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Chapter Cover Side Story: The Days of Kuja's Eastern Route
The snow over Rusukaina had finally stopped. The dance of Hancock, Robin, and the "addition-subtraction-multiplication-division" troupe...
What an unforgettable memory.
Liam reflected on it this way while looking at Hancock, who stood in the snow with a face full of embarrassed humiliation.
...…
Liam had encountered Fujitora twice.
Both times he met Fujitora, he also happened to run into that little chubby guy, Sentomaru.
And in the manga, Sentomaru referred to Kizaru as his uncle.
Because of that, Liam had long suspected that before becoming a Marine Admiral, Fujitora had been connected to one of the World Government's scientific research organizations.
After all, in the manga, Sentomaru commanded the Marines' Scientific Force. And the Pacifistas, living weapons modeled after Bartholomew Kuma, used laser attacks remarkably similar to those produced by Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit.
Furthermore, during Admiral Ryokugyu's first appearance in the manga, his conversation with Fujitora revealed that Fujitora was quite familiar with the genius scientist Dr. Vegapunk, whom the Marines had recruited.
Taking all these connections together, the possibility that Fujitora had once served within the World Government's scientific division seemed extremely high.
That was why, when Fujitora had warned him before leaving that someone might come looking for him, Liam had assumed that person would probably be Kizaru.
"Who is it?" Robin asked curiously.
"Who else could it be?" Liam complained.
"That ice bird. Is he really that free? I've run into him so many times already..."
Vice Admiral Kuzan.
Robin was startled when she heard the name.
However, during their time on Kuja Island, the PTSD she had developed toward Aokiji had largely been treated through Liam's hypnosis.
So while she was surprised, she no longer reacted as she once had, gasping for breath, breaking out in cold sweat, and freezing in place whenever she heard Aokiji's name.
Robin asked, "Is he the person that blind swordsman was talking about? The one who wanted to see you?"
"Meeting him won't hurt." Liam stood up and stretched lazily. "As for that thing you're interested in, doesn't its deadline arrive in half an hour?"
Robin rose as well.
"It's fine."
"No, it isn't."
Liam pinched her smooth cheek.
"You go do what you need to do. Fighting people is my specialty as your subordinate."
Given Liam's current strength, Robin truly had little reason to worry.
She merely reminded him:
"Still, be careful."
"Yes, Captain."
Liam took Robin's hand and brushed his cheek lightly against the back of it.
"Eek!"
Little Rebecca and Princess Mansherry, who was sitting on Rebecca's shoulder, both covered their faces.
Yet their fingers were spread apart, revealing a pair of sparkling eyes each.
Liam and Robin exchanged amused smiles.
"You're leaving?" Kyros asked in surprise.
Liam smiled.
"Want to come along? My captain has business elsewhere too. If you stay here much longer, getting back across the bridge later might become troublesome."
Old King Gancho of the Tontatta Kingdom nodded in agreement.
"King Riku, you should listen to him and leave now."
"You're leaving already?" Princess Mansherry looked pitifully at Rebecca.
Rebecca looked equally reluctant as she gazed at the Dwarf friends she had just made.
"Mansherry, Leo, Wicca, Bian... will you come visit me again someday?"
"Of course!" Leo replied cheerfully.
"Aren't we friends?"
The next moment, Mansherry grabbed his cheek and stretched it sideways.
She huffed angrily.
"That's supposed to be my line!"
"It's a promise!"
Rebecca extended her finger.
Several tiny Dwarf fingers met hers.
"Mm!"
"Mm!"
"Mm!"
"Mm!"
"Mm!"
Watching this scene, both the elder Dwarves and the families of King Riku, Kyros, and Scarlett wore gentle smiles.
Under Liam and Robin's lead, the entire group retraced their route.
On the way back across the bridge, Liam casually knocked out several more Fighting Fish before they returned to Dressrosa's main island.
It was already after four in the afternoon.
The signs of evening had begun to appear over Dressrosa.
Bathed in the faint glow of the sunset, Rebecca stood at the bridgehead, waving reluctantly.
The red steel bridge was packed from end to end with her Dwarf friends, all waving back at her.
Everything that had happened today felt as beautiful as a dream.
When King Riku turned around, however, he discovered that Giorno and Jolyne Cujoh had disappeared.
No one knew when they had quietly slipped away.
"What strange pirates..." Kyros muttered to himself.
Meanwhile, Robin headed toward the stretch of coastline Leo had mentioned.
