Chapter 280: Two Years of Transformation! A Magnificent Clearing and a Restricted Shura
On the vast square of the Ryugu Palace's main hall.
Although the culprit, Hody Jones, had fled like a stray dog amidst the chaos, the several hundred elite officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates he left behind did not collapse because of it.
These fanatics, thoroughly brainwashed by extreme racism, still fought to the death without retreating, their eyes filled only with endless hatred for humans.
At this time, because the vacuum zone Tatsuya had previously created lost the power sustaining it...
The surrounding cold, heavy seawater was surging back and sweeping in at an even faster speed.
The water level rose continuously, quickly submerging everyone up to their thighs.
Looking at the Straw Hat crew waiting in battle formation before them, the Fishman officers reached into their pockets and pulled out large handfuls of red 'energy steroids' (ES).
Without even looking, they stuffed them into their mouths and swallowed them in large gulps.
Accompanied by bursts of hair-raising screams of pain, the terrifying effects of the drug—which overdraws one's life—took hold instantly.
The bodies of these Fishmen expanded violently amidst the explosive cracking of bones, their muscles bulging unnaturally in knots, and their veins popping out.
Their eyes completely lost the light of reason, becoming as crimson and violent as those of wild beasts.
"Boss Hody will surely overthrow this weak country and lead us to rule over all humanity!"
"Before that, we will tear you low-life creatures into ten thousand pieces and use your blood to sacrifice to the glory of the Fishmen!"
Hundreds of drug-crazed, rampaging Fishman elites brandished rusted weapons and roared in unison, "Kill all humans!"
Like a pack of crazed wolves, they charged frantically toward King Neptune and the Straw Hat Pirates.
King Neptune was greatly alarmed as he watched his fellow tribesmen, whose strength had increased geometrically after taking the drug and who possessed an absolute natural advantage in the water.
He immediately brandished his golden trident and loudly ordered the Neptune Army soldiers to step forward, raising their sturdy shields to form a defensive line.
The old king feared that these few humans of the Straw Hat crew would suffer in a water battle and wanted to protect them behind him.
However, there was no need for the Neptune Army to intervene; the members of the Straw Hat crew had already spread out their formation with tacit understanding.
Facing the tide of violent enemies, not only did they not retreat or show fear, but the expressions on their faces became incredibly relaxed.
A confident and excited smile slowly appeared on everyone's lips.
This was the perfect time to test the results of their two years of hellish training!
"Too slow."
Zoro snorted coldly and tied his green bandana onto his head.
His phantom-like figure instantly traversed through the churning seawater.
The three famous swords carved brilliant cold flashes in the water, and between the glints of the blades, a terrifying whirlwind soared into the sky.
"Three Sword Style: Black Rope Dragon Twister!"
The sharp sword intent transformed into a pitch-black tornado that reached the sky, instantly sweeping large numbers of Fishman elites along with the seawater into the storm of blade energy, instantly shredding their combat capability.
In mid-air, Sanji's legs stepped continuously against the air, executing the 'Moonwalk' from the Marine Six Styles to remain steadily suspended in the air.
His long right leg ignited with raging flames from high-speed friction.
"Diable Jambe: Flambage Shot!"
Sanji delivered a series of heavy strikes carrying scorching flames in mid-air, precisely kicking the chins of the enemies attempting to leap out of the water to attack.
Accompanied by the dull sound of shattering bones, these Fishmen screamed as they were kicked back into the cold water.
"Let you taste the power of science and weather!"
Nami stood on a high coral reef, nimbly brandishing her newly upgraded magic Weather Stick.
She easily summoned clusters of pitch-black thunderclouds, with brilliant lightning brewing within the cloud layers.
"Thunderbolt Tempo!" A thick bolt of lightning struck down, and with the boost from the seawater's excellent conductivity, the range of the lightning strike was instantly magnified.
It directly electrocuted a large group of Fishmen at the front until they were charred black and floating on the water's surface, foaming at the mouth.
As a Devil Fruit user, Robin could not touch the seawater.
But she was well-prepared; from the seawater beneath her, a giant arm capable of lifting even the thousand sunny burst out of the water.
The surface of this arm was covered with a layer of pitch-black, hard Armament Haki, perfectly isolating it from the effects of the seawater.
Robin stood gracefully atop her own giant black hand, her hands crossed over her chest.
"Gigantesco Mano: Spank!"
At her call, two more giant palms materialized in mid-air.
These giant hands, carrying destructive power like swatting flies, sent those Fishman elites who tried to approach flying in groups, crashing them against the palace walls.
On the other side, Franky brought his arms together and fired a dazzling high-temperature laser beam from his palms, triggering a series of violent chain explosions within the enemy ranks.
Usopp also stood on Robin's giant hand.
