Chapter Cover Serial – Longing, Suspended Update #15: "Ah, Mom and Dad"
The couple in the small boat were panicking, unsure whether the massive ship before them was a pirate ship or whether they should quickly turn and flee.
But, wait, who was that ridiculously handsome young man by the side of the ship, casually chewing on a rose?
As Tilda momentarily spaced out, another figure approached the blond man, munching on the flower. This new arrival was small, a child who normally would have been hidden behind the ship's high railings.
But since the couple's little boat had a much lower deck, they could clearly see the young girl gently scolding the blond man:
"You really shouldn't be eating roses…"
The girl glanced down.
The moment Marian saw the man and woman standing on the small boat deck beside them… she froze, dumbstruck.
…
Truth be told, it was a bit embarrassing.
But at that moment, outside the coliseum, watching the giant screen broadcasting the tournament, as the audience witnessed such a gruesome, bloody murder scene...
Among the over 1,000 swordsmen Liam had already eliminated earlier in the competition, several hundred still on the island all found themselves thinking the same thing:
Maybe getting eliminated early by that guy… wasn't such a bad outcome after all.
Because if they'd made it to the next round and ended up facing this woman, they likely would've suffered the same fate: Split from head to toe, slowly and methodically, like someone slicing open a watermelon.
What a terrifying way to die.
The Slow Waltz.
This was Charlotte Amande's sword style, and also the reason people called her the Wife of Wraiths.
Her sword was incredibly fast, and yet horrifyingly slow.
She relishes the feeling of slicing into her opponent bit by bit, watching them scream, savoring their agony and despair.
So the solution is simple: just don't get hit by her blade.
Except… you can't dodge it.
On the arena floor, Pathser Wen, a renowned greatswordsman from the New World, lay cleaved in two, his body rapidly growing cold. Blood soaked through the cracks between the stone tiles of the arena, creeping across the grid like it wanted to fill every groove.
Droplets of blood dripped from the blade's tip. Yet the edge itself remained clean, bright as polished silver.
Amande held a thin cigarette between her lips, gently wiped the blood from her hands, and stepped down from the stage as the announcer declared her victory.
She cast a glance toward Hawk-Eye's Mihawk, the winner of the first match.
Their showdown would be next. But Mihawk was already gone.
Having defeated Robin in the first match, the solitary swordsman had vanished the moment it was over.
"Man… that guy really is the definition of 'loner,' huh?" Liam muttered, already leaving with Robin after Amande stepped onto the field.
Robin held both his hands in hers and asked: "You mean Hawk Eyes Mihawk?"
Liam nodded. "Yeah, that gloomy bastard."
Robin tilted her head, then giggled. "Gloomy? Really?"
She thought back, when Mihawk first appeared, his little boat had a few candles burning, giving it a weird ghost-ship vibe…
'Oh, and his boat was literally shaped like a coffin lid… Like a vampire who just crawled out of a grave.'And his home after that? Even creepier.'Yup. A vampire returning to his castle.' Liam thought to himself.
"If you're really that interested in Crocodile's Devil Fruit," Robin asked, lifting his hand, "Why don't you just go find him yourself?"
She could already tell: Liam was thinking about his match later this afternoon.
Given that Crocodile hadn't shown up at all this morning, he likely wouldn't appear for the quarterfinals either… which meant she and Liam would still have to fight tomorrow.
Robin teased: "You're entering the tournament here, and sending B.I.B. to track down a Shichibukai over there... What, is Giorno Kun afraid something might happen to his Stand?"
She looked up, just in time to catch Liam's extremely reluctant expression. Robin studied it, then burst into half-laughter, half-exasperation.
"I get it now… Giorno Kun doesn't actually care about Crocodile's fruit. He just wants an excuse to play with his own Devil Fruit… And actively going to see a Shichibukai makes it look like you're a fan or something… You're such a tsundere, little boy."
She pinched his cheek.
"Why does it sound so weird when you say it…" Liam grumbled, cheeks being tugged.
The two soon walked off, taking the secondary exit of the arena. The main gate was far too crowded at this hour, as it sat directly beneath the giant tournament screen broadcasting the matches.
Morning matches ended swiftly.
Hawk Eyes Mihawk and Charlotte "Demon Lady" Amande both advanced to the Final Four, progressing to tomorrow's semi-final round.
Tomorrow: Hawk Eyes vs. Amande!
The audience was already beyond hyped.
