hearing Hody's words, Xi Yan was immediately filled with questions.

Where did this guy named Hody get the nerve to say something like that?

"Hasn't he even bothered to find out how powerful the strong on the high seas are?" Xi Yan glanced at Jinbe and said, "He actually plans to rule humanity..."

Putting aside the Four Emperors, any random Shichibukai could probably beat him to a pulp.

Why is he so confident?

"Blinded by hatred and anger, he wouldn't even look at those things," Jinbe said, shaking his head.

He understood what Xi Yan meant.

There are just too many powerful humans on this sea, like Big Mom from Fish-Man Island who lent them the flag.

If they wanted to, they could easily destroy the New Fish-Man Pirates...

No, it should be said that they could easily destroy Fish-Man Island!

Such a terrifying entity could easily sink an island.

Unfortunately... Hody wouldn't think about such things.

His eyes had become 'cloudy', and he could no longer see what the world looked like.

Upon hearing Jinbe's words, Xi Yan immediately understood.

It seems this guy named Hody is a frog in a well, completely unaware of how vast the world is or how powerful the strong are.

Before Xi Yan could say anything more, Hody continued, "By the way, after arriving at the Ryugu Kingdom, we discovered some interesting things."

As he spoke, Hody beckoned to his men, signaling them to hand over the items to him.

Seeing this, the subordinate obediently took out the letter from the Celestial Dragons and placed it in Hody's hand.

Upon seeing this, Jinbe's pupils contracted, and he exclaimed, "Could this be...?"

"I think many of you have probably guessed what this is by now," Hody said with a sneer. "That's right, this is the letter from the Celestial Dragons that Queen Otohime obtained by risking her life ten years ago!"

"Once it's torn up, you'll never have another chance to get it!"

"Hahaha~"

After saying this, Hody handed the item back to his subordinate, adding, "Later, dispose of this along with Neptune!"

"Yes!"

The subordinate nodded upon receiving the order and then obediently placed the letter in his pocket.

Hody walked over to a huge box, patted it, and said, "Besides this Celestial Dragons's letter, I also found a large number of Signed Letter!"

As he spoke, Hody pulled out a handful of autographs and continued, "I never imagined there would be so many idiots in this country who want to work hand in hand with humanity... I can hardly believe my eyes!"

After slamming the Signed Letter to the ground, Hody's expression turned ferocious.

"Signing here is tantamount to betraying the Fish-Man Race, and rebelling against my New Kingdom," Hody said. "Therefore, I will eliminate you all!"

After saying that, Hody paused for a moment, then continued, "There's no need to keep stepping on the portraits; that method of identification is easily fooled."

"So... let's use this list to find them!"

As he finished speaking, Hody revealed an incredibly sinister smile, looking like a terrifying demon.

"How could this happen..."

Hearing Hody's words, all the Fish-Man who had signed the document showed expressions of horror.

Are they going to be killed by Hody?

"You bastard, stop right now!" An enraged Neptune roared, his eyes wide. "I will not allow you to harm my people!"

If you want to kill him, just do it. Why harm the people of this island?

This is not the magnanimity a king should have!

"What can you do now?" Hody, hearing Neptune's voice, turned and gave him a mocking look, saying, "In the end, you're nothing more than a prisoner."

Even if you're very dissatisfied, there's nothing you can do about it.

"Damn it, I..."

Ignoring Neptune's angry rant, Hody shook his head and said, "Forget it, there's no need to bother with you. You don't have much time left anyway."

So let him curse if he wants; just consider it the barking of a dog before it dies.

He then waved his hand, signaling his men to take Neptune away.

"Damn it, of all people, that letter was found by Hody." Jinbe expression.

If the citizens' Signed Letter are destroyed, they can be collected again later.

But obtaining the Celestial Dragons ' trust isn't so easy!

Once destroyed...

Damn it, damn Hody!

Shirahoshi clenched her fists as she watched Neptune being dragged away by the New Fish-Man Pirates, tears streaming down her face.

"Father..."

What should she do?

What should she do?!

Having never experienced anything like this before, Shirahoshi was completely panicked.

"Shirahoshi, you..."

Before Nami could even offer her words of comfort, Hody, speaking on the live stream, said, "By the way, Straw Hat Crew crew, before the live stream ends, I'll show you something good."

"You must be watching the live stream somewhere on this island, right? The humans who quelled the wrath of the Fish-Man Race and shattered the ambitions of Arlong and his gang!"

The next moment, the scene changed.

A steel cage appeared in the scene, and inside the cage were... Zoro and his two companions!

"Usopp, Brook, Zoro?!"

Chopper was dumbfounded when he saw the three humans in the picture. They had actually been captured?

"So they really got caught?" Sanji said with a headache. "What are these three idiots doing?"

Nami paused for a moment after hearing this, then turned to Xi Yan and said, "You were right."

Just as Xi Yan predicted, Zoro and his two idiots were captured by Hody and his gang!

Now they're in trouble; they'll have to figure out how to save these three idiots.

