Serialized Chapter – Love-Sickness 35: Eternity Carved in Cuneiform
Within the hidden valley, around the towering Poneglyph stone, three of the surrounding walls had already been covered, every inch carved with rows upon rows of statues.
Chh, chh, chh…
A tall Empress, black hair cascading down to her waist, stood before the fourth wall. In her hand gleamed a chisel, cutting effortlessly into the mountain's unyielding surface, etching out the figure she carried in her heart.
Setting the chisel aside, her slender hand brushed away the stone dust. Her fingertips gently traced the statue's brow, the curve of its cheek, the sharp line of its jaw…
The sculpture was so lifelike that Hancock, blessed and cursed with the power of petrification, could no longer distinguish between stone and flesh. To her, this was the real person. If she only smeared her blood upon it, he would surely open his eyes and return to her.
With a faint smile, Hancock closed her eyes.
…
That Night, On an Island in the Grand Line
Firelight. Laughter. Singing.
It was time for a pirate's banquet.
"Ha ha ha ha ha!"
The Red-Hair Pirates linked arms, drinking, laughing, bellowing songs into the night. Cups clashed, barrels poured, and the revelry never ceased.
At the edge of the firelight, a flower-engraved chalice and the enormous black blade were laid aside. Mihawk, the Hawk-Eyed swordsman, wore an uncharacteristically relaxed smile as he raised his glass.
Shanks tore into meat with one hand, guzzled wine with the other.
"Let's welcome Liam! Cheers!" he roared.
"Captain! We already did that!" Lucky Roux bellowed back, laughing.
"Did we?" Shanks scratched his head, chuckling.
Glasses met in the air. Liam, Shanks, Mihawk, and the rest downed another round in one long gulp, except Robin, who merely sipped delicately before sliding her glass toward Liam.
Shanks refilled his own and shouted again: "Then let's welcome Liam's lady captain!"
"Captain! We already did that too!" Yasopp called, raising his glass.
Beckman, the vice-captain, and the rest didn't care. They raised their cups again, smashing them together with reckless joy before downing every drop.
The pirates reveled without restraint. All around the small island, animals cowered at the edges of the forest, unwilling to venture near the fire and noise. Shadows leapt across the trees while men bellowed their mirth.
Liam and Shanks were already drunk, arms locked around barrels instead of cups, competing to see who could drink more.
Gulp, gulp, gulp…
Shanks drank until his stomach bulged like a drum. He staggered, barely able to hold it in, desperate to rush off and relieve himself.
But beside him, Liam was still pouring it down, his throat working tirelessly. One massive barrel emptied… then another. No matter how much he drank, his stomach never swelled.
Thunk!
Liam slammed down his second empty barrel and wiped the ale from the corner of his mouth. His skin flushed scarlet, steaming like an engine shifting into Second Gear, thick vapor hissing from his body, carrying the sharp stench of alcohol.
Robin chuckled with a faint frown, instinctively stepping back.
Beckman, Yasopp, and Lucky Roux froze. What in the world was this kid…?
"Not good! Doctor!" Yasopp, face red with drink, flailed dramatically. "Liam's leaking booze!"
"Dear gods!!" the other Red-Hair crew cried, covering their faces in horror.
"Hah! You rookies have no idea, do you? This is called Life Return…" Liam laughed heartily, waving his hand through the swirling alcoholic steam.
He turned, and found Shanks staring at him, belly swollen, jaw hanging so low it nearly hit the ground.
"What's with you looking so shocked too?! Honestly…" Liam groaned.
"Ohhh, so it's Life Return…" the Red-Hair Pirates all sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from their brows. "Makes perfect sense now, totally understood."
That's all it takes for them to believe it? Robin thought silently, suppressing a smile.
Mihawk, ever the silent observer, took a slow drink.
Shanks' eyes glittered like stars. "Liam! Let me try it too! Your ghost armor…"
The armored B.I.B. granted the same power as Liam himself, the ability to control his body with Life Return.
"That's right. Wear it, and you'll be able to process alcohol the same way. You can drain out the excess at will."
Liam bit into a sizzling roast leg, juices dripping, seasoned perfectly by Robin's hand.
"Exactly! So let me try it too!" Shanks roared, raising both hands, his bloated belly bouncing.
The rest of the Red-Hair crew practically sparkled with excitement.
"Really? You mean we could do that too?!"
