Chapter 139: Energy Pill

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Neptune, along with Fukaboshi and Ferguson, arrived at the gates of the Ryugu Palace to find Hody Jones leading an army of nearly 60,000 Fish-Men. 

Their sheer number was overwhelming, and standing before them created intense pressure. 

Every Fishman's face was filled with excitement as if they had been waiting for this day for a long time. 

Neptune let out a barely audible sigh and spoke in a deep voice, "Hody Jones, do you even realize what you're doing?"

Hody Jones crossed his arms and sneered, "I know what I'm doing. 

"We're avenging Fisher Tiger and paving the way for the Fish-Men. You, Neptune, have betrayed the Fish-Men and no longer deserve to be our king." 

"From today onward, only the Fish-Men will decide our fate! Hand over the Marine who killed our comrades!"

"If you don't, the fury of the Fish Men will be too much for you to handle!"

As his words fell, the 60,000 Fish-Men shouted in unison, "Hand over the Marine! Hand over the Marine!" 

Their voices crashed like waves, each chant louder than the last. Standing aboard the Eternal Day, Ferguson's face was grim. 

In this situation, only Vice Admiral Byakuya could resolve the crisis. His job now was to hold on until Byakuya returned. 

Seeing the Fish-Men so worked up, Neptune knew things were beyond saving. 

Nothing he said could stop them now. With pain in his voice, he muttered, "You're going to destroy Fish-Man Island…"

Hody Jones snarled, "The one destroying Fish-Man Island is you! After we deal with the Marines, you'll face the judgment of the Fish Men, too!"

Seeing Neptune's refusal to hand over Fergus, Hody Jones shouted, "You're not going to give us the Marine?" 

"Then attack! Capture them all and take them to the plaza to be executed in front of everyone!"

With that command, the already-excited Fish Men launched a fearless assault on the Royal Guards. 

Even though the Royal Guards were elite Mermen soldiers, far better equipped with weapons and armour than the Fish-Men, they were outnumbered nearly twenty to one. 

It was a one-sided battle. One by one, the Royal Guards fell at the hands of the Fish Men. Yet, even in death, they didn't retreat. 

Instead, they fought with all their strength, killing as many Fish-Men as possible before dying.

Fukaboshi, his eyes red and furious, swung his golden trident and cut down several Fishmen before charging straight at Hody Jones. 

If he could kill Hody Jones, the Fish-Men might lose their leader, and there might still be a chance to turn things around. 

But before he could get close, several officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates stepped forward to block his path.

Though Neptune was old and had not fought in many years, his enormous size and terrifying strength allowed him to knock away dozens of Fish-Men with each swing of his trident. 

However, Neptune didn't have the heart to kill them. From the start of the battle, hundreds of Fish-Men had been injured by him, but none had died. 

Yet the Fish-Men didn't see Neptune's mercy as kindness. Instead, they thought that attacking him wouldn't be fatal, at worst resulting in severe injury. 

So, they avoided fighting Fukaboshi and the Royal Guards, focusing their efforts on Neptune.

With the continuous attacks from the Fish-Men, Neptune's stamina began to deplete rapidly. 

His swings became slower, and his body was soon covered in countless wounds. 

Though none were deep or life-threatening, the sheer number made his appearance pitiful.

Seeing Neptune in this weakened state, Hody Jones smirked coldly. The time had come for him to act. 

If he could kill Neptune in front of all the Fish-Men, there would be no doubt about his ascension as their king. 

Since Hody Jones had once been a Royal Guard himself, his weapon of choice was also a trident. 

Moving with the speed of an arrow, he charged at Neptune, shouting, "Neptune, die by my hand!"

The sharp trident gleamed in the sunlight as it shot towards Neptune's neck. 

Neptune had just driven away a group of Fish-Men and was caught in a vulnerable moment, unable to muster the strength to defend himself.

"Father!" Fukaboshi, filled with rage and panic, forced back two high-ranking officers of the New Fish-Man Pirates with his golden trident. 

He prepared to rush to Neptune's aid but was intercepted by three more officers. 

One of them sneered, "Fukaboshi, just watch as your father dies at the hands of Hody!"

"King of Fish-Man Island should be Hody!" another shouted.

"You don't need to worry too much. You'll be joining your father soon enough," the third added with a grin.

Fukaboshi roared in fury, "Get out of my way!" He desperately tried to break free and rush to his father's side, but the three officers held him tightly in place, leaving him helpless.