"Knowing how to use the Fish-Man Race's innate advantages in battle..." Xi Yan frowned and said, "It seems there are some clever people among Hody's Crew."

I wonder if there will be any cunning strategists or similar characters.

"Hateful!"

"Zoro actually got caught..." Perona clenched her fists and said, "What was that idiot thinking?!"

She was so confident that Zoro, that idiot, wouldn't get caught, but look what happened... that idiot with no sense of direction!

"Now you see the situation clearly, Straw Hat Crew," Hody said with a sneer. "This room they're in will be flooded after the execution, and at that time... they, as inferior humans, will drown!"

After saying that, Hody paused for a moment, then took out Luffy's Wanted Order and said, "Straw Hat Luffy, with a bounty of 500 million Beli, listen up!"

"These three people are just the beginning for me!"

"Afterwards, I will find you one by one, and then use your heads to give humanity on land a truly shocking warning!"

"Hahahaha!"

After laughing, Hody said, "In three hours, this country will be transformed!"

So... everyone, please look forward to it!

"Hahahaha!"

"Buzz~"

"Kaga ~"

The next moment, the Video Den Den Mushi closed its eyes, and Hody's image disappeared completely.

"They actually plan to deal with us too." Sanji exhaled a smoke ring and said calmly, "They've got some nerve."

It seems that Zoro and his two idiots' mistakes have given Hody a lot of confidence.

Do you really think they're easy to mess with?

Even excluding Xi Yan is hiding in the shadows, the Straw Hat Pirates are not weak at all!

Putting everything else aside, Miss Perona's Negative Ghost is something most people can't withstand!

"Hey, let's hurry and save Zoro and the others!" Merry said anxiously, "Otherwise they'll be killed by the sea."

She didn't want to lose any of her companions here, especially since everyone had finally managed to get together.

Thinking of this, Merry's eyes welled up with tears.

"Calm down, Merry."

Looking down at Xi Yan Merry, he said, "Zoro and the others are alright."

"Huh?"

Merry paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Why do you say that?"

The three men, already bound in chains... how could they possibly survive in such a situation?

They're not Fish-Man Race!

You mean...?

As if understanding what Xi Yan was thinking, Nami's eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "Usopp's Devil Fruit ability!"

"Yes."

Xi Yan nodded and said, "Although I don't know how those three idiots, Zoro and Usopp, got caught, ordinary chains can't hold him."

Once Hody and the others leave, Usopp can use his Devil Fruit powers to enlarge the chains and cage, allowing the three of them to escape smoothly.

As for how to leave that room?

With Usopp's explosive abilities, destroying a building would be a piece of cake.

"I'm afraid that thing is made of Sea Stone," Nami said, frowning.

"If it's made of Sea Stone, then it is indeed somewhat dangerous, but..." Xi Yan glanced at the live stream location and said, "Usopp was jumping around in the cage more enthusiastically than anyone else, so I don't think it was Sea Stone chain."

As long as it's not Sea Stone chain, Usopp can solve this problem!

As for the seawater below?

With Zoro around, swimming out with the two of them shouldn't be a problem.

"I see..." Nami thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then the three of them should be able to escape without any problem."

Xi Yan nodded, then looked at Luffy and said, "But since others have provoked us, we can't just do nothing."

"Luffy, what do you say?"

"Luffy?"

Looking at Luffy, who was staring straight ahead without saying a word, Xi Yan had several question marks popping up above his head.

What's wrong with this guy now?

As if summoned by the Xi Yan, Luffy, who had been lost in thought, Luffy around and gave everyone a beaming smile, saying, "My bounty has reached 500 million Beli! When did it go up?"

Xi Yan:???

Is this what this idiot cares about?

"Now's the time to be happy about something like this, you idiot!" Nami roared, opening her shark mouth. "Can't you be serious for once, you stupid captain?"

"Bump!"

"I'm... I'm sorry..."

Luffy, who had been punched, lay on the ground and obediently apologized.

Jinbe:...

Luffy got beaten up by his crew?

Luffy honestly apologized, Jinbe was immediately rendered speechless.

Then, he thought to himself, 'The way this group gets along is really quite unique...'

After shaking his head, Jinbe explained, "Your bounty went up after the Marineford War."

"I see," Luffy nodded and said.

Xi Yan asked curiously, "What about me?"

"You 'fell' shortly after the Marineford War, so your bounty remains unchanged."

"Cut..."

Xi Yan pursed his lips, "So it didn't swell up after all."

Oh well, my bounty will increase eventually anyway, so there's no rush.

Then, Xi Yan looked at Luffy, awaiting his decision.

Seeing this, the others also looked at Luffy.

Noticing everyone's gaze, Luffy got up from the ground, adjusted his hat, and said, "Since they've come looking for trouble, we have no choice but to fight!"

Although he wasn't particularly interested in Hody, he couldn't pretend nothing had happened now that the other party had attacked his partner.

So... he'll be the one to beat this bastard who dared to lay a hand on his partner!

Then, Luffy glanced at his crew and said, "Let's go to the Ryugu Kingdom and find that guy named Hody."

"Profound!!"