One Piece: Starting as a Celestial Dragon, Building Amazon Lily

Before he could finish speaking, a huge hand had already seized his head.

He did not even have time to see which direction the hand had come from before an irresistible force surged through his head. As though a charging Sea King had struck him head-on, his feet left the ground, and he flew straight backward.

With a deafening crash, he smashed through the restaurant wall, flew through a cloud of dust and rubble, and landed on the street outside. He rolled several times before coming to a stop, his helmet having flown who knew where.

The dozen or so remaining Neptune Army soldiers froze.

They clearly had not expected these humans to dare strike first and resist while surrounded.

Sandersonia stood like an iron tower before Saint Dio's table, the hand she had just used to throw the man still not fully withdrawn.

Her eyes swept coldly over the Neptune Army soldiers raising their weapons. "Do not disturb Lord Saint Dio while he is eating," she said in a low voice.

Marigold swallowed her last mouthful of food and slowly stood. She reached for the naginata leaning against the table and took her place beside Sandersonia, her gaze equally hostile.

Only Mumei was still eating with her head down, her eyes darting around.

The Neptune Army soldiers snapped out of their daze. Furious at seeing their comrade treated so brutally, they raised their tridents and spears, aiming at Sandersonia and Marigold, ready to rush them all at once.

Just then, Saint Dio's voice came from behind them. "Don't hurt anyone."

Although he needed to cause a major disturbance, he still had some interest in a place as unusual as Fish-Man Island.

After all, Princess Shirahoshi, the future Poseidon, was currently somewhere deep within this island.

If relations became too strained, it would be difficult to carry out his subsequent plans.

"Understood."

Sandersonia and Marigold answered in unison, then charged straight out.

Without even using their Devil Fruit abilities, they overwhelmed the Neptune Army soldiers with basic martial arts in their human forms, leaving them utterly unable to fight back.

The two naginatas danced in their hands as though alive. Every swing sent a merfolk soldier flying with a scream.

And that was with them deliberately holding back and using the backs of their blades rather than the edges.

Otherwise, given their arm strength and the sharpness of their weapons, a single blow would have killed or wounded.

The back of a naginata struck one merfolk soldier hard in the chest. He flew sideways as though hit by a massive hammer, slammed into a coral wall, and slid down. Clutching his chest, he coughed for a long time without managing to catch his breath.

He looked up in terror at the two human women rampaging through the Neptune Army like demons, understanding that these were not opponents they could handle.

While his comrades continued throwing themselves into the fight to hold them back, he scrambled out through a side door and sprinted toward Ryugu Palace.

Meanwhile, inside Ryugu Palace.

Neptune was seated on his enormous coral throne, listening to a report from a Neptune Army commander.

The king of Fish-Man Island was far more powerfully built than ordinary merfolk. He wore a golden crown studded with gemstones, his aqua-blue eyes shone brightly, and his red nose stood out amid his fluffy orange-red beard.

He had a thick, fluffy mane of orange-red curls and an equally dense beard, like a lion's mane.

Flame-shaped tattoos adorned his arms, and thick hair covered his body. Jeweled metal bracers encircled his wrists, giving him an appearance that was both majestic and possessed of a certain wild strength.

"Your Majesty, we captured a group of pirates attempting to force their way through the space between the outer membranes. They have already been imprisoned. How should we deal with them?" the Neptune Army commander reported with a bow.

Neptune waved a hand. "Keep them locked up for now. We'll decide after they've been thoroughly interrogated."

Chapter 53: Fish-Man Island's strongest fighter, King Neptune, appears

Just then, the palace doors were flung open, and a disheveled Neptune Army soldier stumbled inside. Dropping to one knee, he reported breathlessly, "Y-Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Two human women entered illegally and are wreaking havoc on Mermaid Street! We... we can't beat them!"

Neptune immediately furrowed his brows.

Two human women had routed his Neptune Army?

He fell silent for a moment before saying gravely, "Deploy the Neptune Army."

The Neptune Army was his royal guard, composed of powerful fighters handpicked from among the merfolk and the Fish-Man Race. Every member possessed combat strength far beyond that of an ordinary Neptune Army soldier.

Since ordinary soldiers could not handle them, he would send in the elite.

But no sooner had he spoken than a maid hurried inside, her expression anxious. "Your Majesty! Queen Otohime heard that humans were causing trouble on Mermaid Street and has already gone there!"

