Even as the wind blades tore through its skin, blood spurting from the wounds, the gorilla remained indifferent, lazily allowing each injury to appear, heal, and close.
Meanwhile, the whirlwind unleashed by "Hakuba" grew fiercer by the second.
The wind blades intensified, becoming even more savage.
Liam remained unmoving, his wounds increasing with each passing moment, but his gaze remained calm and focused, tracking "Hakuba's" every movement.
"Heh-heh… heh-heh…"
Amidst the gusts of wind, Liam began to hear the eerie, distorted laughter creeping from within the storm.
Liam's wounds grew shallower, and soon, there were no more, only the sound of metal scraping against his clothes.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
When! When! When!
Liam's body hardened like steel, his eyes sharp and piercing, enhanced by Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki). It felt as though he had surpassed the limits of human perception, slowly catching sight of the white figure flickering in the wind.
"Hakuba" swung his sword in a blur, his sinister grin beginning to stiffen.
The edge of his sword grazed Liam's neck, the sound echoing like steel scraping against iron…
In "Hakuba's" mind, everything slowed down, each moment stretched into frames. The stationary face of Giorno turned toward him in the next frame.
Clang! In the next frame, Liam faced "Hakuba," his lips moving slightly…
Clang! In the next frame, Liam opened his mouth, his hand reaching out toward "Hakuba"...
"Hakuba's" grin twisted, a flicker of grit in his expression...
Clang! In the next frame, Liam smiled, his large hand already covering "Hakuba's" face...
"Hakuba" had just raised his sword to block…
Liam's hand closed around "Hakuba," lifting him off the ground with terrifying ease.
"Hakuba" froze, this was the first time anyone had ever seen through his speed, the first time anyone had touched anything other than his sword.
His skull throbbed painfully under the crushing grip of Liam's fingers, as though it might shatter at any moment.
"You're caught." Giorno's earlier words echoed in "Hakuba's" ears.
Shuā!
"Hakuba" gritted his teeth, a wicked smile spreading across his face. He thrust his sword toward Liam's abdomen.
The blade's tip pressed against Liam's stomach muscles, just a hair's breadth from piercing them.
Liam's other hand shot out, grasping the blade firmly.
How is he… keeping up with my sword? "Hakuba" stared, wide-eyed, as Liam's face drew ever closer.
Bang!
Liam's headbutt landed squarely on "Hakuba," sending him flying.
With a lazy flick of his arm, Liam tossed the dazed figure aside. "Hakuba" rolled on the ground like a broken doll before finally coming to rest on his back, unconscious.
"Hiss..."
Liam clenched his teeth, catching his breath, and shook his arm.
What a struggle…
He thought, as Cavendish stirred and began to rouse.
Robin and B.I.B. approached now that the battle had come to an end.
"..." Cavendish sat on the ground, scanning his surroundings in shock, his eyes wide at the devastation caused by "Hakuba." That bastard truly went too far!
But when he saw Giorno standing unharmed, a look of utter disbelief washed over his face, as though he'd witnessed the most impossible feat.
"You... you... you actually defeated 'Hakuba'?!?!?!" Cavendish exclaimed dramatically, as if he had seen something absurd beyond belief.
"What are you on about? It's only natural that he lost to me," Liam replied irritably, rubbing his neck.
Robin, with a mix of amusement and concern, asked, "What just happened? How did Cavendish seem to turn into a different person?"
"Second personality," Liam explained. "When Cavendish falls asleep, his body is taken over by another personality called 'Hakuba,' who takes control and slashes away randomly."
"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Cavendish shot back.
"Second personality."
"Second personality?!"
Liam continued, "Cavendish's second personality is like a 'Life Return' prodigy, capable of unleashing 200%, 300%, 500%, or even 1,000% of the body's potential, transforming into unimaginable speed and Sword Techniques..."
If Liam's mastery of "Life Return" was versatile and all-encompassing, then "Hakuba's" monstrous talent in "Life Return" was honed solely in "speed." His velocity could rival even the Rokushiki "Soru"!
Having endured the barrage of attacks from "Hakuba" for so long, Liam gradually understood the core of his abilities.
"Hakuba's" extraordinary speed and skills also sparked new inspiration in Liam for his own "Life Return" training.
Cavendish glared at Liam, muttering, "You're a monster..."
He had never thought it possible for anyone to defeat "Hakuba" and make him retreat. How unfair this world was, with such a monstrous being roaming the seas!
"Admit it, Your Highness," Liam grinned. "You lost. Before we leave, you'll listen to our demands."
Cavendish slumped to the ground, clearly displeased, but with no retort.
"Treat us well, and..."
"Turn those pirates into bounties for us, I suppose," Cavendish said gloomily, sitting with his arms crossed. "My guards should have already cleaned up the pirates' corpses by now."
"And..."
"Find us an Eternal Pose from 'Foolshout Island.'"
"What?! More demands!?" Cavendish exclaimed, his voice rising in disbelief.
"Our agreement was that you'd 'listen to us,'" Liam reminded him with a smirk. "I'm being very considerate by making specific requests."
Cavendish nearly exploded, his face flushed with rage, glaring at the shameless man.
"And there's someone else..." Liam added casually.
"What?!" Cavendish nearly lost it.
Liam walked over to the red-haired gorilla, which was lazily lying on the ground, scratching its lice.
"How come it's so calm?!" Cavendish exclaimed, glancing at it in disbelief.
Robin crouched down and gently stroked Marianne's small head. Her hypnosis ability was... even more potent than Liam's.
Liam moved closer, and B.I.B.'s left arm, adorned with blue flame patterns, flew onto his own.
"Roar..."
Up close, the red-haired gorilla, seemingly at ease on Marianne's "Leisure Green" graffiti, scratching at its lice, wasn't quite as calm as it appeared. The gorilla's battered body trembled slightly.
The graffiti beneath it had been worn away, weakening the hypnosis effect.
"Roar..."
The red-haired gorilla locked its fierce, beastly eyes onto the approaching human.
"When I first met you, something felt off," Liam spoke thoughtfully. "Thinking back to a little girl I met earlier, your behavior seems a lot like hers, like a mother who's lost her child..."
Liam gazed up at the red-haired gorilla, locking eyes with it. His words caused the beast's savage eyes to flicker with confusion and internal conflict.
At that moment, Liam, now wearing the left-arm armor adorned with blue flames, punched the red-haired gorilla square in the chest.
The gorilla's body visibly shrank, quickly transforming into the silhouette of a human female lying on her side...
Liam's hand, still covered in the blue-flamed armor, withdrew from the gorilla's chest, now holding a white, glowing triangular chip...
Human-Human Fruit, Red-Haired Gorilla Form.
(End of this Chapter)
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