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Chapter Cover Side Story - The Days on Kuja's Eastern Route · The Heavy Snow That Day
Robin, Hancock, and Marigold rode Sandersonia, who had transformed into a flying serpent incarnation, toward Rusukaina Island. They found the island buried beneath heavy snowfall, the entire landscape wrapped in silver as winter had already arrived…
The four women left a string of footprints in the snow as they searched for Liam. When they finally found him, that guy was holding a pot with a metal cylinder sticking up from the middle? He also wore a black faceplate, seemingly comparing something while crafting tools bare-handed.
Seeing them approach, he happily waved them over to join him, saying they were going to eat some kind of "hotpot."
At that moment, the faceless Black Battle Armor emerged through the goose-feather snowfall carrying the corpse of a gigantic beast, slowly flying toward them…
Soon, steaming aromas of hotpot drifted into the air, mixed with the laughter and noisy squabbling of men and women fighting over food, before gradually fading into the howling blizzard…
......
Inside the royal palace courtyard of Providence Kingdom, the kingdom's ruler, Elizabeth II, famed as the "War King", was discussing matters with his strategist Dagama when they suddenly heard faint commotion from outside the palace walls, accompanied by startled cries from soldiers.
"What happened?" Strategist Dagama stroked his mustache.
Elizabeth II frowned unhappily and personally went to investigate. As a king renowned for both war and combat, he preferred handling many matters himself rather than ordering guards around.
From afar, the ruler and his strategist saw a figure leap high above the palace walls.
A gigantic cyan energy slash suddenly swept toward them.
"An assassin!" Dagama cried out.
"Military Advisor, move…!"
Startled, Elizabeth II grabbed Dagama and dodged aside.
BOOM!!
The cyan arc slammed into the ground several meters before them, carving out a trench over ten meters long.
Dagama stared in shock.
"He missed?"
"No." The War King looked up grimly toward the figure standing atop the palace wall. "He never intended to hit us in the first place…"
Then he shouted loudly:
"Giorno Giovanna! You still dare show yourself in the New World? Aren't you afraid of Whitebeard hunting you down?!"
Giorno?!
Dagama's heart shook. Narrowing his eyes, he could only vaguely make out the silhouette standing against the backlight atop the wall. Judging from the tall build, it really did resemble that madman with the 400 million Belly bounty.
At that moment, a burst of gunfire erupted from outside the palace walls.
Immediately afterward, the figure atop the wall was struck by a dense barrage of bullets.
"Great…!"
Dagama was just about to celebrate when his expression froze in disbelief.
Giorno showed absolutely no reaction at all.
The rain of bullets struck his body as though hitting mud, completely ineffective.
Elizabeth II angrily shouted:
"Who ordered them to fire?! Deliver my command, without my permission, nobody is allowed to act recklessly!"
"Yes, sir!" a nearby soldier answered hurriedly before rushing off.
"This is Giorno Giovanna…" Elizabeth II muttered, cold sweat trickling down his forehead. "A man who survived facing the legendary Whitebeard head-on…"
Then he roared upward:
"Giorno!! Why aren't you saying anything?!"
Standing atop the palace wall, bullets clattering off his body one after another, Liam wore a thoughtful expression.
What was this king's name again…? Liam shouted: "Elizabeth… something something the whatever-th…"
"Elizabeth II!!" Both the War King and the Military Advisor roared furiously together. "How insolent!!"
"I heard you have a move called the 'King's Punch'?" Liam grinned from atop the wall. Leaning casually on the Golden Iron Rod with one hand, he pointed at his own chest with the other.
"I'm interested! Come on, punch right here! Don't worry, if I die, it's my own problem!"
The soldiers of the royal army gathered below the wall, all stared in disbelief.
"Is this guy insane?"
"The War King's King's Punch can blast apart an entire fortress with one punch…"
"They say even the Emperors of the Sea can't take that move head-on!"
"He's gone mad after fighting Whitebeard…"
Even Elizabeth II wondered if he had heard wrong.
Was this man mentally ill?
He had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, making them think he was planning something huge,
And in the end, he came just to seek death?
"Don't go back on your word, Giorno!!!!" Dagama shouted at the top of his lungs. "A Great Pirate who fought Whitebeard evenly says he'll take our king's King's Punch head-on, surely you won't cowardly retreat now, right?!!!"
"You can start charging it up," Liam replied.
"Looks like he doesn't even need provoking…" Elizabeth II clenched his right fist.
The muscles of his arm swelled, veins bulging one by one as though limitless power was gradually gathering into that single punch. His gaze remained fixed on the pirate atop the wall.
