Chapter Head Serialization – Lovesickness Becomes Ill 21 – I'm Sorry to See You So Weak
Dragon sat cross-legged before Tulip, gently holding her hand with a sigh as he explained how Giorno, through Iva, had informed him of the situation... Tulip was first shocked, then fell silent.
She looked at Dragon, who sat with lowered eyes in front of her, then turned her head to glance at Hancock, who stood proudly to the side, too aloof to say anything…
…
Vice Admiral Onigumo, still carrying injuries, along with the heavily bandaged Rear Admiral Kaji and the not-yet-recovered Commodore Gion, led a group of marines straight toward the arena.
In a tournament covered by the title of Warlords of the Sea (Shichibukai) and mixed with all kinds of fish like Swordsmans, as long as it didn't go too far, like involving Fisher Tiger, the top bounty criminal the Celestial Dragons would love to flay alive, then the Marines would turn a blind eye.
That was one thing. But if, during the match, a pirate contestant suddenly clashed with a Shichibukai, looking like he was about to take him down, well… that was an entirely different matter.
"Under no circumstances can Crocodile be allowed to die at Giorno's hands in front of the entire world!" The voice of Fleet Admiral Kong came solemnly through the Den Den Mushi from HQ. "The dignity of the Shichibukai must not be undermined. Crocodile... he has no right to lose!"
And so, the entire Marine force on this island was mobilized to stop Giorno from running amok. As the Marines advanced, Gion suddenly cried out, pointing toward the sky road above: "Look up there!"
Everyone raised their heads and saw a streak of yellow sand shoot across the sky overhead, followed closely by a persistent shadow in pursuit, accompanied by sharp "pa!" "pa!" cracking sounds.
"Geppo!" Vice Admiral Onigumo looked up, eyes locked on the explosive sounds in the air. "It's Giorno! They're chasing each other in the sky..."
The Marines clutched their rifles and other firearms, exchanging puzzled looks.
"What do we do…? Our guns… they can't even reach that high..."
Onigumo's face darkened. After watching the two chasing figures in the sky for a moment, he waved his hand and said:
"Guard the coastline!"
Kaji and Gion quickly understood and replied: "Yes, sir!"
And they immediately led the Marines toward the coast.
A large flock of News Coo birds, with Image Den Den Mushi hanging around their necks, nodded at their handlers (the journalists) and flapped into the sky with a rustling huu-laa-laa.
Mechanical cameras required manual operation and were not suited to these birds with only wings and no nimble fingers. But Image Den Den Mushi, once trained, could carry out simple capture tasks independently.
"Follow them! We must get footage from as close as possible!" From far off in the New World, the president of the World Economy News Paper, top-level News Coo handler, breeder, and trainer, and even a Zoan-type Bird-Bird Fruit: Albatross Form user himself, one of the Emperors of the Underworld, the massive 'Big News' Morgans, flapped his wings and shouted into the Den Den Mushi in front of him, full of excitement: "If Giorno defeats Crocodile, that's perfect. If not, who cares?! Challenging a Shichibukai in front of the whole world, That alone is super~~Big News!!"
He burst out in raucous laughter, as if he could already see tomorrow's newspaper sales soaring sky-high.
Back on a resort island in the first half of the Grand Line, the flock of News Coo birds with Image Den Den Mushi flew rapidly in the direction where Crocodile and Giorno were retreating. But suddenly, gunshots echoed from below.
"Gyaa~!"
"Waaah~!"
"Squawk~!"
The birds startled, feathers flying everywhere, and looked down. Turns out, a group of Marines along the island's shoreline had raised their guns at them...
"Forget it. Hunting them down is pointless. There's no stopping this story anymore…" Vice Admiral Onigumo sighed helplessly and waved his hand.
The flock of News Coos continued flying at tremendous speed. Otherwise, they couldn't possibly deliver news to the Four Seas and Grand Line in real time every day…
Before long, they caught sight of a human pirate, walking through the air in the distance.
Kā chā! Kā chā!
Flashes flickered one after another around the necks of the News Coo birds, it was the Image Den Den Mushi taking pictures of Giorno's back.
Liam stepped through the air using Geppo, following lazily behind Old Croc.
Honestly, Old Crocodile's flying speed after turning into sand wasn't slow at all. Combined with his sandstorm techniques, he could stir up gusts of wind and seemingly buff himself with more speed.
And his stamina consumption was way lower than Liam's constant use of Geppo.
But Crocodile was starting to feel worn out. That brat behind him… just wouldn't stop!
At the front of the yellow sand cloud was his congealed head, biting a cigar, black hair in disarray, dried blood on his face, he looked totally disheveled.
With a swirl of sand, he spun in place and suddenly stopped midair.
"Not running anymore?" Liam smiled, standing on air. "If you're really into this, I could keep chasing you through the sky all day."
And that black-armored brother over there might just chase you till the end of time…
If Crocodile's stamina held up.
Naturally, only if… Liam didn't plan to recall his Stand and find out what it feels like to literally get killed by himself.
"You… what the hell do you want?!" Crocodile glared at him, eyes bloodshot, and roared through gritted teeth. "You seriously just want my Devil Fruit that badly?!"
'What the hell is wrong with this kid chasing me for half a damn day!?'
"That's not fair," Liam said with mock disapproval. "The Sand-Sand Fruit… come on, it's the only one in the world afraid of water. Doesn't even need Haki; just a wet fist can punch through your elemental form. I wouldn't touch that trash-tier ability with a ten-foot pole!"
Crocodile nearly coughed up blood. If you hate my fruit that much, then why the hell are you chasing me nonstop?!
Liam, casually: "I just want to borrow it for fun. I'll give it back, I promise."
Sand Coffin. Sand Burial. Desert Funeral...
'Shurima, your Emperor has returned! (Oh wait, that's a rock-type move.)'
Anyway, even if the Sand-Sand Fruit was kinda garbage, it could still be used to show off a few cool moves. It had some entertainment value, right?
But this attitude from Liam only made Crocodile even angrier. Utterly infuriating.
Kā chā! Kā chā!
The sound of shutters echoed again nearby. Crocodile's temple throbbed; it was Morgan's damn News Coo birds…
Bastards!!
Crocodile flung out his hand and unleashed a massive Desert Spada – Treasured Blade of the Desert, slashing sideways at the flock of birds, intending to wipe out all those nosy pests.
Pa! Pa!
Liam soared through the air, caught the sideways slash of the Desert Spada with one hand.
"How could you bully animals like that?" he said.
'You're just mad because this news will make you look bad!' Crocodile clenched his teeth, but then suddenly let out a cold, bitter laugh.
Because… that Desert Spada he'd just thrown? It was still formed from the sand of his right hand. And Giorno had once again grabbed the sand of that same right hand.
"Ah. Forgot again." Liam looked down at the hand he used to block the Desert Spada, his skin visibly losing moisture, becoming wrinkled and shriveled...
"Someone like me wouldn't fall for the same move twice." Liam calmly coated the withered hand in a layer of black Haki. The powerful suction drawing moisture from his body stopped instantly.
Seeing Giorno so easily block his ultimate dehydration move, Crocodile's face turned even uglier.
This brat… back in the arena, did he deliberately choose not to use this method, just to escape by sheer chance from being completely drained and nearly dying?!
Was he really putting that much trust in his invisible companion?!
(End Of The Chapter)
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