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Chapter Head Serialization - Lovesickness Becomes Ill 20 - It's Good to See You Again
For Tulip, who had been petrified and then freed, her thoughts continued from the moment she entrusted Hancock to her sickbed. Now, before her were Hancock and her sisters, and for a moment, she felt no abnormality, unaware that a long time had passed since her petrification. She saw Dragon, cloaked, appear here and even stoop to touch her cheek. With a pale face, she smiled faintly; this must be a dying hallucination. She raised her hand to stop his extended hand, momentarily stunned.
…
This Terrible attack let the audience know that this Shichibukai Title was solely acquired through Power.
During Mihawk's duel with Amande, both flipped their sword blades simultaneously, their gazes sharp. They swung out astonishing Sword Energy, cutting off towards the ring's side where Desert Spada (Treasured Blade of the Desert) was.
In the dispersed sandstorm's center, beside the Desert Spada (Treasured Blade of the Desert) that split the ground, Liam was not struck.
Desert Spada (Treasured Blade of the Desert) grazed the edge of his body, splitting the earth. He brushed off the sand on his face, opening his eyes. It was only then that everyone realized he had been closing his eyes...
Although it was perfectly normal to close one's eyes in such a terrifying sandstorm, to calmly dodge the Shichibukai's striking and stunning Desert Spada (Treasured Blade of the Desert) cut with closed eyes was... quite cool, right?!
"Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa Whoa!!!"
The audience in the stands cheered. Even though this was not part of the competition format, who cared? It was exciting and fun to watch!
'Shichibukai showdown... Is Giorno considered a great Swordsman?'
'Who cares!'
'As long as it's thrilling!'
"You should take advantage of the chaos caused by the sandstorm to escape."
Liam, still close to the side of Desert Spada (Treasured Blade of the Desert), continued to glide towards Crocodile.
"Bullshit! If I just ran away like this, would this Shichibukai tital still count?"
Crocodile stared with bloodshot eyes, and Giorno's figure flying alongside Desert Spada (Treasured Blade of the Desert) rapidly enlarged in his pupils.
He sneered, "You should take advantage of dodging the strike to escape!"
With that, the desert storm that split the ground turned into a yellow sand torrent, engulfing Liam, rushing towards Crocodile.
"This is my right hand..."
Crocodile's sand-formed huge arm engulfed Liam entirely, who smiled grimly, "You can take away Devil Fruit powers, right? Guess what ability it has?"
...
As Liam flew away and fought against that Shichibukai, Robin quietly retreated to the side to observe the changes in the field. If Liam could quickly take Sand Crocodile's fruit, she would naturally leave as soon as possible. Seeing her leave, Liam didn't hesitate and could use Geppo to leave.
However, Shiryu of the Rain suddenly intervened and slashed towards Liam with a sword.
Fortunately, B.I.B. blocked him.
With the battle armor Stand possessing the same strength as Liam, who was wielding Giorno's weapon iron rod, he fought Shiryu of the Rain.
Shiryu became more and more frightened as he fought.
'What exactly was this thing which is holding Giorno's weapon?'
Just the presence of the opponent required him to highly maintain Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) to catch this guy's trace. It couldn't just be judged by the iron rod it swung. This guy's attacks were mixed with fists and feet. If you only focus on the iron rod visible to the naked eye, you'll be fooled!
Bang!
Shiryu of the Rain took a vicious blow, spitting out blood. He had been fooled.
B.I.B. raised his bat to chase. Shiryu smirked, blood dripping from his mouth, his eyes gleaming crimson, swinging Longblade, the blade overflowing with thick Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)!
Ryuo?
The black battle armor's narrow, long pupils gleamed white light, its Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) catching a sense of bursting out of Haki on the opponent's monstrous blade.
No, perhaps it should be described as externalized Haki...
B.I.B. raised its black rod to prepare for the clash. The way Haki was being used couldn't be strictly labeled as high-level or low-level. Ryuo (Flowing Sakura) or externalized Haki might not necessarily be stronger than the basic entwinement method.
