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Chapter Head Serialization・Love-Sickness 26・Is it Giorno, or Jolyne?
Tulip decided to leave with Dragon. That was the polite version. The less pleasant truth? Hancock had expelled her, the previous Snake Princess, technically already declared dead, from Kuja.
At a secluded beach on Amazon Lily Island, the three Boa sisters, along with Bonney, came to see off Tulip, Dragon, and Kuma.
Tulip stood beside the cloaked man, Dragon, smiling as she playfully pestered Hancock with a question. Hancock's serpent hair whipped through the air; with a flick of her slender hand, she pinched the carving knife Tulip held, her eyes flashing with killing intent…
Tulip burst into carefree laughter and, at the end, let out a soft sigh.
…
Liam locked eyes with Shiryu, and in the next instant, they clashed midair, moving so fast they became afterimages. The clash of weapons echoed, ding ding dang dang, ceaseless and fierce...
They battled from the sky to the shattered stands below. The spectators had long since evacuated. Shiryu slashed wildly as he laughed maniacally:
"What's wrong? Can't breathe, so you've weakened?"
"..." Liam took a moment to sweep his long leg diagonally upward. A crescent-shaped Rankyaku slashed through the air toward Crocodile.
Crocodile sneered coldly. Without hesitation, he grabbed Tesoro and threw him straight into the incoming Rankyaku.
Splurt!
Tesoro cried out in pain as he was struck midair, blood spraying.
Meanwhile, Crocodile elementalized into sand and dropped rapidly to the center of the vast arena. With his right hand, he slammed into the ground!
B.I.B., hovering in the air, looked at Tesoro, then at Sand Crocodile, who was now launching his technique:
Ground Death – Erosion Samsara.
Finally, it turned toward Robin, signaling that she should find a chance to evacuate, then it reversed course. Midair, it disassembled into black mech pieces that flew back toward its main body...
Shiryu's pupils shrank!
Across from him stood Liam, still unable to breathe, mouth and nose sealed by gold dust. His black hair danced wildly, almost alive.
Clack!
A shadow flew over and covered Liam's head.
A strand of Liam's flowing black hair hardened into a sharp spike, entwined with a layer of black Armament Haki.
Without hesitation, the black spike stabbed directly into his own throat, piercing his trachea.
"Huff…"
Air flowed through the small hole in his neck.
Liam, hair still swirling, rubbed his throat. Behind him, the entire giant arena was rapidly turning to sand, collapsing layer by layer. A monstrous Sand Dragon was beginning to form, And from the puncture in his throat came a raspy sound, "Ahh… that's better…"
Black mech armor panels flew in from all directions, attaching themselves to Liam's body.
"You like duels, huh?"
Wearing a golden faceplate and black battle armor, Liam spun his iron staff. His steel-like hand tightened around it as black Haki spread over the weapon's length.
From his leaking throat, he rasped:
"Then I'll give you one you won't forget."
It was like a giant dragon's roar, A titanic sandstorm dragon surged into the sky!
Countless spectators on the stands screamed and fled in panic.
Flying debris, howling winds, and the shrieking of Kikoku filled the air. The commentator had long since been unable to keep up. He couldn't even hear whether the screen was still broadcasting, all he could see was the blurred silhouettes of two fighters still dueling within the sandstorm's rage...
"Wū wā, !"
The commentator was flung into the air by the storm right where he stood.
On the shattered stands, Tesoro, still bleeding from Liam's vicious Rankyaku, suddenly vanished amidst the raging sands.
Wuuu wuuu wuuu…
The sandstorm roared and surged, swallowing the entire massive arena.
Shiryu's eyes rolled white, and he vomited blood, Then, with terrifying speed, he was blasted backwards, ejected from the core of the sandstorm like a cannonball.
Vacation island. The arena. A colossal sand dragon tornado…
That awe-inspiring image was captured by the Den Den Mushi strapped to the necks of airborne News Coo birds, and broadcast to giant screens all over the world.
"This is the power of a Warlord of the Sea…"
"That's not even human."
