"Splurt!"
Lloyd bit into the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, and the black juice slowly ran down the corner of his mouth.
Even though the taste was so disgusting that it could make a person vomit instantly, Lloyd did not hesitate. He finished the entire fruit in three bites and casually threw the remaining stem onto the ground.
He slowly closed his eyes and raised his hand. Darkness surged out from his arm just like before, but in the next second, the darkness suddenly became solid and began to change shape. It twisted again and again before finally forming a massive black cone that shot straight upward and blasted through the roof of the castle.
After obtaining the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, the darkness that once existed only in an invisible state now had the ability to materialize.
Everything had happened exactly as Lloyd expected. Shadows and darkness had always been one existence. The Shadow-Shadow Fruit and the Dark-Dark Fruit were connected through the fusion of illusion and reality. Lloyd had finally achieved what his ancestor Cassilias had failed to accomplish. The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit was now completely perfected.
The greatest proof was that he could now achieve true elemental transformation, a complete shadow form.
With a single thought, Lloyd's body suddenly broke apart into countless black bats and disappeared from the castle.
Gekko Moriah had once displayed a similar technique, but he could only turn his shadow into bats. His real body could never do it. Lloyd, however, had completely surpassed him.
High in the sky, the countless black bats gathered again and slowly formed Lloyd's body. He looked down at the enormous Thriller Bark beneath him, raised his hand calmly, and snapped his fingers.
A giant black cube instantly surrounded the entire pirate ship. In the next moment, the cube disappeared, and the massive ship vanished along with it.
Only a few faint particles remained in the air.
From this moment onward, Gekko Moriah and the entire Thriller Bark Pirates completely disappeared from the world.
The only thing that slightly puzzled Lloyd was that Perona, one of Gekko Moriah's three main subordinates, did not seem to be on the ship. However, Lloyd did not care. In his eyes, she was nothing more than an insignificant brat. Whether she lived or died made no difference to him.
Lloyd glanced once more at the empty sea below. His body turned into countless black bats again and flew toward the horizon.
...
Dressrosa.
Doflamingo stood on the balcony, quietly looking into the distance. Behind him, Rosinante stood silently, staring at Doflamingo's back with confusion.
Ever since the battle with King, Doflamingo had come to the balcony every day and remained there for hours, as if he were waiting for someone.
Rosinante finally could not hold back anymore.
"Doflamingo, what exactly are you waiting for? Are you afraid the Beasts Pirates will come for revenge?"
Doflamingo did not turn around. His voice remained calm.
"As long as he is here, there is nothing to fear from the Beasts Pirates."
"Him? Who are you talking about?"
Doflamingo smiled slightly.
"You will know when he arrives."
Rosinante became even more uneasy after hearing those words. He was about to ask another question when suddenly a swarm of black bats flew past the balcony and rushed inside the room.
Doflamingo frowned immediately. The sight of those bats reminded him of Gekko Moriah. He turned around quickly, but before he could react, he heard Rosinante shout in shock.
"Admiral Black Dragon?!"
Doflamingo's expression changed instantly. He turned around and saw a face that he could never forget.
Lloyd stood quietly in front of them.
He looked at Doflamingo calmly and smiled slightly.
"Doflamingo, long time no see."
After twenty-two years, Doflamingo finally saw Lloyd again. His lips moved slightly as he spoke.
"Saint Lloyd, long time no see."
"What? Saint Lloyd?!"
Rosinante was completely stunned. He had originally thought Lloyd had come to take him back to the Navy, but when he heard Doflamingo address Lloyd with the title Saint, his mind went completely blank.
After all, Rosinante had once lived in Mary Geoise as a Celestial Dragon, even if it was only for a few short years. He knew exactly what that title meant. Doflamingo was not the kind of person who would make a mistake like that.
Under Rosinante's shocked gaze, Doflamingo slowly walked toward Lloyd. The expression on his face was something Rosinante had never seen before.
Lloyd raised his hand and gently patted Doflamingo's shoulder.
"You have grown a lot over the years."
Hearing those words, Doflamingo felt his throat tighten. He could not say anything for a long time.
He glanced at Rosinante, who was still frozen behind him, and shouted coldly,
"Rosinante. Saint Lloyd is your superior. Why are you still standing there? That is extremely rude."
Rosinante quickly stepped forward and stood beside Doflamingo. He hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and saluted Lloyd.
"Admiral Black Dragon. I am Marine Colonel Rosinante."
Rosinante's identity had long been an open secret to Doflamingo, so he did not bother hiding it anymore.
Lloyd nodded calmly.
"Rosinante, we have known each other for a long time. There is no need to introduce yourself."
Rosinante looked directly at Lloyd's face. After a moment of hesitation, he finally asked the question that had been bothering him the most.
"Admiral Black Dragon, what is your relationship with Doflamingo?"
Lloyd did not hesitate at all.
"Doflamingo is my family."
The moment those words were spoken, Rosinante's eyes widened instantly. Doflamingo's body trembled slightly as he stared at Lloyd in disbelief.
Lloyd turned his head and looked at him again.
"After I deal with Kaido, your family can change its name. By the way, do you want to come with me to Onigashima?"
Doflamingo was so excited that he could not even nod properly. His entire body felt stiff.
Lloyd did not mind. In front of both Doflamingo and Rosinante, he took out a Den Den Mushi and made a call.
Lucia's voice quickly came from the other side.
"Young Master!"
"Lucia, inform Sakazuki and the others. We are going to Onigashima."
"Onigashima? The territory of one of the Four Emperors, Kaido?"
"That is correct. I am going to wipe out the Beasts Pirates. There is no need for Sakazuki and the others to mobilize the entire Navy. Only seven people will go. Take my warship to Dressrosa. We will gather here."
"Understood, Young Master."
Rosinante blinked repeatedly as he listened to the conversation. His thoughts were in complete chaos.
Starting a war against one of the Four Emperors with only a single Den Den Mushi call? Did Fleet Admiral Sengoku even know about this?
...
Marineford.
After Lloyd ended the call, Lucia immediately stood up from her seat in the Admiral's office. She needed to personally inform Sakazuki and the others.
The first person she found was Sakazuki. After hearing the news, he was only stunned for a moment before immediately following her.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku was still buried in documents when the door suddenly opened and Tsuru walked in with a serious expression.
"Sengoku, the Admirals suddenly left Marineford together. Was that your order?"
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