"What?!" Neptune abruptly rose from his throne, clear anxiety appearing on his majestic face for the first time. Otohime... why did she always do this, rushing in first whenever something like this happened? Although her Observation Haki allowed her to sense other people's emotions and intentions, her own combat strength was practically zero!

Neptune snatched up the golden trident leaning beside his throne and strode out of the hall.

He could wait no longer. If Queen Otohime was in danger, he had to act personally.

Neptune was not merely the king of Fish-Man Island, but also the man hailed as the "Sea Knight." That title came not only from his noble character, but also from the formidable strength that made him worthy of the honor.

By the time Neptune arrived on Mermaid Street at the head of his imposing Neptune Army, the battle was already over.

In the square outside the restaurant, the Neptune Army soldiers originally stationed there to maintain order lay sprawled across the ground. Some wailed while cradling swollen arms, while others curled up clutching their chests, all clearly unable to fight any longer. Fish-Man and merfolk passersby who had come after hearing the news crowded the surroundings, forming a distant ring as they watched with both curiosity and fear.

Standing before the crowd, Neptune quickly swept his aqua-blue eyes over the scene, but saw no sign of Queen Otohime.

His heart tightened. He hurriedly grabbed a passerby and asked urgently, "Have you seen Queen Otohime? Where is she?"

The passerby pointed at the restaurant and answered shakily, "Y-Your Majesty! A blond woman came out just now and invited the queen inside..."

Neptune whipped his head toward the restaurant.

The thick walls blocked his view, leaving him unable to see what was happening inside.

But anyone capable of routing the Neptune Army and inviting Queen Otohime inside was certainly no innocent.

Worry instantly overwhelmed everything else. Without further hesitation, he raised his golden trident, his presence surging as he prepared to charge over and rescue her like an enraged lion.

"Stop!" two female voices shouted at once.

Sandersonia and Marigold blocked the restaurant entrance on either side, their crossed naginatas gleaming coldly.

Neptune, however, stood a full twelve meters tall.

Sandersonia and Marigold, who had easily overwhelmed ordinary Neptune Army soldiers, looked like two children who had yet to grow up before him.

Yet neither showed the slightest intention of retreating, holding firm before the door.

Their master had ordered them to guard this door, so no one would be allowed inside.

They exchanged a glance, and the power of their Devil Fruits erupted within them.

Their bodies rapidly swelled, scales emerged, and everything below their waists became thick snake tails. In the blink of an eye, they grew to around ten meters tall. Although still shorter than Neptune, at least the disparity was no longer so hopelessly vast.

A flicker of surprise crossed Neptune's eyes as the two humans before him suddenly transformed into half-human, half-snake monsters, but worry quickly replaced it.

He had no time to waste here. He thrust his trident forward, its tip whistling through the air as he roared, "Move!"

Sandersonia's gaze sharpened. Gripping her naginata in both hands, she swung with all her strength to block.

Clang!

A deafening metallic crash erupted.

Sandersonia had intended to redirect his force and drive him back, but she quickly discovered that his strength far exceeded her expectations.

Although she exerted all her strength and held her naginata firmly against the trident, that crushing force still pushed her feet scraping across the ground. She could not stop his advance at all.

"Haaah!"

Sandersonia roared, the muscles in her arms bulging and veins standing out, before she barely managed to steady herself and avoid being sent flying by a single strike.

But shock surged through her heart. This was the first time she had been outmatched in a contest of pure strength, despite having eaten the strength-focused Snake-Snake Fruit: Ancient Zoan: Titanoboa Form.

Seeing this, Marigold knew her elder sister could not hold him off alone. She immediately joined the fray, both blades coming out as they braced together against the golden trident.

Only by combining their strength did they barely counter Neptune's terrifying might, bringing the situation to a brief stalemate.

As the three struggled against one another, even the ground trembled slightly.

Sandersonia and Marigold were deeply shaken.

Ever since eating their Snake-Snake Fruits, they had believed their strength had reached heights ordinary people could never attain. Their effortless defeat of the Neptune Army had only reinforced that confidence.

Yet the enormous merman before them had forced them to work together against his raw strength alone, teaching them a harsh lesson.

This world was far broader than they had imagined.

Meanwhile, Neptune was equally shaken.

