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"Well, thank you very much!"
Liam rolled across the ground, then sprang up unharmed and charged at Haiyna again.
Robin, meanwhile, charged alone toward the three Corrupting Poison-drenched female zombies. Liam glanced away as B.I.B. streaked past him like an afterimage, choosing not to armor his body.
Bound to its host's will, B.I.B. was essentially Liam Clone Stand, a manifestation of his own spirit. It understood his intentions perfectly: while armoring would enhance his combat power, Haiyna wasn't strong enough to instantly defeat him. Facing such a formidable opponent was a rare opportunity for both Liam and his Stand to hone their skills. By fully exploiting this battle, they could reap greater "experience points" when the Stand eventually withdrew from the body.
In the brief moment their paths crossed, Liam casually switched his Devil Fruit power.
B.I.B. continued to streak forward, his right fist imbued with Armament Haki, and launched a punch at Haiyna
Bang!
"No need to be polite," Haiyna said, raising her blade's edge.
Clang!
Fist met sword, Armament Haki clashed against Armament Haki, unleashing a violent collision that sent black lightning snakes dancing wildly.
"You wouldn't let your pretty Captain interfere in her own fight, yet you're perfectly fine teaming up with this Black Ghost..."
Haiyna's Longblade, also imbued with Armament Haki, gradually pushed back B.I.B.'s fist. Her eyes narrowed, and she suddenly laughed. "I get it now! This ghost is you! You and it were always one and the same..."
"Correct!"
Giorno's voice rapidly closed in.
As a renowned pirate who had made a name for herself many years ago, Haiyna possessed a sharp mind, vast knowledge, and extensive experience. Liam wasn't surprised that she could deduce the truth from the subtle clues between him and his Stand.
Haiyna said, "No wonder your strengths are so similar, and even your fighting styles are nearly identical. Moreover..."
"So clever? How about a reward?"
As Giorno's teasing voice reached her ears, his figure flashed before her eyes. He had already moved from behind Black Ghost, closing the distance to stand right in front of her.
His large hands reached out, palms touching at the base, forming a blossoming shape as they enveloped her face at close range.
Liam chuckled, "Kamehame… Ha."
BANG...
Under Haiyna's narrowed gaze, a massive shockwave of light erupted from between Liam's palms. Though it appeared slow, the actual speed was blinding as it engulfed her completely.
The already dilapidated Royal City Fortress and the highland slopes suffered further devastation from the massive shockwave.
Liam lowered his smoking hands, panting heavily as he exhaled a long breath.
The Black Battle Armor beside him raised its fist.
Liam bumped fists with it, grinned, and chuckled, "This Impact Fruit is truly potent! I can actually cosplay as the Great Sky God for a bit. This was definitely worth it."
B.I.B. pointed to the other side.
Jiabode, Coyatl, and Rasha, controlled by Haiyna's Corrupting Poison, were besieging Robin. Covered in poison, Robin's movements were restricted. Her Haki couldn't cover her entire body and couldn't withstand such constant drain, forcing her to maintain distance and fight defensively.
Just as Liam was about to rush to her aid, an incomparably sharp slash swept across the battlefield, carving away another section of the Royal City Fortress's highlands.
Leaping into the air, Liam dodged the attack.
"I thought you weren't worried about her?"
He and B.I.B. turned toward the source of the slash and the voice. From the trench blasted by the earlier shockwave, a tall woman emerged slowly through the swirling dust, most of her clothes torn to shreds.
"I wasn't worried about her," Liam retorted. "I thought you were dead. You took a point-blank blast and walked away unscathed? Even for a beauty, you've got some thick skin."
"How could my woman's power hurt me?" Haiyna said dismissively.
Her upper body, especially her face, was covered in Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki). The Longblade she dragged behind her sliced through rubble, the ground, and metal objects like a hot knife through butter.
"Such a touching declaration," Liam remarked. "If I were a woman, I'd fall for you myself."
Haiyna deactivated her Armament Haki, revealing only a few scratches on her radiant face. She narrowed her eyes at Giorno, who was panting but still seemed to have plenty of stamina. "And," she said slowly, "the Devil Fruit abilities you stole aren't truly yours. They belong to this 'Black Ghost.' Jiabode's Bubble-Bubble Fruit and Coyatl's Impact Fruit, this ghost infiltrated the Underground and secretly plucked them from those two, right? That's why I never noticed..."
"Even in this state, you're still finishing your lines? Auntie, your persistence is truly touching."
Liam was about to move into the next phase of the battle when he noticed something strange about Haiyna after her Black Armament Haki faded. He pointed at her upper body and warned, "Hey, you're showing some skin."
Haiyna glanced down, unconcerned. "Aren't you naked too?"
She shook her head. "It's all wobbly and looks terrible."
"See? That's the problem right there!" Liam puffed out his chest.
"Huh?" Haiyna looked puzzled.
Liam declared confidently, "I like women, and you like women too. You're a woman, but I'm not. Me being naked doesn't affect you, but you going topless distracts me, right?"
"..." Haiyna narrowed her eyes, thought for a moment, then chuckled. "I can't really argue with that. Fine, I'll wait a bit."
She glanced down, tore a strip from her tattered waistcloth with a rip, and then vanished in a flash of motion. Her Armament Haki-enhanced elbow sent a B.I.B. that was stealthily drifting toward Robin and the others flying away.
"Didn't you say you weren't worried about her?" Haiyna smiled.
Then, she calmly wrapped the torn strip around her chest.
"Now I can..."
Haiyna was about to finish when she noticed Giorno stroking his chin, muttering to himself with a serious expression, "This doesn't make sense... it's still pink..."
"..." Haiyna smirked, her expression ambiguous. "Calling you a little pervert seems to have been spot-on."
With a flicker, she vanished.
The ground where she had stood exploded under her vanished foot.
Wielding her Longblade with overwhelming force, Haiyna charged toward Giorno and the shadowy figure in a blur of black.
Liam and B.I.B. exchanged a glance.
'You hypnotize me, I hypnotize you.'
'You hypnotize my hypnotized you, I hypnotize your hypnotized me…'
Just as Mari Ann had done, Liam and B.I.B. used each other as mirrors, instantly maximizing the effects of their hypnotic techniques!
Bang! Liam's body swelled, his limbs bulging with muscle.
Without hesitation, all four of their hands struck in unison, Bang! Haiyna's blade and fist collided with Liam and the Black Battle Armor.
Black lightning erupted with even greater ferocity, dancing wildly.
Bang!
This time, it was Haiyna who was sent flying.
After spinning countless times in the air, Haiyna's longsword struck the ground first, embedding itself at an angle. She landed gracefully atop the hilt.
She flexed her hands twice. Across from her, the Black shadow showed no visible change, but Giorno had transformed into a completely muscular, hulking man.
"What kind of technique is this? A power enhancement?" Haiyna crouched low on the hilt, then kicked it as she moved, sending the sword leaping into her hand as if by magic. She vanished into the rubble.
While the two muscular behemoths, one dark, one light, battled the swift-as-wind greatsword hero Haiyna, elsewhere... the three dark green, rotting corpses of Rasha, Coyatl, and Jiabode finally cornered Robin, swaying ominously as they closed in.
Pat-a-pat, pat-a-pat...
Poisonous liquid dripped from the three women as they lunged to embrace Robin.
(End Of This Chapter)