This was truly a ship large enough to hold an entire nation—Noah, the Ark, lived up to its legendary name.
Even El had only heard tales of it before; this was his first time seeing it with his own eyes.
According to its original purpose, this great vessel—the Ship of Promise—had been built for the entire Fish‑Man race.
What was more, the civilization that constructed it was an ancient and highly advanced one, famous throughout history.
Yet for reasons unknown, the Ark had never fulfilled its intended role.
Instead, it had sat abandoned in the deepest waters of Fish‑Man Island, now reduced to nothing more than a gathering place for the thugs and outcasts of Fish‑Man District.
"King Neptune mentioned this place," Hancock recalled from the briefing they had received.
"I hear Fish‑Man District is now under the control of a great white shark Fish‑Man named Hody Jones."
"Could the ones following us have been sent by this Hody Jones?"
El let out a cold smirk.
"At this point, does it even matter? Whether they acted on his orders or not, anything that happens in his territory is his responsibility."
Though El had been polite and respectful toward King Neptune, he was not the type to let others walk all over him—not when he held such overwhelming power.
It was simply bad luck for Hody Jones; regardless of whether he had ordered the surveillance or not, his men had picked a fight with forces far beyond their league.
…
"What? You followed a group of pirates who just arrived on the island for half the day?"
Hody Jones had only just received the report. It turned out the spies trailing the El Pirates had not been acting on his orders.
"Were they worth the trouble? A fat haul?" he asked eagerly.
This was exactly what his gang did. Fueled by deep‑seated resentment over the days when their ancestors had been enslaved by humans, they refused to accept the peace and progress the rest of the kingdom was building.
Instead, they dreamed of reversing history and turning humans into slaves.
Pirates—especially human pirates—were their natural targets.
Using their advantage in the deep sea, Hody's men regularly raided and robbed passing ships.
When they found themselves unable to keep up with the El Pirates earlier that day, they realized they might have stumbled upon a truly valuable catch, so they hurried back to report.
"If they're as big a prize as you say, I'll go take a look myself…" Hody said, clearly interested.
Since the departure of Fisher Tiger and Jinbe, Hody Jones had become the strongest force in Fish‑Man District.
All the outcasts and wanderers there now lived under his protection.
"There's no need for you to come looking for us," a voice echoed through the hall.
"We've come to see you instead."
The speaker was none other than El, who had already led his crew right into the heart of Fish‑Man District.
"Who… who gave you permission to enter?!" Hody jumped in surprise.
Though this area lay outside the kingdom's official defenses, it was still his territory, and he had built up a sizable group of strong followers.
How had these intruders slipped past everyone unnoticed?
"Boss! These are the ones we were following earlier!" the leader of the spies cried out, rushing to his side.
"Oh? So these are the 'fat fish' you spoke of?" Hody frowned.
The fact that he had not sensed their arrival at all spoke volumes.
Could it be that these were not just ordinary prey… and that he had just kicked a steel wall?
But Hody was not about to back down so easily. It had taken years to seize full control of Fish‑Man District, a territory that operated almost entirely independent of the kingdom.
His ambitions went far beyond simply ruling a small corner of the island; he dreamed of becoming the undisputed leader of all Fish‑Men.
He looked down on Arlong, another Fish‑Man who had risen from the same slums and once made a name for himself on the surface before being defeated.
To Hody, Arlong was weak and indecisive.
Arlong had indeed hated humans—having suffered the cruelty of slavery firsthand—but he had always treated his own kind with kindness and loyalty.
That was the flaw Hody despised most.
"Anyone who stands in my way, friend or foe, must be cut down without hesitation!" That was Hody's philosophy.
In his eyes, no bond of kinship or friendship mattered.
Anything and anyone could be discarded or sacrificed, as long as it helped him achieve his grand plan: rise to the surface, crush humanity, and claim dominion over the world.
And in the lawless slums of Fish‑Man District, where the royal family held almost no authority, this kind of ruthless thinking found many followers.
In the past, Fisher Tiger and Jinbe had kept the chaos in check, but since Hody took charge, the district had changed completely—becoming his personal domain, his empire.
With such pride and ambition, how could he show fear before a handful of human pirates?
"Seize them! All of them!" he roared. "We'll find a way to sell them as slaves back on the surface!"
Fish‑Man Island was not far from Sabaody Archipelago, where the slave trade still flourished.
Even some Fish‑Men here were involved in the business.
Ironically, in recent years, humans had become less common as targets; more often, it was Fish‑Men fighting and selling their own kind.
"Fufufufu…"
Doflamingo could no longer hold back and broke into loud laughter.
"Forgive me, Captain… I just never expected to hear something so ridiculous. Seize them? Who exactly does he think he's talking to?"
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