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'This was really troublesome.' Liam realized that after Robin spoke, Koala's instinct to resist Elementalization grew even stronger.
It seemed that subconsciously, she would rather endure beatings than perform Elementalization. Every time Liam glared at her while holding his iron rod helplessly, Koala would look back at him blankly. She had heard everything Robin and Liam said, but her body refused to listen.
"Looks like I'll have to use my special move!" Liam rolled up his sleeves, patted Robin's shoulder, and gestured for her to step aside. "The same way I treated you, I'll treat her."
Robin gave him a shove on the back of his head and moved away. Liam sat in front of Koala, bent forward, and stared into the little girl's dull gray eyes.
He stretched out his hand, his five fingers slightly curled. "Look at this hand... When it clenches into a fist..."
His palm slowly pulled back in front of Koala's gradually unfocused eyes, the five fingers gradually closing.
"You..."
To avoid merely treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause, Liam carefully considered the hypnotic suggestion.
"For the next hour, you will imagine yourself as a cloud..."
Liam's hand clenched into a fist.
Koala's vacant eyes instantly regained clarity. She blinked, and for a moment, she mistook herself for floating in the blue sky, her body feeling light.
'Shua Shua Shua', Liam swung his iron rod, striking Koala's arm.
But it was like hitting a cloud, dispersing Koala's arm without resistance, and soon, her entire body was split into two floating halves.
Koala was incredibly shocked and amazed as she saw her upper and lower halves drifting like clouds, as if they had no weight and had never been restrained.
"I really became a cloud. A free cloud."
Koala's lower half walked on the deck while her upper half floated up, circling around the pirate ship.
Robin brushed her hair in the wind and smiled as she looked up at the scene.
Liam nodded and said, "That smile's not bad. The previous one was a little too sappy."
Koala's lower half paused for a moment before also turning into a cloud, playfully chasing her upper half in the air.
Robin chuckled and said, "A Logia fruit. If people knew you just casually gave it to an eight-year-old girl you just met, they'd be terrified."
"What's the big deal? I've done the same thing before."
Liam said carelessly, "Back then, didn't I also give a powerful Paramecia fruit to an eight-year-old girl I had just met?"
Robin froze for a moment before realizing he was referring to the time he gave her the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi).
"That was meant for me to begin with."
She flicked Liam's forehead.
Liam snickered, "Well, this Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas Gas Fruit) was originally Caesar's anyway."
Robin thought about it for a moment.
It seemed... he had a point.
Back then, the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) was snatched by him, just like Caesar's Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas Gas Fruit) was taken.
Comparatively, the Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas Gas Fruit) was of little use to Liam now, unlike how the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) had significantly helped him in his weaker days.
Yet Liam still casually returned the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi) to her.
Liam... really hadn't changed.
"But, why do you always call Caesar scum?"
"Because... he truly is scum."
...
An hour later, after enjoying her freedom in the sky as a cloud, Koala suddenly returned to her physical form and fell into the sea.
'Pū Tōng', with a splash, the little girl sank powerlessly into the water, her breath seized by the suffocating sensation.
So painful...
On the ship, Liam raised his hand and said, "I'm a Devil Fruit user."
"Not necessarily."
Robin placed one hand on Liam's deck and pointed with the other, causing a cluster of petals to rise from the deck, forming her Hana Hana no Mi clone.
Since the clone was a product of the Flower-Flower Fruit (Hana Hana no Mi), as long as Robin herself wasn't restricted, the clone wouldn't be affected by the sea.
With a flick of Robin's hand, a Hana Hana no Mi clone identical to Liam, though with a duller expression, leaped into the sea and quickly dived.
Liam instantly felt a sense of being wrapped and squeezed by seawater, and the underwater scene unfolded before his eyes.
Koala was not far below.
A third eye sprouted from the clone's forehead, aiding Robin's vision.
Soon, the clone reached Koala and brought her back to the ship.
...
Koala woke up, her face pale.
"That's what a landlubber means," Liam said, looking down at her.
Robin helped Koala sit up. "It's not just seawater. You also have to be careful while bathing. If your whole body is submerged in water, the Devil Fruit will render you powerless."
"There is also a special mineral called Seastone that restrains Devil Fruit users. Be cautious."
Koala nodded slowly.
After a moment, she looked at Liam, wide-eyed.
"You want me to hypnotize you again? That's not happening."
Liam yawned. "You've experienced it now. You're a true landlubber. Whether or not you learn Elementalization and flight is up to you."
After saying that, he stomped on a green Den Den Mushi with his feet and disappeared into thin air.
Koala opened her mouth and then slowly lowered herself to the ground, seemingly about to start scrubbing the deck again.
However, Robin snatched the rag from her hand and casually tossed it into the sea.
Robin smiled and said, "Come, let's practice."
...
B.I.B. steered the ship, following the Log Pose's direction, continuing their voyage.
Inside Den Den Mushi City, Liam had several Log Poses in front of him.
These were all brought back by B.I.B. from that battleship.
Unfortunately, there was no Eternal Pose for Momoiro Island, nor for Koala's hometown, Foolshout Island.
Liam thought to himself that Okama Kingdom didn't seem like a World Government Allied Kingdom anyway, so it made sense that there wouldn't be an Eternal Pose for it.
As for the Allied Kingdoms...
Liam's gaze swept across the Log Poses one by one: Prodence, Dressrosa, Resort Island, Karakuri Island, Lulusia, Judicial Island, Alabasta, Drum, and... Fish-Man Island.
Fish-Man Island... Since he planned to visit Rayleigh at Sabaody Archipelago, he might consider a stop at Fish-Man Island.
Drum Island... Was Chopper even born yet?
Liam wasn't sure.
Alabasta... The desert's heat was unbearable. Not interested.
Judicial Island... Even less interested!
While Liam was playing with the Eternal Poses, the doors of Den Den Mushi City swung open, and Robin's voice came in, informing him that a pirate ship was approaching, with Koala already aboard.
(End Of This Chapter)