Gunshots rang out amid the noisy streets, followed immediately by Shanks's slash cutting through the air.
Hody Jones had just pulled the trigger. When he saw that Queen Otohime, whom he had wanted to assassinate, had actually been saved, his breath caught as he stared in disbelief at Shanks, who stood protectively before her.
His gaze met Shanks's from afar. With just one look, Hody Jones's skin suddenly tightened and his scalp went numb.
Only then did Hody Jones realize something was wrong, but it was already too late.
Shanks's slash arrived in an instant. In the blink of an eye, Hody Jones's pupils held nothing but the black slash.
He did not even have time to react before the slash struck him squarely in the chest.
Blood sprayed from his chest. Hody Jones's mind went blank, and his body toppled backward uncontrollably.
Bang!
His solid, massive body crashed to the ground.
Hody Jones could not feel the pain coming from his body. He only felt himself growing colder and colder, while his mind became increasingly muddled.
Red-Haired Shanks...
Why was that man beside Otohime?
I haven't even taken the energy steroids yet... How could I fail like this...?
His breathing stopped. Hody Jones stared wide-eyed until his death, still naively believing that his plan had been flawless, unable to accept his defeat.
Even though his partner had vanished without a trace, Hody Jones had never considered the possibility that he might fail.
He had never imagined that one day, he would be killed so easily by a human.
Hody Jones had never even left Fish-Man Island, yet he possessed a pride beyond others' imagination and had never regarded any human as worthy of his attention.
On the raised platform in the venue, Shanks's Observation Haki had already sensed that