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Chapter 638: Escape-Hoshi

Arc: Fish-Man Island · Saga: Fish-Man Island · Released: 2011-08-08

Summary

The colossal ark Noah — now marked by Vander Decken’s Mark-Mark power and slaved to the homing curse he placed on Princess Shirahoshi — chases the giant mermaid through the sea. Shirahoshi flees, deliberately drawing the ark away from Fish-Man Island so it cannot crash into the island, while Hody Jones pursues from below the bubble layers and Decken rides the ark itself, renewing his marriage ultimatum. The island’s people grab the chains trailing from Noah and try to drag it to a halt to protect their princess; Hody guns them down with Shark Arrows, sneering that fools like them “drag down the rest of us.” Sanji launches Luffy (Armée de l’Air) up between the two bubble layers to reach Hody, but Luffy — a Devil-Fruit user who cannot breathe underwater — is at a brutal disadvantage in Hody’s element. The three Neptune princes Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi arrive, intercept Hody to save Luffy, apologize for ever doubting the Straw Hat, and vow to protect their only sister and bring the ship down safely. As Shirahoshi rejects Decken one last time (“You’re just not my type!!”), Hody reaches Decken on Noah’s deck and — wondering aloud whether the ark would stop if its marker died — strikes him.

New reveals

• Noah is now a weapon. Decken has applied his Mark-Mark curse to the colossal ark and to Shirahoshi, so Noah itself homes in on the princess and pursues her relentlessly through the sea (pp. 2-3, 9-12, 19). The “prop is the plot” object planted at 0608 fires.
• Shirahoshi leads the ark away from the island. Citizens note “The princess drew the ship away from the island for our sake!! Noah’s not crashing into Fish-Man Island after all!!” (p. 2) — she sacrifices her own safety to spare Fish-Man Island.
• The curse’s single-point-of-failure question is raised on-page. Hody Jones confronts Decken on the deck — “If you die… what happens to the ship, Decken?” (p. 19) — then strikes him. The limit of the Mark-Mark curse (does the homing persist if its caster dies?) is teed up as the next beat.
• The Neptune princes rejoin the fight. Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi recover, intercept Hody to save Luffy, apologize for doubting his word, and pledge to protect Shirahoshi and take down Decken (pp. 13, 15-17).
• Hody techniques: Shark Arrows (turning the surrounding seawater to homing arrows, fired at the chain-pulling citizens, pp. 7-8) and Shark Slicer (a Fish-Man Karate cutting strike, pp. 16-17).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Shirahoshi — flees Noah through the sea; draws it away from the island; deflects Decken’s renewed weapons (“You’re just not my type!!”); reunited with her brothers.
• Hody Jones — pursues Luffy below the bubble layers; Shark Arrows at the chain-pullers; Shark Slicer; reaches Decken on Noah’s deck and strikes him.
• Vander Decken IX — rides Noah, renews his marriage ultimatum (“Just marry me!!! …How does freedom taste, baby?!”), torments Shirahoshi with the ark; attacked by Hody at chapter’s end.
• Luffy — launched by Sanji into the bubble layer to reach Hody; disadvantaged underwater; saved by the princes; heads for the ship’s deck.
• Sanji — Armée de l’Air launch of Luffy (“Air Assault!!!”), careful not to shoot him into the sea.
• Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, Manboshi — the three Neptune princes; intercept Hody, apologize to Luffy, vow to protect Shirahoshi and bring Noah down safely (“Father says Noah is a precious ship that must not be damaged”).
• King Neptune — referenced: Decken asks Hody “Did you kill Neptune already?!” (p. 19) — his hostage status in question.
• Jinbei — warns Luffy of the human/fish-man gap underwater (“Be careful of Hody, Luffy!!”, p. 4) (speaker attribution — the comrade coaching Luffy; treat as Jinbei).
• Noah · Mato Mato no Mi · New Fish-Man Pirates · Neptune Army · Straw Hat Pirates · Fish-Man Island · Ryugu Kingdom (the still-open portal to Ryugu Palace, p. 8).
• Cover story: Koza — “From the Decks of the World, Vol. 22: Alabasta — Koza, Royal Environmental Minister.”

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page carries the cover-story installment “From the Decks of the World, Vol. 22” (Koza as Alabasta’s Royal Environmental Minister, before the Yuba arch). Cover-story art, not a color spread.
• Page 2 — “BOOM… ZDD…” Noah looming as it chases Shirahoshi; “Noah’s not crashing into Fish-Man Island after all!!”
• Pages 7-8 — Citizens chain-pull Noah to slow it; Hody’s Shark Arrows mow them down (“Serves you right, scum!!”).
• Page 12 — Decken’s ultimatum from the deck (“Just marry me!!!”) / Shirahoshi’s rejection (“You’re just not my type!!”).
• Page 13 — The three princes arrive; whale-and-music shout (“HWHAAALE BOOM!!”) at Decken — “She’s our only sister! You won’t lay a finger on her, Decken!!”
• Pages 16-17 — Hody’s Shark Slicer; a prince intercepts to save Luffy; “Forgive us, Straw Hat! We doubted your word…”
• Page 19 — Cliffhanger: Hody on the deck — “If you die… what happens to the ship, Decken?” — strikes Decken.
• Page 20 — SBS Question Corner (Straw-Hat Jolly Roger designs; why Luffy’s power is “weak-sounding” rubber). Flag for SBS cross-link refresh.

Open questions raised

• Does Noah keep homing on Shirahoshi if Decken dies — or does killing the marker stop the curse?
• Can the princes and Luffy bring the colossal ark down safely before it crashes into anything?
• What stops an island-scale homing weapon — and is Shirahoshi’s latent Neptunian-summoning power the only answer?
• Is King Neptune still alive in Hody’s custody?