The cover page gives the chapter title, "I'll Protect Everything." The cover story reads, "From Shipdecks Around The World Vol. 23: The Kingdom of Alabasta - Preparing New Outfits for This Year's Reverie." In Alabasta, royal attendants and guards prepare formal clothing for the coming Reverie, showing that the world above the sea is also moving toward its next political gathering while the battle on Fishman Island continues.
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On Noah, Vander Decken IX is struck and screams, "Ngua hh!!!" The attack leaves him reeling as the fury between him and Hody Jones finally turns direct. Hody's name tears out across the page as "Hooooodyyyyy..." and Decken spits at him, "...you impudent brat!!!" Their alliance has collapsed into betrayal at the worst possible moment, with Noah still hanging over Fishman Island.
NoahVander Decken IXHody Jones
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Decken reveals the trick behind his move: "I just touched you... with my left hand!!!" Hody glares back and demands, "Now explain yourself, traitor!!!" But Hody has already decided who betrayed whom. He tells Decken, "It was you who betrayed me first, Decken." When Noah blotted out the sky above the island, Hody thought his own life might end; then he saw the use in Decken's plan. He admits, "Your idea of breaking the bubble around the island is a good one, I'll admit." The island will perish, but the Fishman District will remain. Hody's conclusion is cold: "If you die here and now, your ability's effect will vanish...!!"
Vander Decken IXHody JonesNoahFishman District
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Hody explains exactly what he wants from Decken's death. Once the target ability disappears, "This ship will once more plummet down towards the island... destroying everything on it!!" To Hody, even thousands of his own allies are disposable if the Straw Hats die with them. He says, "The most important thing right now... is to ensure the destruction of that troublesome Straw Hat crew!! Thousands of my allies will perish alongside them... but slaves can always be easily replaced!!!" Decken realizes the scale of it and asks, "You mean to kill them all?" Hody answers that he likes the sound of that, but Decken's death comes first.
Hody JonesVander Decken IXNoahStraw Hat Pirates
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Decken panics, crying, "You can't be serious... No!!!" Hody closes in and unleashes the fishman-style strike "Gyoku Rukuruku" against him. The blow sends Decken helplessly away, his scream swallowed by the violence of the impact. Hody is not merely removing a partner; he is deliberately releasing Noah from the power that had kept it aimed at Shirahoshi.
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Decken tumbles away from Noah while Hody laughs, "Jahaha hahaha..." He turns from the fallen traitor to his next target and says, "...now then, before this ship begins to fall... I had better dispose of Shirahoshi." For the moment Noah still follows Decken's ability, but Hody knows that once Decken dies, the great ship will drop toward Fishman Island. He moves to kill Shirahoshi before that final fall.
Vander Decken IXHody JonesNoahShirahoshiFishman Island
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The princes see the betrayal from below. They shout, "Hody took out Decken!! What is going on with those two?!" and then realize, "And now he's heading this way!!" Hody barrels toward them and snarls, "You're in the way!!!" Shirahoshi cries, "My brothers!!!" as Hody continues, "Hurry up and die!!!" Now that she is out of Shell Tower and in open water, he says, destroying her should be simple. Someone urges her, "Shirahoshi, run away as fast as you can!!!"
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Hody's speed in the deep sea turns the chase into terror. He boasts, "Even the speed of a mermaid, fastest creature under the sea... is nothing compared to me now!!!" Shirahoshi watches her brothers in danger and cries, "My brothers!!!" Luffy begins to move from inside the bubble, calling out, "Gomu Gomu no..." but Hody is already rushing through the water toward the princess and the princes.
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Fukaboshi cuts into Hody's path with "Snake Shot!!!" and Hody is knocked back with a cry of "Nguaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!" Shirahoshi and Luffy call out, "Fukaboshi-onisama!!!" and "Luffy-sama!!" Fukaboshi apologizes for arriving late, saying, "My apologies. I would have arrived earlier, but there were a few preparations to be made." Even after landing the hit, he judges his own weakened strength and says, "Mmm, that's not as strong as I'd like..."
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Hody turns his hatred on Luffy and the threat becomes personal. He says, "We're in the ocean depths, you inferior being!!!" and declares, "You have no chance against me!!!" Hody lists everything Luffy is trying to save: "Shirahoshi, Fishman Island, your crewmates... they're all doomed!!!" Then he drives the knife in: "You can't protect a single one of them!!!" Luffy answers without hesitation, "You're wrong. I'll protect them all!!!" He says that is exactly why he spent two years training: "That's what I've been preparing for, these past two years!!!"
Hody JonesMonkey D. LuffyShirahoshiFishman IslandStraw Hat Pirates
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Meanwhile, back in Gyoncord Plaza, the crowd watches the giant battle around Wadatsumi and Surume. Someone says the Kraken is dominating the field completely, and another points out that the two are both absurdly huge, but only one of them is really trying to fight. Wadatsumi sobs, "Cap'n Banduh Deeeeck'n abandoned meee!!" The pirates shout, "Keep on fighting, Umibouzu!!" and "Do something about that Kraken already!!" Zeo lies smoothly to him: "Listen to me, Oonyuudou!! You seem to be gravely mistaken! Were you not listening properly to what Decken said?!" Chopper realizes, "This is a complete lie, but..."
