Chapter 695: SFDI - 695
Drake and Neptune soon arrived at Fish-Man District, greeted by vast expanses of ruins.
Drake glanced at Neptune, relieved to see his expression wasn’t overly grim.
Thinking about it, Fish-Man District was a festering sore for Ryugu Kingdom.
For the criminals who occupied this place, if Ryugu Kingdom’s military strength had been sufficient and they hadn’t been concerned about causing widespread unrest, Neptune would likely have taken action to clear it out long ago.
Drake examined the fallen Fish-Men closely, his expression shifting slightly.
Each of these Fish-Men bore the tattoo of the New Fish-Man Pirates. Drake then remembered that besides being Vander Decken’s stronghold, it was also the main base of the New Fish-Man Pirates.
However, the New Fish-Man Pirates were simply too disreputable. Drake hadn’t considered them a destabilizing factor worth worrying about.
Given these Fish-Men’s hostility towards humans, it was unlikely they would stand by and do nothing while Fairy Tail entered Fish-Man District.
Drake also knew the nature of his companions; how could they tolerate the temper tantrums of those Fish-Men? Conflict was inevitable.
The two quickened their pace and soon found Fairy Tail emerging from the giant ship Noah.
Drake’s first sight was naturally this enormous yet dilapidated ship.
Noah, named after the figure in a famous myth who built an ark to preserve the seeds of life after God’s great flood.
In the pirate world, Noah is the name of a colossal ship.
Eight hundred years ago, Joy Boy made a promise with the Mermaid Princess of that era to use Noah to transport the residents of Fish-Man Island to the sunlight, fulfilling the dream of all Fish-Men.
This ship became a symbol of their promise, earning the name "Ark of the Covenant."
Unfortunately, during the great war that occurred in the Void Century, Joy Boy lost to the precursor to the World Government—the United Kingdom Alliance.
All that remained was Joy Boy’s Poneglyph of apology and this ark, unable to fulfill its promise.
However, one truly wonders what kind of world it was eight hundred years ago to be able to construct such a massive ship.
Noah is as large as half of Fish-Man Island, appearing like a grand castle. Even modern vessels called sea fortresses or mobile fortresses, like aircraft carriers, would seem like infants facing an adult in comparison to this wooden sailing ship.
The backbone of the Straw Hat Pirates’ Thousand Sunny is made from the Adam Tree, but that was merely a branch. It’s likely this ship was primarily constructed from the trunk of the Adam Tree; only such a legendary material could be used to build a ship of this magnitude.
Neptune, unlike Drake, was solely concerned with whether Vander Decken had been dealt with.
Natsu and the others also saw Drake and walked over, saying, "What’s this, Drake? You said the target was on this ship, but we didn’t find them at all!"
Drake rubbed his chin, pondering. Vander Decken IX was a Devil Fruit user and couldn’t move freely in the deep sea.
Therefore, he must still be within the vicinity of Fish-Man Island.
Since Fairy Tail had already leveled Fish-Man District, it meant Vander Decken had few places left to go.
However, Drake was more curious about what had happened to make Vander Decken, who usually stayed on Noah, leave for somewhere else.
Rather than racking his brain, Drake chose a more efficient method.
He walked over to a fallen Fish-Man lying nearby and kicked him over.
Placing a foot on his chest, Drake unceremoniously slapped the Fish-Man’s face several times.
The Fish-Man’s unfocused eyes refocused. First, there was confusion, then, feeling the sharp pain on his face, he revealed a ferocious expression.
"Damn human, how dare you...!"
Drake increased the pressure on his foot, causing the Fish-Man to cry out in pain, naturally unable to continue his threats.
Drake said coldly, "I don’t have time for your nonsense. Tell me where Vander Decken went, word for word."
The Fish-Man looked defiant and shouted, "How dare you oppose us, the New Fish-Man Pirates! Don’t think we’ll let this go!"
Drake slapped him again. The Fish-Man’s head snapped to the side, and two teeth flew out of his mouth.
"I said I don’t want to hear nonsense. If you don’t tell me what I want to know, I can’t guarantee I’ll have the patience to listen to you anymore!"
As Drake spoke, Natsu and the others also stepped behind Drake, hands on their hips, glaring at him menacingly.
The Fish-Man remembered how he had passed out earlier. These humans were like monsters; they had defeated the troops guarding the base in just a few minutes.
Swallowing hard, Hody Jones’s long-term indoctrination filled him with hatred and discrimination towards humans. Despite witnessing Fairy Tail’s immense power, his mouth remained defiant.
A grotesque grin stretched across his lips, and the Fish-Man said, "Your triumph won’t last long. Our New Fish-Man Pirates have allied with the Flying Pirates. Captain Hody Jones and that Vander Decken are going together to obtain a powerful weapon.
Once they get that weapon, Fish-Man Island will be ours, and then we will bring punishment upon humanity. The world will finally belong to us Fish-Men!"
Drake’s expression turned strange. This Fish-Man indeed had a backbone, showing no signs of surrender. However, he had spilled all the information.
Drake kicked the Fish-Man unconscious and turned to look in the direction of Ryugu Castle.
The alliance between Vander Decken and Hody Jones didn’t surprise Drake. Both were cut from the same cloth, and with their territories so close, it was only natural they would conspire together.
In the original story, weren’t they also colluding, each with their own ulterior motives, in an attempt to overthrow Ryugu Kingdom?
However, there was one crucial piece of information in what the Fish-Man said: Vander Decken and Hody Jones were acting together to obtain a certain weapon.
Furthermore, according to this Fish-Man, that weapon possessed immense power, capable of overturning the current situation between humans and Fish-Men.
Fish-Man Island did indeed possess such a weapon: Poseidon, one of the three Ancient Weapons, currently embodied by the Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi.
However, in Drake’s memory, when Hody Jones assassinated Queen Otohime, Shirahoshi unconsciously activated her power, causing Sea Kings to attack Fish-Man Island. Hody Jones had witnessed that scene.
Unlike Vander Decken IX, who sought to claim Poseidon’s power for himself, Hody Jones harbored deep fear of Poseidon’s power.
Therefore, Hody Jones was determined to kill Shirahoshi to eliminate this threat. How could he possibly team up with Vander Decken to seize Shirahoshi?
Indeed, relying on one’s knowledge of the original story is unreliable.
Neptune clearly understood what Hody Jones and Vander Decken were up to, his face turning pale.
"Drake...!"
Drake raised his hand and said, "No need for further words. We will complete the job!"
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