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Chapter Title Serialization ・ Lovesickness VIII ・ The Empress Gazing into the Distant Window
Sandersonia and Marigold burst into the royal bedchamber with Bonney, only to see Hancock standing alone by the large, sunlit window. She was wearing nothing but a light, sheer robe. Under the bright sunlight, her graceful silhouette was faintly visible like a shadow…
Hancock turned around. Aside from her slightly pale complexion and a sheen of sweat still clinging to her damp black hair, her breathing had returned to normal.
…
"Jinbe?"
Liam turned around, still chewing on some street snacks.
The one calling out to him and Robin from the roadside turned out to be none other than the future Sea Hero Jinbe, whom they had run into just after leaving the Calm Belt.
"Oh hey! It's you again!" Liam laughed heartily and stepped forward with arms wide open.
Jinbe seemed a bit reserved, clearly not used to Liam's enthusiastic energy, but still smiled and raised a hand to give Liam a quick slap of greeting.
Robin and B.I.B. followed behind, both noticing that people walking near Jinbe subconsciously gave him a wide berth, and that some passersby shot strange glances at Liam, who was smiling and chatting with Jinbe.
Robin couldn't tell whether those looks were because of Jinbe's Fish-Man identity or because of Liam himself.
"Didn't get enough of our last fight, huh? You took off in such a hurry," Liam grinned at Jinbe. "Now that we've met again like this, clearly fate!, How can we not have a proper rematch?"
Jinbe smiled. "You want to fight on land or in the sea?"
"Oh-ho, Fish-Man flexing on me now? You think I'm scared to fight underwater?" Liam scoffed. "Pick whatever you want. I'll beat you so bad you'll be begging me to stop."
Jinbe laughed amiably, "So sure you'll win?"
"Look at you, still not convinced?" Liam snorted. "How about we throw down right now? Loser buys dinner!"
Robin interjected, "We should sign up for the tournament first…"
"Oh, right!" Liam snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering his goal.
Jinbe's expression shifted slightly. "You're entering this 'World's Greatest Swordsman' tournament too?"
"Of course, why else would I be here?" Liam replied. Then his eyes narrowed, noticing something odd. "Wait… did you just get in a fight?"
It was not that Liam had bad eyesight, but with Jinbe's deep blue, borderline-Avatar-colored skin, even visible signs of a brawl were hard to spot at a glance.
Jinbe rubbed what seemed to be either his neck or his chest, where there was a faint scratch, and replied in a low voice, "Yeah… beat up a few obnoxious humans."
"Humans?"
Liam and Robin both paused. The use of that word made the cause of the conflict pretty clear.
Probably just the usual: humans looking down on Fish-Men, and the now-short-tempered Jinbe being provoked into lashing out…
Robin said, "So that commotion near the arena earlier, that was you?"
She was referring to the massive noise that had interrupted the tense standoff between Liam, Mihawk, and Amande.
"Yeah," Jinbe admitted without hesitation. "I just got done shaking off a squad of Marine soldiers…"
The three of them continued walking and chatting casually, unbothered by the judgmental looks from some pedestrians.
"But you don't even use a sword. Why are you entering a Swordsman tournament?" Liam asked.
Jinbe shot back, "You don't use a sword either."
"Hey now, I do have a blunt sword!" Liam protested.
With a flick of his hand, the magnetic power of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit activated, and a metal rod shot out from the belly of the little green Den Den Mushi inside Robin's shoulder bag, spinning through the air until Liam snatched it effortlessly.
Jinbe was momentarily impressed by the telekinetic trick, until he got a clear look at the weapon and fell speechless.
That was a sword? It was obviously just a stick!
As they continued talking, Liam learned the full story: Jinbe had just been about to register for the tournament when a few bastards started mocking him. They sneered that he was "just a fish" and that it would be hilarious if, against all odds, the World's Greatest Swordsman turned out to be a Fish-Man.
That, of course, had pushed Jinbe over the edge.
He caused a massive scene at the registration area, landing a 30-million-Beri-class Vagabond Punch that created an explosive shockwave on impact.
Liam could've taken a hit like that no problem, but for average people? Not a chance. After that brawl, Jinbe was quickly targeted by a squad of Marine soldiers.
