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Cover Story: The Days of the Kuja Eastern Route · ?? Black ?? Gang ?? Shuffle ??
The music that suddenly blasted out from inside the faceplate left Sandersonia and Mari stunned. What surprised them even more was that the previously prone Giorno abruptly sprang to his feet. Sliding across the snow in rhythm with the music, he snapped his fingers and suddenly started dancing...
The dance and music were both absurdly catchy and bizarre, yet Giorno maintained an utterly serious expression the entire time. Combined with his exaggerated dance moves, the comedic effect multiplied severalfold.
Finding it hilarious, Sandersonia and Mari grinned and joined in one after another. One on the left, one on the right, they followed Giorno's rhythm and started fooling around together amidst the wind and snow…
...
With the vigilance of the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) covering everything within a hundred-meter radius around her, Robin's Flower Clone moved as though she had full-map vision, avoiding every person along the way.
The Flower Clone swiftly left the Royal Palace and delivered Dressrosa's Eternal Pose to Robin's main body.
Meanwhile, Liam was still locked in a standoff high in the sky, so Robin headed to the shoreline to wait for him.
On the way, she raised a hand and summoned one of the ears belonging to Liam's Hana Jizai Clone, informing him of which stretch of coast she would be waiting at and telling him to come find her once he was finished.
...
After meeting up at the shore and confirming that Robin had successfully obtained Dressrosa's Eternal Pose, Liam waved his hand decisively.
"Let's go!"
B.I.B. reached into Vane's mouth and pulled out a small sailing ship, then lifted it up and tossed it into the sea.
Liam and Robin jumped aboard. Entering the cabin, they placed Vane on the table in front of the helm before immediately heading into the Den Den Mushi Castle.
B.I.B. remained behind to steer.
Outside, atop the mast, petals surged forth and formed several arms, thick, muscular arms resembling Liam's. They untied the ropes securing the sails, unfurled the canvas, and then dispersed back into petals.
Hua La La!
Riding the wind and waves, the little sailboat sped away.
The lively Providence Kingdom and its island gradually receded into the distance until they could no longer be seen.
Inside the cabin, one of Robin's Flower Clones emerged from the floor wearing Dressrosa's Eternal Pose and assisted B.I.B. in navigation.
...
Back in the Den Den Mushi Castle, the two finally relaxed, feeling as though they had returned home.
They collapsed onto a sofa one after another.
Leaning against Liam, Robin recalled the artifact-smuggling group she had accidentally overheard talking earlier. Suddenly, her nose twitched. She turned and sniffed at Liam's chest.
"Just worked up a little sweat," Liam said.
The King's Punch did have some effect, but that was about it.
To use it, one had to remain completely still while charging, and the charge time was ridiculously long. After throwing a punch, it was impossible to immediately launch a second one within a short period. Even if a second punch was possible, another full hour of charging would be required.
As for eliminating these drawbacks, Liam had considered it before.
The long charge time wasn't necessarily a problem. Liam could shorten the charging period and release the attack earlier.
But the fundamental principle behind King's Punch was simple: the shorter the charge, the weaker the power.
If the charge time were reduced to the absolute minimum, with the punch thrown the instant charging began, then...
Liam thought about it.
Wouldn't that just become an ordinary punch?
As for the requirement to remain motionless...
After a brief experiment, Liam immediately realized that removing this flaw was fundamentally impossible.
King's Punch sacrificed all mobility in exchange for the power of that final strike.
The former was the prerequisite for the latter.
Trying to discard the disadvantage while keeping the power was like attempting to build a castle in the air. It simply didn't work that way.
In the end, King's Punch had always been a peculiar technique devised by King Elizabeth II, a method of using a small investment for a massive return, exploiting the strength of his physical body to break through fortresses on the battlefield.
It was not a technique suited to a genuine master like Liam.
"If it's not useful, then stop thinking about it."
Robin gave him a push, steadily herding him toward the bathroom door.
"Go take a shower and change into some clean clothes."
Liam was indifferent. Stripping naked, he strode directly into the bathroom.
Robin was about to leave when a mass of long hair suddenly extended out from the bathroom.
Like a giant serpent, it wrapped around her waist and stopped her.
"Ah!"
Robin let out a soft cry as she was pulled inside.
The bathroom's frosted-glass door swung shut, and moments later the lights came on.
The sound of running water pattered down continuously. Behind the frosted glass, two blurred figures intertwined with one another.
