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At the shoreline, Ross stood frozen, staring hard toward the horizon--- at the flames still blazing over the sea.
Liam watched as well. For some reason, the entire scene gave him a really strong déjà vu.
B.I.B. patted him on the shoulder and pointed at Ross. Liam followed the gesture--- and sudden realization dawned.
Shichibukai. Robin. A Princess. Her loyal guard commander. A cannon blast sinking a ship…
Put all those elements together, and yeah--- no wonder it all felt so damn familiar!
Ross bit down on her lip, trying desperately not to cry as the burning glow reflected in her eyes.
Robin placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder and sighed softly. "The power of that cannon strike… it must have been Stiel. He likely used the Gun-Gun Fruit ability he stole from Gance to attack his boat."
"Gance was an Ability User…" Ross's eyes reddened, tears trembling at the edges as she forced herself not to weep. "He…"
"That thief sure has some nerve," Liam muttered to Robin. "Captain--- I'll leave the rest to you…"
Gance's small fishing boat burned fiercely, slowly sinking beneath the waves.
Not far away, another ship drifted in the open sea. On its deck stood a tall, thin man holding a pair of binoculars.
From his chest protruded a massive cannon barrel, still aimed toward the flaming wreckage. The mouth of the blackened barrel glowed faintly red, still hot, wisps of gunpowder smoke curling from it.
"To think he actually survived crossing paths with that Giorno…"
Stiel muttered as he peered through the binoculars, watching the burning light fade beneath the water's surface.
After a blast like that, there was no way anyone could have escaped.
"Unless Giorno somehow stole Gance's Gun-Gun Fruit… no--- even if Gance wasn't an Ability User, there's no surviving that. He's dead for sure."
Stiel lowered the binoculars and retreated into the cabin. Sitting at the table, he picked up a Den Den Mushi and began dialing a number.
"Buru buru buru…" The snail on the table made its rhythmic noises, expression blank--- the telltale sign of a call in progress.
Stiel waited nervously. Then, the "buru" stopped--- and the Den Den Mushi's expression suddenly shifted.
Its eyes turned long and narrow, features charming yet terrifying--- still a Den Den Mushi, yet somehow radiating a presence that made one instinctively want to kneel before it.
And at least one person did--- Stiel immediately dropped to his knees.
"Stiel, is that you?" The snail's lowered gaze fixed on him.
"Yes, Captain," Stiel said, trembling with excitement, his face flushed with near-religious fervor.
The Den Den Mushi spoke in a calm, cold tone: "You're kneeling to my Den Den Mushi again, aren't you? Stand up. You were once a pirate with a ninety-million Belly bounty, weren't you? Try to have a little dignity."
"It's because it's you, Captain, that I--- I'm sorry!" Stiel stammered, tears of emotion in his eyes, scrambling to his feet.
"Enough. You called--- so that means things are settled over there?"
"Yes, Captain, but… something very unexpected happened this time," Stiel said, his tone turning grim. "The entire Haiqi Chamber of Commerce has been wiped out--- including that bald fat bastard. I saw him get kicked into the sky, and then in midair, some kind of giant golden pillar smacked him like a dead fish into oblivion! He must've died horribly…"
The Den Den Mushi was silent for several seconds before asking coldly, "What exactly happened?"
Stiel quickly summarized everything that had occurred on True Gold Island, emphasizing--- of course--- the interference of the JOJO Pirates. If not for those two meddlers--- or rather, that Chopper-na Giorno--- they would've struck it rich again. But thanks to his interference, everything had gone up in smoke.
"When that fat idiot came crawling to me for help," Stiel continued bitterly, "he said their branch office on the island looked like it had been attacked by some kind of beast. Everyone slaughtered, records burned. Later, when I reached the treasury, there was a Zoan-type among the attackers--- and their techniques were definitely Rokushiki! Captain, I suspect those Zoans were Government agents sent to investigate."
"Given this involves the Heavenly Tribute, and one of the Allied Kingdoms has vanished… even the corrupt World Government wouldn't just ignore their moneybags," the Den Den Mushi said with a faintly amused chuckle, before smoothly changing the topic. "But you mentioned… a golden pillar?"
"I have no idea what that was," Stiel admitted. "The island's gold mines should've been nearly exhausted already! But Chopper-na Giorno was still there--- I didn't dare get close to see for myself…"
"Giorno," the Den Den Mushi murmured, eyes narrowing. "During the Sword Hero Tournament, when Giorno was chasing Sand Crocodile, someone briefly stopped him with the power to control gold… If I'm not mistaken, that was the Paramecia-type Gold-Gold Fruit from the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."
"And at that time--- Chopper-na Giorno must have stolen it."
"He really is just like the rumors said--- possessing that bizarre ability to steal other people's Devil Fruits!"
"So I was right after all…" Stiel muttered to himself in relief, his face relaxing slightly. "Killing that guy Gance was the correct move. Hopefully, he didn't have the chance to tell that damned Giorno about my ability… otherwise, things would get very troublesome!"
Stiel's true power--- the Thief-Thief Fruit--- granted him a strange ability: as long as he touched someone with his hand, he could steal that person's ability.
If the target happened to be a Devil Fruit user, there was a very high chance he'd steal that person's Devil Fruit power. And the best part? It didn't affect the victim at all--- meaning they wouldn't even notice that anything had been taken!
But if the target wasn't a Devil Fruit user, the Thief-Thief Fruit would steal some random talent or specialty instead--- maybe strength, maybe speed, maybe even something like artistic skill.
There was one time, for instance, when Stiel accidentally brushed his hand against a heavily muscled pirate aboard an enemy ship--- and suddenly found himself thinking that the man's features looked surprisingly handsome and delicate…
Wait--- ! Why the hell am I remembering that incident now?!
Stiel shook his head violently. "If that wicked Giorno ever found out about this power, he'd never let me or my Thief-Thief Fruit go. Luckily, Gance didn't really understand what my ability was… and besides--- he's already been dealt with."
He let out a small laugh--- but then froze when he noticed the Den Den Mushi on the table staring at him with a grim, serious expression.
"You just said," the Den Den Mushi's cold voice asked, "that Giorno let Gance go--- and then soon after, you destroyed his ship and killed him at sea?"
"Yes," Stiel nodded, proud of his efficiency.
From outside the cabin, across the distant sea--- faint, sharp cracks echoed from the direction of the True Gold and Silver Island.
"Idiot!" the Den Den Mushi snapped, eyes narrowing. "Even if you wanted to take him out, you should've done it far, far away from Giorno!"
"What's that sound?" Stiel's eyes widened, glancing out the cabin window.
The Den Den Mushi sighed, clearly exasperated. "Do you really think Rokushiki is used only by Government CP agents? Did you already forget Giorno's performance in the Sword Hero Tournament?"
Pa! Pa!--- the sounds drew closer across the waves.
"He was chasing Sand Crocodile through the sky back then!"
Pa! Pa…
From the direction of the noise, a figure was approaching, stepping through the air--- fast!
"Do you have any idea how far he's mastered Geppo (Moonwalk)?"
"I thought… he wouldn't care about Gance's life or death…" Stiel's face twisted in disbelief, fear spreading through him. "No… no way…"
Pa!
With a powerful burst of air pressure beneath his feet, Liam landed smoothly on the ship's railing, his body still trailing faint ripples of wind from his supersonic flight.
Stiel rushed out of the cabin, staring up at him on the deck, his face ashen.
"Chopper-na… Giorno…"
"Looks like…" Liam said calmly, hands casually tucked into his pockets as he gazed down from the railing, "I don't need to introduce myself."
(End Of This Chapter)