The heavy iron doors of the Hard-Shell Tower had been blown completely off their hinges.

Inside the pitch-black room, Monkey D. Luffy stood directly in front of Princess Shirahoshi. His fists were coated in the dark, metallic sheen of Armament Haki. He didn’t flinch as the torrential shower of deadly weapons—axes, swords, and spiked maces—poured through the opening like a lethal rainstorm.

CLANG! SMASH! CRACK! 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Luffy’s hands blurred. He didn’t stretch; he just punched the incoming weapons out of the air with raw physical speed and precision. Battleaxes shattered into pieces. Iron spears bent in half and clattered harmlessly against the stone floor.

Shirahoshi cowered behind him, her hands covering her face, trembling violently.

The barrage of weapons stopped for a brief second. Then, a new sound echoed from the dark water outside. It wasn’t the whistling of steel. It was the frantic, terrified screaming of human voices.

"WAAAAAAAAAH!"

THUD! CRASH!

Several grown men, dressed as pirates, came flying through the open doorway. They smashed into the walls and rolled across the floor of the princess’s bedroom, groaning in pain.

Luffy lowered his fists, tilting his head in confusion. "Why are you guys flying through the air?"

He looked at the broken weapons, and then at the groaning pirates. The realization clicked in his mind.

"Ah," Luffy muttered, punching his palm. "It’s that Vander Decken guy. He’s throwing people now! That means he’s throwing them right at you."

He turned to Shirahoshi, who was peeking through her fingers.

"We’re leaving," Luffy decided firmly. "If we stay here, he’s just gonna keep throwing stuff at your room. We’re going to that Sea Forest place you wanted to see."

"But... but I can’t go outside!" Shirahoshi stammered, fresh tears welling in her large blue eyes. "The axes..."

"I’ll block the axes," Luffy said. He looked around the room and spotted Megalo, the large shark wearing the striped t-shirt, shivering in the corner. "Hey! Megalo! Come here!"

The shark swam over nervously.

Luffy pointed at the shark’s massive jaws. "Open up. Shirahoshi, get inside the shark’s mouth. If you’re inside, Decken’s thrown stuff will hit the shark, and I’ll be riding the shark, so I’ll hit the stuff before it hits the shark. Make sense?"

Shirahoshi blinked. It made absolutely no sense, but the confidence in Luffy’s voice left no room for argument. "Inside Megalo?"

"Chomp chomp!" Megalo nodded, opening his massive jaws wide to accommodate the giant mermaid princess.

Ryugu Palace - The Banquet Hall

A few corridors away, the atmosphere in the grand banquet hall was entirely different. Ben had just revealed the long-lost promise of Joy Boy, completely shifting King Neptune’s perspective on the Straw Hat Pirates. The tension had vanished, and the royal guards had lowered their weapons.

But the peace was abruptly shattered.

BOOM! CRASH!

The heavy, concussive sounds of destruction echoed down the palace halls, vibrating the coral pillars of the banquet room.

King Neptune’s head snapped up. "What in the name of the sea was that?!"

"It came from the west wing!" the Minister of the Left panicked, gripping his head. "The Hard-Shell Tower!"

Neptune gripped his golden trident, his face paling. "Shirahoshi! Guards! Go to the tower immediately and see what has caused this commotion!"

The royal guards scrambled, forming ranks to march.

Sanji, who had been sitting near the food, stood up instantly. He lit a cigarette, his visible eye narrowing. "A lady might be in danger. I cannot simply sit here and eat."

Brook stood up next to him, adjusting his top hat and gripping his cane sword. "Yohohoho! It seems our meal will have to wait. I shall accompany you, Sanji-san. It is only polite to assist our hosts."

Sanji looked at Neptune. "We’ll go with your guards, King. We move faster."

(These two perverts just wanted to see the princess.)

Neptune looked at the two pirates. He hesitated for a second, then nodded firmly. "I allow it. Please, hurry."

(And he just gave them his permission.)

"I am coming as well!" the Minister of the Right demanded, gripping his seahorse-shaped staff. "I must ensure the Princess is unharmed!"

Sanji, Brook, and the Minister of the Right dashed out of the banquet hall, sprinting down the grand corridors of Ryugu Palace toward the Hard-Shell Tower.