Naturally, a regular squad of Marines was no match for Jinbe's combat prowess. After leaving the tournament grounds, he easily slipped away and disappeared into the crowd.
Before long, they happened to run into Robin and Liam, who were just coming out of a shopping mall with new clothes in hand.
"So, what do you say? Want to head back there again?" Liam twirled the iron rod in his hand. "I was just about to go register. Mind showing me the way?"
Jinbe shook his head and said gravely, "By the time I left, registration was already nearly closed... If you're going now, you're probably too late to sign up."
Liam slapped Jinbe's broad shoulder with a grin. "No worries. We'll make it in time."
With Jinbe leading the way, the three of them quickly returned to the tournament registration area near the arena.
From a distance, they could already see the aftermath of destruction: shattered buildings and cracked roads. A few construction workers were repairing the damage in a hurry.
"Huh. Looks like the Marines aren't really serious about catching you," Liam remarked as he stood amidst the ruins Jinbe had left behind. He looked around and didn't spot a single Marine.
However, the moment some people at the registration booth saw Jinbe return, their expressions shifted to fear and panic.
"He's back again?!"
"How wicked! Get the Marines to drive that Fish-Man away!"
Jinbe's eyes flickered with anger. He cast a cold, sweeping gaze at the humans around him and said to Liam, somewhat puzzled, "Of course not... During the Swordsman Tournament, the Marines won't be overly strict with pirates, not in this area, or even on this entire island."
Besides, aren't you a pirate too? And one with a bounty as high as 200 million Berries.
If Giorno thought the Marines would be lying in ambush, why did he so brazenly ask me to bring him here? What is this guy really up to?
"Oh? And why is that?" Liam asked while walking forward.
"You really don't know?"
Jinbe noticed that, aside from pointing fingers at him, many of the humans nearby were also casting side glances at Giorno, who was walking ahead.
He overheard bits and pieces, phrases like "West Coast," "Hawk Eyes," "Ghost Lady," "Giorno," and "bizarre"… From those fragments, he pieced together that people were discussing something big...
Could it be that, when Giorno arrived on this island, he already clashed with that Hawk Eyes fellow and the daughter of one of the Emperors of the Sea?
And he was able to go head-to-head with both of them?
Just how deep does Giorno's strength run?
"What are you talking about?" Liam looked confused.
Robin offered a reminder, "This Swordsman Tournament is officially being hosted by a Warlord of the Sea…"
"Crocodile," Jinbe added.
He looked at Liam's back and thought silently, With strength like that, no wonder he doesn't take a Shichibukai seriously… He may be arrogant, but he's got the power to back it up.
"Oh, him?" Liam blinked in realization. He simply hadn't asked about it before!
No wonder the Marines are turning a blind eye to a tournament full of pirates, because there's a "legitimate" Shichibukai backing it.
Or rather, the organizer was clever enough to fly a Warlord's flag to make the event appear lawful.
That old sandbag Crocodile probably made a killing just lending his name to this.
Liam mused, Is this how Baroque Works gets its funding?
As for Robin knowing about all this, it was obvious she had been secretly gathering intel across the island ever since they arrived, probably planting bugs and surveillance along the way...
"Sand Crocodile, huh…" Liam thought aloud, vaguely intrigued by moves like Desert Coffin and Desert Funeral.
"We're sorry, registration is now closed."
A staff member cautiously informed Liam.
After all, this guy was the same powerful pirate who had just arrived on the island and stirred up trouble with both Hawk Eyes and that Ghost Lady. Now he was back, accompanied by the Fish-Man who had already caused a scene earlier.
They were seriously worried Giorno might also flip out and trash the place…
Jinbe was intimidating enough, but if Giorno started wrecking things? That would be a nightmare.
Just look around, ever since he walked in, even the background chatter had dropped in volume.
"Closed, huh?"
Liam grinned, raised his iron rod, and spun it slowly in front of the staff member.
The rod spun in circles, faster and faster, until the staffer's gaze began to glaze over…
"Register the name: Chopper D. Giorno," came Liam's hypnotic, ethereal voice from behind the swirling rod. "And also Jolyne Kujo."
"Huh?" Robin was caught completely off guard.
(End Of This Chapter)
PS—"For every 200 power stones, I'll release one bonus chapter (Current-08)!"