Inside the Hard-Shell Tower, Shirahoshi screamed in heart-wrenching agony.
The button Hody had pressed activated the Energy Steroids Catalyst release device planted in the tower's circulation system. Highly concentrated purple liquid mixed with the air and entered Shirahoshi's lungs, then spread throughout her body through her bloodstream.
"Aaaah!!!"
Shirahoshi's body began to swell uncontrollably. Her long pink hair stirred without wind, and her clear blue eyes turned an eerie deep purple. The Sun Tattoo on her chest burned fiercely-the Life Flame Mark Lin Yan had left was fighting the drug's effects, but the drug was too powerful, and the mark's light was gradually fading.
"It hurts... I feel so awful..." Shirahoshi curled into a ball. Her tears were no longer pure as pearls, but a murky purple liquid. "Those voices... the monsters in the sea are crying... they're calling me... to destroy..."
Poseidon's power was being forcibly twisted.
The power that should have been used to "communicate with and guide" the Sea Kings had become "compulsion and berserk frenzy" under the contamination of the Energy Steroids. In the deep sea, countless Sea Kings began to stir. Sensing their "King's" pain and fury, they converged on Fish-Man Island.
Visible ripples began to appear in the bubble membrane surrounding Fish-Man Island-tremors caused by the Sea Kings' impacts.
At the exit of Ryugu Palace's dungeon, Lin Yan sensed something wrong with the Life Flame Mark, and his expression changed.
"Something's happened to Shirahoshi." He turned to King Neptune. "Your Majesty, go somewhere safe with Hack first. Robin, Chopper, escort them. Ace, Tashigi, come with me to the Hard-Shell Tower!"
"I'm coming too!" Prince Manboshi said through gritted teeth. "She's my sister!"
"In your current condition, you'd only hold us back." Lin Yan did not mince words. "Trust us."
With that, he transformed into a streak of crimson-gold flame, tore through the seawater, and shot straight toward the Hard-Shell Tower. Ace and Tashigi followed close behind.
Outside the Hard-Shell Tower, the officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates had already gathered in a ring. Hody stood at the front, holding a device resembling a remote control that displayed Shirahoshi's vital signs and energy fluctuations.
"Soon... very soon..." He grinned viciously. "Once Poseidon fully awakens, you humans will be the first sacrifices to launch our campaign!"
Inside the tower, Shirahoshi's consciousness was slipping away.
In the hallucinations brought on by the Energy Steroids, she saw the most terrifying sights: Fish-Man Island burning, humans slaughtering fish-men, her mother Otohime lying in a pool of blood, and herself... transformed into a gigantic monster that knew nothing but destruction.
"No... I don't want to become that..." she murmured.
But the drug's power kept eroding her will like a tide.
Just then.
The top of the tower suddenly burst open!
It had not been broken by an outside force, but from within-the Life Flame Mark Lin Yan had left unleashed all its energy at the last moment, burning a hole through the tower's roof.
Crimson-gold flames descended from the sky, landed beside Shirahoshi, and took Lin Yan's form.
"Shirahoshi!" He grabbed the princess's shoulders. "Look at me!"
Shirahoshi raised her head blankly, her purple eyes reflecting Lin Yan's anxious face.
"Lord... Sun God..." Her voice was weak. "I... can't control it anymore... those monsters... are coming..."
"You can control it," Lin Yan said firmly. "Because you aren't a monster. You're Poseidon-the ocean's 'communicator,' not its 'ruler.'"
He pressed both hands against Shirahoshi's forehead, and crimson-gold flames surged into her mind.
It was not an attack, but "purification"-using the Sun God's flames to burn away the Energy Steroids' toxins and cleanse her contaminated mind.
At the same time, he used his flames to simulate "sounds":
Queen Otohime's singing.
King Neptune's encouragement.
The concerned calls of Prince Manboshi and his brothers.
The laughter of Fish-Man Island's children playing in the sunlight.
Through the flames' resonance, these "sounds" passed directly into the depths of Shirahoshi's heart.
"Do you hear them?" Lin Yan said. "These are what you should protect. Not the hatred Hody has fed you."
Shirahoshi's tears fell again.
But this time, her tears returned to a pure blue.
The Sun Tattoo on her chest lit up again, resonating with Lin Yan's flames. The two powers intertwined and began driving the Energy Steroids' toxins from her body.
"I... I remember now..." Shirahoshi said softly. "Mother said... Poseidon's power isn't meant for destruction... it's meant to 'connect'... to connect the ocean and the land, to connect fish-men and humans..."
She raised a hand, and a soft, watery-blue glow appeared in her palm.
Within the light, countless faint images of Sea Kings could be seen. They were listening, waiting for their "King's" command.
"I understand now." Shirahoshi closed her eyes. "I'm not afraid anymore."
She began to sing.
It was not the sorrowful, uncontrolled singing from before, but a melody filled with hope and warmth. Her song passed through the hole in the tower's roof and spread into the deep sea.
The Sea Kings that had been restless and frenzied gradually quieted upon hearing her song. They stopped ramming the bubble membrane and instead circled Fish-Man Island like the most loyal guards.