They moved quickly, Sanji and Brook far outpacing the guards. As they rounded the final corner leading to the tower, they saw the heavy iron doors completely blown off their hinges.

Lying in the hallway, groaning and clutching their bruised limbs, were several rough-looking human pirates.

"Intruders?!" the Minister of the Right gasped, gripping his staff. "Human pirates? How did they get past the outer defenses? They were thrown directly into the tower walls!"

The Minister looked at the broken doors and the scattered weapons. "This is a surprise attack! They bypassed the gates entirely!"

"Stay back," Sanji warned, his leg igniting with a small spark. "Let’s see what’s inside first."

Before Sanji or Brook could step through the broken doorway, a massive shadow filled the hall.

CRASH!

Megalo the shark burst out of the Hard-Shell Tower, swimming furiously through the air-bubble corridors of the palace. The shark’s cheeks were bulging comically, forced wide open, but no one could see what was inside.

Sitting cross-legged on the very top of the shark’s head, holding on like he was riding a bucking bronco, was Monkey D. Luffy.

"MUSH, MEGALO! TO THE SEA FOREST!" Luffy cheered, completely oblivious to his crewmates standing in the hallway.

"Luffy?!" Sanji yelled, waving his arms. "Where are you going?! What are you riding?!"

"Yohohoho! Captain!" Brook called out.

Luffy didn’t look back. He just laughed as Megalo tore down the corridor, smashing through a glass window and swimming rapidly out of the palace bounds, heading straight for the open water.

"He didn’t even hear us," Sanji sighed, exhaling smoke. "That idiot is always running off."

"Never mind the shark!" the Minister of the Right panicked, running past them and into the dark bedroom. "Princess Shirahoshi! Are you safe?!"

Sanji and Brook followed the Minister inside. The room was a mess. Food was scattered, weapons were embedded in the walls, and the massive, king-sized bed was empty.

"Princess?!" the Minister shouted, checking behind the curtains.

Shirahoshi was nowhere to be found.

The Minister dropped his staff, falling to his knees. The color completely drained from his face. "She’s gone. The Princess is gone! This is a national crisis! The royal bloodline has been kidnapped!"

"Kidnapped?" Sanji frowned. "Luffy was just in here. He wouldn’t let anyone kidnap a princess."

Before Sanji could analyze the situation further, one of the human pirates lying on the floor pushed himself up. He drew a jagged cutlass, his eyes wide and desperate.

"Don’t move!" the pirate screamed, lunging directly at Brook. "Where is it?! Tell me where the switch is!"

Brook didn’t even flinch. He casually raised his cane sword. He didn’t draw the blade fully; he simply struck the pirate in the chest with the blunt hilt. The pirate gasped, the wind knocked out of him, and collapsed back to the floor.

"My, my. How rude," Brook noted, adjusting his collar. "What switch are you referring to, good sir?"

The pirate groaned, coughing up saliva. "The switch... the connection corridor! The one that links Ryugu Palace directly to Fish-Man Island! We have to find it! We have to open the gates, or we’ll be killed!"

Sanji stepped forward, looking down at the desperate pirate. "Who ordered you to open the gates?"

"Hody Jones!" the pirate wheezed in terror. "The New Fish-Man Pirates! They’re coming to overthrow the King!"

Flashback - A Few Hours Earlier - The Noah District

The dark, damp cavern in the Fish-Man District smelled of stagnant water and rust. Hody Jones sat lazily on his makeshift throne of weapons, chewing on a handful of Energy Steroids.

Vander Decken IX stood before him, tossing a small dagger from hand to hand.

"We have an alliance," Decken grinned, his four legs shifting as he stood. "You want Neptune’s head, and I want the Princess. A perfect partnership."

Before Hody could respond, heavy footsteps echoed from the cavern entrance.

"Stop this madness, Hody!"

Hatchan, the six-armed octopus fish-man, marched into the dim light. He looked at Hody, then glared at Decken and the drunken, eight-swordsman octopus merman, Hyouzou, who sat nearby drinking sake.

"Hyouzou! Decken!" Hatchan objected, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "Why are you two going along with this plan?! You refused to answer Arlong’s call when he formed his crew in the East Blue! You turned your backs on the Sun Pirates’ ideals!"

Hyouzou took a slow, lazy sip from his bottle. He burped. "Arlong was too cheap. He couldn’t afford my fee. I don’t care about fish-man supremacy or your petty grudges. I only care about money, Hatchan. Hody pays well."

