Roger flashed beside Linlin, his voice low and firm, "Linlin, isn't it time we clear up this misunderstanding? Right now there's only one real enemy, and that is this Black Dragon!"
Linlin was not blind. When she saw Lloyd arrive by stepping on Owen's body, all doubt vanished — she knew exactly who had killed him.
But with her pride, she refused to apologize. Instead, she snarled and shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! Everyone, attack! Tear this Navy apart!"
At her command, the Big Mom Pirates turned their attention toward Lloyd and surged forward, encircling him.
Lloyd's expression remained calm as enemies closed in from every direction. Suddenly, a pair of enormous pitch‑black bat wings unfolded from his back, creating a hurricane‑like current of air that swept across the battlefield. Weaker attackers were blasted away before they could even approach.
A dazzling white light then bloomed from his body, releasing a terrifying repulsive force that spread outward like a rolling tide. One wave was enough to send most Pirates flying, spitting blood from their noses and mouths, collapsing to the ground.
After all, even Big Mom's oldest son, Perospero, was still in his twenties and had yet to fully reach his potential. Against someone of Lloyd's level, they were simply outmatched.
Linlin did not expect so many of the children she had painstakingly raised to be felled by Lloyd in a single encounter. In bitter frustration she ordered Perospero and the others to fall back, and once again took up her sword, charging forward again with Roger at her side.
Facing two Emperor‑level powerhouses attacking in unison, Lloyd did not dare underestimate them. A silver ribbon of light rippled over his body as he entered his Moon God state.
From his fingertips shot several silver lightning bolts. Linlin blocked before him, using her powerful body to withstand the assaults, while Roger leapt out from behind and slashed a blade of red sword energy toward Lloyd.
As Lloyd absorbed that strike, Roger and Linlin both rushed forward and swung down with their blades at the same moment.
Boom!
Lloyd raised his sword to block, the ground beneath him exploding in fractures. Haki‑infused lightning surged outward, and the sky over Cake Island darkened instantly.
Linlin roared loudly.
"War Drum!"
Zeus immediately unleashed a thick purple lightning bolt toward Lloyd. Lloyd responded with Kamui, his body turning ethereal to avoid the strike, forcing Linlin and Roger — who attempted to block with Muramasa — to stagger backward.
Seizing the moment, Lloyd leaped upward. Once solid again, he released a vast area of pitch‑black energy from his palm, forming a dense sphere that enveloped the two of them.
Lloyd raised his arm, and the black sphere lifted straight into the sky, hanging high above Cake Island.
"Dark Chibaku Tensei!"
A horrifying gravitational force emanated from the black sphere, shaking the island violently. Endless suction surged outward, cracking the ground inch by inch. Everyone present felt as if an invisible hand had grabbed their bodies, pulling them uncontrollably toward the orb above.
Terrified screams and the thunder of colliding objects echoed across Cake Island.
Only a handful could briefly resist the gravitational pull. Among them, Bullet, using his Merge Devil Fruit ability, fused with the ground underneath him continuously. His expression was ferocious, sweat rolling down his brow.
In contrast, Shanks looked unfazed, watching the apocalyptic scene around him as if it were nothing more than an odd spectacle, while Buggy clung to him desperately, wishing he could merge with Shanks just to feel safe.
High above, the black sphere was now wrapped in shattered rocks and soil. Since Cake Island's buildings were made mostly of desserts like cream, the surface of the sphere was coated in a thick layer of sticky sweetness, emitting a cloying smell.
Lloyd held his hand in a hollow grip, preparing to dispel the black sphere entirely, just as he once did with the Golden Lion. Yet this time, he sensed powerful resistance from within the orb itself.
Suddenly, Long Bread, who had long been missing, burst from the ground.
He had used the Eat‑Eat Devil Fruit to turn a patch of earth into cream, drilling through the ground to avoid the pull of gravity.
He raised his sword and slashed toward Lloyd, shouting, "Die!"
Clang!
A crisp clash erupted, like metal striking metal. Long Bread's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the blade pressed against Lloyd's neck.
"How is this possible?!… Uh!"
Before he could finish, Lloyd grabbed Long Bread by the throat, a dark vortex manifesting in his grip. With clicking sounds like broken machinery, Long Bread's body began twisting into a grotesque mess.
But then a loud explosion rang out from above. Lloyd frowned, dropping the half‑dead Long Bread and vanishing from the spot in an instant.
The moment he disappeared, two massive sword energies plummeted from the sky, gouging two deep trenches into the earth below.
In the sky, Linlin and Roger had broken free from the black darkness using their powerful Haki. Both looked disheveled, especially Linlin.
Her pink dress had been shredded by the darkness, leaving her thighs exposed. Roger beside her dared not meet her gaze.
As they descended, Zeus carried Long Bread's limp body to Linlin's side.
Seeing Long Bread drenched in blood and the shattered ruins of Cake Island below, Linlin lost the last of her composure and let out a deafening howl.
Her scream emanated an immense wave of Conqueror's Haki, a raw outburst of emotion unleashed without discrimination. It was almost overwhelming to everyone nearby.
Though it did not harm powerhouses like Roger or Lloyd, others could not withstand its force.
Several Pirates who had been pulled into the darkness already lay torn apart. Those who survived were injured and truly could not endure such a terrifying roar.
Lloyd frowned tightly. His senses were far beyond normal, and although Linlin's scream would not physically hurt him, it grated on his nerves.
Just as he prepared to make her stop, Roger was a step ahead. With a powerful blow, he punched Linlin in the abdomen.
The force was immense, and Linlin's scream ceased instantly. Her mouth opened with a wet gasp, a large mouthful of saliva spilling out as she finally regained clarity.
Seeing her eyes clear, Roger exhaled in relief. He had never wanted to fight Linlin. In his view, she was a walking time bomb, unpredictable and explosive with just the slightest provocation.
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