Chapter 129: Torture
ââThe world was drowning in conflict.
âPirates!! Grab your weapons!!â
âThis is the only way⌠to protect my family!!â
âGive it back!! Thatâs our foodâŚ!!â
Wars knew no boundariesâneither time nor place.
In a world where order had collapsed, many nations fell, countless rulers rose and fell, and endless lives were crushed beneath the weight of violence.
What was being stolenâwas life itself. To live, to survive. Food, money, shelter, safetyâeverything was seized by plunderers. In a world without justice, no one would protect you but yourself, and the only way to claim anything was to take it by force.
Yesterday, you mightâve held hands with your neighbor, hoping for peaceâbut today, those same hands are clenched into fists, fighting to survive through conflict.
It was a sight now common across many regionsâparticularly former non-member states of the World Government or weak nations destroyed by pirates or neighboring countries.
ââAnd meanwhile, those with strong wills sought their own ways to survive.
âPirates!! Surrender now!!â
â! Damn it⌠Itâs the New Government Army...!!â
âDonât falter!! This world belongs to the pirates now!! Fight back!!!â
ââŚ!! So you wonât listen, huhâŚ!! All units!! Subdue the pirates!!!â
âYes, sir!!â
Even now, in a world ruled by violence, the New Government Army continued to fight across the seas, striving to stop rogue nations and pirates in the name of freedom and peace.
Roughly 40 countries had pledged support. That was only about a quarter of the former World Governmentâs mightâbut even so, remnants of the Revolutionaries and Navy joined together, with nations like the Alabasta Kingdom and Sakura Kingdomârich in power and technologyâforming the new coalition to resist those who desired only war and violence.
They had even continued the old bounty system, relying on bounty hunters to deter lawless criminals. Through diplomacy and trade, they desperately tried to protect the people from a world of bloodshed and fear.
But even then⌠they couldnât save everyone suffering in poverty and desperation.
ââIn the pirate world, much had changedâfactions shifted and power realignedâbut the top had remained unshaken since the end of that Paramount War.
ââŚPirate supremacy has changed hands many times⌠Just months ago, it was Whitebeard⌠before him, Roger⌠Golden Lion, Big Mom⌠and before that, Rocks⌠go back a hundred years, and there was even an era where the giants ruled the seas.â
That voice came from a man inside the headquarters of the New Governmentâon the Grand Line, in Baltigo. A man speaking of the tides of piracy.
âThe pirate world seems convoluted, but itâs actually simple. It all comes down to thisâdo you seek âfreedomâ⌠or âdominationâ? Every pirate ultimately falls into one of those two camps.â
ââŚSo by that logic⌠Roger stood for freedom⌠and Rocks stood for domination, right?â
âYeah⌠you could say that.â
The speakerâan elderly man with glasses, graying hair, and deep wrinklesânodded while feeding a goat beside him. One arm was a prosthetic.
His name was Sengoku. A battle-hardened former Fleet Admiral of the Navy, now acting as an advisor to the New Government Army.
Though retired from the front lines due to war injuries, Sengoku continued to pass on his wisdom to the younger generation. He could no longer fightâbut he could still support the future.
âBut nowadays⌠itâs not just pirates. All sorts of powers are split between freedom and domination. Germa in the North Blue⌠Black Drum Kingdom in the South Blue⌠Prodence Kingdom in the New World⌠Whether by choice or coercion, more and more forces now rise openly to dominate and crush the weak. And frankly⌠part of the blame lies with usâthe former Navy and the old World Government.â
Sengoku said this with a self-deprecating chuckle. The Navy once protected the World Governmentâs authority and, in doing so, turned a blind eye to atrocities against the innocent. Sengoku, as a mere manânot a high-ranking officialâfinally voiced what he had never before admitted.
The young man listening nodded seriously.
ââŚWe revolutionaries were outlaws waving the flag of freedom, too. We werenât spotless either.â
âHeh⌠thatâs true. But history is always written by the victors. And now, itâs the New Government writing the new order⌠though we may already be becoming the âevilâ in someone elseâs eyes.â
âEven soâwe wonât let that happen.â
The young man answered with a voice full of conviction. Sure, the winners werenât them, and the world wasnât leaning toward freedom.
But he still believed that a world where only the strong thrived by oppressing the weak could never be called properâlet alone just.
Sengoku narrowed his eyes at the boyâs resolve. He bore no ill will toward the New Governmentâthey had employed him as one of their own.
And so, for the sake of the âjusticeâ the New Government now stood forâhe would offer his wisdom and strength however he could.
âYeah, Iâm counting on you. AokijiâKuzanâhas both the strength and ideals, but heâs probably feeling out of place, what with most of the New Government Army being former Revolutionaries. Help him.â
âOf course. Dragon told us not to treat him differently just because heâs ex-Navy. And honestlyâdiscriminationâs the thing we hate most.â
ââŚThatâs reassuring to hear.â
Sengoku nodded, relieved that their ranks wouldnât be divided by background. The New Government was doing wellâoffering proper positions to former Navy officers based on merit.
Its leader was Dragon, former head of the Revolutionary Armyâbut its practical No.2, the New Government Armyâs Commander-in-Chief, was none other than Kuzan, former Navy Admiral Aokiji.
And the young man before Sengoku was No.3âChief Strategist of the New Government Army.
ââŚBut the seas remain volatile. I heard dozens of countries were wiped out just last monthâŚâ
ââŚYeah. Especially⌠the incident at Fish-Man Island was devastating. Hack and Koala were both deeply shakenâŚâ
âŚAnd the future was far from bright.
