I'm Not Interested in Devil Fruits

Hancock was surprised. "Huh, you can see that strange figure?"

Robin was taken aback - this was quite unusual. She had spent a lot of time practicing Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) to finally see Liam's ghostly figure. But this child, Luffy, was just a newborn!

The Snake Princess had come over at some point, and with a pleased smile, she took the swaddled baby from Hancock, cradled him, and gently nuzzled his cheek with hers. 

"Amazing, my child," She said softly. 

"What's so amazing about it?" Hancock, now with empty arms, crossed her waist defiantly. "I was born with Kenbunshoku Haki, too! If it were me, I'd be able to see that dark figure, too." 

Robin looked at her with an amused expression on her face.

Lately, ever since the Snake Princess had named Robin as the princess, Hancock had shown signs of jealousy. And now, seeing the Snake Princess' child display such an unusual gift only deepened her sense that her own extraordinary abilities were losing their luster.

However, Robin sensed that Hancock's frustration was not so much with her and the baby stealing other's attention, but rather with her beloved Snake Princess. 

To Hancock, Snake Princess was probably like a mother figure. 

That was a bit of jealousy...

The Snake Princess smiled. "It's possible that he hasn't really 'awakened' any Kenbunshoku Haki yet. It could just be that he was confused... You know, a child of his age probably doesn't have fully developed eyesight yet. He might not have really seen anything..."

She knew exactly how to soothe Hancock's pride.

As expected, Hancock's face lit up as she gave a satisfied, serene nod and lifted her chin slightly, saying, "That must be it!"

Then Liam said, "My grandmother used to say that the pirate king, Roger, had a unique ability to hear the Sound of All Things…"

Your grandmother? Robin looked at him skeptically. There he went, making things up again... 

But while the grandmother part might be a stretch, the second part might very well be true.

Robin vividly remembered when they were at the entrance to the Grand Line, near the Twin Capes lighthouse, and Liam had told Doctor Crocus about a book of prophecies he'd read. 

Since he could see the Rumbar Pirates' past and tragic fate, it wouldn't be surprising if he had glimpsed details about Pirate King Roger in that book! 

Considering that, a legendary pirate like Roger would certainly have been a prophesied figure...

"Is that so? Well, we don't need him to reach those heights," The Snake Princess chuckled while rocking the baby gently in her arms. 

When her golden hair fell, baby Luffy's little hands caught it and tugged playfully. "As long as he grows up healthy and happy, that's enough..." The Snake Princess tapped her son's nose, making him giggle.

His laughter was so infectious that the Snake Princess, Hancock, and Robin all found themselves smiling.

Liam said, "Are all mothers like that? Because this is pretty touching, actually." 

B.I.B., the dark figure beside him, reached out and placed a hand on Liam's shoulder. 

Liam looked back at him, as if reproaching himself for this unexpected sentimental moment...

Despite the surprise that the Snake Princess had a son, and that he might actually be the future Pirate King Luffy... it wasn't Liam's concern. 

The Snake Princess asked Robin to stay, perhaps to let her bond with the newly anointed princess. 

Hancock also seemed intrigued by Luffy and decided to stay in the palace.

"I'll be off then!" 

Liam gestured to the dark figure next to him.

Robin, who knew Liam well, understood that he had to call his "ghost" back. She also remembered that after yesterday's fierce battle between his ghost and the Snake Princess, the memory would likely cause him great pain... 

With that in mind, Robin offered, "I'll go with you."

"No need!" Liam opened the window, crouched on the sill and smiled back. "Thanks to Your Highness the Princess, I'm no longer considered a criminal here in Kuja!" 

In the past, while Liam recalled his Stand and endured the pain that came with it, having Robin around as a protector was reassuring, in case of an encounter with Kuja's patrolling warriors.

But now, with his new official status, Liam could recall his Stand wherever he wanted, even if it meant passing out from the pain - he no longer had to worry about being attacked in his sleep.

Although... he did have to worry about random women finding him... 

Or maybe even a group of women...

