In the streets and alleys, burly men clad in worn-out suits strolled around, some holding bounty posters, others brandishing blank sheets of paper.
The passersby and residents here seemed to have a general understanding of their identities. They knew that these individuals wouldn’t easily target ordinary citizens, so there was no overwhelming fear.
People truthfully answered their questions, but as their occupation wasn’t exactly noble, there wasn’t much warmth toward these Black-Clothed Persons. After brief interactions, they hurriedly departed.
Upon hearing the music and dance at the intersection, onlookers gathered to watch the performance.
“Let’s continue searching,” The Black-Clothed Persons said to each other.
Amid the bustling crowd, the pitch-black Stand armor, seemingly invisible to everyone, observed the black-suited figures walking by the nearby street corners.
…
On the open-air stage, accompanied by lively music and dance, a young girl with golden hair dazzled as she gracefully took the stage, dancing amidst the cheers and applause of the spectators.
“Such a dance, truly marvelous!”
“I have not lived in vain…”
Listening to the ecstatic murmurs of the surrounding crowd, Liam, on the outskirts, looked at the gracefully dancing golden-haired girl on stage and suddenly understood.
Victoria Cindry, wasn’t she the female zombie from the Thriller Bark Arc? The one stitched by the overweight Hogback and infused with the shadow of a maid by Moria? She seemed to have been a famous stage actress in her past life but met an unfortunate end after accidentally falling off the stage.
As a zombie, it was hard to determine if she retained any of her own consciousness, overshadowed by the personality of the maid from another “shadow soul” inside her.
Unfortunately, the money-driven, overweight doctor Hogback, infatuated with her, didn’t care whose consciousness resided in her body. He simply coveted her body, not even bothering about her being alive or dead.
“What beautiful legs and feet… If only I could be stepped on by such feet…”
At that moment, a greasy moan came from behind Liam.
Robin, innocent as she is, couldn’t understand these words, but the creepy sound gave her goosebumps. Turning her head, she saw a chubby middle-aged man wearing round sunglasses, gazing obsessively at the golden-haired girl dancing on stage.
When it comes to chubby guys, they always seem to appear. Liam recognized this guy— it was none other than Hogback, the greedy doctor who later settled in Moria’s lair!
This chubby doctor was highly skilled in medicine, boasting a renowned reputation in the field. He was also the idol of Chopper, the Straw Hats’ crew member, and ship doctor.
However, after his materialistic views on life, Chopper’s innocent dreams were shattered, and the doctor’s idol image crumbled.
Looking at this chubby guy with a round head, his neck blending into his shoulders, his torso resembling a meatball, but oddly enough, with exceptionally long legs… when those two legs closed, he looked exactly like a humanoid high-footed cup!
In the world of pirates, where “appearance reflects the heart—most of the time, a kind heart leads to a beautiful appearance, and an ugly heart results in an ugly appearance,” someone with such a creepy appearance was undoubtedly a villain.
A villain, ugly but wealthy!
Since they happened to meet, it wouldn’t hurt to give him a taste of his own medicine, right?!
Suddenly, Liam and Robin were forcefully pushed by something.
“Bang!”
Almost simultaneously, a gunshot rang out nearby.
Splatter! A spray of blood landed on Hogback’s shoes nearby. He quickly moved backward, screaming, “Damn dog, you dirtied my shoes! Do you know how much I spent on these custom-made shoes?!”
“Ah!!!”
The crowd fell silent for a moment and then immediately erupted into chaos.
The locals, while alarmed, evacuated in an orderly manner, heading home or finding a place to hide.
However, those engaged in commerce or passing through for tourism were more disoriented, making the crowd more chaotic for a while.
The performance on stage came to an abrupt halt, and the actors, as well as the lively dancing, were interrupted by the sudden gunshot.
Cindry, in the midst of her energetic dance, panicked. Her footwork went awry, and with a painful cry, she twisted her ankle, which swelled up instantly.
“Idiot! Who told you to fire the guns right here!” Another Black-Clothed Person scolded the little bro who had fired the gunshot.
The newly recruited Black-clothed little bro responded candidly, “Wasn’t it Old Boss who said they have ghosts, so don’t we need to fire the guns in advance?”
“There are so many civilians here! What if we accidentally injure them? Will we still be able to mix in?!” The leader scolded even harsher, delivering a resounding slap to the back of the little bro’s head.
Another Black-clothed little bro nearby suddenly pointed at the chaotic crowd, exclaiming, “Boss, what is that?!”
Several members of the “Gunpowder” gang looked over and saw around the tumultuous crowd, walls seemingly growing out of nowhere… Walls constructed from interwoven “arms” of people!
It appeared to be a “wall” formed by the interweaving, twisting, and entangling of people’s “arms”!
Witnessing this indescribable sight, the group found it hard to breathe.
“What is this…”
Robin was abruptly pushed by something and then heard a gunshot. As she fell to the ground, a shadow rose, covering the surroundings. Looking up, she saw the enormous “Arm wall.”
“To think it can reach this extent…” she murmured. Was this really the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi)?
Then, she heard the whimpering of the stray dog.
Liam was pushed aside by the Stand ‘B.I.B.,’ and although the bullet narrowly missed him, it hit the stray dog that had been following him and Robin. The dog’s legs, already dirty, were now stained red with blood.
“Damn, can you still recognize her like this?”
Liam glanced at Robin with a face full of garlic, swollen forehead, and cheeks. He then grabbed the black Stand armor standing nearby, quickly whispered a few words, and ‘B.I.B.’ silently nodded.
It passed through the wall created by the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) like a phantom and approached the Black-Clothed gang members who were getting closer.
Liam, carrying the injured dog, pulled Robin and, taking advantage of the cover provided by the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) wall, squeezed into the chaotic crowd.
The hastily erected floral wall scattered into petals with a rustling sound, creating a scene of falling flowers.
Robin was pulled into the crowd by Liam, but in her mind, the gaze Liam cast on her moments ago kept replaying. Although Liam hadn’t blamed or complained about anything, especially considering those criminal organization scoundrels, Robin still felt a sting in her heart.
She didn’t consider herself a good friend or partner with Liam, but the pain in her heart lingered.
“Stay away from me! Damn dog, and the little ghost!” Hogback was busy wiping the dog’s blood off his shoes, yelling with frustration.
The actresses on stage were in disarray, and Cindry’s foot was so swollen that she couldn’t walk properly. Any slight movement caused beads of cold sweat to form on her forehead.
“Doctor! Call a doctor!” Her fellow performers cried out.
“There’s a doctor here!” Liam raised his hand, pulling Robin beside him, and shouted from the audience.
At the same time, an arm grew on Hogback’s shoulder and ruthlessly slapped his fat face, creating a resounding slap.
“Ah! Right! There’s a doctor here!” The greedy, chubby doctor’s face turned red as he suddenly came back to his senses. “I am a doctor!”
Liam turned his head, glanced through the gaps in the crowded people, and observed.
Although his Stand was automatic and didn’t require his control, existing independently, the relationship between the main body and the secondary body still had a subtle sensitivity to each other.
(End of this chapter)
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