Just as Hody Jones was about to land the killing blow on Neptune, a blinding light suddenly erupted from the Eternal Day in the distance. 

The light was so intense that it outshone the sun and bathed Fish-Man Island in radiance. 

Hody Jones' vision went completely white, and he shouted in shock, "What's going on?!"

A thunderous roar echoed across Fish-Man Island, a powerful sound piercing through the ocean's depths and reaching the surface, where Marco and his group heard it. 

Jinbe's face turned pale as he exclaimed, "Damn it, something's happened on Fish-Man Island! We're too late!"

Seeing Jinbe's despair, Marco tried to comfort him. "There's nothing we can do right now. Let's wait until we reach Fish-Man Island to see what's happened."

Ace added, "Yeah, let's wait until we get there. Maybe there's still hope."

Jinbe clenched his fists tightly, his voice full of determination. "If Fish-Man Island has been destroyed by a Marine Vice Admiral, I swear I'll kill him to avenge my people."

Ace, burning with righteous anger, replied, "Don't worry. If something like that has happened, I'll be right there with you to take down that vile Marine."

Marco remained silent but increased his speed. 

Meanwhile, Byakuya and his group rushed back to the Ryugu Palace, hearing the deafening roar and seeing the intense light. 

Shirahoshi, filled with worry, looked in the direction of the palace, her eyes brimming with tears. 

"Do you think Father and my brothers are okay?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Ain and Tashigi exchanged glances, then hesitantly asked Byakuya, "Byakuya-senpai, could this be...?"

Byakuya nodded, "Yes, this is the effect of the main cannon from the Nikko, the only one it has."

Byakuya had previously suggested that Franky modify the ship's energy source, moving away from cola power. 

Instead, Franky switched to electricity, thermal energy, and solar power. 

The main cannon could fire its corresponding ammunition if it had enough energy. 

From the looks of things, Ferguson had poured all his strength into that shot, leading to such a massive result. 

This also meant that the situation at the palace was critical; otherwise, Fergus wouldn't have risked losing all his combat strength for one shot. 

They had to get back quickly. The blinding light gradually faded at the palace gates until it disappeared entirely. 

Everyone finally regained their sight, but they couldn't believe what they saw when they opened their eyes. 

Rubbing their eyes in disbelief, the scene before them remained unchanged. 

The tall buildings that had once stood proudly at the palace gates were gone, replaced by a massive, blackened crater nearly a kilometre wide.

Inside the pit lay countless charred Fishman corpses strewn about in disarray. 

The air was thick with the sickening smell of burnt flesh—meat cooked until it was scorched. 

Fergus's shot had obliterated over 7,000 Fishmen. 

The reason for such devastation was the sheer number of Fishmen, who had been standing too closely packed together, making them an easy target.

This terrifying scene left all the Fishmen afraid as they stared in disbelief at the Dawn in the distance. 

They never imagined that a single ship could cause them such devastating losses. If that ship fired again, they wouldn't stand a chance. 

Some Fishmen even began to think about retreating. 

That single shot shattered the morale of the once menacing Fishman army, and many now wanted nothing more than to stay as far away from Nikko as possible, fearing they might become the next target.

On the deck of the Nikko, Fergus leaned weakly against the railing, his face pale and his body drained. 

His trembling right hand slowly wiped the sweat from his brow. 

Gazing down at the demoralized Fishmen below, he smiled faintly and said in a weak voice, 

"Finally... that shot should teach them a lesson. Hopefully, they won't attack again, at least until Vice Admiral Byakuya returns."

Seeing that Shark had broken free of the encirclement and was now protecting Neptune, Hody Jones realized he had missed the best opportunity to strike. 

Now, looking at his Fishman army, all staring in fear at the ship in the distance, he knew things had not gone as planned. 

But there was no turning back now. He couldn't give up halfway. Someone needed to set an example to reignite their morale.

Waving his trident, Hody commanded, "All members of the New Fishman Pirates, take the energy pills! We must defeat Neptune in the shortest time possible!"

Unlike the other manipulated Fishmen, the members of the New Fishman Pirates were Hody's most loyal followers. 

They could be considered fanatics. They believed that only Hody could lead the Fishman race to true greatness. 

They withdrew small blue pills from their pockets and swallowed them without hesitation. 

These pills, known as energy pills, were Hody's secret weapon for conquering Fishman Island.