Many female warriors on Kuja Island use similar techniques, they entwine Haki onto their arrows and can release it from their bodies when they shoot. They're not simply enhancing the arrow itself, but rather wrapping it with circulating Haki, which causes the arrows to explode with tremendous power.
In that sense, it's extremely similar to the Ryuo of Wano Country. However, Kuja warriors just treat this as a normal use of Haki.
Swordsmen, constantly studying flying slashes and sword energy that leaves the blade... before mastering Haki, some of them may have first understood "Ryuo." Sounds absurd, but it's not impossible.
It's just like how the archers of Kuja Island naturally developed "Haki that leaves the string." So it's no surprise that Ryuo Haki thrives in the samurai nation of Wano Country.
For example, in the manga, when Zoro awakened the sword techniques of "cutting steel" and "cutting nothing" in Alabasta, he had actually awakened Haki, though he didn't realize it at the time. He just thought of it as a special sword move, never fully tapping into Haki's potential...
At the moment Shiryu unleashed his killing blow, a shattering pain suddenly tore through his chest, and his sword came to a halt.
"Urgh!" Shiryu clutched his chest, blood vessels filling his eyes. He turned to the side, there she was: Giorno's female captain, sleeves flowing, walking toward him.
That woman… This was Shiryu's first time personally experiencing heartbreak pain. 'Was it her? What did she do to me?!'
"You go help him." Robin extended her hand and plucked the black rod "floating" in the air.
She looked across at Shiryu, who was wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "I'll keep him busy."
Beneath her large sleeves, flower petals rose around her arm, wrapping it in Liam's flesh and blood, overlaying his large hand, and gripping the iron rod tightly.
B.I.B. looked back and saw Crocodile's massive sand-formed arm trapping the real Liam inside. Liam's skin was visibly dulling and shriveling, collapsing at a speed visible to the naked eye…
Without hesitation, the armored Stand reached into Robin's backpack and instantly charged toward the real Liam.
Crocodile's disheveled black hair and blood-streaked face were frozen in a grimace. His sand-form right hand had captured this arrogant pirate brat, relentlessly sucking the moisture from his body, draining it, sucking out his life.
"You'll pay the price for your recklessness."
Within Crocodile's sandified arm, Liam now looked eerily similar to manga Luffy, his skin cracked and shriveled, muscles seemingly shrunken, his whole body appearing to shrink several sizes.
This miserable scene, broadcast on the arena's big screen, sent chills through countless spectators.
Was this the terror of a Warlord of the Sea (Shichibukai)?
Too terrifying, huh?
Just then, a bucket of water came flying from somewhere and splashed down on Giorno's (Liam's) head, soaking both Crocodile's sand arm and the dried-up Liam it encased.
"This Bastrad!" Crocodile immediately withdrew his sandified arm. His Sand-Sand Fruit was more vulnerable to water than most Logia or Devil Fruits.
He didn't even need to be hit with Haki. Just a water-soaked fist could strike his elemental form. That's how much he feared water.
Yet, his right hand could still absorb the moisture within all things… truly a strange contradiction.
"Such a strange sensation…"
The moment B.I.B. drenched Liam with the bucket, he instantly revived. His shriveled skin and flesh plumped up again, a miraculous transformation that stunned countless onlookers.
To be shriveled up like a dried corpse was horrifying enough, but to fully recover just from a bucket of water? Somehow, that seemed even more terrifying!
Liam wiped his face, clashed his drenched fist with an invisible one in the air, and chuckled: "Phew! That was close. Gotta say, it was a thrill!"
That invisible guy again...
Crocodile's face darkened. The next second, he turned into a swirling mass of sand and decisively soared into the sky.
"Leaving already?"
Soaked head to toe, Liam burst into laughter and chased after the tail of the sand cloud into the sky.
(End Of The Chapter)