I'm Not Interested in Devil Fruits

The Snake Princess's counterattack was graceful and effortless, appearing far more elegant than the fierce force Liam displayed— it was a serene display.

"Ahhh~~!!" 

"Snake Princess Sama is so beautiful!!" 

The arena was flooded with cheers from the women of the nation. In this land, strength was beauty— the stronger a person, the more beautiful they were. 

With her combination of power and beauty, Snake Princess was undeniably as stunning as Hancock. 

Amid the broken remains of the wooden rack, a swirl of air gathered, forming Liam's body again. 

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, rubbing his chest. "What a brutal kick!" 

Though Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) could strike an elementalized body, it didn't revert it back to flesh and blood like Seastone or the Dark-Dark Fruit would. It could only "land a hit," that's all. 

Snake Princess's Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)-coated kick did connect with Liam's gaseous body, but the damage was dispersed throughout his form... After all, once elementalized, the concept of a "physical body" didn't exist, nor did vital points. 

Which part of the cloud was the torso? Which part of the gas was an arm? It was impossible to differentiate and didn't need to be. 

Unless Liam consciously formed a solid body, every part of the gas could serve as his torso, limbs, or head... 

Elementalization, for Liam, was a truly fascinating experience. 

It felt as if every Lineage Factor that made up "himself" instantaneously transformed into something else entirely, without damage, yet his consciousness was still contained within this "elemental form." Or, perhaps, in elemental form, his consciousness was also divided into billions of pieces, merging with each "element." 

Snake Princess approached Liam, speaking in a smooth voice: "You've got quite a handle on your Devil Fruit, haven't you? No one would guess it's something you only seized a month or two ago." 

Liam replied, "That bird-brain Morgan really publishes everything, doesn't he? I despise it." 

Snake Princess laughed, "With the ability to take others' Devil Fruits, I imagine many people can't sleep peacefully and just want to kill you."

Liam shrugged, "If such a petty issue keeps them up at night, they're probably small fry anyway. Kill me? They can try." 

"You have quite the bold attitude for a boy." 

The Snake Princess took a few steps with her long legs, closing the distance to Liam in moments. 

Her sleek calf was instantly wrapped in a layer of black Haki as she kicked toward Liam. 

Liam crossed his arms, entwining them in Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki). 

'Bang!' 

As leg met arm, a shockwave erupted, lifting Snake Princess's dress and golden hair, as well as Hancock's dark hair nearby. 

"Ow! That hurts…" Liam gritted his teeth, struggling to hold back Snake Princess's powerful kick. 

This kick had the fierce force of the monsters on Rusukaina Island. 

Liam could clearly feel her Haki-coated toe pushing deeper and deeper into his arms. 

Standing above him, Snake Princess compressed the Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) in her lower leg, concentrating it onto her foot. 

'Boom!' 

Snake Princess grinned and pressed down harder! 

'Boom!' 

The tiles beneath Liam's feet cracked into a web of fine lines before shattering entirely. 

With his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), Liam sensed that if he continued to resist, his arm bones would likely end up like Sanji's, kicked until they broke! 

Suddenly, Liam withdrew the Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) from his arms. 

The Snake Princess was momentarily surprised, feeling her foot plunge downward. 

The boy called Giorno had somehow softened his arms and even his body like dough, creating a distorted path that let her foot slide past harmlessly. 

''Rokushiki - Kami-e!'' 

'Shuā!' Liam vanished from in front of Snake Princess. 

''Rokushiki - Soru!'' 

'Shuā!' Twisting his waist, Liam appeared behind Snake Princess, swinging a sweeping kick toward her golden hair, quickly covering his foot with hardened Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)! 

'Bang!' 

Snake Princess, moving even faster, turned and raised her Busoshoku Haki-coated arm to block. 

Liam grimaced in pain! 

It hurt when he was kicked. 

Now it was his turn to kick, but it still hurt him! 

This "former Empress" of Kuja was indeed incredibly skilled with Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)! 

Liam grinned, landing lightly before vanishing once again— reappearing on the opposite side of Snake Princess. He raised his fist, entwining it with Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), and swung forward! 

It was as if Snake Princess could foresee his move; she covered her fist in Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) at the same time, meeting his punch head-on. 

'Bang!' 

Their fists clashed fiercely, and Liam vanished again.

'Shuā, Shuā, Shuā...' 

Liam's figure flashed rapidly around Snake Princess, appearing from various angles. 

Every time he reappeared, it was to punch, kick, or even headbutt— all attacks infused with Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki). 

"This boy... he's so fast!" The elder woman Suzuran exclaimed in shock, watching from the high throne. She had assumed that Liam's high bounty was more due to his strange special abilities. But unexpectedly, his true strength far surpassed what was typical for his age, even exceeding most warriors on Kuja Island! 

