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Chapter Head Serial: Lovesickness Takes Hold 34 – The Emperor of Imagination
As expected, it was still Giorno and Jolyne who had the most statues… The two younger sisters exchanged a quiet glance, then instinctively turned to the elder sister standing before the massive square stone inscribed with unfamiliar characters. It seemed they finally understood why her lovesickness was slowly easing…
Yet, lovesickness was a stubborn, incurable affliction; even the previous Snake Princess Tulip had been powerless against it. And yet, the elder sister seemed to be healing herself gradually through this very method. Was it because her physique was innately extraordinary? Or perhaps her longing for Giorno and Jolyne Princess was so intense that merely seeing their statues brought her comfort…? Or could it be that her own Medusa fruit, with its petrifying powers, somehow played a role…?
The two women's gaze lingered, watching Hancock's ears and neck gradually flush with pink…
…
"After this Swordsman Tournament, his bounty should go up, right?"
"He actually defeated Charlotte… Charlotte! There's no way it won't increase…"
"Don't forget the first day! All those swords flying at once, I'm still in awe just thinking about it!"
"Exactly. That scene alone deserves a bounty increase."
"Sure, a bounty increase makes sense, but… what kind of ridiculous reason is that?"
"Increase it again?! His bounty is already 200 million Berries…"
"200 million? Does 200 million Berries even reflect the strength he displayed at the Swordsman Tournament?"
"Yeah, considering how effortlessly he, "
Charlotte Mondé, walking toward the coated ship, halted mid-step, hand on her sword hilt, eyes narrowing with palpable killing intent.
That third night, the ceaseless clanging of swords filled the tiny island, cutting through the stillness like lightning.
Perched on a stone, Yasopp's goggles caught the wind as little Green slept peacefully.
In the Den Den Mushi City fortress, Liam yawned and murmured something, shifting as his heavy arm pressed down onto something soft… Under the dim light, Robin sighed, closed her book, and nestled into his embrace. Meanwhile, the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) sprouted arms behind Liam, tucking the blanket snugly around them.
In the deep night, the black armored figure floated silently above, watching their tireless duel with unwavering focus.
By noon on the fourth day, the clearing in the forest had expanded, trees splintered, the area a battlefield of chaos.
Shanks and Mihawk clashed again and again, their blades sparking lightning. Around them, Liam, the Red Hair Pirates, and others observed quietly.
Robin strolled across the small island, inspecting rare plants. Suddenly, she looked up to see a newsbird flying across the sea.
"Thank you," she murmured.
At the shore, Robin retrieved a coin and took a newspaper from the bird's satchel. She unfolded it and browsed, listening to the relentless clash of swords, slowly making her way back. Among the pages slipped several bounty notices.
Grand Line, New World
On Cake Island, Big Mom glanced at a fresh bounty notice, sneered twice, then continued shoveling desserts into her mouth.
Katakuri picked up two notices, examining the latest photos of Chopper-na Giorno and Kujo Jolyne from the Swordsman Tournament, along with their updated bounties.
Aboard The Moby Dick, Whitebeard chuckled, ignoring the objections of the nurses, drinking heartily. The bounty fluctuations of these juniors barely caught his interest.
Teach of the Second Division laughed while eating pie: "Hahaha, impressive duo. I wonder when they'll reach the New World?"
Marco of the First Division stroked his chin, glancing worriedly at his father, hooked up to IVs, before examining the new bounty notice in his hand.
"Chopper-na Giorno…"
"The bounty doubled!"
"Impressive, Liam!"
"Your Captain's bounty went up too, hahaha! This calls for a celebration!"
The Red Hair Pirates erupted in cheers upon seeing the new bounties for Liam and Robin, as if they had just received acceptance letters from the most prestigious academies. Excitement rippled through the crew, clamoring for a feast. To them, the celebration was merely an excuse, the feast itself was the point.
Liam could only sigh, watching Yasopp, Lucky Roux, and the others laugh and arm-in-arm jostle in delight.
"A feast! A feast!"
"A pirate feast!"
Robin held the freshly updated bounty notices:
Chopper-na Giorno: 400 million Berries
Kujo Jolyne: 330 million Berries
Combined, their total bounty surpassed 700 million Berries, a true monster-level pirate crew!
Kā chā!
Black lightning crackled like thunder, a sound so familiar that the Red Hair Pirates, Liam, and Robin were completely unfazed.
By the fifth day, the duel continued…
The latest bounty notices, carried daily with newspapers, spread relentlessly across the Grand Line and every ocean in the four directions.