Just a few months since the war endedâand already, the world had been rocked by incident after incident, nation after nation falling.
Sengoku and the young strategist clenched their teeth, thinking of that one particularly haunting incidentâthe destruction of Fish-Man Island and the force behind it.
ââŚWe knew it wouldnât be easy⌠but the new rulers of the sea arenât pulling punchesâŚ!!â
âYeah⌠Iâm keeping an eye on the other pirates, butâŚâ
ââŚOf course, we canât be carelessâbut the current hegemon isnât the second Whitebeard Pirates, nor the vanished Blackbeard Pirates⌠not even the alliance between Red-Hair and the Jester of a Hundred Tricks.â
Yesâthose who destroyed Fish-Man Island. The current rulers of the sea.
They were the most powerful, most malevolent force the New Government facedâand the mortal enemies they must defeat to reclaim freedom.
The young man spoke their name:
ăNew Government Army Chief Strategist â Saboă
âOf course I know. Our greatest enemy is the alliance between the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts PiratesâŚ!!! The so-called Pirate Empire dominating the New WorldâŚ!!!â
ââThat incident occurred just two months after the Paramount War.
Ten thousand meters beneath the sea. The light-filled depths, despite being at the bottom of the ocean, were known as an undersea paradiseâone of the Grand Lineâs most popular tourist spots.
An island all pirates headed for the New World must pass throughâa death trap where it's said seventy percent of travelers are annihilated before making it through.
But because of that⌠pirate attacks never ceased. It was a cursed, unfortunate island.
"Kyahhhhh!!"
"Pirates!! Run for it!!"
"Gehehe!! Mermaids!! Thereâs a ton of mermaids here!!"
"Grab them!! Mermaids sell for a high price!! And theyâre good-looking, too!! Keeping one for yourself ainât bad either!!"
With the fall of the World Government and Marine Headquarters, and even Whitebeardâs banner having lost its authority, the place that suffered most from the resulting chaosâ
Was none other than Fish-Man Islandâpart of the Ryugu Kingdom, both a World Government member nation and a former territory under Whitebeard's protection.
"H-Hey!! This islandâs under Whitebeardâs protection!!"
"Yeah!! We know that!! So what!!? Gya-hahahaha!!"
"The monster Whitebeard is dead, isnât he!? So who the hellâs gonna protect this place now!!?"
"Kh⌠damn itâŚ!!"
With the collapse of order and the number of pirates surging, the frequency of attacks on Fish-Man Island also rose. Pirates targeting mermaids came in droves.
The name of Whitebeard no longer carried weight. He was dead. Though there were rumors that his second captain, Fire Fist Ace, had succeeded him, their influence had dropped to the level of any other pirate crew.
After all, theyâd been utterly crushed during the Paramount War. Branded as "losers," they were now seen as little more than the remnants of a fallen force.
So even if it was their territory, few pirates feared them. Especially those headed for the New World to make a name for themselvesâagainst one of the other Four Emperors, maybe theyâd hesitate, but not for a washed-up Whitebeard.
"Kyahââ!!?"
"Got one!! Bagged us a mermaid!! Yeeaahhh!!!"
"ââThatâs far enough!!!"
"Hah? ââGyaaaahhhh!!!"
And soâFish-Man Island was now defended solely by the Ryugu Kingdomâs soldiers, led by the three elite commanders.
And above even them, stood the great knight of the seaâthe Sea God, King Neptune.
Fish-men and merfolk were born with strength ten times that of humans. The trained soldiers among them possessed power that far surpassed the average man.
Thatâs why, even after the war, the islandâs peace hadâbarelyâbeen maintained.
ââBut the enemy that day⌠was on a whole different level.
"Uwaaaahhhh!!!"
"What the hell is thatâŚ!?"
"Hide, quickâŚ!! PiratesâŚ!!"
"When did they get inâŚ!?"
The pirates rampaged through the streets of Fish-Man Island, their advance shaking the earth.
An enormous army of savage, brutal pirates, led by a massive ancient beastâcaused both fish-men and merfolk to tremble in terror.
"!!? C-Could it be⌠those guysâŚ!!"
"Th-Those horns and that flagâŚ!!"
Some among them recognized the invaders.
The men wore black cloaks and leather pants, the women armored bikinis. Both had horns sprouting from their headsâa distinct appearance known the world over.
A vicious crew that few in the seas were unaware of.
They surrounded fish-men and merfolk, crushed buildings, and made their way to the central plaza. At the head of the pack marched an enormous, mammoth-like creature.
The man transformed into this mammoth turned toward the citizens, soldiers, and even royaltyâand made an outrageous demand.
"People of Fish-Man Island!! Soldiers!! Royals!! Hand over the princess of this kingdomâPrincess Shirahoshi!!!"
"!!?"
An unthinkable demand from the mammothâclearly a Devil Fruit user. Judging by his presence, he was likely one of the executives of this crew.
Even those unfamiliar with him could sense the sheer power radiating from his giant form.
But what shocked everyone, both those who recognized them and those who didnât, was the content of his demand.
"P-Princess Shirahoshi!?"
"W-What kind of nonsense is thisâŚ!?"
"There's no way weâd hand her over!!"
"Please!! Take our food or gold instead!! Just take that and leave!!!"
The citizens and on-duty soldiers raised their voices in protest.
