One Piece: sign-in to Ryujin Jakka

"Your Majesty, do you know where Sea Knight Jinbe is right now?"

King Neptune shook his head with a worried expression.

"I'm not sure either... but I'll send someone to look for them immediately."

Roman's brows furrowed slightly.

"Thank you in advance for the trouble, Your Majesty."

With that said, he remained quietly in the palace, patiently waiting.

Meanwhile, the grand banquet had already begun.

Dozens of mermaids danced gracefully before them, sleeves fluttering like waves, mesmerizing in their beauty.

At the same time, somewhere far from Dragon Palace…

Roughly ten thousand meters away, in a secluded corner of Fishman Island.

Unlike the splendid and vibrant palace area, this place was overrun with seaweed, desolate and chaotic.

From the looks of it, no one had set foot here for at least a decade.

Yet in this forgotten place, two figures arrived—fish-men, one with crimson skin and the other ocean-blue.

They had received word.

A human had accidentally wandered into this region and gotten injured.

Motivated by goodwill, they came to check it out.

Afterwards, they had planned to seek out Roman.

But what awaited Fisher Tiger and Jinbe... was not an injured human.

It was Hody Jones!

"…Hody Jones?!"

The two recognized him immediately.

They realized they had been tricked.

The man standing before them—black hair, a trident-emblazoned cap, wolf-fur scarf, and a large tattoo down his left arm—wore a wicked grin.

"Hody Jones! What the hell is this about?!" Fisher Tiger demanded, voice filled with fury.

"Jahahahaha!" Hody laughed maniacally. "What do you mean? I'm here to stop you, of course!"

"Stop us? What are you even talking about?"

Hody's eyes narrowed, filled with contempt.

"Captain Fisher Tiger… Brother Jinbe… You two are legends to us fish-men. Strong and fearless. Especially you, Captain Tiger! You scaled Mariejois bare-handed to free our people. I admired you!"

His voice suddenly dropped, his expression colored with menace.

"But that's exactly why I'm so disappointed with you!"

His killing intent surged like a wave.

"I heard you're planning to meet with White Dove… to build ties with the humans?! Is that true?!"

Fisher Tiger's expression remained unreadable.

He didn't yet know White Dove's true identity—or that he was the same man who had once saved him in his darkest moment.

But even without that knowledge, both he and Jinbe wanted to meet this powerful admiral and discuss potential collaboration between their two races..

If they could gain White Dove's support… perhaps the fish-men could earn more standing in the world, thus raising their status in the World Government.

But that hope had drawn Hody out of the shadows.

As a devout fish-man supremacist, he would never allow that to happen!

So he lured them here, using their own kindness against them.

To fulfill his ambition.

His eyes burned with madness.

"Fisher Tiger… Jinbe… I respected you once. But now, you make me sick. That's why I'll replace you! I'll lead the fish-men to attack the surface world and show them—we are the superior race!"

His fanaticism echoed through the murky sea.

Fisher Tiger, and Jinbe exchanged a glance.

Then, with a calm step forward, Fisher Tiger declared:

"Hody Jones… I've seen many like you, harboring similar thoughts. You walk a path of destruction."

"Path of destruction? Jahahaha! No, you're the ones who've lost your way!" Hody barked. "Peace with humans? What a joke! They should be our slaves! Enough talk! Let's fight! I'll show you with power, show you your ideals are worthless!"

Seeing that things were escalating fast, Fisher Tiger didn't hesitate.

He stepped forward, assuming a battle stance.

"You used to be nothing but a guard under King Neptune. You're not my equal."

"Captain, watch out!" Jinbe warned. "He may try something underhanded!"

Hody scoffed.

"Underhanded? No… I'll crush you head-on!"

With that, he pulled something from his cloak.

A pill—red and ominous.

An E.S. Steroid.

The moment Fisher Tiger, and Jinbe laid eyes on it, their pupils shrank.

"You… That's the E.S. Steroid?! Where did you get that?!"

"From the Dragon Palace itself!" Hody sneered. "Can you believe it? That so-called sacred treasure chest, preserved in the palace for generations, yet filled with these! HA!"

The Energy Steroid, or E.S. Pill.

It could grant unimaginable strength—but at a terrible cost: life itself.

Even one pill was dangerous.

But Hody?

He swallowed more than ten at once.

Boom!

His blood surged like a tidal wave.

His muscles bulged grotesquely, stretching his uniform to the limit. Veins snaked across his arms.

Even his presence itself became overwhelming.

In the deathly quiet of this forgotten region…

Fisher Tiger and Jinbe could hear his heart pounding like thunder.

"Hody Jones… are you insane?! You just—"

Cold sweat formed on Fisher Tiger's brow before he could finish.

But Hody wasn't listening.

"Spare me your fake concern, Fisher Tiger. Let's settle this—with strength!"

And then—he charged!

So fast. Too fast!

Even among the fastest fishmen underwater, no one moved like that.

"I'll take the first hit!" Jinbe shouted.

Without a moment's hesitation, he lunged ahead.

"Fish-Man Karate: Five-Thousand Tile True Punch!"

As a whale shark fish-man, Jinbe was known for his overwhelming strength.

His punch—strong enough to shatter five thousand tiles—struck directly at Hody Jones!