Chapter 617: Major Incident on Coral Hill

With the palace flooding, a tearful Neptune offers the pirates anything to chase down Decken. Hody marvels at the prophesied Straw Hats inadvertently helping seize the palace, and Nami catches the word prophecy along with the Arlong jolly roger tattooed on Hody's arm. The Minister of the Right reminds Hody he once served the Neptune Army, drawing only laughter as Hody insists the army merely gave him combat knowledge and that joining it was his single shameful act.

Recounting the discrimination he witnessed as a child, Hody declares the New Fish-Man Pirates the heirs to Arlong's ambition of crushing humanity, horrifying Nami. He cracks open a wall to flood the chamber, then flicks water droplets at arrow speed with his Yabusame technique, cutting down guards until Neptune throws himself in front to shield them.

Zoro counters with Yakkodori, but Hody grabs a subordinate as a human shield, disgusting Usopp. Zoro orders the hostages freed and admits the negotiations have collapsed, voiding his promise to return them safely. Usopp unleashes Green Star: Rafflesia, a stinking flower that subdues the fish-men except Hody. As the water rises and saps Brook's strength, Zoro cuts Neptune loose, asks him to carry Usopp and Brook to safety, then dives under to fight Hody and keep him from pursuing.

At Coral Hill, Luffy and Megalo descend among Sanji, Chopper, and the wounded Hatchan, but the locals brand Luffy the kidnapping boss. He warns Megalo to keep his mouth shut, yet the shark reaches his limit and spits Shirahoshi out in full view, leaving the townsfolk to scream that the princess has been kidnapped.

Hody reveals he joined Neptune's army purely to absorb its military skills, and Nami slips away after he announces he carries on Arlong's will. Usopp debuts a foul-smelling Pop Green, and Caribou's continued kidnappings keep the blame falling on the Straw Hats. Zoro prepares for his first major post-timeskip battle, handicapped by fighting a fish-man underwater. The cover shows Koushirou at Kuina's grave. The chapter belongs to the Fish-Man Island arc.