"D-Damn it... To think, with just one hit..."

Hody Jones lay cratered in the deck, coughing up massive amounts of blood. His expression was one of pure disbelief; he never imagined the man before him could shatter the air with a single blow, sending shockwaves that severely ruptured his internal organs.

"A piece of trash who can’t even withstand a single strike from me has the gall to dream of becoming King of the Pirates? You really are a fool who doesn’t know the vastness of the world. Yawn—" Aeridar let out a long, theatrical yawn, looking utterly bored.

In truth, Hody Jones’s natural strength was pathetic. He had previously relied solely on his Fish-Man racial advantages and half-baked Fish-Man Karate to capture low-level human pirates.

Even his current power was entirely artificial, a hollow strength brought about by the Energy Steroids (E.S.) overdrawing his life potential. If they were in the middle of the ocean, he might have been able to posture, but on land, even someone like Gin could defeat him, let alone Aeridar himself.

Pop~ Pop~

Two soft sounds echoed as Aeridar looked back to see Jinbe leading Luffy onto the Noah.

"Is the battle already over...?"

Jinbe took one look at the heavily damaged deck and the broken Hody Jones lying in the center of the wreckage.

"Eh? What’s that?"

Luffy pointed toward a nearby wooden structure, the makeshift crate Aeridar had constructed. It was shaking slightly, and muffled shouts of "Let me out!" drifted from within.

"That voice... it must be Vander Decken!" Jinbe said gravely. "As expected of Aeridar-dono, you truly have grown even more powerful."

"Spare me the flattery, Jinbe. You two really are useless. You couldn’t even take down a runt like Hody Jones? And you, Straw Hat, your Conqueror’s Haki is a waste on a body like yours," Aeridar sneered, his lips curling into a mocking smile directed at the two.

"Sorry, it was a momentary lapse in judgment!"

Jinbe offered no further excuses. With his level of strength, letting Hody Jones slip away was indeed an oversight.

"I hate your tone! Stop acting like you’re so much better than us!" Luffy glared at Aeridar, snapping back without hesitation.

"Haven’t had enough of a lesson yet, Straw Hat? Don’t think your trump cards can match me; Rayleigh-san isn’t here to save you this time," Aeridar narrowed his eyes at Luffy, his voice turning predatory. "Your father, Dragon, and I have quite the history. If it weren’t for Jinbe and Garp, I would have captured you long ago!"

"Hmph! If you think you can, then try it!"

Luffy stared back fearlessly, a faint, heavy pressure radiating from him, the aura of Conqueror’s Haki.

Hummm—

The air trembled as two immense presences locked onto one another in the immediate area.

Crunch— Crunch—

Suddenly, the sound of frantic chewing broke the tension.

Aeridar whipped his head around. Hody Jones had grabbed a massive handful of red-and-black capsules and was shoving them into his mouth like a madman, several pills spilling from the sides of his palms.

"Is he insane? If he eats that many Energy Steroids, his body will collapse and he’ll die!" Jinbe cried out in horror.

"Mmph..."

Luffy blinked, stunned. With his keen instincts, he felt a sudden, rising sense of dread emanating from the Fish-Man.

"Haaaarrrrgh—!"

Hody Jones let out a beastly roar. The overwhelming medicinal energy integrated into his system instantly, providing a feedback loop of terrifying power that massively reinforced his muscles and frame.

"Hehehehe... Jahahaha—!"

A horrific laugh echoed across the Noah. Hody’s eyes were bloodshot and bulging, fixed deathly on the three men before him.

"Damn it... I forgot," Aeridar muttered, recalling the plot. This guy always carried the E.S. on him; he should have just killed him outright.

Boom!

Hody slammed a hand onto the deck as he stood up. The impact sent a shudder through the wood, causing fresh cracks to spiderweb outward.

"Fish-Man Island is destined to vanish. I won’t let you get in my way!" Hody scanned Aeridar, Jinbe, and Luffy with animalistic ferocity.

Zip—

In the next heartbeat, Hody vanished.

"So fast!" Luffy and Jinbe were taken aback.

"This speed..." Aeridar whispered. He suddenly pivoted his waist and swung a lightning-fast roundhouse kick behind him.

CRACK—

A shockwave of wind exploded. A figure was sent hurtling through the air, leaving a trail of blood droplets in his wake.

BOOM!

In an instant, the figure crossed over a hundred meters and smashed into the wall of a structure on the deck, the impact gouging a massive hole in the side of the building.

"I’LL KILL YOU!"

Not a second later, broken planks were hurled out of the hole. Hody Jones, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth, charged back out with such savage momentum that he left afterimages.

"What a pain. High-Frequency Vibration Black Blade!"

Aeridar’s brow furrowed. He raised his arm, and a glossy jet-black coating immediately covered it. His hand, held flat like a blade, shimmered with a lethal edge.

Pop~

A ripple appeared in the air. Aeridar was gone.

Squelch—

A severed arm spun into the air, spraying a fountain of crimson.

"AAAAAAGH!"

Mid-charge, Hody Jones let out a blood-curdling scream, stumbling and crashing face-first into the deck with enough force to crack the wood.

"For a piece of trash to make me use this much effort... you can be proud of yourself," Aeridar said emotionlessly, walking toward Hody as he flicked the blood off his hand with a vibration.

Even if it was false power from drugs, the speed and strength Hody had shown in that final burst were enough to shock Jinbe and Luffy.

Jinbe rushed over, asking, "Aeridar-dono, can you not spare his life?"

"Spare him...?"

Aeridar looked at Hody’s hair, which had turned completely white from the strain. He felt a sudden lack of interest. "Whatever. He’s overdrawn so much life force he won’t be living much longer anyway."

Jinbe looked relieved. "Then, my sincerest thanks!"

"Bastard! I... I won’t submit!"

In his agony, Hody Jones heard their conversation. He forced himself up through the pain and threw a desperate punch at Aeridar.

"Impact Gun."

Aeridar didn’t even blink. He tucked his thumb behind his forefinger and flicked.

Pop~

A minute ripple appeared in the air.

THUD!

It was as if Hody had been hit by a large-caliber shell. A burst of blood erupted from his chest, and the sheer force of the impact sent him tumbling backward.

"Boring struggle."

Aeridar clicked his tongue, leaned down, and pulled a large handful of red-and-black Energy Steroids from Hody’s coat.

"He’s all yours. I’m taking these drugs back to study."