Guns stood behind King, hearing him sigh, "Defeating Haiyna... it truly came at a great cost."
Rose wiped her tears, catching Jolyne's sister out of the corner of her eye as she stepped forward, walking straight into the thick, warm steam. Her slender, graceful figure quickly merged with Liam's muscular, upright form.
In the misty, swirling steam, Robin helped Liam sit down. Her pale hand brushed over his sharply defined but trembling muscles, his skin flushed red from the fever.
Liam leaned back against something soft and warm, his eyes closed, gritting his teeth as he chuckled weakly. "Got you here, huh? It's not really that bad... hiss..."
"I know, I know," Robin said with a smile, gently massaging his muscles. "Feeling any better?"
Their voices drifted faintly through the dense steam...
"Have they always relied on each other like this? sniffle... I don't know what happened, but it's so touching..." Rose's eyes were red-rimmed, tears rolling down her cheeks.
King sighed softly and patted his daughter's shoulder.
Guns followed King out of the room. Rose wiped her tears and followed, gently closing the door behind her.
…
Night fell swiftly.
"Whoa! I'm back!" Liam exclaimed, straightening up. His muscles felt like they were forged from steel, and his stamina was at an all-time high. He threw a light punch.
Crack!
The air exploded with a sharp sound.
"Defeating that elite monster must have leveled me up..." Liam murmured, staring at his fist.
His eyes narrowed, and countless black shadows shua shua shua shua shua flashed past him. In that instant, he had thrown ten punches and ten kicks.
Liam felt that if he faced Haiyna again in his current state, he could defeat her even without using the Impact Fruit's ultimate move.
Armament Haki coiled around his arms as he slammed his fists together. Bang! Bang!
Hmm, the Armament Haki has definitely become harder.
Haiyna... Next time we clash fists, even without my B.I.B. armor, Liam was confident that relying solely on Armament Haki, he wouldn't be the one feeling the pain.
Judging by how Old Sand was treated after his defeat by Luffy in the manga, Haiyna would likely be imprisoned in Impel Down as well.
Liam shook his head.
He bounced barefoot on the ground, his muscular physique feeling lighter than ever before. It felt as though a single toe flex could launch him through the ceiling and into the clouds.
Robin sat up, draped in a thin blanket, watching him bounce and leap around with a gentle smile. She casually picked up a book from the bedside table and began reading.
Whoosh—a black phantom emerged from Liam's body, solidifying into his black battle armor.
Liam flipped back to sit beside Robin, taking several faintly glowing triangular chips from Stand's hand.
"Gold-Gold Fruit, Bubble-Bubble Fruit, Impact Fruit, Pipe-Pipe Fruit, Magnet-Magnet Fruit..." Liam said with a serious expression. "Without realizing it, I've accumulated so much useless stuff..."
"Aren't you interested in any of these anymore?" Robin asked, turning a page of her book.
"Hmm, I'm bored of them," Liam replied.
Robin smiled. "Rose secretly told me she wants to ask you to exchange the Pipe-Pipe Fruit back..."
"Doesn't she like the Munch-Munch Fruit?"
"Perhaps she's more accustomed to the Pipe-Pipe Fruit," Robin said with a smile. "Besides, the Pipe-Pipe Fruit allows her to move freely. For a Princess living in the palace, that kind of freedom must feel liberating, don't you think?"
Liam shrugged indifferently. "Whatever."
Robin asked, "Which one do you want to use? Still the Magnet-Magnet Fruit?"
"Hmm..." Liam stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Gold-Gold Fruit is definitely out. It could barely turn me into a little golden statue, and to manipulate gold, I'd still have to mine it myself first... As for the Munch-Munch Fruit, I already eat almost anything, so it'd be redundant. Pass... Now, the Bubble-Bubble Fruit... Bubble-Bubble Fruit..."
Robin, flipping through a book, murmured thoughtfully, "Speaking of which, your trick of turning Haiyna into a doll with the Bubble-Bubble Fruit was remarkably effective and impressive..."
Liam wagged a finger at her, nodding in agreement. "Exactly! Too girly for this handsome guy! Alright, Impact Fruit it is. Decision made."
B.I.B., who had been standing with his arms crossed like a black-clad security guard, raised his right hand, which was covered in red flame-like patterns, and slowly pressed the Impact Fruit Chip into his chest.
…
The next day dawned.
At the seaside, the King's grand ship from the Skyre Kingdom was preparing to set sail.
Meanwhile, on the nearby shore, a large crowd—soldiers, islanders, and even baboons—had gathered, firing their guns into the sea.
Bang! Bang! Bang!...
"Get lost, you wicked JoJo Pirates!"
"I almost joined you! How terrifying!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!...
"Ooh-ooh! Ooh-ooh-ooh!"
"Don't ever come back to this country!"
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!...
"Giorno Giovanna, Jolyne Cujoh, just two pirates who fled in disgrace! Waaah..."
"Hey..."
Leaning over the railing of the King's ship, Liam watched the soldiers and islanders putting on a spirited performance for the sea and the air.
He muttered, "Is this really necessary?"
King chuckled, turned, and waved his hand, signaling the crew to raise the sails and set sail.
Rose, standing beside Robin, grinned playfully. "They're just thanking you, aren't they?"
Liam turned back. "We're hitching a ride to the Sabaody Archipelago... Your dad's going to Marine Headquarters to beg for scraps..."
"What do you mean, 'beg for scraps'!" King couldn't hold back his anger.
"To ask for money at Marine Headquarters..." Liam glanced at Rose. "What are you doing here?"
"I came because I wanted to!" Rose winked, pushed her hands forward, and conjured an air tube. She dove inside and slid straight into the sky.
Liam and Robin looked up, laughing, while King and his guard commander, Guns, stood tensely on deck as the massive ship slowly pulled away from the shore.
"Because I wanted to spend more time with you, Giorno-Nii San, Jolyne-Nee San," Rose called down, circling in the air on her extended air tube. She felt like she was flying, and for a moment, she could almost hear the howling blizzards of the Drum Kingdom again.
Edge of the Calm Belt…
On the prow of a massive red tower ship, two serpentine sea beasts lowered their heads and dozed off...
Nearby, a Marine Battleship was anchored.
On the battleship's deck, a white cloak fluttered with a whoosh. A tall woman, nearly 1.9 meters tall, strode across the deck in red floral attire, her high heels clicking tap-tap-tap…
(End Of This Chapter)
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