Decken scoffed, catching his dagger. "Arlong tried to make me his underling. I am a Captain! Vander Decken bows to no one! But this alliance benefits my goals."

Hody crushed a steroid pill in his teeth, looking down at Hatchan with absolute disdain. "Arlong was a pioneer, Hatchan. I respected him. But he was too barbaric. He relied on brute force and small-scale intimidation in a weak sea. He failed because his methods were flawed."

Hody stood up, his massive, great-white shark physique casting a long shadow. "The New Fish-Man Pirates have learned from his mistakes. We have prepared. We have numbers. We have the steroids. We will not fail."

Hatchan shook his head. "You are bringing ruin to this island. And you are underestimating the surface. I heard the Straw Hat Pirates are on the island. Luffy is here."

Hody’s eyes narrowed. "The human who defeated Arlong."

"Luffy saved my life," Hatchan stated firmly, stepping forward. "He is my friend. If you attack the palace, you will have to go through him. And you cannot beat him, Hody. He is a monster."

Hody stared at Hatchan. The silence in the cavern was heavy. Hody’s expression shifted from anger to disappointment.

"A friend to humans," Hody spat, his voice laced with venom. "You have lost your pride, Hatchan. I have lost all hope in you. You are a disgrace to our race."

Decken stepped past Hody, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "If he is a disgrace, then he is just target practice."

Decken casually reached out and patted Hatchan on the shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Hatchan asked, stepping back.

"Just locking on," Decken laughed.

Decken turned his back to Hatchan. He raised his left hand and casually tossed his small dagger over his own shoulder, not even looking at his target.

The dagger didn’t fall. It curved mid-air, defying gravity and physics, and shot directly toward Hatchan.

SHNK.

The blade buried itself deep into Hatchan’s back.

"GAH!" Hatchan cried out, falling to his knees as blood stained his shirt.

"My Mato Mato no Mi," Decken explained, turning back around. "As long as you remain my target, anything I throw with this hand will find you. It will never miss. It will chase you to the ends of the earth."

Decken walked over to a nearby pile of weapons. He picked up a handful of sharp, iron-tipped arrows from a quiver.

Hatchan realized what was happening. He grabbed his bleeding back and looked up at Hody. "Hody! Tell him to stop! We grew up together!"

Hody didn’t move. He looked down at Hatchan with cold, dead eyes. "You are too weak to survive the new era, Hatchan. Decken, do as you please."

Hatchan scrambled to his feet. He didn’t try to fight. He turned and ran as fast as his legs could carry him, sprinting out of the cavern and diving desperately into the dark, open ocean waters surrounding the district.

Decken laughed, raising the arrows. He threw them casually into the air.

The arrows curved, diving straight into the water, perfectly tracking Hatchan’s scent and magnetic signature. Muffled, distant cries of pain echoed from the water as the arrows found their mark.

"I can only keep two targets in my memory at a time," Decken explained to Hody, looking at his hands. "My left hand is for garbage like him. But my right hand... I have never washed my right hand. It is reserved solely for my beloved Shirahoshi, whom I touched ten years ago."

Hody nodded, unconcerned with Decken’s obsession. He turned to a group of captive, terrified human pirates huddled in the corner of the cavern.

"Listen to me, humans," Hody ordered, his voice echoing with authority. "You will be our infiltration unit. Decken will he will throw you. You will fly directly into the Hard-Shell Tower."

"T-Throw us?!" a pirate captain stammered. "We’ll be crushed against the walls!"

"If you do not comply," Hody stepped forward, his massive jaws opening to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth, "I will throw you into the ocean tied to rocks. Once you hit the tower, you will find the switch for the connection corridor. Open the gates for my army. Do it, or die."

Decken moved down the line, tapping each terrified pirate on the shoulder. One by one, he picked them up and hurled them into the sky, sending them flying like human cannonballs toward Ryugu Palace.

Present Time - Ryugu Palace

Brook and Sanji did not waste time. They left the injured human pirate on the floor of the Hard-Shell Tower and sprinted back down the corridors, the Minister of the Right struggling to keep up with their pace.

They burst through the heavy doors of the grand banquet hall.

King Neptune looked up from his conversation with Ben, sensing the urgency. "Minister! What is the matter? Where is Shirahoshi?"

