Chapter Title: Serial Chapter – Lovesick (9) – "I Thought You'd Taken the Chance to Escape"
Hancock, wrapped in her robe, wore a faint smile on her pale face as she gazed at the returning Bonney…
…
At the tournament registration desk, the staff, still groggy and dazed, slowly scribbled down the names: "Chopper Giorno" and "Jolyne Kujo" into the contestant ledger.
Liam checked their entry and nodded in satisfaction.
But this little move of his utterly stunned Jinbe, who had been watching from the sidelines.
You can do that?!
What exactly had Giorno just done? Why did the staff member suddenly comply without resistance?
Hypnotists were an extremely rare breed.
First, mastering such a skill required innate talent, arguably no less than what was needed to awaken Haoshoku Haki.
Second… hypnosis, in practice, wasn't that useful. In true confrontations between the strong, thinking hypnosis could provide any kind of edge was laughable. It was only ever effective against average nobodies, basically a "bully-the-weak" kind of strategic weapon.
In that sense, hypnosis actually shared a similar function with Conqueror's Haki; both were techniques that let the strong effortlessly sweep through the weak.
To put it bluntly: if you're strong, it boosts your swagger; if you're weak, it's totally useless.
And in this moment, Liam absolutely exuded swagger in the eyes of everyone at the scene.
Most of the wandering swordsmen nearby didn't know exactly what had just happened. They only saw that even though registration had officially ended, Chopper D. Giorno had still been able to sign up.
The guy they'd only ever seen in newspapers or bounty posters… A pirate whose first bounty as a youth had already been 100 million Berries… Yeah, he definitely wasn't ordinary. Maybe he even had powerful backing.
Giorno had only said a few words to the staffer. There was no argument, no threats, and yet the staffer first refused, then suddenly agreed. What on earth happened in between?
The staffer himself would like to know!
By the time he regained full awareness, the registration had already been completed, for two pirates with little official record, but clearly great notoriety.
What was I doing just now? What was I thinking?!
"You're not thinking of erasing those names, are you?" the pirate in front of him asked casually.
The staffer looked up. Cold sweat was beading on his forehead, and he couldn't bring himself to meet Liam's gaze.
He coughed lightly, hesitated, and glanced at the Fish-Man standing next to Robin and Liam, Jinbe, the same one who had caused a stir earlier when he'd been mocked while trying to register.
Jinbe immediately understood the look in the staffer's eyes: he was being given the green light. If he wanted, he could register now without issue.
But Jinbe just shook his head. He no longer wanted to participate.
"Forget it. Big Brother Tiger and the others weren't interested either. I'll sit this one out," he murmured to himself.
"Big Brother Tiger?" Liam asked with a knowing smile. "You mean the Tiger I'm thinking of?"
Robin also turned her attention to the conversation.
Jinbe nodded solemnly. "Yes. There's only one Big Brother Tiger in this world."
The staff handed Liam and Robin their participant credentials.
Liam casually handed his to Robin for safekeeping, then smiled at Jinbe and asked, "Sounds like you guys have quite a few crewmates here on the island?"
Jinbe gave Giorno a somewhat puzzled look and replied, "Naturally. We're crewmates from the same ship. Of course we came to this island together."
"Oh? That so?" A strange glint flashed in Liam's eyes as he burst out laughing. "There's someone among them I've really wanted to meet in person!"
Jinbe, naturally, assumed he was talking about Fisher Tiger, the Fish-Man hero who had stormed Mary Geoise solo and freed countless slaves.
"Great!" Jinbe said with an earnest smile. "I mentioned you to them last time, and they were curious about you too. Maybe you'll become friends!"
Liam smiled calmly, "Now that... is hard to say."
Jinbe was a little puzzled, but didn't think too much of it. He simply assumed that Giorno was referring to the possibility that the other Fish-Men might not be entirely friendly toward a human like him.
As they were leaving, the staff reminded them: "The preliminary round officially begins tomorrow at 8 a.m."
Liam waved casually and strode off with Robin and Jinbe.
Once that odd little group had gone, the half-empty registration area slowly began to buzz again. Conversations broke out, naturally revolving around the bizarre duo of pirates who had appeared out of nowhere and left just as quickly.
Many eyes turned toward the staff member who had registered Liam and Robin. But he pretended not to notice them. Better to avoid trouble. So what if he broke the rules and registered two extra people? Was he really supposed to confront two pirates whose combined bounty exceeded 300 million Berries?!
If these bystanders had really had the guts to object, why hadn't a single one spoken up when Jolyne Kujo and Chopper D. Giorno registered after the deadline?
Tch. When it comes to facing this level of monster pirates, everyone's a coward, so stop pretending otherwise.
Leaving the registration site and strolling through the tournament district streets, Liam was laughing and joking with his companions when suddenly, both he and B.I.B. (his Stand or spiritual companion) simultaneously sensed something. They abruptly turned to glance up at the high floors of a nearby building behind them.
Jinbe noticed the sudden movement and looked back as well, question marks practically popping off his head. But all he saw was an obviously expensive building, nothing unusual.
Robin, on the other hand, understood: Liam had extremely sharp senses, and his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) was highly advanced. He must have detected something strange.
"Think some punk's peeping on me?" Liam asked his Stand-brother casually.
B.I.B. nodded: If we both felt it, odds are it's exactly that.
"Eh, forget it, who cares."
Liam shrugged it off and continued chatting with Jinbe and Robin as they walked off. First order of business: get some food. Then they'd go meet with the Sun Pirates.
Back in the building they'd just left behind, high up in a curtained room, Crocodile stepped out from where he'd quickly hidden.
His expression was as dark as a stormcloud.
"Of all people… why did he have to show up?"
The Shichibukai, known as Sand Crocodile, paced back and forth with a large cigar clenched between his teeth, blue smoke curling around him.
He recalled the moment just now. He had only been observing the kid called Giorno from the window, watching from a distance, no less, and the boy had almost instantly noticed something and looked directly toward him.
Crocodile's face turned grave at the memory.
"Such sharp perception… Was that Kenbunshoku Haki? No wonder he caused such trouble for the Marines a couple of years ago down in the South Blue. I heard the losses were heavy… And now, in just a few short years, this brat's already grown this strong…"
He looked back out the window, visibly irritated.
The three of them, Liam, Robin, and Jinbe, continued joking and talking as they made their way toward the seaside, where the Sun Pirates' ship was docked.
The closer they got to the shore, the thinner the crowds became.
Still, this was a famous tourist resort island, and with a world-class tournament being hosted, the place was packed. Even in the most remote corners, it was rare not to see a single soul.
From a distance, Robin spotted a large ship anchored near the waterfront. On the shore in front of it was a group of Fish-Men, setting up grills and takoyaki stands, cooking food, laughing loudly, eating and drinking…
Passersby either hurried along or steered clear, whispering and pointing at the group of Fish-Men from a distance.
"Filthy humans…" Arlong, scowling, angrily chewed on a takoyaki made by Hatchan, glaring with resentment at the gawking passersby. "Why the hell do we have to stay in a place like this?"
"Big Brother Tiger's just worried you'll lose your temper if we stay in the city," Hatchan replied, his eight octopus arms moving in perfect coordination as he whipped up more takoyaki. "Hey look, Jinbe's back!"
(End Of This Chapter)
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