"How could anyone with a normal brain become a pirate in the first place?"
Waiting around grew rather boring, so Liam simply sat down atop the wall.
Time slowly passed.
The War King maintained his charging stance, while more and more people gathered outside the royal palace walls to watch the spectacle.
"I knew this guy was crazy, but I didn't realize he was this crazy…"
"He's really planning to take the King's Punch head-on? What is he thinking?"
"If he truly understood the King's Punch's reputation, there's no way he'd calmly wait for the War King to charge it up. And since he is calmly waiting, it clearly means he has no idea how terrifying the King's Punch really is…"
The crowd buzzed endlessly with discussion. Camera flashes popped one after another among them.
"Big news, big news! That Giorno never fails to provide headlines…"
"Will he die to the King's Punch?"
"A punch capable of injuring an Emperor of the Sea? How could it possibly fail to kill him?! That idiot is finished…"
Without anyone realizing it, half an hour passed.
Throughout the entire time, Liam sat atop the wall using Kenbunshoku Haki to observe that King Whatshisname-the-whateverth charging his attack below.
His Observation Haki specialized in distinguishing the strength of a person's aura, essentially making him a walking combat power detector.
Over the course of thirty minutes, he watched helplessly as the War King's aura, especially the danger emanating from his right arm and fist, steadily climbed higher and higher.
"Looks like I can't stay sitting anymore."
Liam stood up atop the wall.
The massive crowd below, bored from waiting so long, instantly burst into commotion again because of that simple movement.
Then another ten minutes passed…
Strategist Dagama looked at Giorno, who still showed no intention of retreating, and sneered coldly.
"He's finished!"
Beside him, veins pulsed violently across the War King's right arm as he smiled.
"I can throw the punch at any moment now…"
Dagama laughed wickedly.
"Your Majesty can keep charging a little longer too. That pirate's an idiot anyway."
Another ten minutes passed…
Leaning on the Golden Iron Rod, Liam stared solemnly at the Providence Kingdom king below, whose battle intent surged higher and higher.
"Is Giorno getting scared now?"
"Haha… looks like he's realized something's wrong!"
Among the crowd were hidden pirates, bounty hunters, and other capable fighters. Seeing the scene atop the wall, they burst into laughter.
Not far away, B.I.B. sat quietly on another section of the city wall, silently watching everything unfold. It glanced toward Elizabeth II.
An entire hour had now passed.
The danger radiating from the War King's right fist had multiplied several times over. An overwhelming aura seemed on the verge of erupting uncontrollably.
Just as the spectators were beginning to grow impatient, Elizabeth II roared:
"BEHOLD, THE KING'S PUNCH!!!!"
The instant he threw the punch, terrifying force exploded outward, forming a gigantic visible shockwave that surged like a raging dragon toward Liam atop the city wall.
BOOOOOOM…!!
The entire corner of the wall, along with Giorno's figure, was swallowed by the overwhelming light and impact of the attack… The crowd's gasps, screams, cheers, and laughter all seemed to vanish beneath the thunderous roar.
The image of half the city wall being obliterated by that immense punch reflected within B.I.B.'s narrow eyes…
Even though the spectators had mentally prepared themselves, seeing such horrifying destructive power with their own eyes still made their eyeballs nearly pop out.
"As expected of the King's Punch!!"
"The War King's strength is terrifying…"
"Where's Giorno?"
"Haha, he probably got blasted into dust! Serves him right!"
Some applauded enthusiastically. Others sighed and shook their heads.
Were pirates really all this stupid?
Then suddenly someone pointed toward the distant sky behind them.
Meanwhile, within B.I.B.'s mind, a slow question mark rose.
That's it?
"Hahahaha! That wicked Giorno was destroyed by his own arrogance, AHHH!! WHAT'S THAT?!!"
Someone in the crowd screamed while pointing at the sky.
Everyone looked.
Far in the distance along the latter half of the King's Punch's trajectory, there was a figure…
Was that Giorno who had been blasted away?
He had flown that far?
No, wait… he was still completely intact?!
Whoooooosh…
Violent winds howled past Liam's ears as he arced downward through the sky, utterly speechless.
That's it?
While falling, he stomped midair.
PA!
Using Geppo, Liam quickly turned around and headed back.
The people below stared as though they had seen a ghost, terror filling their faces.
"You've got to be kidding… He's still alive…"
"What kind of monster is this guy…?"
Among the crowd, reporters trembled with excitement while wildly snapping photos toward the sky, practically wishing they could shove the camera directly into Giorno's face.
"This is unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!"