"Your Majesty!" the Minister of the Right gasped, leaning on his staff to catch his breath. "The Hard-Shell Tower has been breached! The Princess is gone!"

Neptune froze. The golden trident in his hand slipped slightly. "Gone? Did Decken take her?!"

"It wasn’t just Decken," Sanji said quickly, stepping forward. "There were human pirates in the tower. They were thrown there. They said someone called Hody Jones and the New Fish-Man Pirates are planning a surprise attack. They are looking for the switch to open the connection corridor right now."

"Hody Jones..." Neptune whispered, his face darkening with a mixture of anger and dread. "He plans to invade the palace."

Usopp, standing near the banquet table, grabbed his head in sheer panic. "An invasion?! We just got here! Why is there always an invasion?! What do we do, Ben?!"

Before Ben could answer, a sharp, repetitive beeping sound echoed from his pocket.

Bloop-bloop. Bloop-bloop.

Ben pulled out his Kimoyo Bead bracelet. The holographic interface blinked rapidly.

Ben tapped the bead. "Speak."

"B-Ben... is that you?" The voice on the other end was weak, raspy, and accompanied by the sound of heavy, labored breathing.

Nami recognized the voice instantly. "Hatchan?!"

"Nami... you’re there too..." Hatchan coughed over the line. "Listen to me... you have to get out of the palace. Hody Jones... he allied with Vander Decken. They are coming to overthrow King Neptune. They hate humans... they will kill you all."

"We already know," Ben said evenly. "They threw pirates into the tower to find the gate switch. Where are you, Hatchan? You sound injured."

"Decken... he targeted me," Hatchan wheezed. "He threw arrows. I tried to swim away, but they followed me. I’m bleeding pretty bad. I managed to drag myself to a small coral reef... on the eastern edge of the Sea Forest."

"Are you safe right now?" Ben asked, his tactical mind already processing the coordinates.

"For now," Hatchan replied weakly. "But I can’t move. I just... wanted to warn you guys. Luffy saved me... I owed him."

"Hold your position, Hatchan, we are coming to get you."

Ben cut the transmission. He didn’t wait for King Neptune to give orders.

Ben turned to Chopper. The reindeer’s face was already set in serious determination.

"Chopper," Ben said. "Hatchan has multiple puncture wounds and significant blood loss. You are leading the medical extraction."

"Understood!" Chopper saluted, slipping into his role as Chief Medical Officer.

Ben looked at the two Giants, Dory and Brogy, who are standing near the table. "Dory. Brogy. Decken’s ability allows him to throw objects across the entire island. If he realizes Hatchan is still alive, he might throw more weapons. I want you to go with Chopper."

"Gebababa! A rescue mission!" Dory laughed, hefting his Uru-metal sword. "We shall be the shield!"

"Let them throw their toys," Brogy grinned. "They will break against the strength of Elbaf!"

Ben reached into his spatial dimension. He pulled out three small, metallic silver discs and tossed them to Chopper, Dory, and Brogy.

"Tap the discs against your chests," Ben instructed.

Chopper caught his chest-plate and pressed the glowing blue Arc Reactor in the center. Dory and Brogy did the same.

The devices activated instantly. Liquid nanotech poured outward from the reactors, rapidly cascading over their bodies. In seconds, the metal solidified, forming sleek, heavily weaponized Iron Man-style armors. Chopper’s armor was blue and pink, complete with a tiny helmet and repulsor nodes on his hooves. Dory and Brogy were encased in massive, Hulkbuster-sized armors styled with Viking horns, thick Vibranium plating, and heavy flight thrusters on their backs.

Ben turned to Merry and Sunny, who were standing by ready for orders.

"Sunny, Merry. Escort the extraction team to the Hatchan coordinates," Ben commanded. "Keep the comms open."

"Aye aye, Papa!" Merry saluted, her own iron suit snapping shut over her dress.

"We’ll bring him back safe!" Sunny added, his armor deploying with a metallic clack.

"Liftoff," Ben ordered.

The boot thrusters of Chopper, Dory, Brogy, and the androids ignited with brilliant blue fire. They shot straight up, flying rapidly out of the palace windows and streaking across the sky toward the Sea Forest.

Ben watched as they flew out of the banquet hall, moving with purpose.

---

A/N: Check out my new fanfic Manchester United Revival