"It's insane…"
Countless people fell silent, unable to express their shock. Many were witnessing for the first time what top-tier power in this world truly meant, the ability to alter terrain, even create disasters.
New World, Big Mom Pirates, Whitebeard Pirates, Big News Morgans…
Sabaody Archipelago, Rayleigh, Shakky…
Marine Headquarters, Marine Branches…
Across the world, many powerful figures witnessing this scene thought the same thing:
"To push Sand Crocodile this far…"
"Chopper D. Giorno's got some real skill."
"Hā hā… Not bad at all."
"A walking Big News headline…"
"Hehe…"
"That little brother's pretty damn cool."
"It's Giorno again…"
And just then, From within the colossal sandstorm towering over the vacation island,
a blinding beam of Sword Energy shot up into the heavens.
"What was that?!"
Countless viewers all over the world were stunned by the scene.
On a ship in the New World, Whitebeard chuckled as he took a sip of wine.
"Gurā lā lā lā lā… not bad at all!"
The image on the giant broadcast screens shook, the News Coo birds in the sky had scattered in fright. A massive surge of Sword Energy shot into the sky and came slashing down, slicing the entire roaring sandstorm dragon clean in two!
BOOM!
The sand and storm that had filled the world were suddenly swept away. In an instant, the sky cleared, bright and cloudless. Fine grit filled the air, and the enormous arena, now leveled to bare earth, appeared utterly empty…
Spectators in groups of two or three slowly sat up from the flattened outer edge or from where they had escaped to safety. Their bodies were covered in sand. Dazed and shaken, they looked around in disbelief.
The commentator and several scattered judges were lying on the ground. As they scrambled to their feet, they looked out over the arena and found…
Nothing but a vast desert of sand.
Even the ring, the arena itself was gone, reduced to a sand-filled crater.
At the very center of what had once been the ring, a lone swordsman slowly lowered his enormous Black Blade.
"...…."
The commentator and the judges, all covered in sand, gaped in disbelief.
Did… this man just disperse that monstrous sandstorm dragon with a single strike?
Clang!
Mihawk sheathed Yoru, the Black Blade, onto his back and gazed forward.
Strike…
A match was lit, illuminating the tip of a cigarette. Amande took a slow drag, then exhaled a thin ring of smoke.
She said nothing. Quietly she sheathed her sword, turned around, and left. From beneath her sleeve, a thin line of blood trickled, slipping from her long, slender fingertips, dripping all the way into the sand.
High above, the News Coo birds cautiously descended in altitude. There were no more big screens at the arena, but screens around the world switched to live feed, a desolate, desert-like scene.
In the shot, the Ghost Lady slowly walked away, and in the former location of the ring, only Hawk-Eye Mihawk remained, alone.
"That one… lost too…"
Amid the global outcry in awe of Hawk Eyes, someone noticed a detail in the corner of the screen, Shiryu of the Rain was lying on the ground. Sand flowed over his body as he struggled to sit up, then involuntarily coughed up another mouthful of blood.
Across from him, someone approached slowly, stepping over the soft sand, an iron staff in hand, Liam.
Shiryu's eyes were bloodshot. He gritted his teeth and braced for another round.
Bang!
The black iron staff came down, sending him flying.
Shiryu, blood covering his face, swung his sword in a horizontal slash.
The blade flew across the arena, striking Liam.
BOOM!
But it only tore his clothes.
With Black Armament Haki and full-strength Tekkai (Iron Body) enhancing his defense, not even a scratch appeared on Liam's skin.
BANG!
Liam walked over and struck again. A burst of black lightning exploded from the impact. Shiryu rolled across the sand several times.
Meanwhile, not far away, in a corner that was once part of the stands but was now just a mound of sand, a Den Den Mushi poked out from beneath the dunes.
"Blublu… blublu…"
It blinked, shook off the sand, and opened its mouth, Spitting out a bloodied, unconscious Tesoro.
Moments later, Robin leapt out of City Fortress, scanning the landscape that had been completely transformed into a sea of sand.
She let out a soft breath of relief.
(End Of This Chapter)