With his slingshot fully drawn, he precisely fired 'Pop Green' seeds, and the instantly growing piranha plants and vines tightly entangled the enemies.
Chopper and Brook had no way to go down and fight, so they could only stay on Robin's giant hand, taking on the role of the cheerleading squad.
The Straw Hat crew's attacks intertwined on the battlefield into a magnificent and terrifying web of firepower.
Just as the Straw Hat crew was clearing the battlefield like harvesting wheat, a stout blue figure also returned to the square; it was Knight of the Sea Jinbe.
Looking at these compatriots who were blinded by hatred and whose bodies were completely ruined by the potent drug, a flash of deep heartache and helplessness crossed Jinbe's eyes.
But he knew that now was not the time for soft-heartedness.
Jinbe took a deep breath and assumed an authentic Fishman Karate starting stance, his entire aura becoming as steady as a deep abyss.
"Fishman Karate Secret Technique: Buraikan!"
Jinbe suddenly threw a punch.
He perfectly utilized the massive amount of seawater surging back, injecting his power into the current to unleash a suffocatingly powerful water shockwave.
This shockwave was like a violent water dragon, instantly clearing a large area of dense enemies directly in front of him.
With the Straw Hat crew's artistically magnificent cooperation and the addition of Jinbe's overwhelming strength...
The hundreds of New Fish-Man Pirate elites, who had originally seemed aggressive and had swallowed the energy steroids prepared to go on a killing spree...
Didn't even manage to touch the hem of anyone's clothing from the Straw Hat crew before being completely and decisively defeated in just a short moment.
They completely lost their ability to fight and could only groan helplessly on the water's surface.
This battle ended so quickly—so quickly that King Neptune and the Neptune Army soldiers had only just managed to set up their defensive formation when the enemies before them had already been wiped out.
The soldiers of the Neptune Army held their weapons, staring dumbfounded at the members of the Straw Hat Pirates, who looked as if they had only performed a warm-up exercise, and collectively gasped in shock.
King Neptune's eyes widened in shock, and the trident in his hand trembled slightly.
Until this moment, this ruler of the deep sea finally had an incredibly clear understanding of the strength of these rising stars known as the 'Worst Generation.'
These young people with distinct personalities each possessed monster-like, terrifying strength!
On the water's surface, Zoro emerged and stepped onto the giant hand using the hand-stairs Robin generated for him.
He casually gave the cold-emanating Wado Ichimonji a beautiful flourish in his hand before lightly resting it on his broad shoulder.
His sharp, single eye surveyed the wailing enemies around him, finally landing on Jinbe, who had just retracted his punch.
Zoro asked with a hint of doubt:
"Hey, you Fishman, where's that red-eyed bastard Tatsuya? He's not back yet?"
Hearing Zoro's inquiry, Jinbe let out a long, helpless sigh and shook his head, a bitter smile on his face:
"In order to chase that Hody who took your Captain, he activated that terrifying Red Giant Form that looked like a god descending to earth and charged straight out."
"But calculating the time... with his strength, he should be back soon."
Just as Jinbe's words fell...
With a slight'swish' of tearing air...
Tatsuya's figure appeared out of thin air in front of everyone.
Seeing him empty-handed, not only Zoro and Nami, but everyone present cast searching gazes toward him.
Facing everyone's questioning gazes, Tatsuya raised his hand somewhat irritably and pinched the bridge of his nose, a rare flash of annoyance in his eyes.
He shook his head at everyone, his voice carrying a bit of frustration:
"He got away."
"He got away?!" Usopp's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Even you couldn't catch that guy?"
Tatsuya sighed and explained frankly:
"Once I leave the air zone of Ryugu Palace, I simply cannot breathe freely or fight for long in the high-pressure water of the ten-thousand-meter deep sea."
He paused, recalling the pursuit just now, his eyes turning slightly cold:
"Furthermore, that guy Hody took a massive amount of energy steroids, and his swimming speed in the water is ridiculously fast."
"And as a local Fishman, he knows the terrain of this deep sea like the back of his hand."
"He took Luffy through several complex trenches in the undersea canyons, using the deep-sea currents as cover, and soon disappeared from sight."
Hearing this result, everyone's mood became somewhat heavy.
After all, as a Devil Fruit user, Luffy's situation was definitely dire if he fell into the hands of Fishmen and was taken into the deep sea.
King Neptune stepped forward. Looking at the disgruntled Tatsuya and the worried Straw Hat crew, he spoke in a solemn tone to comfort them:
"Everyone, please do not blame yourselves too much. Crimson Lotus, you have been a great help to this old man and Shirahoshi."
"Lord Luffy has also shown us kindness. Regarding his rescue, this old man and the entire Neptune Army will certainly not stand idly by."
"We... will surely put forth the strength of the entire nation to help!"