Some offered food and treasure as a compromise. In the pirate world, offering oneâs valuables to save lives was a common survival tactic. When push came to shove, surrendering everything to preserve life was necessary.
"HahahahaâŚ!! What the hell are you idiots babbling about!? Living down here mustâve made your brains regress to fish, too?"
"!?"
Butâthat wouldnât work on them.
They werenât the kind of pirates who made compromises. They were the real deal. Insane, bloodthirsty pirates who didnât reason.
They embodied both traitsâmonstrous and mad. A savage crew, feared across the seas. The strongest force in the worldâthe Beast Pirates.
"Donât pretend you donât know who we are!!"
A man with two black horns stepped forward from among the pirates.
Flanking the mammoth were two more figures. These three werenât ordinary piratesâthey were executives, elite warriors of the strongest crewâthe Tobi Roppo.
ăBeast Pirates Headliner â Sheepsheadă
"We serve one of the Four Emperors!! The one closest to becoming Pirate KingâKaido of the Beasts!! And alongside him, the two siblings feared across the seasâNue the Demon Beast!! We are the BEAST PIRATES!!! And this man right here is one of the four calamitiesâKaido-samaâs elite enforcers!!! ââJack the Drought!!!"
Sheepshead dramatically pointed to the mammoth as he made the introduction.
It couldâve come off as over-the-top, but no one now would dare mock that name.
At the mention of the Beast Pirates, the blood drained from the citizensâ faces. News of the war had reached even the ocean floor.
They had crushed the World Government, the Marines, and the Whitebeard Piratesâone of the Four Emperors.
The worldâs strongest pirate crew now stood before them. And the mammoth was one of its top officers, known as a âCalamity.â
"Wherever Jack-sama passes, it's as if a drought followsâeverything withers and dies!!! For you fish-men and merfolk, that's a death sentence!! Unless you want to dry out into jerkyâhand over Princess Shirahoshi!!! Or whatâdo you intend to fight us!!?"
"Gya-hahahahaha!!!"
"Geh-heh-heh-heh!!!"
"âŚâŚ!! There's no way we can accept thatâŚ!!"
"âŚâŚ!!"
The pirates laughed. Sheepshead repeated the demand, and the foot soldiers jeered.
A soldier reflexively rejected themâand that was when Jack moved.
"!!!"
"!!?"
"Kyahhhhhhh!!!?"
"Uwaaaaaaa!!!!"
With a swing of his long trunk, Jack shattered a massive coral formationâand crushed the civilians beneath it.
One, two⌠no, dozens lay scattered across the plaza, coughing blood. Among them were women and children. He showed no mercy. Jack stepped forward with his enormous foot, addressing the crowd.
"Iâve got no patience for pointless talk. We already know where she isâsheâs in Ryugu Palace, right? Ainât that right, Sono?"
"ââY-Yes⌠according to the intel, Princess Shirahoshi is in the palace⌠probably⌠maybe⌠I mean, Iâm not totally sure, to be honestâŚ"
"!!?"
Ahead of Jackâs words, there stood a blue-haired beauty draped in flowing red sashes and frilly attire.
Despite her sleepy half-lidded eyes and slouched posture, she too was a high-ranking officer of the Beasts Piratesâa Shinuchi.
Beasts Pirates Shinuchi âShisui no Sonoâ â Bounty: 464.9 million berries
ââŚWell, if you think about it logically, sheâs probably in Ryugu Palace where the royal family lives⌠probably, almost certainly⌠haah, talking is exhausting⌠Sheepshead-san, Hotei-san⌠I leave the rest to you.â
âEhâŚ!?â
ââŚIâd heard rumors, but⌠sheâs seriously lazyâŚâ
With her vague wording implying the intel was likely accurate, Sono nonchalantly left things to Sheepshead and the other Shinuchi, letting out a yawn as she smoothly stepped back. Sheepshead looked startled by this, while the other let out a faint sigh of exasperation. Then, the last one stepped forward. Unlike the others, he wore traditional Wano garb and carried a katanaâa genuine samurai.
Beasts Pirates Shinuchi (Former Captain of the Patrol Unit) Hotei
âWhatever. Itâs our first expedition, after all. Never fought a fish-man before, but if thereâs a fight, Iâm gonna go all outâŚ!! You lot, get readyâŚ!!â
âYes, Hotei-sama!!â
Hotei, former leader of Wanoâs Patrol Unit, barked orders at the samurai standing behind himâonce patrolmen like him, but now soldiers of the Beasts Pirates. With a fierce smile, he turned and spoke to Jack.
âYo, Jack. Let us former âWarriorsâ of the Patrol Unit take the first crack, alright? If weâre gonna live the pirate life, I want to rack up achievements, build up my infamy⌠Iâm aiming for a higher position. Just gimme a chance.â
â! âŚDo as you like.â
Though the newly appointed Shinuchiâs words were brash and ambitious, Jack gave his permission without showing any displeasure. The "Warriors"âBeasts Pirates combatants who had once served Wano's shogunâjoined the crew as part of the New Onigashima Project.
Among them, Hotei was one of the top two samurai alongside Fukurokuju of the Oniwabanshu. His strength was without question, and he was quickly promoted to Shinuchi. Yet, a man who had already risen in Orochiâs government wasnât satisfied with just a mid-level rank in the Beasts Pirates. He had his eyes fixed upward.
