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Chapter 617: Incident at Coral Hill

Arc: Fish-Man Island · Saga: Fish-Man Island · Released: 2011-02-21 (est.)

Summary

At the captured Ryugu Palace, Hody Jones torments the bound King King Neptune, who begs to be released so he can save his daughter from Vander Decken IX, who “went after Shirahoshi.” Nami recognizes Arlong’s mark on Hody and learns the truth: Hody was once a soldier in Neptune’s army, enlisting only to learn how to fight; he idolized Arlong since childhood and now leads the New Fish-Man Pirates to carry on Arlong’s legacy. An ally notes Hody is “still clean” — he hasn’t even taken his Energy Steroids yet — as Hody demonstrates a crushing Shark Grip, breaches the palace walls to flood it with the sea, and rains Shark Arrows on Neptune’s bound soldiers. Zoro intervenes (Single Sword Style: Bird Dance) but Hody uses his own man as a shield; the honorable Neptune soldiers refuse to harm their hostages and free them. Brook reports Nami has slipped away and that the rising seawater is sapping his strength; Usopp erupts a stinking Green Star: Rafflesia to rout the fish-men. As the water rises, Zoro squares off against Hody, who declares “Don’t interfere — this kingdom is mine.” Meanwhile, on Coral Hill’s coast, townsfolk and mermaids accuse the Straw Hats of kidnapping young mermaids; Hatchan lies wounded and Chopper tends him while Sanji comically incriminates himself. Luffy arrives carrying Camie’s shark Megalo, bloated like a pufferfish — because Princess Shirahoshi is hiding inside his mouth. The crowd scoffs that no one would dare touch “a giant mermaid and Neptune’s daughter,” just as Megalo involuntarily regurgitates her: Princess Shirahoshi is exposed in full public view, and the crowd panics that the pirates have “kidnapped the mermaid princess.”

New reveals

• Hody Jones is a former soldier of Neptune’s army (pp. 3-4). He joined “to learn how to fight, it’s as simple as that,” “only joined his army,” and “take[s] no pride in having served Neptune.” He has idolized Arlong since childhood — “I looked up to Arlong because he turned the tables on the humans” — and trained “to become Arlong’s right-hand man… when he began his conquest of the world from the East Blue.” He bears Arlong’s mark (p. 3, “That’s Arlong’s mark.” / “DOOM!!”).
• Hody hasn’t taken Energy Steroids yet (p. 6): “H-He hasn’t taken it yet, right?” / “No, he’s still clean.” His palace-siege power — “He’s way stronger than Arlong!!” (p. 9) — is therefore his un-augmented baseline.
• Fish-Man Karate water techniques: Shark Grip (pp. 5-6, “KREKK!!”) crushes; Shark Arrows (pp. 7-8) turn breached-in water droplets into projectiles that pierce Neptune’s bound soldiers.
• Hody breaches Ryugu Palace’s walls to flood it (pp. 6-7, “KROOM!!! / The walls gave way!! / The sea’s flooding the palace!!”).
• Hody uses his own soldier as a human shield against Zoro (p. 10, “He used his own man as a shield! That scoundrel!”).
• Princess Shirahoshi is “a giant mermaid and Neptune’s daughter” (p. 16) — confirmed and exposed to the public when Megalo (who had swallowed her to hide her, appearing as a bloated “pufferfish”) regurgitates her at Coral Hill (pp. 16-17).
• Vander Decken “went after Shirahoshi” (p. 2) — the threat driving Neptune’s desperation (Decken named/referenced, not shown).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• At Ryugu Palace: Hody Jones (New Fish-Man Pirates captain), King Neptune (captive king), Zoro, Usopp, Brook, Nami (slips away mid-chapter) — New Fish-Man Pirates vs Straw Hat Pirates.
• At Coral Hill’s coast: Luffy, Sanji, Chopper, the wounded Hatchan, and Megalo (carrying the hidden Shirahoshi).
• Revealed: Shirahoshi (Princess of Ryugu, giant mermaid).
• Referenced (not present): Vander Decken IX (“went after Shirahoshi”), Arlong (Hody’s idol; “That’s Arlong’s mark”), Jinbei (“Jimbei told us something suspicious was going on in the Fish-Man District”).
• Locations: Coral Hill, Ryugu Palace, Fish-Man Island, Fish-Man District (referenced).
• Lore: Fish-Men, Energy Steroids (referenced).

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Cover-serial title page: “Decks of the World, Vol. 5: Frost Moon Village — Reporting to Kuina” (B&W). A tall, bespectacled man in a dark haori (Koushirou, the Frost Moon / Shimotsuki-village dojo master) stands among cherry trees beside a building and what reads as a grave marker — i.e. reporting news to Kuina at her grave.
• Page 2 — Hody torments the bound King Neptune, who pleads “Let me go after Decken!! He’ll capture Shirahoshi!!! My precious Shirahoshi!!!” / Hody: “You’re pathetic, Neptune.”
• Page 3 — Nami recognizes Arlong’s mark on Hody (“That’s Arlong’s mark.” / “DOOM!!”); Hody: “I take no pride in having served Neptune!”
• Pages 5-6 — Shark Grip (“KREKK!!”); the “he’s still clean” / no-steroids-yet exchange.
• Pages 6-7 — Palace walls breached, sea floods in (“KROOM!!!”).
• Pages 7-8 — Shark Arrows — water droplets turned to arrows that strike Neptune’s bound soldiers.
• Page 9 — Hody mocks Neptune as “never fit to rule”; Zoro: “Single Sword Style… Bird Dance!!”
• Pages 11-12 — Usopp’s Green Star: Rafflesia erupts and stinks out the fish-men (“FYOOO! / EWW!! It stinks!!”).
• Page 13 — Hody rises from the flood to face Zoro: “Don’t interfere. This kingdom is mine.”
• Page 14 — Caption “The coast of Coral Hill”; mermaids/townsfolk accuse the pirates of kidnapping young mermaids; the wounded Hatchan.
• Pages 16-17 — Megalo regurgitates (“BLO-COGH!! … PL-OP!!”) and Princess Shirahoshi is exposed to the crowd; Sanji is warned not to turn around (his mermaid-nosebleed peril) — cliffhanger.

Open questions raised

• If Hody never personally suffered at human hands, where does his absolute hatred come from — and what does that say about the New Fish-Man Pirates’ cause?
• Why is Princess Shirahoshi a giant mermaid, when mermaids are otherwise human-scaled?
• What did Vander Decken do “after Shirahoshi,” and why is Neptune so terrified of him?
• Can Zoro hold Ryugu Palace against a Hody who hasn’t even used his Energy Steroids yet?
• Now that Shirahoshi is exposed at Coral Hill, how will the Straw Hats protect her — and survive Sanji’s nosebleed?