Gyoncord PlazaWadatsumiSurumeVander Decken IXZeoTony Tony Chopper
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Wadatsumi is desperate enough to believe Zeo and asks, "...P...I... Is dat really true?!" Zeo insists, "But of course it is!! Now come, Oonyuudou!! Swallow this!!" He gives Wadatsumi an Energy Steroid and orders him to annihilate the Straw Hat crew as their proud comrade. The crowd wonders, "An Energy Steroid pill!!! But will it really have any effect on his huge body...?" It does. Wadatsumi surges with power, apologizes to Decken for doubting him, and hammers Surume aside while the crowd cheers, "All right!! He beat the Kraken up good!!!" Then the giant asks, "Where's my enemies?!!"
WadatsumiZeoEnergy SteroidsStraw Hat PiratesVander Decken IXSurumeTony Tony ChopperNamiNico Robin
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Wadatsumi lunges into the Straw Hats' side of the plaza. Nami warns, "Jinbei-chan, watch out!!" Robin's expression stays calm as someone answers, "All right!!" Jinbe meets the mountain-sized enemy with fishman karate, calling "Nanasenmai-Gawara..." and driving the "7-Thousand Tile Spinning Kick" into Wadatsumi. The impact erupts as "Mawashigeri!!!" and Wadatsumi lets out a broken scream, "Kraaa aaaaaa aaaack!!"
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Jinbe's kick smashes into Wadatsumi so hard that even the onlookers are stunned. Wadatsumi howls, "Owwww wwww!!!" and then "Whaaa aaaaaa aaaa?!!" as the force throws him across the plaza. The crowd asks, "How can he counter an attack from such a gigantic enemy?!" and shouts, "Jinbe's scary!!!" But the shockwave catches Nami too. Sanji sees it and cries, "Nami-san got caught up in the shockwave!!" then snaps at Wadatsumi, "Get up, you!!!" while the giant groans, "Aaaa ghhhh hhh!!!"
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Wadatsumi staggers, confused and hurt, asking, "Who is it dis time?!! Dat hurts!!" The crowd realizes that Sanji's kick is hurting him too: "That guy's kick is hurting him too!!" and "How strong must his kicks be to hurt a creature the size of a mountain?!!" Sanji burns with anger on Nami's behalf and says, "If you give our beautiful navigator so much as a scratch... ...How do you plan on making up for it, huh?!!" The matchup is declared: "Oonyuudou Wadatsumi vs Sanji & Jinbe." Jinbe says, "Let us do battle, Oonyuudou!!" and Sanji adds, "Pay for your sins with your life, Jumbo Manju!!" Wadatsumi shouts back, "What are these guys?!!!"
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Elsewhere in the plaza, Hyouzou's rampage grows worse. People scream, "Stop!! Please, stop!!" and "Somebody help!!" while others plead, "Please, stop this!! We're on your side, remember?!" His strength is far beyond his usual drunken violence, and the pirates panic: "What's gotten into him today?!" and "This is way beyond his normal drunken attitude!!" Someone realizes, "He's tons more powerful than usual!!!" Hyouzou attacks with "Chidoriashi Hashi!!" and his many blades carve through even steel. The crowd cries, "Even steel can't stop his blades!!!" as victims scream, "Guaaa aaaah hhhh!!!"
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The crowd realizes Hyouzou's change may be the same as what happened to Hody. One person says, "Up 'til just now, he seemed to be writhing in pain, even though he hadn't been injured..." Another asks, "You don't think... it could be the same thing as what happened to Hody-san...?!" The answer comes quickly: Hyouzou had been scoffing down Energy Steroids like edamame with his drink. Now he is "a complete monster too!!!" Hyouzou grins through the rush, thinking, "The power... I can feel it flowing through me... I wanna slice people op..." As he advances, everyone is told, "Everybody run for it!!" and "There's no way to defend against him!!"
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Hyouzou's blades come down, but Zoro steps in and stops him cold. The crowd gasps, "He actually stopped it!!!" and someone can only stammer, "Who aa..." Robin calmly tells him, "Sorry, Robin. I'll take care of this guy." She answers with his name, "Zoro!" Hyouzou snarls and groans, "Uwiihhhh hhiiiiiiii!!!" The matchup is declared: "Zoro vs Hyouzou." Zoro looks unimpressed and says, "He ought to make a decent warm-up before I head out into the New World...!!"
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The SBS page answers reader questions. One asks whether the cute, freckled, droopy-eyed mermaid from Mermaid Cove is Ishilly, an ishidai or striped beakfish mermaid, and whether the other Mermaid Cafe dancers are based on fish too. Oda confirms Ishilly and introduces the top five Mermaid Cafe dancers: Ishilly, Kairen, Hiramera, Seira, and Mero, with their fish inspirations. Another reader asks why "sun" is written as taiyou phonetically in katakana. Oda explains that he often chooses kana when a character would not naturally understand or use kanji, and that for fishpeople living far below the surface, the sun is not a familiar everyday thing. That is why "The Sun Pirates" has an intentionally awkward written form that Oda likes.