'Bang! Bang, Bang, Bang!' 

In the ring, Snake Princess met his every attack with ease, spinning and twisting precisely, countering each strike that came from every angle.

"Snake Princess Sama..." The Kuja women in the audience watched the fight intently. 

"That guy is so strong..." Hancock's younger sisters rubbed their eyes in surprise. 

Liam flashed above Snake Princess, his forehead covered in Busoshoku Haki as he ruthlessly smashed down. 

Snake Princess clapped her hand up, pushing him away. Her expression was calm, but inwardly, she admired his growing strength— this boy's Busoshoku Haki had noticeably improved during the fight! 

Liam kicked off mid-air with a booming crack, coating his forehead in Busoshoku Haki again as he launched downward toward Snake Princess like a cannonball. 

She raised her palm to meet him head-on. 'Bang!' 

The black-coated hand met his blackened forehead, releasing an even greater shockwave. 

Hancock watched in astonishment. Was Giorno getting even stronger? 

The amazons in the audience were variously shocked, intrigued, and impressed that this pirate from the outside world possessed such strength! But upon reflection, they realized— if he didn't, how could he have won the favor of their proud Hancock? 

In the ring, Snake Princess looked at the boy, gritting his teeth, attempting to further hone his Busoshoku Haki through their clashes. She smiled slightly. 

With a twist of her wrist, she redirected his force, sending Liam hurtling toward the arena floor. 

Just before he hit, he dispersed his Busoshoku Haki, turning into a mass of swirling gas that rolled across the ground before swiftly gathering back into a humanoid form. 

"Hm?" 

He suddenly sensed part of his gaseous form being held from behind! 

Turning, he saw Snake Princess's Busoshoku Haki-coated hand grasping at the air behind him. 

"Oh..." Like pulling on a shirt, she tugged him back forcefully. 

Snake Princess smiled warmly, covering her forehead with Busoshoku Haki and ruthlessly headbutting Liam.

He had no time to coat his head in Busoshoku Haki, barely managing to use Tekkai to defend... only to meet her hardened forehead. 

'Thunk!' 

For a moment... 

It was as if... 

The entire world... 

Fell silent... 

A sour heat filled his mouth and nose, and his vision took on a reddish hue. 

Staggering back, Liam clutched his bleeding forehead, half-kneeling as he struggled to regain his balance. 

Suzuran at the throne let out a sigh of relief. No matter what, he was just a young pirate— how could he possibly match their Kuja Empress? 

"He probably regrets jumping in to save you now," Snake Princess said, casually brushing back her golden hair and looking over at Hancock. "I couldn't bear to kill you, but he's different. Men are forbidden on Amazon Lily, and intruders must be killed!" 

Hancock said nothing, only looking at Liam, who was dripping blood from his forehead onto the ring floor.

"I don't regret a thing I've done," Liam said, wiping the blood from his hand and standing up with a grin. "I do things the way I want, that's all— call it following my gut!" 

Just as Snake Princess was about to reply, her expression suddenly changed! 

"Ahh~~!! Watch out, Snake Princess-sama!!" 

The crowd erupted in worried cries as Snake Princess turned, sensing with her Kenbunshoku Haki that a strange black cloud was closing in around her. 

For a moment, Snake Princess felt dizzy and unsteady. B.I.B. had transformed into a toxic gas cloud, wrapping itself around the two-meter-tall Empress like an embrace. 

"Is that poison?!" Suzuran exclaimed from the throne, along with several strong Kuja warriors, cursing, "How despicable!" 

In the ring, Liam seized the opportunity to step over to Hancock, grabbing her hand. 

"Aren't you coming?" 

"Why would I leave?" Hancock shook him off with little force. 

"After this is over, do what you want, but you're not dying today," Liam said. "And don't get used as leverage against me! You're such a pain, you know..." 

"What does that have to do with me?!" Hancock snapped, angrily shaking off his hand. 

"If I want to die, I'll die! What's it got to do with you?" 

Her eyes were red with anger and frustration, and in her slightly disheveled state, she looked exactly as Liam liked— "battle-worn." He nearly let his guard down before snapping back to his senses, muttering, "You're such a..." 

Before he could finish, a fierce wind suddenly erupted nearby! 

'Bang!'

The black toxic gas cloud that B.I.B. had formed was blown apart instantly! 

The wind continued, swirling around Snake Princess in a powerful vortex, 'Xiū Xiū Xiū...' 

Her golden hair whipped around as she stepped forward. 

Snake Princess wiped the blood from her lip, licking it off with a calm gaze. Looking at the surprised boy, she smiled slightly and said softly, "Didn't I tell you? The wind is something I've recently learned a bit about..." 

Liam cried out, "Are you kidding me?"

(End Of The Chapter)

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