Chapter 23: Gyoncorde Plaza—The Execution
At Gyoncorde Plaza, the sky above Fishman Island's central square churned with activity. New Fish-Man Pirates officers and subordinates gathered in force, their numbers darkening the water. At their center, atop a massive sea beast giraffe, Hody Jones escorted the bound King Neptune.
Among the pirates gathered on the sea beast's back, hushed whispers circulated.
"Captain Hody... what's wrong with him?"
"I heard a Straw Hat swordsman slashed him earlier."
"Look at that wound—it's still bleeding!"
"And not just that—after he announced the execution, I saw him TREMBLING."
"Did you notice? The brothers who followed him into Ryugu Palace... none of them came back."
"I think Captain Hody's shaking like he saw something TERRIFYING..."
Before the whispers could spread further, Hody lurched upright, his eyes wild.
"Where are the Energy Steroids?! GIVE THEM TO ME!"
" C-Captain Hody!" The murloc holding the box trembled as he approached. "The steroids—here!"
Hody's hand closed around the box. In his mind's eye, that crimson skeletal giant still loomed—those eyes, those flames. He needed POWER. He needed to BURN that image away.
He shoved a handful into his mouth.
Then another.
Then another.
"CAPTAIN! That's too many!"
"So many steroids—will he even survive?! The side effects—"
Hody didn't hear them. He grabbed three more handfuls, swallowing until the box was nearly empty.
Then the pain hit.
He collapsed onto the giraffe's back, roaring in agony, clutching his chest.
Neptune watched, horrified despite his bonds. "Energy Steroids... they consume the user's LIFE! They grant temporary power, but when the effect ends—the consequences are catastrophic!"
Even as he spoke, Hody's hair visibly bleached white. But his body... his body SWELLED. Muscles bulged to grotesque proportions. Spikes erupted from his joints. His frame doubled, then nearly tripled in size.
When Hody rose again, he was a monster.
" C-Captain Hody..." The murlocs shrank back.
Even the sea beasts trembled.
Hody flexed a swollen arm—and water squeezed from his pores. He flicked his hand, and a droplet that should have been a bullet became a CANNONBALL, cratering the plaza below.
The murloc pirates stared. Then—cheers erupted.
"CAPTAIN HODY! CAPTAIN HODY! CAPTAIN HODY!"
Hody's fanged mouth stretched into a terrible smile.
"Now... even if those Straw Hats come, they'll die here."
The residents of Fishman Island had gathered at Gyoncorde Plaza, only to find the great gates locked. They climbed the surrounding rocks, and what they saw froze their blood.
King Neptune, bound to an execution scaffold.
Hody Jones, monstrous and transformed, ascending a throne built for a tyrant.
"KING NEPTUNE!"
"How DARE they—"
The Sharkstar triplets burst through the gates, having forced them open.
"FATHER!" Sharkstar's roar echoed across the plaza. "HODY! You dare commit such an ATROCITY?!"
Hody laughed—a wet, horrible sound. "Atrocity? You royal fools are the TRUE atrocities!"
His voice rose to a fanatical pitch. "You wanted to COEXIST with those filthy, despicable, disgusting creatures—HUMANS?! DREAM ON!"
"TODAY, I'LL KILL YOU ALL—EVERY FISH-MAN WHO BEFRIENDS HUMANS—ALL OF THEM!"
Sharkstar charged. "DON'T GET COCKY!"
But Daruma, Dosun, and the other officers blocked his path. The triplets fought fiercely—and for a moment, hope flickered in the watching crowd.
Then, in an instant, the tide turned. The officers, empowered by steroids, overwhelmed the princes.
Bound and defeated, the Sharkstar triplets joined their father on the execution scaffold.
"Pathetic." Hody's laughter echoed.
But the worst was yet to come.
Sea beasts descended, dragging a massive net. Within it—Shirahoshi and Jinbe, both bound in chains.
"PRINCESS SHIRAHOSHI?!"
"JINBE?!"
"IT'S OVER! FISHMAN ISLAND'S HOPE IS GONE!"
Neptune and the princes stared in horror. "Shirahoshi! Sister!"
"Father... brothers..." Shirahoshi's tears fell like rain as she saw their wounds.
"GYAHAHAHA! GYAHAHAHAHA!"
Hody rose from his throne, triumph blazing in his crimson eyes. "I IMAGINED you'd come, Jinbe. But like THIS? Exceeding my expectations!"
Jinbe glared up at him through gritted teeth. "Hody... what are you planning?!"
"Watch and learn, Jinbe."
Hody raised his hand, gathering moisture from the air into a massive water bullet. He hurled it at Neptune.
BOOM!
The impact exploded against the king's body. A bloody crater opened in his abdomen.
"FATHER!"
Sharkstar's scream was cut short as water bullets rained down—BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—tearing into all four bound royals.
Shirahoshi collapsed, sobbing.
Jinbe stared, horrified.
Hody turned to face the crowd, arms spread wide.
"First—let me announce something to you all!"
"The TRUE murderer of Queen Otohime?"
"IT WAS ME!"
The words struck like thunder.
Every fish-man in the plaza froze. Jinbe's eyes went wide with shock.
"GYAHAHAHA! GYAHAHAHAHA!"
Hody's laughter rang across Gyoncorde Plaza, drowning out the sounds of a kingdom's hope dying.
(End of Chapter 163)
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
Where you can read Extra Advance Chaters
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 300 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