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Chapter Header Serial • Love-Sickness 22 • You're No Longer the Snake Princess
Dragon was like a potent medicine; just having him nearby seemed to alleviate Tulip's condition. Although her state remained dire from being petrified, it was slowly improving... Each time she gazed longingly at Dragon, her complexion recovered a little... Under Dragon's attentive care, Tulip finally had a proper meal in the Kuja Palace.
…
Crocodile's gloomy and sharp gaze swept across the air around Liam.
Yes, that invisible presence, he was certain now, it wasn't some ability of Giorno's.
If it were Giorno's own power, then during the moment he was drained of all moisture and about to lose consciousness, that invisible freak should have stopped moving without Giorno's direction.
Yet the moment Giorno lost consciousness, that "thing" still showed up carrying a bucket of water to help him. That clearly proved, it was a separate and independent existence, a third companion of Giorno and Jolyne. Someone that couldn't be seen with the naked eye.
A Suke Suke no Mi (Clear-Clear Fruit) user?!
"Haki can block the effects of Devil Fruit abilities."
Liam lifted his shriveled black-armored hand from the sand and spoke sincerely to Crocodile:
"See? It's just that simple. Your only chance of beating me, your trump card, has been rendered completely useless… and you've got that deadly weakness to water! Be honest now, do I look like someone who'd covet Devil Fruits? Why would I be desperate for a useless Logia like yours?"
The news birds around them kept clicking their shutters, oblivious to danger. Crocodile's face darkened as he prepared to act, but then Liam suddenly said:
"Hold on a sec!"
Thinking something was up, Crocodile paused, only to hear Giorno say: "Requesting a pause. I'm heading down to touch some water."
'…Huh?'
Crocodile instinctively frowned. 'Wasn't this kid a Magnet-Magnet Fruit user? What did he want with the vast sea down below? Wasn't he afraid of drowning?'
With a whoosh, Giorno dove straight down in front of him, quickly hitting the surface of the ocean with a splash.
Then, nothing.
"..." Crocodile hovered mid-air, staring down at the calm ocean in utter shock.
'Did he… just commit suicide?'
'Where the hell did this lunatic come from?!'
But before he could even feel relieved, the surface of the water suddenly burst open.
"What the hell?!" Crocodile was utterly stunned.
A figure shot up from the crashing waves. The familiar thud-thud sound of Geppo echoed upward; it was just as fast as before. This scene shattered all of Crocodile's expectations. He stared, aghast:
"This guy, he's definitely a Devil Fruit user! How the hell did he fall into the sea and still climb back out on his own?!"
"Could it be…?!"
Eyes bloodshot, he anxiously scanned the air again, but naturally couldn't see that invisible helper of Giorno. Was it that ghostly entity who rescued him from the sea?
But that made no sense either!
According to Crocodile's deductions, Giorno's helper was likely a Suke Suke no Mi user, or at the very least, some kind of Devil Fruit user. No matter what fruit it was, an ability user should still be weakened by the sea.
So how could it possibly go into the water and drag Giorno back up?!
No matter how he tried to explain it, contradictions kept piling up. The internal logic just didn't hold. The conflicting pieces scrambled Crocodile's thoughts.
Looking at Giorno, who had just "gone for a swim" and returned with his hand fully recovered from dehydration, it was like staring at some incomprehensible monster.
Everything about this pirate kid… challenged not only Crocodile's understanding but even the very rules of this world.
"I'm out!"
Crocodile whipped up a raging sandstorm and turned to flee at high speed.
"Uh…"
Liam, still mid-air with seawater dripping down his face, looked at the trail of yellow sand and muttered speechlessly:
"We were having a nice chat… what the hell just happened?"
B.I.B., hovering nearby, offered an explanation: "An ability user not weakened by seawater… he was probably scared senseless. I bet he's desperate to get back to land right now."
"It's still early. Let's keep chasing." Liam glanced at the sky, it wasn't time for lunch with Sister Robin yet.
Clap! Clap!...
He stepped on Geppo and followed closely, the phantom of his black battle armor flying alongside him.
Behind them was a whole swarm of news birds flapping noisily through the air. Crocodile flew at top speed, but that wicked bastard behind him just wouldn't shake off no matter what.
"He's actually faster than me!" Just the thought of that possibility made his heart pound in alarm and his pride sting even worse. "Keeping up so effortlessly... he's toying with me…"
Landing on a deserted, tiny island in the middle of the sea, Crocodile panted for breath. After Elementalizing and flying for so long, he was completely exhausted.
"Whiz!",
A slicing wind sound approached from behind, followed by a loud "Bang" as someone landed.
Crocodile, his bloodstained face shadowed, looked back. It was Giorno, casually brushing off sand and dust from his body… his breathing steady, as if this long airborne pursuit had barely cost him anything. Watching the still, silent sea, a hesitant marine onshore asked,
"We're really just going to stand guard here…? Are they even coming back?"
All the marines looked to the three senior officers. Commodore Gion, Rear Admiral Kaji, and Vice Admiral Onigumo all wore calm expressions, gazing into the endless horizon, patiently waiting.
"Do you all remember the fight between Chopperna Giorno and Charlotte Monde?"
Kaji suddenly grinned, asking the Marines.
"Of course we remember…" The Marines who had seen the broadcast still had vivid memories of Giorno unleashing flying slash attacks with his feet, like a raging storm of blades. "Even the daughter of a sea Emperor was taken down effortlessly… That Chopperna Giorno's strength is just ridiculous…"
Whether in fear or unease, they all agreed on one thing: Giorno was overwhelmingly powerful.
"Kicking out slash attacks like that, that's Rankyaku, from Rokushiki." Kaji put away his smile, then after a short pause, said with some awe: "That move isn't something you can just casually unleash dozens, let alone hundreds, of times in a row... Just thinking about the stamina burst required is enough to make your scalp tingle…"
"Rear Admiral Kaji, you mean to say…"
At that moment, Gion spoke up: "He means that Crocodile can't outrun Giorno, not in the air, not on the ground… So rather than get dragged into a long-winded aerial chase with an opponent whose stamina is seemingly bottomless, it's better to return to land. There might still be a sliver of a chance there."
Vice Admiral Onigumo stared silently at the sea. "That kid's stamina… that's the most troublesome thing!!"
On a small, barren island near the resort island, the Shichibukai calmed his heavy breathing. His mood grew fouler by the second as he slowly descended.
What he didn't know was that during Liam's time on Kuja Island, he had spent his free time using Geppo to repeatedly travel back and forth between Kuja Island and Rusukaina Island. Compared to that, this little flight wasn't even a warm-up. It didn't tire Liam in the slightest.
Caw caw caw…
A flock of news birds circled above the two of them, the faint sound of camera shutters, kā chā kā chā, echoing in the air.
Whoosh…
The wind picked up.
The forest on the barren island rustled, and the world fell silent. It was as if the heavens, the sea, and the earth had all faded away.
Crocodile took a deep breath.
"Nice scenery." Liam clapped his hands and said earnestly, "Just undo your elemental form, and we'll call it even. Isn't that nice?"
'Even with you? Are you kidding me?!' Crocodile was about to explode in rage. He slammed his right palm down hard on the ground.
The land was instantly drained of moisture, the forest rapidly withered, and the entire small island turned into a miniature desert, yellow sand roared and surged…
(End Of The Chapter)