Chapters · Fish-Man Island › Fish-Man Island

Chapter 633: Friend or Foe

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

Summary

At Conchcorde Plaza, with the royal family held captive before the island-wide broadcast, Hody Jones reacts in disbelief that Princess Shirahoshi knew he killed her mother, Queen Otohime. Shirahoshi explains that her pet shark Megalo — once the Neptune Army’s mascot — witnessed the assassination and told her the truth; she has carried the secret alone in Shell Tower for years and yet never let herself hate Hody, keeping her dying mother’s last wish: “No matter who killed her, I wouldn’t hate them.” The watching island marvels at the impossible feat, but Hody jeers that her refusal to hate is exactly why her father, brothers and subjects will now die — “in this world, we call that stupidity” — and fires Shark Arrows into King Neptune and the three princes. Despairing, the citizens recall Madam Sharley’s prophecy that Straw Hat Luffy will bring ruin to Fish-Man Island, and in their panic invert it — begging him to come and “destroy everything right now” rather than let the king be executed. As Hody moves to behead Neptune, Shirahoshi screams for Luffy to save her father — and Megalo vomits the Straw Hats out of his mouth. Luffy, hidden inside the shark the whole time, bursts out and decks Hody. The crew’s coordinated plan unfolds: Nico Robin is given the keys and frees the royals’ shackles, the “document from the Celestial Dragon” is stolen back, Nami debuts “Mirage Cancel,” and the Thousand Sunny arrives — Franky firing the Gaon Cannon — while Megalo carries the freed royal family clear. Jinbei and the Straw Hats had it all scripted. The fish-men round on the assembled crew and demand an answer — “Friend or foe?!” — and Luffy replies: “You can decide that… for yourselves!!”

New reveals

• Megalo witnessed Otohime’s murder and named the killer to Shirahoshi. Megalo “used to be the Neptune Army’s mascot,” “saw everything that happened that day,” and “told me the truth” (p. 3). This confirms on-page that Hody Jones is the one who killed Queen Otohime — “…you knew I killed your mother, Shirahoshi?!” (p. 2).
• Shirahoshi knew, and chose not to hate. She kept it secret because revenge “would only have made Mother sad” (p. 3); her mother’s last promise was “No matter who killed her… I wouldn’t hate them!!” — “Don’t let hatred consume you. Whoever the culprit is…” (p. 4). She held it “all alone in Shell Tower” (p. 4).
• Hody weaponizes her forgiveness. “It’s your fault that your father, your brothers and all of your subjects are going to die!! Because you wouldn’t allow yourself to hate me, this kingdom is finished!! …in this world, we call that stupidity!!” (p. 5). He fires Shark Arrows at Neptune and the princes (pp. 6–7).
• The citizens invert Sharley’s prophecy. Desperate, they beg the very pirate prophesied to ruin the island to come now: “If you’re going to bring ruin to this island, do it right now!! Straw Hat Luffy!! …Destroy everything right now!!” (pp. 8–9). Hody dismisses it — “Sharley’s prophecy has to be wrong this time” (p. 9).
• The Straw Hats were inside Megalo the whole time. On Shirahoshi’s plea — “Please save my father!! Sir Luffy!!” (p. 10) — Megalo regurgitates the crew (“BLEGH!!!”) and Luffy bursts out, dropping in (VSH!!) to deck Hody (p. 11) and save King Neptune — the reveal lands pp. 12–14. “He was in there the whole time?! …He came out of the shark’s mouth!” (p. 14).
• It was a coordinated rescue plan. “Is this what you wanted, Jinbei? The document from the Celestial Dragon? I’ve already given Robin the keys” (p. 15). Nico Robin frees the royals’ shackles (“The keys to the shackles are gone too! The document was stolen before I even knew it!!”), Nami debuts “Mirage Cancel” (p. 15), the Thousand Sunny arrives and Franky fires the Gaon Cannon (p. 16), and Megalo ferries the freed royal family away (p. 17). “It looks like Jimbei and the Straw Hats had a plan” (p. 17).
• Titular thesis. Pressed “Friend or foe?! …Are you a friend of Fish-Man Island or a foe?!”, Luffy answers: “You can decide that… for yourselves!!” (pp. 18–19).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Hody Jones, Shirahoshi, King Neptune (captive), Otohime (deceased — recalled dying wish), Megalo, Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, Manboshi (princes), Madam Sharley, Luffy, Nico Robin, Nami, Franky, Jinbei (named; orchestrator of the plan), Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Brook, Tony Tony Chopper (assembled crew)
• Crews: New Fish-Man Pirates, Straw Hat Pirates, Neptune Army (mentioned — Megalo its former mascot)
• Peoples: Fish-Men, Merfolk
• Locations: Fish-Man Island, Conchcorde Plaza, Ryugu Kingdom, Ryugu Castle, Shell Tower (mentioned)
• Ships: Thousand Sunny (arrives; Gaon Cannon fired)
• World-building: Celestial Dragons (the “document from the Celestial Dragon”)
• Cover (Decks of the World, Vol. 18): Mr. 3, Little Garden

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page + cover story “Decks of the World, Vol. 18: Little Garden, Island of Giants”: Mr. 3 (Galdino), candle-grid face and skull cape, amid the fist-raising giants of Little Garden with money flying.
• Pages 2–4 — Shirahoshi’s confession: Megalo told her the truth; the recalled dying wish “Don’t let hatred consume you.” Tearful close-ups intercut with Hody’s bared teeth.
• Pages 6–7 — Shark Arrows!! — Hody fires water-arrows into Neptune and the princes (WHAM / THOOM); “My King!!”
• Pages 8–9 — The crowd inverts Sharley’s prophecy and screams for Luffy to “destroy everything right now” (RAAAAH). Strong negative-space crowd despair.
• Page 10 — Shirahoshi’s plea “Please save my father!! Sir Luffy!!” / Megalo’s “BLEGH!!!”
• Page 11 — Luffy drops in (VSH!!) and decks Hody (WHAM!!) — cutting off Hody’s “This is the end of your disgraceful Ryugu Kingdom!!” with “GAH!!” as the blow connects.
• Pages 12–13 — Megalo’s mouth erupts (KROOS…); the hero-reveal splash — *”…Straw Hat Luffy!!
• Page 15 — The crowd spots the Thousand Sunny’s figureheads — “Look up in the sky! What is that?! A whale?! And a lion?!”
• Page 16 — The Thousand Sunny fires the Gaon Cannon (BOOM).
• Pages 18–19 — Full-crew assembly spread + the title beat: “Friend or foe…?” → “…for yourselves!!”

Open questions raised

• Now that the island knows Hody killed Otohime, how will his anti-human narrative — built on a framed human assassin — survive the exposure?
• What is the “document from the Celestial Dragon,” and why did Jinbei make recovering it part of the rescue?
• Does Luffy’s refusal to declare himself fulfill or subvert Sharley’s ruin-prophecy — will the Straw Hats save Fish-Man Island or destroy it?
• Why did Shirahoshi specifically call on Luffy (“Sir Luffy”) to save her father — and what does her unbroken refusal to hate set up?