Fishman Island was not subjected to brutal persecution, and the only reason for this was its two protectors—Whitebeard and Big Mom. Otherwise, if Kaido or the World Government had taken control of the island, they would have surely exploited it to the fullest, ruthlessly extracting its resources even at the cost of destroying the island itself.
The geographical location of Fishman Island offered tremendous potential for everyone. It was the only path to the New World, apart from the World Government's passage. Its significance was so great that it could be compared to a pirate version of the Malacca Strait.
Coupled with the rich resources of the ten-thousand-meter-deep ocean depths, even if Sal acted as an intermediary, he could have amassed a fortune.
He had a plan to open trade routes to various islands and form caravans after stabilizing the situation, allowing for free trade of local goods. If you want to become wealthy—build roads. This ironclad rule applied here too.
After discussing surrender, it was time to put an end to the chaos. Sal raised Hody Jones by the hand and addressed the frenzied crowd:
"The Captain of the new Fishman pirate group, Hody Jones, is the mastermind behind the attack on the Big Mom Pirates and the attempt to destabilize Fishman Island. If you don't believe me, you can interrogate his men. They are still lying unconscious on the street to the left."
This stone thrown into the crowd caused an explosion of disbelief. When the Royal Guard arrested the members of the new pirate group, their confessions confirmed Sal's words.
Many Fishmen fell to their knees, overwhelmed by grief. They could not believe that this tragedy had been orchestrated by their own compatriots.
"It was Hody Jones and his gang. I thought they just hated humans…" Why did they do it?
— They killed Kira and the others.
— Traitor... Traitor, execute him.
The angry voices of the merfolk grew louder, and the crowd was in turmoil. Among them, one mermaid watched the events unfold with an unreadable expression. Sal felt that the shark-tailed mermaid looked familiar, but he couldn't recall where he had seen her before.
The eyes of the Big Mom Pirates also gleamed with malice as they looked at the half-dead Fishman. Because of him, they failed to sign the agreement with Neptune to bring Fishman Island into the alliance of Ten Thousand Nations.
Even if Roger managed to reach Fishman Island, now they could accept him on their own terms.
Amidst the noise, Hody Jones suddenly opened his eyes, pulled several pills from his pocket, and greedily swallowed them. This illegal substance, not even at a semi-finished stage, pushed him to his limits.
His blood surged through his veins, his muscles bulged rapidly, and the teeth of the Fishman great white shark grew even sharper. Hody Jones, now twice his size, roared:
— Damn human, now you'll see how strong I am!
His swollen muscles struggled desperately to break free from Sal's iron grip, but all his efforts were in vain.
— ...
Sal looked into Hody Jones' eyes and said in an icy tone:
— You've suffered enough, vile creature.
Without giving him time to resist further, Sal forcefully pressed Hody Jones' head to the ground. This time he applied so much force that the island trembled, and Hody Jones' head exploded like a watermelon.
The sinner's death instantly plunged everything around into silence.
Sal tossed the body at Katakuri's feet and wiped his hands in disgust. The blood of this beast was simply revolting.
"Katakuri, I have explained to you what happened. Now it's time to pay for the invasion of Fishman Island."
As soon as Sal's words were spoken, the atmosphere around changed sharply. Katakuri gripped his weapon, preparing for battle.
On the other side, the Fishmen guards, having come to their senses, grabbed their weapons and aimed at the enemy. Even though the instigator was found, the Big Mom Pirates had killed a number of Fishmen.
Arman and Pokumus were also uneasy. Pokumus regretted returning. With Roger ahead and Rayleigh behind, they had no chance of escape.
Realizing they were in a hopeless situation, Katakuri relaxed slightly.
"Roger, tell me, what do you want to do with us? I will not surrender."
Sal didn't waste time on idle talk. He drew his sword and aimed it at the three of them. The power of a truly strong man weighed down on them.
"Five minutes. Show me that you can withstand my onslaught for five minutes, and I'll let you go. If you can't, then only LinLin can ransom you."
"Alright, we agree."
Arman felt humiliated. She was no longer a 20-year-old girl.
"Don't underestimate us, Roger."
They had no choice. The trio surrounded Sal. The spectators were nervous, but Rayleigh was not worried.
Sal had shown in the previous fight that he could easily handle three opponents in five minutes.
At that moment, a woman approached from the outskirts. Bonnie was exhausted from running. Finally, she had reached the scene. Her beautiful eyes observed both sides. It was the first time she personally witnessed a fight between the monsters of this caliber .
"Ba-a-am! ..."
A footprint was left in place, and Sal appeared in front of Arman.
In the eyes of his opponent, awash with surprise, a fist enveloped in Haki struck. The sound of air exploding from the impact was very sharp. Even though Arman managed to block with her blade in time, the black blade still took the brunt of the fist and emitted a pitiful sound as if it was about to break.
Arman, herself, was sent flying back hundreds of meters, smashing through the Fishmen's houses along the way. When the dust settled, her graceful figure looked clumsy, and there was a clear fist imprint on her ample chest. The defense couldn't completely stop the penetration of the Haki.
The first target lost her combat capability, and Sal coldly turned to Katakuri:
"First."
Seeing his sister receive a serious injury from just one strike, Katakuri fiercely attacked Sal.
"Arman, damn it, sticky ball attack!"
Katakuri used the power of the Mochi-Mochi fruit, turning his hand into a sticky ball that wrapped around his trident, then started spinning his arm, delivering powerful blows forward.
"Boom… Boom… Boom…"
Facing Katakuri's attack, Sal didn't underestimate his opponent and used his fists. He directly employed his weapon "Ace"; the sharp blade blocked the rotating thrusts, and the impact caused dense sparks.
Sal used absolute strength to deflect the halberd's strike, then wrapped the blade in Haki and persistently attacked the opponent, without resorting to techniques like Divine Evasion. But even with explosions of dark red lightning, every time Katakuri defended, he suffered damage from Haki penetration and was forced to retreat.
"Lion's Fist!"
At this moment, Pokumus launched an attack from the rear, but Sal foresaw his attack using Observation Haki of the future and countered with a reverse blade strike on the woolly lion, seriously wounding him.
If the opponent wasn't still needed, the previous strike would have undoubtedly been fatal. Katakuri seized the opportunity and struck forward, but Sal easily deflected it. The fight between them continued for a minute. Sal wasn't using his full strength, but still managed to push his opponent back step by step.
Suddenly, Sal's momentum shifted, and a strange wave of Haki spread out. Katakuri, standing opposite Thrall, quickly narrowed his eyes. His future sight failed, giving him no predictions.
The slightest mistake in battle could determine the entire outcome. Sal didn't miss such opportunities. The blade of "Ace" went straight through Katakuri's chest down to his lower abdomen, and a deep wound began to bleed profusely.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock…"