In a prison-like room near Fish-Man Island, in Fish-Man District.
"How's the plan going?" Hody asked, looking at Zeo.
"It's going very smoothly, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, we should be able to finish up this afternoon!" Zeo replied.
"Plan? What plan?"
" Hody, what exactly do you want?" Neptune shouted at Hody from the side.
However, at this moment, he was bound by thick iron chains and had no ability to resist at all.
Meanwhile, the wounds all over his body indicated that he had just gone through a fierce battle.
" Neptune, don't be hasty! You'll find out what we're planning tomorrow!" Hody said with a sinister smile.
"Until then, you'd better stay here obediently! This afternoon, I'll let you witness the arrival of a new era!"
"And I'll also tell you some news that you'll definitely find interesting!"
"Hahahaha... Let's go! Let our King enjoy his last moments alone!"
After saying that, Hody and his men walked towards the door and finally locked Neptune, a mermaid, in the room.
Watching Hody and the others disappear into the distance, Neptune's face darkened, and he muttered under his breath: Hody...
As soon as Hody and the others came out, Hody asked Zeo again, "Are you sure the plan is working?"
"Don't worry! Boss Hody, it'll definitely be fine. I've checked it multiple times!"
"Okay!" Hody nodded, but a hint of seriousness remained on his face.
At this moment, a giant squid Fish-Man standing nearby asked Hody curiously, "Boss Hody, do we really need to be so cautious? Why don't we just charge in?"
" Ikaros, things aren't as simple as you think. The Straw Hat Pirates are on this island now. Hody and I met them once before, and that Xia Chen the Sovereign, who's known as the Strongest Man in humanity, is no ordinary character!"
"If we rashly implement the plan, it will likely fail!" Zeo shook his head and said, his words revealing his fear of Xia Chen.
Upon hearing this, the remaining members of the New Fish-Man Pirates looked at Zeo with a hint of disdain. One of them, a Daruma Fish-Man, brandishing a cigar, Zeo without hesitation:
" Zeo, when did you become so timid? What strong individuals could there be among this lowly human race? Your fearful appearance is a disgrace to our Fish-Man race!"
" Daruma, what did you say? I was just pretending to be afraid, simply to warn you. How could I possibly be afraid of humans!"
You're just scared!
"I told you I was just pretending!"
"You..."
"Enough!" Just as Daruma and Zeo were about to start fighting, Hody shouted, then looked at the crowd and said:
" Zeo is right, that man named Xia Chen is not an ordinary human, and he is indeed a great threat to us! But..."
"As long as we are well prepared, with our 100,000 troops and our secret weapons, no matter how strong he is, he will definitely die at our hands in the end!"
Upon hearing this, everyone calmed down. After a long while Zeo said, "That's right! As long as we have that thing, we will definitely achieve final victory..."
--
Inside the Mermaid Cafe on Coral Hill, Fish-Man Island.
A mermaid, significantly larger than the others, was gesturing repeatedly towards a crystal ball in front of her.
After a long while, she seemed to see something terrible. Sweat instantly beaded on her forehead, and her eyes were filled with extreme fear. She even collapsed to the ground.
" Madame Shyarly, what's wrong?"
Hearing the commotion, a kissing Fish-Man rushed in and immediately saw Shyarly sitting on the ground.
" Madame Shyarly!!"
The kissing Fish-Man, Camie, immediately ran over to help Shyarly up. Seeing Shyarly's panicked expression and the sweat on her forehead, she hurriedly asked, " Madame Shyarly, what happened? Are you feeling unwell?"
But Shyarly seemed not to hear Camie's words, her gaze still unfocused, until after a long while she suddenly came to her senses and immediately heard Camie's anxious voice.
" Madame Shyarly! What's wrong? Don't scare me! Waaaaah..."
Shyarly turned and grabbed Camie's shoulders, looking at her urgently, " Camie, we need to go see King Neptune right now. I have something very important to tell him!"
Without a moment's delay, Shyarly grabbed Camie and headed towards the Ryugu Palace...
--
After quite some time, Xia Chen finally reached the bottom of the deep pit and saw his target.
A gigantic Xia Chen serpent, its body almost filling Xia Chen's entire field of vision, appeared before him, causing a look of horror to cross his face.
This creature was absolutely the largest he had ever seen, bar none!
Even the Giant Sea Kings, Laboon, and the Great Goldfish King pale in comparison to this snake.
According to Xia Chen's estimation, even the Zunesha was not as large as this snake.
However, this enormous snake was now covered in wounds and lay curled up motionless. If Xia Chen hadn't been able to sense its presence, he might have thought it was already dead.
Xia Chen now understood what Neptune meant by Joy Boy's Conqueror's Haki seal. Or perhaps it couldn't even be called Conqueror's Haki anymore!
With his Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils eyesight, he could clearly "see" countless Haki clinging to Jörmungandr's wounds, which was Haki its wounds would not heal even after eight hundred years.
It is precisely because of these Haki presences that Jörmungandr has remained in a deep sleep, achieving the so-called sealing effect.
Looking at this Haki and feeling the power it exuded, Xia Chen couldn't help but murmur, "Is this God-Level Haki? It is indeed extremely powerful!"
Xia Chen first learned about the concept of "God-Level Haki" from Joy Boy's Haki training manual—yes, it was Neptune's reward to Xia Chen!
This is a complete Haki training manual for Joy Boy, encompassing all Three Types of Haki and including all the key points for each stage of Haki training!
The God Level is the next level after the King Level, and it's the level that Xia Chen is currently stuck at and unable to break through.
However, there's a slight difference here! There's only one type of God-Level Haki, not three!
In other words, there is no such thing as God Level Conqueror's Haki or God Level Armament Haki; there is only one name: God-Level Haki!
Breaking through to God-Level Haki requires simultaneously reaching the Peak King Level Haki with Three Types of Haki. Then, using Conqueror's Haki as the core, the other two types of Haki are integrated into Conqueror's Haki, finally breaking through to form a new type of Haki, which is what is known as:
God-Level Haki!!!