Outside the Hard-Shell Tower, Hody watched Shirahoshi's energy fluctuations on the remote control change from "berserk" to "stable," his face livid.
"Impossible... the Energy Steroids Catalyst was purified?!"
"Because your drugs can't cure the heart." Lin Yan's voice came from inside the tower.
The next second, the Hard-Shell Tower's doors burst open with a crash!
They had not been destroyed. Shirahoshi had used her ability to control the water and force them open from within. She floated in the air, surrounded by a soft, watery-blue halo, her eyes clear once more.
"Hody Jones." Shirahoshi's voice carried unprecedented authority. "You falsified my mother's history, incited hatred among our people, imprisoned my father and brothers, and tried to use my power to commit slaughter-"
"You are unworthy of leading Fish-Man Island."
Hody laughed wildly. "Unworthy? Whatever I seize with my strength is mine! If you won't obey, I'll kill you myself and find the next Poseidon!"
He pulled the last three vials of Energy Steroids Concentrate from his clothes and poured them all into his mouth!
"Graaah!!!"
Hody's body began to swell horrifically! His skin split, exposing blood-red muscles beneath, and his eyes turned completely scarlet. His aura soared to an unbelievable level-almost reaching the rank of "Admiral Candidate"!
"Everyone! Attack!" he roared. "Kill them! Don't leave a single one alive!"
The officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates took Energy Steroids one after another and charged in a berserk frenzy.
Ace and Tashigi immediately engaged them.
"Blue Flame · Hundred Dragons' Frenzy!" Ace swept out both hands, sending over a hundred enormous blue-white flame dragons at the enemy. Tashigi's Flame-Infused Swordsmanship took the form of a hundred flaming beasts that tore into the enemy ranks.
But there were too many enemies, and none of them feared death.
Lin Yan was about to act when Shirahoshi stopped him.
"Lord Sun God," she said softly. "Please let me... protect my country for once."
She raised both hands, palms upward.
"Poseidon · Initial Awakening-"
"Sea Resonance."
Watery-blue light spread outward from her, enveloping the entire Ryugu Palace area. Wherever the light passed, all the seawater began to come "alive"-transforming into countless tendrils of water that precisely bound every member of the New Fish-Man Pirates.
It was not an attack, but "restraint."
The water tendrils gently but firmly restricted their movements, then... began to purify them.
Water seeped into their bodies, washing away the Energy Steroids' toxins and awakening their clouded reason. The scarlet gradually faded from the frenzied fish-men's eyes, and their minds cleared.
"I... what am I doing?"
"Lord Hody... those drugs you gave us..."
"Queen Otohime... I'm sorry..."
The officers fell to their knees one after another, weeping bitterly.
Only Hody, who had taken far too large a dose, continued to struggle wildly.
"Impossible... my power... I'm going to become the King of Fish-Man Island..." he roared, ripping through the water tendrils and charging at Shirahoshi!
But Lin Yan stood in his way.
"It's time this farce ended."
Lin Yan extended his hand, spread his fingers, then clenched them into a fist.
"Furnace Domain · Deep-Sea Purification."
A domain of crimson-gold flames unfolded, enveloping Hody. But this time, it was not intense heat, but a "rewriting of rules"-Lin Yan used the Genesis Furnace to temporarily rewrite the "energy composition" inside Hody's body, converting all the power he had gained from the Energy Steroids into "life force" and feeding it back into his body.
Hody's swollen body began to shrink. His berserk power was stripped away, replaced by extreme weakness. He collapsed to the ground, without even the strength to stand.
"Wh... why..." he asked hoarsely. "I was clearly... stronger..."
"Because you took the wrong path." Lin Yan looked at him. "You destroyed with hatred the road to peace Queen Otohime spent her life paving. Power itself isn't wrong. The fault lies with the person who uses it."
He turned away, no longer looking at Hody.
Shirahoshi approached Hody and looked down at this former compatriot.
"Hody, I won't kill you," she said. "But you must spend the rest of your life atoning-go and tell the entire Fish-Man Race that hatred cannot earn dignity. Only understanding and acceptance can bring a true dawn."
Hody stared at her blankly, then finally lowered his head.
The coup was over.
Peace returned to Ryugu Palace.
King Neptune returned to his throne and began dealing with the aftermath. Princess Shirahoshi's ability was brought under control, and she began learning how to use Poseidon's power properly.
Meanwhile, Lin Yan received notifications from the system:
[Quest: Rescue the Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi - Complete] [Obtained: Ocean Shard clue (Sea Forest · Noah)] [Sun God Nika's legacy unlocked: 5/5 (Complete)] [Bond System advanced: Unlocked "Trinity · Complete Form" (requires Luffy's presence)]
At the same time, the gold-and-red pendant in his hand resonated with a shell pendant around Shirahoshi's neck.
The shell pendant cracked open, revealing a blue emblem hidden inside-an Ocean Shard.
Three shards-gold (earth), silver (sky), and blue (ocean)-gathered in Lin Yan's hands.
They began to resonate, projecting a beam of light that pointed toward the deepest part of Fish-Man Island-
The Sea Forest, Noah's Ark.
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