Liam thought about it and decided not to take any chances. Better to go outside the city to recall his Stand…

"So, is this shadowy figure the one who can steal the Devil Fruit abilities of others?" 

The Snake Princess brushed back her golden hair and looked knowingly at B.I.B., who was standing near the window. "Yesterday, it used the same powers of the Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas Gas Fruit) as you... It seems that it and you are two sides of the same coin, connected at the core?"

"What does it matter?" Liam laughed as he jumped out of the window and disappeared into the distance.

"Good old Liam!" 

In mid-air, he spun around and transformed into a cloud that wrapped around the dark figure beside him as they soared straight toward the towering city wall. 

He hadn't encountered any Devil Fruit users, including the Snake Princess and her two sisters. Therefore, whether or not he could confirm his ability to steal Devil Fruit powers didn't make much difference.

The Snake Princess closed the window and turned to Robin with a smile. "There are some writings left behind by the first Empress about the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi). Would you like to take a look?"

Robin looked down, then raised her eyes and answered with a soft "Yes."

The snake princess leaned forward and held out her hand to Robin. After a moment's hesitation, Robin gently took it.

"And how about telling me about some of your past adventures, Captain Jolyne?" The Snake Princess teased, leading Robin away. "Putting you in charge—what a little troublemaker that one is!"

Robin replied quietly, "It wasn't so bad..."

Watching them go, Hancock suddenly felt bored. Even holding Luffy felt unexciting.

---

Outside Kuja City, a long, sustained scream echoed, frightening some sea monkeys that had sneaked ashore and causing them to slip back into the sea.

---

And so life went on. On Kuja Island in the Calm Belt, time seemed to pass more slowly. Hunting, fishing, feasting - everything slowed down. The women often spoke of this man, Giorno. Like a fleeting spirit of the island, sightings of him were rare, but his presence was undeniable. 

Only Princess Jolyne seemed to be able to find him whenever she wanted. She visited the palace daily to keep the Snake Princess company but often left Kuja City to spend time with him. 

The women of Kuja knew that they were close. While some doubted the rumors that Jolyne and Giorno often crossed the Calm Belt to train on Ruskaina Island, Hancock's admiration for them made them more believable. 

On Kuja, strength is beauty, and for the proud Hancock to look up to someone, their strength must be beyond question. Those who had seen Giorno fight the Snake Princess in the arena were convinced of both his and Jolyne's power.

---

One day, instead of going to the palace to play with Luffy, Hancock joined her two younger sisters for training. The main reason? Today's training would be outside the city, and Hancock wasn't one to miss a chance to explore beyond the walls.

"As usual, you are free to team up for the hunt, and the final score will be based on how much prey you bring back!" Cosmos announced loudly.

But she noticed that the young warriors were all distracted, looking to another part of the forest.

"Wow, it's him..."

"A man..."

"He looks so strong..."

The girls all looked toward the forest, where the man who had fought the Snake Princess three months ago was standing, plain as day!

"And there's Princess Jolyne... she's with him!" 

The group soon noticed that Liam was walking with Robin. Noticing them, Robin waved at Hancock and her sisters. Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold waved both arms at Jolyne and Giorno until Hancock pulled them down, casually waving herself.

"We three will go together," Hancock said, pulling her reluctant younger sisters into a small group and heading off. 

The other girls, still drawn to the mysterious man, could only sigh as they watched him and the Princess disappear further into the forest, leaving them to form their own hunting teams with slight disappointment.

Cosmos smacked her lips, lowering her hand— she too had wanted to get a closer look at that man...

---

Liam and Robin continued walking deeper into the forest.

A few sea monkeys, thoroughly subdued by Liam, were busy brewing monkey wine. They had no choice; this human insisted they make it for him!

"You guys ought to be working in the big prison, but here you are, asking for trouble…"

Liam reclined on a treetop, relaxing. Just then, B.I.B. appeared out of nowhere, tapping his shoulder. Curious, Liam followed it to a clearing. When he saw what B.I.B. had led him to, his pupils contracted.

There, imprinted on the ground, was a huge, shallow crater— a bear paw print.

(End Of The Chapter)

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