In an organization like the Beasts Pirates, this kind of ambition wasn't suppressed. There was no need for camaraderie, no need for forced honorifics. One needed only to pledge loyalty to two people. If you had power, you could do as you pleased.
The Beasts Pirates were structured with the top two at the helm, and the rest competing fiercely below. Thatâs why Jack said nothing about Hoteiâs cocky tone. As long as the chain of command was followed, nothing else mattered. The only thing that mattered was powerâthe power to carry out missions.
âYou bastardsâŚ!! We wonât let pirates desecrate this country!! No matter how mighty you areâŚ!!â
âHah! Big words for someone facing the Beasts Pirates. Even the samurai of Wano couldnât handle usâwhat the hell can a bunch of fish do!?â
The soldiers of the Ryugu Kingdom clashed with the Beasts Pirates' warriorsâsamurai from Wano.
Fish-men and merfolk were known to be physically stronger than normal humans. That was common knowledge.
However⌠in the New World, raw physical strength alone meant little.
âTch, youâre weak⌠is this all youâve got?â
âUgh⌠these guys⌠theyâre all using HakiâŚ!?â
â'Ryuo' is standard. Damn, thereâs no thrill in slicing through you guysâŚ!!â
âGuhâŚ!!â
Even for fish-men or merfolk soldiers, compared to the level of the Four Emperorsâ crews, they were no better than human grunts.
Especially against Wanoâs samurai from the strong nation of the New WorldâRyuo, or Haki, was expected. Their skill levels varied, but most could use it.
There was no way the Beasts Pirates would lose. And no way the fish-men could win.
âCâmon now, hurry up and hand over that Shirahoshi princess.â
âKhâŚ!! N-No way we willâŚ!!â
âHah, is that so? Then the first one diesââ
ââŚâŚ!!â
Butâno matter the group or race, there are always strong ones among them.
âââThatâs enough, pirates!!!â
ââŚ? Who the hell are theyâŚâ
â! The princes are here!!â
Cutting through a number of samurai, the newcomers were three merfolk armed with spears and swordsâthe main force of the Neptune Army. Sono muttered as she saw them.
âThe Neptune Armyâs top three. The three princes⌠Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, Manboshi⌠My, my, swinging those weapons around like they know what theyâre doing⌠theyâve grown quite a bit⌠and now even the Great Knight of the Sea, Lord Neptune, is coming from the rearâŚâ
âWell now⌠looks like weâve finally got something decent to deal withâŚ!!â
Seeing them down several samurai and hearing Sonoâs comment, Hotei grinned wickedly. Beating the enemyâs main force would surely earn him a promotion.
âââWeâve heard everything!! Youâre after Shirahoshi, arenât you!!?â
âââToo bad for you, Shirahoshiâs our little sister!! Thereâs no way weâre handing her over!!â
âââIf it were money or food, maybe⌠but your demand is absurd!! We outright refuse!!â
âThen weâve got no choice but to kill youâŚ!!!â
âIf you wonât hand over Princess Shirahoshi, then death is the only outcome!!!â
âHaa⌠I really didnât want to see your faces again⌠but since weâve come this far, I guess thereâs no avoiding it. Fine then, let me give you one moveâfor old timeâs sakeâŚâ
ââŚ!! Theyâre transforming!!â
âItâs Devil Fruit powers!! And that woman over thereâis she reallyâŚ!?â
Seeing the princes cut a path forward, the three ShinuchiâHotei, Sheepshead, and Sonoâfinally moved.
Two of them were Devil Fruit users, visibly shifting to new combat forms, and Sono took up a stance well known on this island.
âLetâs see if a bunch of fish can handle thisâŚ!!â
â! Thatâs⌠a sheep!?â
âThatâs right!! Iâm the user of the Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Sheep!!!â
Sheepshead transformed into a human-beast hybrid with curled horns and wool, clashing his horns against Manboshiâs sword.
Zoan-type Devil Fruits, especially when well-trained, drastically enhanced physical strength. Against ordinary fighters, ability users rarely lost out in sheer power. Manboshi was no exceptionâhe was overpowered.
And Ryuboshiâfaced an opponent who made him doubt his eyes. Someone familiar. A fellow mermaid⌠a master of Mermaid Jujutsu who had left the country years ago.
â!!? You⌠you really are⌠SonoâŚ!!â
âAhh⌠I figured youâd remember. Itâs been a long time, hasnât it, princes? Youâve grown so much⌠which is exactly why this has become such a painâŚâ
ââŚ!! I knew it when I saw the wanted poster⌠but why the Beasts PiratesâŚ!? You werenât like this back thenâŚ!!â
ââŚHaah⌠What could a prince know about a lowly civil servant like meâŚ? Whatever, doesnât matter. This is all a hassle, so Iâll put you down quicklyâŚâ
Sono lethargically faced off against Ryuboshi, effortlessly parrying his dual swords with her bare hands and gaining the upper hand.
But it was inevitable. Eleven years ago, before she left the country, it was Sono who taught the princes Mermaid Jujutsuâshe was their teacher in both combat and technique. She knew every move, every habit they had. Fighting her was like fighting their own masterâan uncomfortable experience, even as enemies.
And the final match-upâFukaboshi faced off against Hotei. But Hoteiâs form was far from ordinary.
âMay as well⌠Youâre strong, right? Then let me test this new power I just gotâŚ!!!â
â!!? A dinosaurâŚ!! Thatâs a Zoan-type⌠an ancient model!!â
âYeah⌠Sorry, but I donât have time to waste on weaklings like you. Iâll finish this fastâŚ!!!â
â!!! GuhâŚ!!?â
A carnivorous dinosaur. As its form changed in an instant and it moved with startling speed, Fukaboshi was taken abackâbut he couldnât react in time. Slashes were carved into his body in the blink of an eye.
