Chapters · Fish-Man Island › Fish-Man Island

Chapter 627: Thank You

Arc: Fish-Man Island · Saga: Fish-Man Island · Released: 2011

Summary

Still inside Jinbei’s flashback, the chapter shows the assassination of Queen Otohime. An assassin’s bullet kills the queen; the grief-maddened crowd shoots the assassin dead, and word spreads that the killer “was a human” — crushing the fish-men’s hard-won will to live in harmony with the surface. A young fish-man in the crowd, called out by name as “Hody!!”, screams in rage — the formative wound behind the present-day villain. King King Neptune locks himself in Shell Tower of Ryugu Castle, unable to master his fury; the Minister of the Left reasons him out of vengeance, warning that killing only feeds the cycle of murder and that the assassin’s convenient death means “no one will ever know what started this chain of vengeance.” Meanwhile a pirate named Vander Decken IX floods the six-year-old Princess Shirahoshi with love letters that keep finding her no matter where she hides; the King orders his capture. At Otohime’s funeral in the Forest of the Sea, the three princes Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi and Manboshi — with the King and Princess — rally the citizens to heal, keep gathering signatures, and realize their mother’s dream of one day seeing “the real sun.” That was ten years ago. Back in the present, Jinbei takes full responsibility for Arlong’s atrocities as Arlong’s sworn elder brother and begs Nami’s pardon; Nami, saying she met great people because of her suffering, refuses his apology — and Jinbei weeps “Thank you.” Luffy wakes from having slept through the whole tale. Jinbei then reports the crisis: Hody Jones and the New Fish-Man Pirates have stormed Ryugu Castle, taken the King and soldiers hostage, and captured Brook, Zoro, Usopp and Pappag. Hody — the embodiment of pure, reasonless fish-man hatred who will kill even fish-men friendly to humans — intends to stop King Neptune from announcing at this year’s Reverie that Fish-Man Island wishes to emigrate to the surface. As Jinbei speaks, a giant video Den Den Mushi in the Forest of the Sea activates: Hody Jones is broadcasting to the whole island.

New reveals

• Otohime was assassinated by a gunshot (pp. 2–4). The crowd identifies and kills the assassin — “I got the assassin!! BANG BANG” — and the dread word passes through the people: “Queen Otohime was killed by… a human!!”
• The truth was buried with the assassin. A soldier shot the culprit, who had a gun; the Minister of the Left laments that “now no one will ever know what started this chain of vengeance” (p. 6). The death of the human killer crushes the fish-men’s “will to live in harmony with humans” (p. 5).
• King Neptune locked himself in Shell Tower, unable to control his rage and demanding to know “why am I not allowed to kill the one who murdered my wife?!” (pp. 6–7). The Minister of the Left admits he “had no right to help Otohime” so he “just stood by and watched over her.”
• Vander Decken IX’s love letters keep reaching Shirahoshi. The fifth letter finds the six-year-old princess wherever she goes — “I’ve fallen in love with you… now marry me. Vander Decken” — and the King orders the pirate captured (p. 8). Vander Decken is “the latest in a long line of pirates by that name.”
• Otohime’s funeral was held in the Forest of the Sea (pp. 9–11). The three princes Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi and Manboshi, the King and the Princess called the citizens to keep collecting signatures and “dream of the sun” — to one day “see the real sun” for “your hearts and minds to become as one.”
• Reverie cadence stated on-page: “The next Reverie is in two years… but there will be another in six years, and in ten” (p. 10).
• Timeline: the assassination was “ten years ago”; the island’s battle against prejudice has spanned “the last sixteen years” (p. 12).
• Jinbei’s confession resolves emotionally: responsibility for Arlong’s reign of terror “rests entirely with me as his sworn older brother” — Jinbei made sure word of Arlong never reached Navy HQ, but Arlong bribed local officers (pp. 12–13). Nami forgives him; Jinbei weeps “THANK YOU!!” (pp. 14–15), the chapter title.
• The present-day crisis (pp. 17–19): Hody and the New Fish-Men Pirates took Ryugu Castle, holding King Neptune, his soldiers, Brook, Zoro, Usopp and Pappag hostage. Hody “hates humans even more than Arlong does… the embodiment of the pure accumulated hatred of all fish-men,” and “will kill any fish-man who’s friendly with humans.”
• This is a Reverie year, and King Neptune intends to announce that “the people of Fish-Man Island want to emigrate” to the surface — the very thing Hody means to prevent (p. 18).
• Hody broadcasts island-wide via a giant video Den Den Mushi in the Forest of the Sea: “I am… the Captain of the New Fish-Men Pirates” (p. 19).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Jinbei (narrator, present), Otohime (assassinated, flashback), King Neptune, Shirahoshi (age 6, flashback; present), Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, Manboshi, Minister of the Left, Vander Decken IX (mentioned/letter), Hody Jones (flashback youth + present broadcast), Nami, Sanji, Franky, Luffy, Tony Tony Chopper (“Chopperchin”), Brook, Zoro, Usopp, Pappag (captured), Arlong (mentioned), Fisher Tiger (mentioned, “that Tiger guy”)
• Crews: New Fish-Man Pirates, Neptune Army, Sun Pirates (mentioned), Arlong Pirates (mentioned), Straw Hat Pirates
• Locations: Fish-Man Island, Ryugu Castle (Shell Tower / Ryugu Castle), Fish-Man District (mentioned), Forest of the Sea, Baratie (cover)
• Peoples: Fish-Men
• World-building: Reverie, Den Den Mushi (giant video transponder snail)

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page + cover story “Decks of the World, Vol. 13: Baratie — Joint Teppanyaki Ship Nasugashira”: a Baratie cook serves dishes aboard the new teppanyaki ship Nasugashira.
• Pages 2–4 — The assassination panic: “BANG!! BANG!!”, “DOOM!!”, and the spreading horror “Queen Otohime was killed by… a human!!” Young mermaid faces in tears.
• Pages 6–7 — King Neptune raging in Shell Tower vs. the Minister of the Left’s cycle-of-murder philosophy.
• Page 8 — The love-letter reveal: Vander Decken’s note finding the six-year-old Shirahoshi.
• Pages 9–11 — Otohime’s funeral portrait in the Forest of the Sea; Fukaboshi’s address; “Let us dream of the sun.” Strong negative-space crowd composition.
• Page 15 — Jinbei’s tearful “THANK YOU!!” — the title drop.
• Page 17 — Diagram of the hostage situation: “Hody and Crew” vs. “Neptune and Soldiers, Brook, Zolo, Usopp, Pappag.”
• Page 19 — Hody Jones’s island-wide broadcast through the giant video Den Den Mushi (“DOOM!!”).

Open questions raised

• Who really orchestrated Queen Otohime’s assassination, and was the human “soldier” assassin acting alone or framed?
• What power lets Vander Decken’s letters always reach Shirahoshi, and what does he intend now that she is grown?
• Can King Neptune still announce Fish-Man Island’s emigration at this year’s Reverie with the castle taken and four Straw Hats captured?
• What is Hody Jones about to declare to the whole island, and how does his plan exploit the citizens’ inherited hatred?