As countless newsbirds streaked across the skies, their messages fluttering down onto every island and onto countless ships at sea…
Chopper-na Giorno!
Kujo Jolyne!
Their names, their faces, and the peculiar JOJOpirate crew consisting of just the two of them… were searing into the minds of more and more people. At the same time, another event had captured worldwide attention: the earth-shattering duel taking place on a certain island.
Hawk Eyes vs. Red Hair!
The battle was so fearsome, so devastatingly grand, that even the omnipresent eyes and ears of the World Economic News Agency couldn't provide an accurate account…
Every day, the newspapers could only share small fragments of the fight; the rest was speculation, wild imagination, and sensationalized storytelling, an elaborate mess of disorder.
Readers were frustrated but still obediently paid for the papers!
And Chopper-na Giorno and his female captain seemed to be on that very island, witnessing perhaps the world's first truly monumental Swordsman duel.
Countless people were envious that the two pirates could witness such a historic battle firsthand… Yet simultaneously, they were awed by the very fact that these two pirates had even intervened in it.
Chopper-na Giorno…
Kujo Jolyne…
Their names had been appearing everywhere in recent days.
They had never approached Marineford, Mariejoa, or the Sabaody Archipelago, yet to the people at the center of the world, their names were already legendary.
Their presence, their threat, could no longer be ignored.
At Marine Headquarters, in the office of Fleet Admiral Sorakaze, Sengoku slammed a file on the desk, speaking with fierce intensity…
Early morning, the seventh day.
As the dense fog slowly lifted from the island…
Robin rubbed her eyes and removed the B.I.B. mask from her face.
Lost in Liam's collection of books, she had completely lost track of time. She yawned, returned the mask to B.I.B., and stepped outside the city fortress. In the clearing beyond, the fog was dissipating, revealing an island half-destroyed. At the center of the wreckage lay Shanks of the Red Hair Pirates and Mihawk of the Hawk Eyes, both battered and sprawled across the ground. Their greatswords and the Black Blade lay scattered nearby.
"Who won?" Robin asked, walking to Liam's side.
Liam replied, "That… doesn't matter to me anymore."
"Hm?" Robin glanced at him and saw the fire of Kuma burning in his eyes. He rubbed his fists and said, "What I care about is… who's going to fight me next?"
Mihawk and Shanks struggled to rise from the ruined battlefield, supporting themselves with their swords.
Shanks muttered weakly, "Can you just leave me alone…"
The Red Hair Pirates around them laughed. "Captain, done already? Pathetic!"
"Hahaha…" Red Hair chuckled, slowly falling backward and lying flat. "I… have no strength left…"
Hawk Eyes gripped the Black Blade, trying to speak, but his breath was shallow, and he had no energy to form words.
Liam crossed his arms and sat beside Shanks. "You said this yourself! This island is perfect for dueling. You two had your fun, don't just leave me out!"
"Haha…" Shanks laughed, "Fair enough! But--" He craned his neck with his last ounce of strength. "Wait until I've recovered, you idiot!"
Unfortunately, he lay sprawled on the ground, utterly exhausted, incapable of moving except to lift his neck.
"Huff… huff…" Mihawk, leaning on the Black Blade, whispered, "This island… it's…"
Liam placed his straw hat over Red Hair's face.
"Ah…" Beneath the hat, Shanks' lips curled, a tear slowly trailing down. "It's been… about eleven years… no, almost twelve… since Captain Roger and Whitebeard fought here…"
Mihawk's eyes narrowed in shock.
Pirate King Roger? And the world's strongest man, Whitebeard?
Those two kings had dueled on this very island?
Even the Red Hair Pirates had never heard of this secret. Cold sweat ran down their faces in astonishment.
Robin scanned the battlefield, recalling that eleven to twelve years ago, Pirate King Roger and Whitebeard had clashed here. B.I.B., stationed behind her, had already realized this when they first arrived on the island seven days ago.
This was the same island where the legendary Roger-Whitebeard battle had taken place.
It was also here that Kozuki Oden left Whitebeard's crew to join Roger's crew…
"So many years… I've been thinking…"
Under the straw hat, exhausted and lying flat on the ground, Shanks let a single tear fall.
Liam remained silent. Robin remained silent. Mihawk, gripping the Black Blade, remained silent. The Red Hair Pirates stood silent.
Shanks' voice echoed across the smoke-stained island: "To have a captain like that just leave this world… it makes you feel… so lonely…"
(End Of This Chapter)