According to the information he had overheard, the Antique Thieves Group would be docking there in a little over twenty minutes.
She intended to investigate the situation for herself.
"Leave the Stand with you." Liam said this to Robin.
Robin raised an eyebrow.
"To protect me?"
Liam rolled his eyes.
"You need me to protect you? Whitebeard's Hana Jizai is still active, isn't it?"
Robin smiled brightly.
"No, it's because of this..."
Liam looked up at the sky.
"Do you... believe in gravity?"
Robin gave him an amused smile.
"That's the only line you know, huh?"
"Hahaha!"
Liam burst out laughing, turned around, and waved.
"I'm off! See you later."
But after only a few steps, he suddenly turned back.
Robin looked at him in surprise.
He beckoned toward the black battle armor.
B.I.B. immediately understood.
The Stand extended its left arm, covered in blue flame-like patterns, into Liam's chest and removed the Magnet-Magnet Fruit Chip embedded within him.
When traveling outside, it was always better to be cautious.
Liam might be reckless, but he still knew where the limits were.
Robin smiled to herself.
"Okay, now I'm really leaving!"
Liam waved once more and strode away.
His figure headed toward Dressrosa's town district and soon vanished from sight.
Robin withdrew her gaze and turned to walk along the coast in the opposite direction.
"Let's go."
B.I.B. floated silently beside her like a ghost.
The tires of a bicycle still carried traces of shattered ice crystals.
It was parked against the wall outside a café.
At a table beside the street sat Aokiji, leisurely drinking coffee.
He wore a white vest suit and his trademark small round sunglasses.
A casual puff of freezing breath from his mouth turned the steaming coffee into a block of ice.
"Crunch. Crunch."
He chewed on coffee-flavored ice as he sat there.
Without crossing his legs, he watched the opposite side of the street through his round lenses, where Dressrosa's beautiful dancers were performing passionately in the glow of the setting sun, drenched in sweat.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the reflection at the edge of his sunglasses.
Someone was approaching from the far end of the street.
Aokiji glanced over.
It was a young man nearly eight feet tall, dressed casually, and wearing sunglasses.
Aokiji lowered his round shades slightly.
Liam lowered his sunglasses slightly as well.
The two stared at one another.
Then Liam pushed his sunglasses back up, walked over, and dropped into the seat opposite him.
Speechless, he said:
"Why is it always you?"
"Can't it be me?"
Aokiji tipped the remaining coffee into his mouth.
"Crunch. Crunch."
More coffee ice disappeared between his teeth.
Liam leaned back, crossed one leg over the other, and clasped his hands behind his head.
"So the person that the blind swordsman said wanted to meet me was you."
He paused.
"I'm guessing he's also the one who told you guys we were here."
Then he asked:
"Well? A Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral doesn't come looking for pirates without a reason. What do you want?"
Aokiji replied casually:
"Maybe I'm here to arrest you."
As he spoke, strands of freezing air drifted from his body and mouth.
A thin layer of frost rapidly spread across the tabletop between them.
"No matter how you look at it, you're still a pirate."
Liam glanced behind him.
The streets were packed with Dressrosa's civilians.
He laughed.
"You sure you want to fight me here?"
Then he waved dismissively.
"Stop pretending. If you've got business, just say it."
"Ah... well..."
Aokiji knew perfectly well that this kid was no longer someone he could intimidate.
But explaining why he had come...
That was troublesome.
He had been traveling aboard a battleship on a mission when he happened to run into Kizaru, who was also carrying out a mission.
Kizaru had casually asked a few questions.
"Oh, you're heading that way anyway?"
Then he had stuffed his mission file into Aokiji's hands.
Afterward, the bastard had boarded his battleship and left.
Based on Aokiji's understanding of his old colleague, there was no way Kizaru had returned to Headquarters to report in.
Trying to explain all of this felt like a headache.
Aokiji scratched his head and yawned.
"What was the reason again..."
He thought for a moment.
"Forget it. I can't remember."
Then he shrugged.
"Anyway, take a look at this."
He pulled a document from his coat.
The file Kizaru had handed to him.
Aokiji tossed it onto the frost-covered table.
Without making a sound, it slid across the icy surface toward Liam.
Spinning gently from inertia, it stopped directly in front of him.
Liam opened the document.
The first thing he saw was a bold title:
"Invitation to Become One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea"
Below it were the opening words:
To the JoJo Pirates…
(End Of This Chapter)