Inside the royal palace, Elizabeth II lowered his fist and laughed while panting.
"Heh heh heh… He actually dared take my punch head-on. In that respect, he really is a man…"
Then his expression froze.
"Huh?!"
The Military Advisor was still celebrating happily, utterly confused by the king suddenly staring wide-eyed at the sky.
He turned around,
And nearly had his eyeballs pop out in horror, tongue practically flying from his mouth.
"GIOOOOOOOORNOOOOOOO?!?!?!!!!"
Stepping through the air with Geppo, Giorno returned beneath everyone's stunned gaze, his voice drifting down lazily from above.
"That King's Punch of yours is a cheap imitation. Mine is the real deal!"
Everyone watched as Giorno clenched his fist high in the sky,
And actually began charging power into it as well…
"Wait, don't tell me…" Elizabeth II's temples were soaked with cold sweat as he stared upward in disbelief. "He's going to… No, impossible…"
Meanwhile, his Military Advisor was still suffering a complete collapse of worldview, roaring hysterically at the sky:
"Impossible!"
"You took the King's Punch head-on, how are you still alive?!"
"That's a punch even Emperors of the Sea wouldn't dare receive directly!!!!"
He kept ranting and screaming for a full ten minutes.
Meanwhile, Liam stood in the sky using Geppo, awkwardly charging power while rolling his eyes.
"Have you ever even seen a Yonko?" he said speechlessly. "Take this!"
BOOOOOOM…!!
Liam punched downward.
An immense torrent of force descended toward the royal palace like a crashing flood.
"No… this was only ten minutes…" the War King muttered weakly while staring upward.
"Run, Your Majesty!" the Military Advisor screamed while fleeing in terror.
Outside the city walls, some spectators looked utterly lifeless.
"How…? That was the King's Punch…"
"Did he learn it instantly…?"
"What kind of monster is this…?"
Others gazed upward at the overwhelming torrent of force descending from the heavens and dropped to their knees like worshippers witnessing a miracle, clasping their hands in prayer.
BOOM…!!
It was as though heaven shattered and earth cracked apart.
The entire royal palace sank downward several feet.
A gigantic crater in the shape of a fist appeared in the palace courtyard.
At the center of the crater lay the War King, covered in blood and unconscious.
Beside him, the Military Advisor's legs had been shattered, and he lay collapsed in a pool of blood, his fate unknown.
Some soldiers completely lost their will to fight, their weapons falling from numb fingers.
Others ignored the danger and rushed desperately into the enormous fist-shaped crater to rescue their king.
Meanwhile, under the gaze of countless people outside the city, Giorno casually walked away through the sky using Geppo as though nothing had happened.
After landing, B.I.B. followed behind him.
"I thought it'd be way stronger than that. What a disappointment," Liam complained.
B.I.B.'s eyes glimmered faintly as it replied slowly:
Didn't you reread the manga? That Longleg Tribe guy who later joined the Straw Hat Grand Fleet took the full attack point-blank and was still perfectly fine… As for claims about injuring Yonko with one punch, that's obviously just people boasting within the limits of their own understanding.
Liam instantly lost interest, grumbling maliciously:
"Maybe it's just a slogan they use to hype themselves up. I mean, a Yonko like Kaido isn't actually gonna travel all the way over just to smack him with a Thunder Bagua and ask, 'So what was that punch called again?' Right?"
B.I.B. replied:
Still, this 'King's' Punch isn't completely worthless…
Liam shrugged.
"The charging method is pretty decent, but it wastes way too much time. The fact I could copy it on the spot proves it's not some impossible technique. At Kaido, Whitebeard, or Shanks's level, if they wanted to learn it, they could absolutely do it too."
"But who'd be dumb enough to bother?"
"With the time spent charging, you might as well swing a few more Thunder Baguas or split the sky open a couple more times…"
B.I.B. shrugged and walked toward the shore, where Robin was already waiting for them.
Robin shook her head.
"You caused way too much commotion."
Liam grinned.
"Just having some fun. Did you get the thing?"
Robin nodded and flipped over her palm.
Resting there was a Log Pose.
Marineford , Marine Headquarters ,
Sengoku lowered the Den Den Mushi and shook his head helplessly.
Just now, Rosinante, his adopted son and subordinate, who had disappeared for half a year while infiltrating the Donquixote Family in the North Blue, had suddenly called to report that Doflamingo had set his sights on the Operation-Operation Fruit…
What exactly had that brat Rosinante been doing these past six months…?
Sengoku sipped his tea.
Then a newly arrived report was handed to him,
And he instantly sprayed the tea everywhere.
(End Of This Chapter)