As the king of Fish-Man Island, he had been born with tremendous strength and had never imagined anyone could match him in a contest of power.

Even if there were two of them, he still found it unbelievable.

Moreover, these two humans could transform into bizarre snake-women, which was clearly connected to Devil Fruit powers.

He realized that the opponents he had encountered this time were no ordinary pirates who knew only how to burn, kill, and plunder, but a group of extremely troublesome and powerful enemies.

This conflict would probably not end easily.

As an unavoidable stop on the route to the New World, Fish-Man Island saw large numbers of pirate crews pass through every year.

Logically, such frequent traffic should have brought endless conflicts and disturbances.

Yet Fish-Man Island rarely suffered truly significant losses because of these pirates.

Part of the reason was certainly that Whitebeard had taken Fish-Man Island into his territory, his flag flying there to deter a great many petty villains.

But Whitebeard's name did not work on everyone.

Of all the pirates who ventured onto the Grand Line, which did not consider himself a man favored by destiny, fated to become the Pirate King?

Few truly took Whitebeard, that "remnant of the old era," seriously.

Besides, even if pirates did cause some major incident on Fish-Man Island, the Whitebeard Pirates would be too far away to offer immediate help, however willing they might be.

After all, not everyone possessed the Glint-Glint Fruit like Kizaru and could cross a thousand miles of sea in an instant to reach the scene.

Thus, Fish-Man Island ultimately had to rely on its own strength to guarantee its safety.

Chapter 54: Queen Otohime's special Observation Haki

And the strongest fighter on the island was undoubtedly Neptune.

The king of Fish-Man Island stood twelve meters tall, almost equal to an adult member of the Giant Tribe.

The minimum adult height of the Giant Tribe was, in fact, exactly twelve meters.

In other words, Neptune was fully qualified to count among the ranks of the Giant Tribe.

The advantages of size were obvious, with strength being the most direct manifestation.

In the Marines, members of the Giant Tribe started at the rank of Vice Admiral as soon as they enlisted.

That alone demonstrated the Giant Tribe's significance in terms of combat strength.

Although Vice Admiral-level strength seemed somewhat inadequate against those top-tier monsters later on, it was worth remembering that, apart from the Fleet Admiral, the Marine hierarchy had only three Admiral positions. Immediately below them were the Vice Admirals.

Vice Admirals were the backbone of the entire Marine force. When the Shichibukai system was later abolished, Vice Admiral-level fighters also formed the main force sent to capture the former Shichibukai.

Thus, although Vice Admirals often became mere backdrops highlighting top-tier fighters in the later story, at this point in time, almost no pirates in the first half of the Grand Line could reliably defeat one.

Even those who could hold their own against them were few and far between.

When faced with a genuine Vice Admiral-level opponent, the vast majority of pirates could do nothing but flee with their tails between their legs.

Neptune's size granted him terrifying strength comparable to that of the Giant Tribe, allowing him to barely qualify as a Vice Admiral-level fighter.

Although Sandersonia and Marigold had eaten Zoan Devil Fruits and gained the ability to transform, they were still young and had only possessed their fruits for a short time. They could not yet draw out their Devil Fruits' full potential.

The two had to join forces and use everything they had just to barely block one strike from Neptune. They were already performing beyond their normal limits.

"Your Majesty!"

The elite Neptune Army soldiers Neptune had brought were shocked to see their king stopped by two snake-women.

As far as they remembered, almost no one could rival His Majesty's monstrous strength, which was comparable to that of the Giant Tribe. The fact that anyone could now face him head-on was simply unbelievable.

Were these enemies really that strong?

Several soldiers exchanged glances, tightened their grips on their weapons, and prepared to rush forward to help.

"Stay back!" Neptune shouted, stopping them. "Go inside and protect Queen Otohime!"

At his words, the soldiers immediately changed course, circling around the three giants locked in a contest of strength and charging toward the restaurant entrance.

But just as they reached the doorway, before they could make out the scene inside, a tall figure appeared before the entrance like a phantom.

A long leg immediately swept out like a whip, sending the two soldiers at the front flying. They tumbled through the air several times before crashing heavily to the ground.

Hancock stood in the doorway with her arms folded, her expression cold and beautiful as her indifferent gaze swept over the Neptune Army members attempting to rush inside.