INIIDF-Chapter 253 Strongest Are Here

South Blue, Baterilla Island

A group of Marines lurked along the coast, their eyes fixed on a crimson ship quietly gliding into the harbor.

"What's that at the bow of their ship?" One Marine whispered.

"Looks like two Snake-like Seakings!"

"A sailing ship with two Snake-like Seakings? Typical pirates, abusing animals..."

The Marines exchanged hushed comments, observing the roughly twelve or thirteen individuals disembarking. As intelligence reports had described, they were all women, each more beautiful than the last. But amidst them, one man stood out – strikingly handsome, but undeniably wicked.

The Marines exchanged nervous glances. "Too dangerous," one whispered, "these pirates are too dangerous."

"If they enter the city, there will be chaos! We can't let them go unchecked..."

"Ah..."

"What in the world?!"

"So beautiful..."

Liam and his companions strolled down the bustling street, turning heads wherever they went. Gasps of admiration followed them like a chorus.

The six or seven Kuja warriors who had accompanied them chuckled, enjoying the spectacle. The men of Baterilla Island were utterly captivated by Hancock, bumping into each other, tripping over their own feet, and even walking into walls while gawking at her. The scene was so ridiculous, that the Kuja warriors couldn't help but laugh.

Compared to Giorno, the men of the outside world were pathetically inadequate. The young Kuja warriors, experiencing this firsthand, were thoroughly unimpressed. They'd expected more from the men of the outside world.

They envied Princess Jolyne and Hancock...

'Envying Princess Jolyne... and Elder Sister too!' Sonia and Mari exchanged a knowing look.

Hancock reached out and casually picked up a souvenir from a street vendor. The vendor, eyes glazed over, collapsed to the ground, his face flushed.

"I told you you'd be the center of attention," Liam remarked to Hancock.

Hancock shrugged indifferently. "What's that got to do with me?"

"That's bad," A passerby muttered, eyeing Liam with disdain. "What's going on with that man..."

Liam glanced at them, but his gaze quickly shifted behind them.

'Thud! Thud! Thud!' 

Heavy footsteps echoed down the street. Marines in blue and white uniforms materialized, forming a defensive line, guns drawn and aimed at the Kuja pirates.

The residents and those who had been eyeing Liam quickly scattered, the street falling silent as the Marines took their positions.

A burly Marine officer stepped forward. "You're the Kuja pirates, are you not? How dare you dock here on Baterilla Island? I'm Rear Admiral of the S-9 Branch..."

Liam barely registered the officer's words. "By any chance," he asked, "is there... a small western-style house here? I can't quite remember, but it should be a standalone building."

"A small western-style house?" The Rear Admiral paused, his expression hardening. "There are no houses like that, but there are several prisons. You're welcome to stay in one of them. We won't tolerate any disruption to this town or its citizens. The Kuja pirates..."

Liam turned away, uninterested. 

"So they are pirates..." The retreating residents whispered amongst themselves. "A group of female pirates... so beautiful! No, they're so wicked..."

"They're finished!" Someone exclaimed from a nearby window. "That's Rear Admiral Itte! The strongest Marine in all of South Blue! He captured the pirate groups that terrorized this region all the way to the Grand Line..."

The children watched in awe as the powerful Marine confronted the pirates. "So amazing..."

Liam casually slung his arm around Hancock's neck, pulling her close. He grinned. "What's the deal? You're the only one with Haoshoku? Leave this guy to me. You take care of the rest..."

His words infuriated the Rear Admiral. Naturally, it enraged the residents as well, especially when they saw him casually embrace the breathtaking Hancock as if she were nothing special. Their fury boiled over.

Boom!

Liam vanished before the Rear Admiral's eyes.

The Rear Admiral's eyes widened in disbelief.

'What?'

'How is that possible?!'

He spun around, only to catch a fleeting glimpse of movement in his peripheral vision. A chill crept down his spine.

"You..." The Rear Admiral began, but before he could finish, Liam's hand struck the back of his neck with a swift, devastating blow. The Rear Admiral crumpled to the ground, dazed.

Liam casually asked, "What was he going to say?"

He surveyed the stunned Marines.

"Rear Admiral Itte!"

The Marines could hardly believe their eyes. They had anticipated a difficult battle, but they never expected it to end so quickly, so effortlessly.

This was a Rear Admiral! The powerful Itte, a rising star in the Marine ranks who is destined for promotion to Headquarters! He was supposed to be the strongest Marine in South Blue!

How could he have been defeated so easily, like an ordinary street thug?!

Panic and anger surged through the Marines. They raised their guns, aiming them at Liam.

Hancock gently touched her neck, a flicker of displeasure in her eyes. "Giorno, you bastard..."

Then, her eyes narrowed, and a powerful aura erupted from her, engulfing the entire street.

The future Empress's Haoshoku Haki swept over the Marines and residents, sending them crashing to the ground, unconscious and foaming at the mouth.

"You..." Rear Admiral Itte regained consciousness, struggling to rise. He glared at Liam, fury burning in his eyes. This level of power was beyond anything he had ever encountered, even in the Grand Line's Second Half! Why was such a powerful pirate in South Blue?

He had to contact Headquarters immediately!

"What's with that expression?" Liam moved towards Itte, his hand raised as if to strike again. "Not satisfied? If not, come on. I've been holding back a bit of frustration from the previous island... I might as well let it out..."

'Huh?' Robin suddenly remembered Bonney. Looking around, she realized that Bonney had vanished.

'Had she slipped away while their attention was focused on the Marines...?'

Rear Admiral Itte smirked coldly at Liam. "Your strongest people are here, right?"

The Kuja warriors and the Sander sisters reacted. "The pirate ship! The Marines must have sent reinforcements to surround our ship..."

"Just as expected! The pirate ship only has those regular female pirates left. The strongest man and 'Snake Princess' have already left!"

On a Marine battleship, an officer peered through his spyglass, observing the Kujapirate ship docked on Baterilla Island. He had confirmed the intelligence received from Colonel Ogat and the Marine branch on the island. "Fire!" he commanded.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Artillery fire echoed across the sea, black cannonballs arcing towards the crimson ship.

On the ship's deck, a figure clad in black armor raised his head. His long, narrow eyes, gleaming with a faint white light, tracked the incoming cannonballs.

(End Of The Chapter)

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