The residents who had placed their hopes on the princes joining the fight now faced despair, betrayed by those hopes. After all, this was a pirate crew said to possess the strongest forces in the world. And their officers were, as expected, formidable foes.
But one warrior remained. The strongest in this countryânone other than the Sea God, Neptune.
âStop this at once!!â
â! So thatâs the king of this land⌠the Grand Knight Neptune.â
âYes, thatâs correct, Lord Jack⌠Heâs quite strong and fairly troublesome⌠and Iâm currently tied up with this prince, so I canât deal with him myself. Iâd appreciate it if you could handle him, Lord Jack⌠Ah, so tough. These princes are seriously tough!â
âYou spew such blatant lies so easily⌠But fine. If I beat him down, maybe Princess Shirahoshi will come out willinglyâŚ!!â
â! You bastards⌠Why are you after Shirahoshi!? Sheâs just a girl with a big body!! Sheâs not a warrior or anything!!â
âShut it⌠Iâve got no obligation to explain anything to youâŚ!! Weâve only got one demandâŚ!! Hand over Princess Shirahoshi!!! If you donât⌠weâll destroy this country until you do!!!â
âGhhâŚ!! This is madnessâŚ!!!â
Neptuneâs spine trembled as he stared into Jackâs monstrous eyes below. This man was insaneâthere was no other word for it. A monster with a bounty over a billion. Neptune knew he couldnât winâhe could sense it with terrifying clarity.
But even so, he couldnât back down. Shirahoshi was his daughter. The last memento of his late wife. There was no way he could hand her over to pirates⌠If he did, something terrible would happen.
That they were specifically demanding Shirahoshi led Neptune to believe that the Beasts Pirates understood her true worth. After all, they were the ones who declared they would destroy the worldâand had actually reshaped it to what it was now. It wasnât hard to imagine what theyâd do with Shirahoshi.
That was why Neptune steeled himself to fight to the death. Unless he defeated them, neither escape nor preparation was possible. No matter the path they chose afterward, surviving this battle came first⌠Nothing could begin otherwise.
âŚBut.
â!!!â
âGhhâŚ!!â
âââFather!!!â
Jackâs powerful strike with his snout easily crushed Neptune.
âNo⌠wayâŚ!!?â
âOne of the Neptune Armyâs big threeâŚ!â
âEven Lord Neptune canât hold his ownâŚ!!?â
And now, the residents truly despaired. Their strongest on Fish-Man Island, Sea God Neptune, had been completely overpowered alongside the princes. Their overwhelming strength left no room for resistance. Their cruelty, their lack of hesitation in inflicting painâutterly merciless.
Jack shifted from his beast form back to human form and raised his blade over the fallen Neptune, aiming to stab down. Everyone turned pale at the sight.
âGyahahaha!! Did you see that!? Our boss!! Lord Jack has a bounty of 1.3 billion berries!! Sea God or top three or whateverâdonât get cocky!!! If you wanna live, just hand over what we asked for!!!â
âTch⌠Loudmouth lackey, but⌠heâs right. Refuse, and you dieâŚ!!â
âUgh⌠Such regretâŚ!! I never imagined theyâd be this strongâŚ!!â
With his blade hovering above Neptuneâs body, Jack was saying he could kill him at any time. The worst imaginable scenario flashed through the minds of the residents and soldiers.
âFather!!â
âââIâll ask againâŚ!! Hand over Princess Shirahoshi!!! If you donât, Iâll start by gouging out the kingâs eyes⌠and slicing off his earsâŚ!!!â
Jack aimed the tip of his blade at Neptuneâs right eye. A small movement, and the eye would be pierced.
At this point, the soldiers and princes couldnât fight back. Their fighting spirit dwindled in an instant as they worried for Neptuneâs life.
âDonât worry about meâŚ!! Fight to protect ShirahoshiâŚ!!!â
âFatherâŚ!!!â
âFine, that works too. If she doesnât come out, weâll just kill everyone one by oneâŚ!!!â
âWhoa⌠as expected of Lord Jack. You say such scary things⌠Hey, Lord Neptune. Youâd best hand over Princess Shirahoshi, you know? Otherwise, Lord Jack will smash everything to piecesâŚâ
âGhh⌠SonoâŚ!! Why are you siding with these brutes!!? The princes and Shirahoshi all adored youâŚ!! Even Otohime treated you wellâŚ!! And you, too, cared for Otohimeââ
ââŚHaaah⌠You really donât get it, do youâŚ? Blinded by noble ideals, and completely clueless about the people belowâŚâ
â!!? What are you sayingâŚ!!?â
Hearing and seeing Sonoâs deep, weary sigh and listless voice, Neptune questioned her in disbelief.
Heâd always found it strange. Eleven years ago, one day out of the blue, Sono resigned as the Neptune Armyâs martial arts instructor and head of the royal guardâand vanished from Fish-Man Island.
The next time she appeared was on a wanted poster, unchanged, but now an officer of the Beasts Pirates.
Neptune and the royal family, who had once trusted her, had long wondered what had driven her to become a pirate. They always held onto a faint hope that perhaps she had no choice.
But now⌠Sono spoke as though it were nothing. As if there was no longer any point in hiding the truth.