The pills granted users several times their usual strength in a short time, making them immune to pain and fearless in battle. 

However, such power came at a great cost. The pills rapidly burned through the user's life force. 

Those who took the pills quickly had their hair turn grey, and their skin lost its lustre, becoming saggy and old. 

But the effect was undeniable. The heavily armed Ryugu Palace guards were no match for them.

Even Shark, who had previously been able to fend off five high-ranking officers at once, was now struggling against just two of the pill-enhanced Fishmen, accumulating wounds all over his body.

Hody, however, did not take the pills himself. He viewed himself as the future king of the Fishmen, destined to lead them onto the surface world. 

If he shortened his lifespan by taking the pills, all his efforts over the years would be in vain, benefiting others instead. 

Nevertheless, he wasn't idle. He led six pill-enhanced officers toward the Dawn.

The Fishmen had been terrified of that ship. Destroying it would restore their morale. 

Such an important task had to be led by Hody himself. Fergus noticed Hody and his men charging toward the ship and sighed in resignation. 

He hadn't expected Hody to be so determined. Knowing the Dawn likely had no more shots left, Hody was still willing to risk everything. 

Fergus admitted that Hody had guts but had no strength left to fight. If Hody reached him, Ferguson would be completely at his mercy.

"Sigh... I've failed Vice Admiral Byakuya," Ferguson thought to himself. 

During his time under Byakuya's command, Ferguson realized that although Byakuya wasn't a good person, he was undoubtedly a competent Marine. 

That's why Fergus had been willing to continue serving under him. It seems that things might come to an end here. 

Over two hundred Marines on the ship stood in front of Fergus, continuously firing at Hody Jones and his crew. 

However, the bullets were like toys to the Fish Men who had taken the energy-boosting drug. 

With just a casual swat, they could deflect them, and even if the bullets hit their bodies, they couldn't pierce through the outermost layer of skin, rendering them useless. 

As Hody Jones boarded the deck, Ferguson silently thought, "My Marine career is about to end."

But before Fergus could reflect further, two powerful sword slashes descended from the sky, knocking Hody Jones off the deck. 

"Is that…?" Fergus and the Marines around him were relieved and joyful at their narrow escape. 

"Fergus, you owe us one for this," said two elegant figures wielding long swords who appeared before him—it was Ain and Tashigi, returning just in time. 

Ferguson sighed in relief, saying, "Fine, I owe you. The more, the better. I can't pay it back anyway."

Since they were back, Vice Admiral Byakuya had also returned, which meant there was no longer any need to worry about the situation. 

Sure enough, Ferguson looked up and spotted Byakuya in the air. 

Right beside him was Shirahoshi, her eyes red from crying as she looked at her injured father, Neptune, and her brother, Shark. 

Behind them were the second and third princes of the Ryugu Kingdom, along with two thousand royal guards. 

Seeing their father and brother surrounded by the Fish-Men, the second and third princes silently charged into the battle, leading their guards.

"Why did you come back?" Neptune asked urgently. 

"We happened to run into Shirahoshi and Vice Admiral Byakuya on the way, so we came back immediately," they replied. 

Neptune, still anxious, said, "That's foolish. You should have taken Shirahoshi and left Fish-Man Island." 

"Hody Jones has gone mad, and the Fish-Men under his control have lost their minds, too. Staying here is pointless—you'll just die." 

The third prince, pouting, said, "Father, don't worry. Vice Admiral Byakuya said he would handle everything." 

Neptune was stunned. Was Byakuya going to take action? That thought made Neptune even more anxious. 

Was Fish-Man Island truly doomed? Byakuya stood next to Shirahoshi, looking at the chaotic battlefield below. 

Calmly, he said, "If you had the strength to stop this war, your father, your brothers, and the guards who have always protected you wouldn't have to suffer." 

"Crying won't give you power." Hearing his words, Shirahoshi stopped crying and, still sobbing, said, "But I don't know how to do anything. I can't stop them."

"You can. There's a great power within you. Haven't you noticed it?" Byakuya continued. "Are you talking about…" 

Shirahoshi remembered that her crying had attracted many Sea Kings to gather around her when she was six. 

They didn't harm her and seemed to follow her commands, but this power had only manifested once and hadn't happened again in the past nine years. 

Byakuya said, "Focus and feel that power. Understand where it comes from. Once you fully grasp it, you can control it and use it to protect your family."

<End Chapter>

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