Franky's head exploded right in front of Nami.
Black smoke mixed with the smell of cola rose from the shattered remains of his neck. His arms twitched stiffly a few times before his massive body collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud.
One of his eyeballs rolled across the battlefield, bouncing until it stopped near Nami's feet.
Nami's pupils shrank violently. Her face turned pale as terror consumed her mind. Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed onto the ground without even managing to scream.
Brook's empty eye sockets widened in horror. The cane sword slipped from his bony fingers and clattered onto the ground.
High above the battlefield, Joy Boy had originally been dealing with the countless Darkness Hands while laughing wildly. However, the moment he noticed what had happened below, his expression froze.
A sharp pain struck his heart.
Even the flame-cloud ribbon behind him became unstable and faint.
He grabbed his chest as his body rapidly descended from the sky.
"Wait... only I can control this body now! Otherwise, everyone will die!"
After saying that, his expression steadied slightly, but a terrifying rage quickly surged into his chest.
This was not the first time Lloyd had slaughtered his companions right before his eyes.
At this moment, Joy Boy became even more certain.
Lloyd was nothing like his ancestor, Cassilias.
Eight hundred years ago, during their battle, Cassilias had focused entirely on fighting him. He would never have wasted effort targeting companions during combat.
But Lloyd was different.
Cruel, manipulative, and utterly vicious.
Seeing Lloyd about to extend another Darkness Hand toward Brook, Joy Boy finally arrived.
He grabbed Lloyd's blackened arm directly, their fingers interlocked in a clash of monstrous strength.
The corners of Lloyd's lips curled upward.
He looked at Joy Boy's furious face and spoke with mocking amusement.
"Why come down now? Weren't you enjoying yourself up there?"
His smile widened slightly.
"And why did you stop smiling?"
According to the law of conservation, smiles did not disappear.
They merely transferred from one person to another.
Now, Joy Boy's smile had clearly transferred onto Lloyd's face.
Joy Boy ignored the provocation completely.
He did not dare waste even a second speaking to Lloyd. The longer he talked, the more likely Lloyd would kill someone else in front of him.
With a low roar, Joy Boy's wrist suddenly expanded.
Terrifying physical strength erupted from his arm as he attempted to force Lloyd into the ground.
But Lloyd's strength far exceeded his expectations.
His expression did not change in the slightest.
Instead, with only one hand, he nearly dragged Joy Boy toward himself through sheer overwhelming force.
Joy Boy's face darkened.
Veins bulged across his forehead as he roared,
"Move, now!"
Lindbergh instantly reacted.
Without hesitation, he grabbed Nami and the others and fled the battlefield at top speed.
Only after they gained distance did Joy Boy grit his teeth and throw another punch at Lloyd's face.
However, the fist stopped abruptly in midair.
A powerful invisible force field blocked the attack completely.
White light flickered within Lloyd's pupils as overwhelming repulsion burst outward continuously.
Seeing the attack fail, Joy Boy immediately twisted his lower body together before spinning violently.
"Rubber Pinwheel!"
His spinning legs slammed into Lloyd and finally sent him flying backward.
The instant the two separated, black and red lightning erupted from Joy Boy's chest, condensing into a spherical mass of destructive energy.
As soon as the sphere appeared, Joy Boy's aura climbed to its absolute peak once more.
Lloyd's smile finally disappeared.
A solemn look appeared in his eyes.
Behind him, endless Darkness surged upward like a massive tornado before spreading across the sky like a curtain.
It resembled a dark ocean hanging upside down above the world.
Even so, a single ray of sunlight pierced through the Darkness and descended directly onto Joy Boy's body, coating him in golden radiance.
Joy Boy slowly raised his head.
His eyes contained neither joy nor anger.
He reached into his chest and grabbed the black-red sphere of lightning directly in his palm.
In an instant, violent Haoshoku Haki lightning exploded outward.
Wrapped in crimson-black lightning, Joy Boy leaped into the sky.
His arm continued expanding endlessly until it vanished deep within the massive Darkness curtain above.
Lloyd raised his hand casually.
A deep purple beam descended from the heavens, enveloping Joy Boy instantly.
Joy Boy's body paused briefly.
Then Haoshoku Haki erupted violently and shattered the gravity beam into countless purple fragments.
Joy Boy roared furiously.
"Release, Nika Fist!"
The terrifying power of the Nika Fruit fused together with overwhelming Haoshoku Haki.
The force behind the attack was beyond imagination.
At that moment, Demon Blade Muramasa appeared in Lloyd's hand.
Darkness power intertwined with Haoshoku Haki around the blade, emitting an eerie black glow.
Muramasa extended rapidly through the darkness until its blade collided directly against the descending Nika Fist.
Joy Boy roared with fury.
"Disperse, Darkness!"
At this point, he no longer cared whether Luffy's body could withstand the burden.
He pushed both his Haoshoku Haki and the power of the Nika Fruit beyond their limits.
White cracks had already begun spreading across the surface of his body.
Joy Boy felt immense frustration.
Ever since awakening within Luffy's body, he had never been able to unleash his full power.
Because of that, Lloyd had continued growing into an even greater threat.
So now, no matter the cost, he had to eliminate Lloyd as quickly as possible.
The gigantic Nika Fist slowly pushed downward against the tip of Muramasa's blade.
Lloyd narrowed his eyes slightly.
Deep purple gravity rings erupted continuously from Muramasa's hilt, bombarding the massive fist above.
Joy Boy's expression grew increasingly grave as he continued pouring more strength into the attack.
However, in his complete focus on Lloyd, he failed to notice the dark clouds gathering high above the battlefield.
Lloyd was the first to notice the abnormality.
His brows furrowed slightly.
Before he could fully understand what was happening, an ethereal voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Lloyd, be careful. Dodge."
It was Imu.
The moment they heard the voice, both Joy Boy and Lloyd froze briefly.
Lloyd's eyes narrowed as realization struck him instantly.
Without hesitation, he withdrew Muramasa and activated his intangibility.
Joy Boy's fist crashed through empty air.
But immediately afterward, he turned toward the dark clouds above and his expression changed dramatically.
"Neron Imu... so you're still alive."
Then his pupils contracted violently.
"And this aura..."
His face instantly twisted.
"Not good!"
In a flash, Joy Boy's gigantic arm returned to normal size.
He turned around and rushed desperately toward Lindbergh and the others below.
The instant he reached them, the dark clouds above churned violently.
Then countless beams of destruction descended from the heavens.
They pierced through the sky and sea alike.
The world was swallowed by blinding light.
In the next moment, the entire Egghead Island was completely erased.
Nothing remained except a bottomless abyss within the sea itself.