ââŚItâs nothing, really⌠I just got fed up. With all that idealistic nonsense about harmony with humans, or revenge for human discrimination⌠I got tired of all of it.â
â!! You call that⌠nonsenseâŚ!!?â
âYeah. It became too much of a hassle. Thinking about that stuff wears you down mentally⌠Sure, at first, I wanted to do what I could with my own strength. But the more I looked at the world, the more I saw that fish-men and merfolk arenât all that strong. Iâm not that strong either. Fish-Man Island and the people living there are always in a precarious position⌠never knowing when everything might collapse. Rather than live every day tormented by that fear⌠I figured itâd be easier and more stable to serve someone overwhelmingly strongerâŚâ
Sono said that because she had once stood closest to Queen Otohime and seen the world from Fish-Man Island, she reached a certain conclusion.
That fish-men and merfolk were weak in many ways, and it was no surprise that they were scorned or oppressed at any time.
Yet despite that, they kept standing out and making moves, jeopardizing their status again and again.
Living in such a vulnerable stateâalways at risk of being killed or mistreatedâwas mentally unbearable, she said.
ââŚAt first I even considered serving under the World Government. But I couldnât risk being enslaved by the Celestial Dragons⌠Then I thought about joining the Marines after leaving the island, but the risk was still there. And thereâs never been a mermaid marine before⌠So in the end, I figured the only path was to become a pirate. And not just any pirateâone from an overwhelmingly strong crewâŚ!!â
âGwah!!?â
âRyuboshi!!â
Ryuboshi, who had rushed at Sono with his sword, was thrown to the ground.
The moment she twisted him was imperceptible. It happened so fast, the only explanation was that she had thrown him with her expert fish-man jujutsuâtrue to her title as a master.
And with that technique, she turned her fangs on her own kin.
âThey say âgo with the flow,â right? If Iâm going to serve a dragon⌠Iâd rather serve the stronger dragon.â
Thatâs why she said her current position was idealâand she was lucky. After leaving Fish-Man Island and settling in the New World, she researched various pirate crews.
Sheâd hoped to join a Yonko crewâbut meeting one was a matter of luck. So she waited and waited, even while slipping into decay⌠And within a year, she encountered the top candidate. It was almost too lucky.
âAnd thatâs why Iâm with the Beasts Pirates nowâŚâŚ Aah, Iâm tired of talking. Iâve neutralized Prince Ryuboshi, so Iâll handle the rest as I see fit⌠As for you, Lord Neptune⌠Iâll just say this: I recommend handing over Princess Shirahoshi soon. If this drags on, things will get uglyâŚâ
âGhhâŚ!! Sono⌠YouâŚ!!â
Neptune watched her speak with bitternessâyet deep down, he couldnât deny the long-standing hardships of fish-men and merfolk.
If they had been treated the same as humans⌠or if they had outnumbered humans⌠or if theyâd been powerful enough to flip the societal structureâperhaps there wouldâve been no discrimination at all.
What-ifs meant nothing now. As king, Neptune had to protect his people from this disaster.
His former subordinate had betrayed them. Fish-Man Island now faced annihilationânot just from pirates, but from those who didnât even see them as people.
And perhaps that fate was sealedânot when he was defeated, but the moment they were targeted by the Beasts Pirates.
If so⌠then all he could do now was save as many lives as possible. Neptune readied himself to die, having made his decision.
âââEveryone, run!! Get away from here right now!!!â
"!!"
âN-Neptune-samaâŚ!!â
âFatherâŚ!!â
âHah?â
King Neptune raised his voice so all his citizens could hearâas both a king, and a father.
Even as the Beasts Pirates watched in confusion, his cry rang out.
âThese fiends wonât stop until they have Shirahoshi!!! Theyâll kill thousands, tens of thousands if they must!!! Thatâs why⌠even if itâs only one more person⌠I want you to escape, to live!!!â
âAah?âGYAHAHA!! What the hellâs this king babbling about!? Just hand over Princess Shirahoshi already, and thisâll all be overâŚ!!â
âââShirahoshi isnât here.â
â!?â
Neptuneâs blunt declaration drew shock from the Beasts Piratesâ fighters.
Lying on the ground, blood dripping from his lips, Neptune looked up at Jack towering over him and declared:
âIâm a pitiful excuse for a king⌠I couldnât protect my people⌠from you monsters⌠from this cruel worldâŚ!! But if I hand over Shirahoshi⌠youâll only take more lives⌠If I hand her over, I might save some⌠But even soâI couldnât bring myself to make that choice!!!â
âYou bastardâŚâ
âIf we fall, I told Shirahoshi to slip away in secret⌠She wonât be yours. I had hoped⌠that perhaps we could defeat you. But if thatâs not possible⌠thenââ
â!â
Neptune stood again, seizing his spear and swinging it at Jack.
It was easily blockedâbut even so, Neptune bared his resolve.
Not as a king⌠but as a warrior.
âTo protect my people, to land a single blow on you bastards⌠Iâll fight until my last breath!!!â
ââŚâŚ!!â
âCitizens!!! Flee!! Run now!!! Get to the sea and youâll have a chance!! Weâll buy you the time!!!â
ââŚâŚLooks like you really have a death wishâŚ!!!â
Veins bulged on Jackâs forehead.
This foolish merman dared to think he could protect his people, even get Shirahoshi to escape⌠and worse, he dared think he could stop them?