Then, suddenly, there was a bang.
A pair of slender hands pressed against the frosted glass from within, the fingers curling and unclenching rhythmically...
...
Dressrosa – Lovers' Avenue
The entire street was filled with smiling couples.
The air was saturated with passion, rich aromas drifting from the many restaurants lining both sides of the street, the fragrance of flowers wafting from the distant flower fields, the perfume worn by the women passing by, and the hormone-laden scent of perspiration from the Dressrosa dancers who performed tirelessly in the open air along the roadside.
This was Dressrosa, the Kingdom of passion, love, and fairies.
A man and woman wearing matching outfits and identical sunglasses walked down the bustling avenue, fitting perfectly into the atmosphere of the place.
"What a passionate place," Robin said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "And the scent of the flowers is wonderful too..."
She looked toward the distant part of the city.
The floral fragrance seemed to be coming from the plateau in the distance, which appeared to be where the Royal Palace was located.
"What delicious smells," Liam said, rubbing his stomach. "Just smelling all this food is making me hungry..."
Didn't you just eat?
Robin was speechless.
Just then, a burst of screaming erupted from the roadside.
The two looked over.
A beautiful woman was chasing a disheveled man through the street with a knife in hand.
Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes as she gritted her teeth in fury.
The man, terrified, clutched his clothes and fled for his life.
Noticing that Liam and Robin were tourists, a passing local man laughed and explained:
"The women in this country are all like that. They're incredibly passionate about romance and extremely jealous. So whenever they think a man has betrayed them, they'll try to stab him. The more beautiful the woman, the more likely she is to stab a man. Heh heh heh..."
"Hehe..."
This time, however, it was the local man's female companion who laughed.
Her smile bloomed as beautifully as a flower.
Meanwhile, cold sweat instantly appeared on the man's forehead.
Wiping it with a handkerchief, he hurriedly said to Liam and Robin:
"Please excuse me..."
The couple walked away while chatting and laughing.
Robin chuckled.
"That's pretty interesting... Liam, what do you think?"
"Huh?"
Liam looked puzzled.
He was currently wearing his black faceplate and rereading the Dressrosa arc of the manga.
Robin smiled ambiguously.
Liam looked completely innocent.
Giving him a sidelong glance, Robin pointed ahead.
"That restaurant looks pretty lively. Let's go take a look."
...
This time, when they entered the restaurant, the entire establishment did not fall into dead silence like it had back in Providence Kingdom.
The main reason was that Liam and Robin had changed clothes and were wearing sunglasses. Liam was also no longer carrying the Golden Iron Rod.
On top of that, this was a proper restaurant, and most of the diners were ordinary citizens of Dressrosa.
Although people here read newspapers from time to time, their interest in pirates was limited. Many didn't even bother reading pirate-related news at all.
After all, those scumbag pirates craved attention. Why give them the satisfaction?
The two found an empty table and sat down.
A waitress dressed as a dancer approached enthusiastically to take their order.
Robin smiled and accepted the menu.
She knew Liam could eat practically anything, so she only needed to consider her own preferences.
Meanwhile, Liam and B.I.B. observed the surroundings with interest.
According to the manga timeline, in about three years, the wicked man Donquixote Doflamingo would arrive with his crew, seize control of the country, and take the throne.
Before Doflamingo's group took over, however, Dressrosa's restaurants naturally weren't like those depicted in the manga, openly displaying gambling tables and hosting public betting.
That was why Liam couldn't help feeling puzzled when he spotted a familiar blind swordsman's figure.
There's not even any dice here for you to throw. How am I running into you again?
Fujitora... don't tell me this is your hometown?
Liam had no intention of provoking that man.
Although he was no longer as wary of him as he had been in the past, fighting a low-profile powerhouse of Admiral caliber still wasn't something he could confidently win.
Unfortunately, while Liam wasn't looking for the blind swordsman, the blind swordsman came looking for him.
Liam and Robin were enjoying their meal when a series of sounds approached from nearby.
Tok. Tok. Tok.
The tapping of a wooden cane against the floor echoed through the restaurant.
A faint gleam flashed in B.I.B.'s narrow eyes as he turned to look.
The blind swordsman in the purple robe smiled.
On that aged face appeared a gentle expression as he said:
"It's been many years since we last met. The growth in strength of you three has truly opened this blind man's eyes."
(End Of This Chapter)