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Chapter Cover Serial: Big News 14: “An Interesting and Impressive Little Brother”
In the Grand Line, on Sabaody Archipelago, Area 13, at Shakky’s Rip-off Bar. The place is mostly empty, with only a few customers. A woman with a cigarette in her mouth flips through a newspaper behind the bar, while an elderly man with gray hair sits at the bar, lifting his glass and smiling slightly.
—
Naturally, Liam, as the original body, isn’t able to use Haki. He’s currently focused on mastering Life Return, while his Stand focuses on Haki Training. That’s all part of his plan.
As Hancock presses forward, kicking at him with each step, Liam instinctively activates Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), tracking her movements and dodging.
While Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) can harden the body and enhance destructive power, it doesn’t necessarily increase agility. Thus, Liam can evade all of Hancock’s attacks, especially since he’s a year older than her in this body.
Hancock’s long legs, well-proportioned and powerful, slice through the air with fluid, alternating motions, attacking Liam with a series of high and low kicks. If Hancock is a genius of “internal skills,” then Liam, as a user of Life Return, is a prodigy of “external skills.” His physical toughness far surpasses Hancock’s!
Liam suddenly stops, clenching his right fist and tensing Tekkai (Iron Body), hardening his entire fist. He punches forward, clashing directly with Hancock’s foot, which is also enveloped in Busoshoku Haki. A resounding “bang” echoes as their attacks collide.
Liam’s fist, protected by Tekkai, remains unscathed, and Hancock’s delicate foot, wrapped in Busoshoku Haki, is also unharmed.
“Your movements… and that technique!” Hancock exclaims. Since their battle began, she had a growing suspicion that Giorno’s moves were eerily similar to those of the armored figure from before. She remembered that hardening the body or fist was one of the armored man’s techniques. So Giorno could do it too?
Liam, rubbing his fist and savoring the impact of Hancock’s Busoshoku Haki, smiles.
“What’s your relationship with that armored figure?” Hancock demands, before attacking again with even more intensity. The suspicion of a connection between Giorno and the armored figure only fuels her battle spirit, which had already been ignited by the book she had read earlier.
Liam naturally fights back. The two exchange blows, filling the empty training ground with the sound of their clashing attacks.
The black armor stood still on the sidelines, uninterested in joining the fight and making it two against one.
Robin, who was observing from the side, asked B.I.B., “Which one is stronger?”
Though Hancock’s speed is slightly inferior to Liam’s, her Busoshoku Haki-enhanced strength and reactions surpass his. Eventually, she stops moving, opting to stand her ground and let Liam come to her, confronting him head-on. They continue exchanging hardened punches and kicks.
B.I.B. replies thoughtfully, explaining that Hancock’s Busoshoku Haki is quite powerful, but Liam is relying on his superior stamina to endure the fight. If the battle drags on, Liam’s stamina advantage might help him win. However, if Hancock manages to land a powerful enough attack, Liam could lose.
“Hancock is really strong, huh…” Robin muses to herself, having thought Liam was already incredibly formidable. She never realized how powerful Hancock truly was. It made her understand why Liam had been so eager to master Haki from the very beginning. Hancock’s ability to fight Liam evenly was thanks to her mastery of Haki.
Suddenly, a powerful shockwave ripples across the arena. Hancock’s kick clashes with Liam’s fist again, but this time she unleashes Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror’s Haki), and a kingly aura surges through the air, shaking the entire area.
Robin staggers momentarily, only to be steadied by B.I.B.’s armored hand. With her Haoshoku Haki now in play, Hancock’s attacks grow even more fierce, each kick imbued with the presence of a ruler, carrying immense force.
Though Liam’s willpower and strength are formidable, Haoshoku Haki still slightly suppresses him, causing a faint sense of discomfort. Through his Kenbunshoku Haki, Liam senses Hancock’s next move…
With a swoosh, Liam vanishes, leaving Hancock’s kick to strike empty air. His fist appears out of nowhere, sending a powerful gust of wind toward Hancock, blowing her long black hair back.
“Feel that wind? What do you think?” Liam says with a grin.
Hancock drops her leg, no longer surprised by his disappearing act, and scowls. “Do you think I’ve never felt wind before, idiot? Even a fool would know I’ve at least used clothes or something to try and create wind. What I want is the natural wind that never blows in the Calm Belt!”
She sticks out her tongue at him playfully, then pauses, her face filled with confusion. “What was that move just now? Why did you suddenly become so fast? And what’s that hardening technique you and the armored figure both use? And…”
Liam chuckles, “Want to know? Teach me Busoshoku Haki, and maybe you’ll learn these things too.”
Hancock frowns in frustration, “I already told you, I don’t know how to teach it!”
“There’s no need for formal teaching. Just keep fighting like this every day.”
“I don’t mind, but can you really learn like this?” Hancock doubts.
“I’ve already mastered Kenbunshoku Haki. Now that I know there’s something like Busoshoku Haki, it’s only a matter of time before I learn it too,” Liam says confidently.
Hancock nods, “You’ve got a point. Take this!”
Without warning, she lashes out with another kick, but this time it hits nothing—her leg passes right through Liam’s body as if he were made of mist.
Surprised, Hancock asks, “What’s going on?”
“I never said you were always fighting *me*,” Liam laughs as his body turns into vapor, swirling away. The black armor steps forward to take his place while Liam himself heads to the side, picking up an iron bar to begin his own training.
Hancock glares at the black armor in frustration, ready to fight it now. Meanwhile, Robin watches for a moment before losing interest and returning to her book.
—
After a while, Robin prepares three cups of flower tea. Setting her book aside, she takes a sip. Hancock, now covered in a light sheen of sweat, gulps down her cup, eyeing the black armor with annoyance. How could that thing never tire?
She glances over at Liam, who is bare-chested and holding the iron bar aloft. One of his arms has noticeably bulked up, and he’s holding the bar steady without moving.
His calm expression suggests that his fatigued arm isn’t his concern; it’s as if he’s simply commanding it to continue exerting strength.
“Is that really training?” Hancock mutters, the foam from the tea forming a “milk mustache” on her upper lip.
Robin chuckles behind her book, “It’s hard to understand, isn’t it?”
Hancock scoffs, “What a weirdo.”
Robin suddenly asks, “Hancock… Can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Back on Rusukaina Island, when your Emperor, Snake Princess, saw those words on the tree, she immediately brought you all back to Kuja Island… Why was that?”
Hancock shrugs indifferently, “How would I know?”
Robin presses, “Did she know what those words meant? Has she seen anything like that before? Perhaps something similar on a stone?”
Hancock huffs, “I already said I don’t know!”
At that moment, Liam walks over, wiping the sweat from his body. Towering over Hancock, he asks, “Are you not going home? Your younger sisters might be worried about you.”
Hancock lifts her chin proudly, “Let them worry if they want. What does it matter to me?”
“Well, it matters to me,” Liam says, snapping his fingers twice.
B.I.B. understands the cue, using a green Den Den Mushi from within Den Den Mushi City Fortress to ensure that no one from Kuja City is nearby.
Liam suddenly kicks Hancock away.
(End Of Chapter)
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