He needed to kill this king, the prince, the soldiersâthen hunt down Shirahoshi. Orders were absolute.
Jack moved to executeâyet the royal family werenât the only ones who dared stand in their way.
âFishman Karate: Water Shot!!!â
â!!?â
âW-Whoa!!? Lord Jack!!â
ââŚâŚ!! Who did that!?â
âThat blow⌠Iâll take it from here as wellâŚ!!!â
â! T-That manâŚ!!â
Suddenly, a small burst of water struck Jack.
Just a splashâyet it packed enough force to draw blood, and even hurl his massive body across the ground.
The Beasts Pirates gasped. So did the citizens.
Because the one responsible was a fish-man known to all.
And behind himâpirates bearing the sun mark, weapons drawn, brimming with hostility toward the Beasts Pirates. Leading them was a fellow fish-man⌠and the first ever fish-man to join the Seven Warlords.
The successor to Fisher Tiger, hero of the fish-men, and current captain of the Sun Pirates:
ăFormer Warlord of the Sea â Captain of the Sun Pirates
"The First Son of the Sea" Jinbe
Bounty: 438 million Berriesă
âBeasts PiratesâŚ!! Youâll not have Shirahoshi or a single citizen!!!â
ââŚâŚ!! Itâs Jinbe, the former Warlord!!!â
âBoss JinbeâŚ!!â
âThe Sun Pirates came to helpâŚ!!â
âââThe First Son of the Sea,â Jinbe.
His arrival sparked a glimmer of hope in the people.
Yet Jinbe, glaring fiercely at Jack, held no illusions. No hope of easy victory.
This was the mightiest pirate crew in the world now. Jack, one of their top three "Disasters"âa true monster. Surviving his forces without casualties? Unthinkable. Even in a death match, the odds were grim.
And even if they did bring Jack down, the Beasts Pirates wouldnât stop. Theyâd regroup with stronger forces and come again. Stillâ
ââŚSo you want to die too?â
âA-Aye!!! If it means protecting my comrades, this life is cheap!!! If you want their livesâyouâll have to kill me first, Jack!!!â
â!!â
ââŚOh, great⌠Now thatâs another pain in the ass⌠Boss Jinbe and the Sun Pirates⌠This might take some timeâŚâ
SonĹ sighed at the sight of Jinbe and the Sun Pirates readying for battle without a trace of fear.
Between Neptuneâs forces and now the Sun Pirates, things were bound to drag. If they stalled too long, Shirahoshi would slip away.
Better to use a âdifficultâ card now than risk failure.
So SonĹ stepped back, pulling out a Den Den Mushi to call someone equally troublesome.
âââHello? You ready over there?â
ăSonĹ-san!! Um, no, weâre still in the middle of the performance⌠Itâs going to take at least another half dayâŚă
ââŚYouâve got to be kidding me.â
A sigh. Looks like they werenât quite ready for the finale.
While SonĹ handled his call, the situation on the battlefield continued to evolve.
Jack and Jinbe locked eyes. Neptune and the princes still showed no sign of surrender.
And among the citizensâsome had even taken up arms, ready to fight beside their soldiers.
âIf we back down now, we lose our homeâŚ!!â
âGet the women and children out!! Donât let the king and Boss Jinbeâs will be in vain!!!â
âIf itâs just grunts, we can manageâŚ!!â
âKing Neptune!! Boss Jinbe!! Let us fight too!!!â
âYou allâŚ!!â
â...You realize what this means, donât you?â
To Jinbeâs sober question, some citizens nodded.
It needed no explanationâthey were prepared to die for their families. For their children.
And if thatâs how far they were willing to go, any further warning would be insulting.
Jinbe accepted their resolve, turned back toward Jack.
ââŚâŚ!! You have my gratitude!!! All of youâsteel yourselves!!! We fight to the death to hold them off!!!â
âOooooooooooooh!!!â
ââŚOrders, Lord Jack?â
âFools⌠Kill them all!!! Capture the ones that try to run!!! Weâll use their lives as bait to draw out Shirahoshi!!!â
âAs you command, Lord Jackď˝ď˝ď˝ď˝ď˝!!!â
âGYAHAHA!! Suicidal idiots!!! Letâs teach them real painâreal fear!!!â
âAttack!!!â
âOooooooooooooooohhhhhhh!!!â
Jinbe and King Neptuneâleading the Sun Pirates and Neptuneâs army. The adults of Fishman Island standing with them.
Against them stood Jack, SonĹ, Hotei, and Sheepshead. Ten thousand fighters of the Beasts Pirates clashed with the defenders.
A battle to decide the fate of Fishman Island had begunâand elsewhere, others watched with different feelings in their hearts.
ââŚSo the fightingâs started⌠Captain Hody. What should we do?â
âJahahahahaâŚ!! I hate the humans, but this is a perfect opportunity⌠If that man wipes out Neptuneâs army and the Sun Pirates, then our goal is as good as completeâŚ!!!â
âYou think itâll work?â
âOf course it willâŚ!! That man is the strongest fish-man aliveâŚ!!! No, the strongest in the worldâŚ!!! If we side with him⌠weâll rule Fishman Island once itâs over!!! And after that⌠Jahahahaha!!!â
A certain pirate crew, led by a shark fish-man, burst into cruel laughter. Meanwhileâ
âCaptain!! Princess ShirahoshiâŚ!!â
âCalm down, you idiots!! Judging from the direction sheâs headedâShirahoshi hasnât made it far from Ryugu Palace yet!!! But itâs only a matter of time before she escapes!! In that case⌠we cut her off during the chaos and sheâs ours!!! Bahohhohoho!!! Iâll be the one laughing in the end!!!â
There were still those who hadnât given up on the legendary mermaid princess, ready to seize her amid the confusion.