Yes, many had been horrified by Amande's brutal, sadistic style, but at the same time, it proved that the contestants in this Swordsman Tournament were fighting at full power, unbound by restrictive rules.
And if you had to choose between: Protecting fighters' lives Or letting them go all-out in violent, skillful, winner-takes-all combat
Well… most fans chose the latter. After all, it's not their lives on the line. And let's be real: how many of these "Swordsmanes" actually have clean hands?
Many of them were already pirates to begin with! Sure, the Marines never confirmed it and the organizers certainly didn't say it outright. But come on, nobody here is blind. And even if they were, someone would eventually dig up and share the truth:
Hawk Eyes Mihawk, pirate!
Jolyne Cujoh, pirate!
Chopper-nah Giorno, pirate!
Pathser Wen, pirate!
Bai Tour, pirate!
And the Demon Lady and her younger sister? Even more pirate than any other pirate out there! With pirates slaughtering each other on the arena stage, who really cares if some of them die? Honestly, the more dead, the better…
'Is that why the Marines allowed this tournament to happen?'
People were whispering everywhere.
The afternoon matches hadn't started yet. It was lunchtime.
Audiences all over the world, having just watched the morning's broadcast, and the vacationers currently on the island, were buzzing with heated discussion about the epic battles they'd seen.
The first match didn't even need commentary.
Ordinary people rarely get to witness what true strength looks like in this world, what top-tier fighters are really capable of.
Back at his lodging, Hawk Eyes Mihawk laid down his enormous Black Blade.
"..."
Steak sliced. Wine poured. Swirling his glass, the gloomy lone swordsman drank alone on the balcony.
The Charlotte Sisters returned to their ship, greeted all the way by their animated Homies.
"Welcome back, Lady Mondé! Lady Amande~!"
Faces appeared on doors, windows, tables, even on blankets, dishes, and desserts, each with human-like features, hopping around, chatting away like a living cartoon.
Elsewhere, Shiryu of the Rain casually walked into a casino.
Since he didn't get to cut anyone in the morning, he made up for it here, slashing to his heart's content.
Wiping the blood off his monstrous blade with a handkerchief, a cigar in his mouth, he muttered coldly: "Call the Marines. Let them come clean this mess up."
Blood pooled on the floor as corpses of gamblers and casino staff lay scattered.
The casino manager, face deathly pale, stood trembling nearby. When Shiryu spoke, he flinched instinctively.
"I've never seen fighting like that! It was incredible!"
In a bustling restaurant, voices filled the air.
Naturally, the hot topic was this morning's Swordsman Tournament.
"Everyone knows that Hawk Eyes guy is a monster. But that woman, Jolyne Cujoh, heh, she's actually a pirate, y'know? No one here still thinks she's clean, right?"
"And she's a captain whose bounty is lower than her own crew member's!"
"She only has one crew member!"
Someone shouted, and the whole place burst into laughter.
The guy who started the story didn't appreciate the interruption and quickly pulled the focus back: "You guys have no idea how amazing that match was if you didn't see it yourself! Man, those blades were moving so fast I couldn't even see the shadows. All I heard was this crazy mix of clang clang, crack crack, like there was black lightning flying across the arena! Zzzzt, zzzzzt, "
He described it vividly, acting out the sounds. But then, he added regretfully:
"…Then, just like that, the woman pirate surrendered! What a letdown! If only they had kept fighting…"
"Yeah! They should've gone full throttle, both sides wrecked, winner takes all. Would've been perfect!"
Someone applauded. But another man shook his head and sighed: "She's a woman, after all. Probably lost her nerve… no more courage to keep fighting."
"True, true!"
More laughter broke out.
But not everyone was laughing. Some had gone completely silent, staring toward the restaurant entrance. One by one, others turned to look as well. Standing in the doorway was the tall figure of Giorno, and beside him stood his female captain, Jolyne Cujoh.
The uproar in the restaurant cut off instantly, as if sliced apart by a blade.
Liam raised three fingers.
"I'm gonna count to three. All of you, get out."
The moment he finished speaking, he reached out with one hand. From a slight gap in Robin's backpack, a thin string suddenly shot out, Whiz!, then with a Biu!, it expanded instantly…
It was a metal rod.
A metal rod?!
Anyone who had watched the match immediately recognized it.
As the rod landed perfectly in Liam's hand, he said calmly: "Three."
(End Of This Chapter)
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