"Liam! Let us try it too!" Yasopp whistled, eyes gleaming.
Lucky Roux, a fat grin plastered across his round face, hiccupped as he bit into a chicken leg. "I also… hic!…"
"Ha ha ha, you guys, " Liam threw his head back and roared with laughter, slapping his thigh. "But… I refuse!"
"What?!!"
The Red-Hair crew, Shanks at the lead, all slumped in collective despair, as though struck down by a single blow.
"A bunch of sweaty men, stop dreaming already! Hah hah hah hah!"
Liam tugged down his lower eyelid and stuck out his tongue in a mocking face.
Robin only shook her head, hiding her smile. The embers of the bonfire glowed faintly, smoke curling lazily into the morning sky.
Among the Red-Hair Pirates, only a few had sobered, vice-captain Beckman, sniper Yasopp, and some others. They were slowly tidying the wreckage of the night's revelry.
Robin appeared soundlessly, already washed and neatly dressed.
"And them?" she asked.
Beckman hefted a wooden crate onto his shoulder, a cigarette tucked at the corner of his mouth. "They've probably already started…" he said with a knowing smirk.
Robin followed the line of his finger, then asked, "With who first? Or--"
"With both of them at once," Yasopp cut in casually as he strolled past carrying a little stool, finishing her thought perfectly.
Beckman blew out a lazy smoke ring. "That Giorno kid… he's got spirit, I'll give him that."
Robin chuckled softly. "Very much his style."
Following their gaze, she slipped into the forest. Animals scattered at her approach, panicked by the distant shockwaves. Through the drifting morning mist, she soon heard dull, thunderous impacts.
The fog suddenly parted. A clearing opened before her, swept clean by the sheer force of battle.
Three figures were locked in a fierce clash.
On one side, Liam's fists, jet-black and wrapped in Busoshoku Haki, hammered against Shanks, the great swordsman wielding the famed saber Griffin.
On the other side, Hawk-Eye Mihawk swung the massive black blade Yoru, slashing not at empty air but at an invisible opponent. Robin focused, her Kenbunshoku Haki sharpening her perception, and there it was. Liam's Stand, the black armored B.I.B., locked in a duel with the world's greatest swordsman.
Robin kept her distance, silently observing.
Boom! Liam's jet-black iron fist smashed against Shanks' blade, sparks of black lightning bursting from the collision before Liam was hurled back.
Crash! Mihawk's blade swept horizontally, its edge glowing with Haki. Sword aura tore through the forest, felling trees in a single stroke.
The black armor was flung into the air, breaking apart into scattered pieces of machinery.
Mihawk lowered his sword, eyes razor-sharp, watching the fragments fall.
But in moments, the shadows swarmed back to Liam's side, reassembling into the same humanoid figure as before.
Liam flexed his fist and grinned. "As expected… the gap between me and you two is still enormous."
Beside him, the B.I.B.'s narrow white eyes gleamed, scanning left and right, Shanks with Griffin in hand on one side, Mihawk with Yoru on the other. Together, they represented the absolute pinnacle of the pirate world.
Shanks twirled his saber and laughed. "You shouldn't fight barehanded. Where's your iron staff?"
"…" Mihawk rested one hand on Yoru's cross-shaped guard, his gaze cool and penetrating. "That thing beside you… It's part of you, isn't it? In that case, only when you fight together are you truly complete. Show us your full strength."
Liam chuckled. "Sharp as ever."
"Then come at me, both of you. Only then will this be a true one-on-one duel," Mihawk declared.
Liam rubbed his chin, glancing at Shanks.
The red-haired captain shrugged. "Can't deny it. He's got a point."
Liam and the armored B.I.B. locked eyes in silent agreement.
"…This brat…" Beckman's voice drifted from behind Robin. He emerged from the trees, cigarette still burning, smiling faintly. "He's never once fought side by side with that 'ghost' of his at full power… not until now."
Snap! Liam clicked his fingers. "Right on the mark!"
"Because, honestly…" He clenched his fist, voice tinged with mock regret. "I've accidentally become… too strong."
Thunk! A bean smacked into his head. Yasopp lowered his hand, deadpan. "Oi, cut it out already."
"Enough talk." Mihawk wasted no time, he kicked Yoru up from where it had stood in the earth, caught the hilt, and charged at Liam and his black-armored double.
(End Of This Chapter)
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