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Chapter Serial・Love Sickness XI・So This Is What Love Sickness Feels Like
In the quiet chamber, Hancock, draped in a sheer veil, walked barefoot across the frost-like, cool moonlight, as if carved from jade. Step by step, she approached the stone statue lying ahead.
Gazing at the frozen face of Tulip, stilled entirely by petrification, a faint, serene smile curled on Hancock's lips. She stood there silently, entranced…
…
Just like Jinbe, Fisher Tiger bore a massive sun-shaped tattoo on his bare, open chest.
Liam glanced at it a little longer than necessary.
He knew that within the entire Sun Pirates, only Captain Tiger's "sun" tattoo was the real deal, branded there to burn away the original Celestial Dragon slave mark.
Tiger's expression remained calm, but inside, a sharp pain pierced his heart. No one can lie to themselves, nor suppress the subconscious, primal reactions of their heart.
Tiger knew, no matter how open and bold he tried to appear, he could never truly forget the fact that he had once been a slave of the Celestial Dragons.
It was the deepest scar in his heart.
And this human standing before him, his gaze was like a blade, cutting right through to the truth beneath that sun symbol: raw, bleeding, undeniable...
The altercation between Liam and the Fish-Men pirates, already drawing whispers from passersby, quickly began to attract more attention.
"Hey hey… they're fighting…"
"Those two humans… they look kinda familiar…"
"Idiot, those are the pirates! The ones who came to the island earlier today! They clashed with that Hawk-Eyes guy and the Sea Emperor's daughter…"
"Wait, those guys?!"
"Go get the Marines, now!"
"So you're the pirate Jinbe mentioned… Chopper Giorno."
Tiger ignored the gawking humans nearby and stepped in front of Liam. Even standing still, he towered over him.
"Why did you attack our comrade?"
Liam looked up and answered seriously: "Relax. I just couldn't stand the guy, so I figured, why not just kill him and save everyone the trouble?"
"…?!"
Tiger clearly hadn't expected this human pirate to speak so openly about harming his crewmate.
His massive frame suddenly radiated a dangerous pressure. His bloodshot eyes narrowed as he glared down at Liam with menace.
The other members of the Sun Pirates were outright furious now. They raised their weapons and shouted:
"Tiger-Oyabun! Don't bother reasoning with him, let's all take him down!"
"Yeah! Don't let Arlong suffer for nothing!"
"He nearly killed Arlong!"
"Tiger-Oyabun! This human clearly despises us Fish-Men!"
Liam turned and shouted right back: "Are you deaf?! I just wanted to kill Arlong! Who the hell said I despise Fish-Men?!"
"Arlong is one of us!" The Sun Pirates could barely hold themselves back as bthey roared back.
"You bastard!!"
With a furious roar, Jinbe, who had restrained himself the longest, could no longer stay calm. His eyes were blood-red as he burst forward like a raging shark, body massive and unstoppable.
He slammed straight into Robin, breaking through her block, and launched a heavy punch straight at Liam.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM…!
Liam was knocked flying, crashing into the Sun Pirates' ship, slamming into the side so hard it rocked the whole vessel before he finally came to a stop.
Robin lowered her hand with a quiet shake of the head.
The "Hana Armor: Liam" she had replicated did carry the exact physical strength of Liam himself… But Robin, as the user and controller, lacked Liam's Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) and battle instincts, so she couldn't bring out its full potential.
That was why Jinbe found a window to break through her guard and land a blow.
Still… not even Vice Admiral Kuzan (Aokiji) could take Liam down with a single hit.
If Jinbe did manage to land one, that just meant… it didn't do much to him anyway.
And Robin wasn't worried.
After all, B.I.B., from start to finish, had just been calmly standing by… never once showing any intention of helping its real body.
"Why exactly did you have to attack that Fish-Man?" Robin glanced at the black battle armor with her Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki).
Stand says: Actually, it's for the same reason as when we attacked Caesar back then...
Robin pondered this quietly.
Meanwhile, Jinbe clenched his fists, panting heavily, looking at the unconscious Arlong being cared for by Koha and the others, and said regretfully, "Tiger Oyabun… I'm sorry. It was I who brought Giorno here."
Tiger said nothing, his gaze fixed on the smoke and splashing waves near the pirate ship. Jinbe's punch earlier had cracked the ground beneath them.
Crow and Chiu exchanged glances, releasing a wicked breath, and muttered, "That guy… could it be Jinbe actually killed him with that punch?"
But from the dust, rubble, and waves stirred up by the clash, the tall figure quickly stood up again.
"Hey, hey…" Ship doctor Aladin exclaimed in surprise, "After taking such a heavy punch from the enraged Jinbe, nothing happened to him?"
Thinking back to when a bunch of Fish-Men had surrounded Giorno, especially when Arla's trident stabbed into his flesh, it was like fighting against a humanoid weapon , utterly unbelievable.
"Is this guy human or a monster?"
"Exactly…"
Liam cracked his neck and slowly stepped out from the dust.
"Captain Tiger, there's no misunderstanding between us. Jinbe, sorry about that, I said there was someone on your ship I wanted to see, but I really meant someone I wanted to beat up…"
Jinbe roared, "I thought you meant Captain Tiger!!"
"The more you all hate me, the more I hate the guy I almost killed." Liam said, "Although you guys aren't bad, people I could be friends with. But since we're already fighting, let's cut the crap and get it on. I still have to have dinner with my Captain later…"
"Damn right!"
Jinbe's face went cold as he charged, his 5,000-watt punch delivered with extreme ferocity.
"Nothing to talk about, indeed."
Tiger abandoned caution and strode toward the pirate Giorno. His bare fists, tough enough to climb the Red Line, ruthlessly smashed toward Giorno.
"Harming our comrades comes with a price!"
Ship doctor Aladin, wielding his trident, flanked from the other side, ruthlessly stabbing toward Liam's back.
BANG!
The collision of forces sent three Fish-Men flying, but Liam stood firm.
Jinbe fell among the Fish-Men, rolled, and got up, shocked in his heart:
How is this possible?
He had just landed a 5,000-watt punch, and this guy caught it with his head?!
Tiger collapsed nearby, equally stunned. His punches and kicks struck Giorno's body like hammering the Red Line itself, this man's body was covered in a layer of black that was completely immovable!
Aladin was thrown flying with his trident, somersaulted multiple times, half his body splashing into the sea. The Mermaid pushed himself up, trembling as he gripped his trident.
The webbing between his fingers and the muscles of his hand felt as if torn by the recoil from earlier, pain so sharp, faint drops of blood appeared.
Aladin looked at Arlong being cared for by Koha and couldn't believe it:
"Arlong… that kid… surviving a punch from that monster? He's really lucky!"
"What an amazing human, Nyu!"
Fish-Man Koha watched Liam, now once again surrounded and attacked by Jinbe, Tiger, and other Fish-Man brothers, and said with simple admiration,
"Even with Tiger Oyabun and Jinbe Big Brother both attacking, he still remains so calm…"
Aladin focused intently on the battle.
Though he didn't understand why Giorno hated Arlong so much, he was secretly glad that the monster seemed to only hate Arlong...
"Chopper Giorno is fighting the Fish-Men?!"
"They've already reached City town?"
"Set off! We absolutely cannot allow them to harm civilians!"
Marine Vice Admiral Onigumo received the news and led his team, rushing straight to the scene.
(End Of This Chapter)