And thenâ
âMadam!! You must evacuate nowâŚ!!â
âOh noâŚ!!â
âEh?â
ââFishman Islandâs greatest fortune teller. Noâthe worldâs greatest seer. Her predictions had crossed into prophecy.
And now, the mermaid woman trembled, clutching her head as she stared at the vision in her crystal ball.
âFishman Island⌠cannot be savedâŚ!!! This island⌠will be destroyed by a monster!!!â
What she saw in the swirling waters was a vision of utter ruinâof Fishman Islandâs annihilation.
The battle was expected to go on⌠endlessly.
âHah⌠Hah⌠You monsterâŚ!!â
âTheyâre Animal-type Zoan usersâŚ!! Tough bastards⌠But even theyâll run out of stamina eventuallyâŚ!! Just hold outâŚ!!â
âHand over Princess ShirahoshiâŚâŚ!!!â
The battle on Fish-Man Island dragged on, claiming many lives.
With the water-rich environment of Fish-Man Island, the combined efforts of Jinbe, the Sun Pirates, and the volunteer soldiers had managed to hold the enemy off for more than half a day.
But in this world⌠battles never truly end.
All living beings in this world are doomed to tremble before endless violence and fear.
âRunâŚ!! To the seaâŚ!!â
âGet to where even their ships canât followâŚ!!â
ââŚ! LookâŚ!! Somethingâs sinkingâŚ!!â
ââŚ? What is thatâŚ? Some kind of humanoid⌠coffin or somethingâŚ?â
âDoes it matter!? Just run already!!â
ââŚâŚâŚâŚâ
Even with the bay and the gates seized, the fish-men and mermaids managed to slip past the bubbles and flee.
And from that bay⌠a chain extendedâdeep into the sea.
âHey⌠itâs almost been 24 hours, hasnât it?â
âEven so⌠damn, sheâs tough⌠Spent a whole day underwater and didnât dieâŚâ
âTo actually do this to herself, even if itâs just for show⌠sheâs insaneâŚâ
âHey, idiot!! What if she hears you!? Donât underestimate her Observation Haki!!â
âEnough chatter!! The pre-stream is over!! Weâre pulling it up!! Haul it uuuup!!!â
âYoooo!!!â
The pirate ship anchored in the bay was the flagship of the worldâs strongest pirate crew, the one currently assaulting the kingdom.
That flagship had submerged a single torture device into the depths⌠and now, after time had passed, they were raising it back up.
Everyone watched that moment.
â!!!â
â!? What was that sound!?â
ââŚ!! No way⌠that soundâŚ!!â
âIt's ooooverâŚ!!â
In the plaza of Fish-Man Islandâthe heart of the battlefieldâit appeared.
The torture device.
Suspended by an unidentified flying object in the sky, gently rising with music playing alongside it, the iron maiden appearedâmeant to impale and torment those locked inside.
ââPuhah!! Cough⌠ahhh~⌠that was suffocating~~âŚâĄ Quite the torture session, that one⌠Iâd give it⌠hmm, an 80 out of 100.â
â!!?â
Water spilled from the device, and from within emerged a single girl, her cheerful voice stunning everyone into silence.
Even the hardened soldiers of the Beasts Pirates broke out in sweat. The grotesque performance filled them with dread.
Their time was up.
And that girlâwas the one who had been tortured.
âBut this isnât nearly enough⌠It still lacks true fearâŚ!!!â
To speak of her is to recount her life of tormentâdefeated eight times as a pirate, captured by the Navy or enemy ships a total of twenty-five times. Torture upon torture, she lived the life of a criminal.
And right nowâshe was streaming. A rare broadcast from ten thousand meters beneath the seaâFish-Man Islandâher 24-hour Torture Endurance LivestreamâŚ!!
Let us repeat: aloneâor sometimes with one otherâshe challenged the Navy and even the Four Emperors. Caught twenty-five times. Endured over two thousand torture sessions. Sixty death sentences.
Sheâs been hanged without choking, guillotined and lived, impaled and endured, poisoned and survivedâshe withstood every torture imaginable. In the end, she sank eighteen prison shipsâŚ!!
In other wordsâ
âNow then⌠I think itâs time we kick off the livestream where I capture Princess Shirahoshi and bring ruin to Fish-Man Islandâletâs give them a taste of our terrorâŚ!!!â
No one could kill herâŚ!!!
âAnd she herself was no exceptionâŚ!!!
Her hobby is torture. Her name isâ
âHope you all enjoyed the pre-stream that really showed off just how mysterious I am~?â
ââŚ!!!â
âThe Phantom Beast âNueâ
âIf thereâs anyone who could take on Kaido one-on-one and win, itâs probably Nue,â people say.
By land, sea, and skyâof all the creatures living under heavenâshe is the most enigmatic⌠a pirate known as the âmost terrifying lifeformâ!!!
ăBeasts Pirates Vice Governor âPhantom Beast Nueâ â Bounty: 4,480,100,000 Berriesă
âBut the real show starts nowâŚâŚ!!! Let it begin!!! Let us drench this glorious world of conflict in fear⌠with the greatest showtime of all!!!â
âTo truly seize the world, she had begun to move.
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