Above the massive hole in the sea, a dark vortex slowly twisted into existence before condensing into Lloyd's figure.
He floated silently in midair, staring down at the bottomless abyss left behind on the ocean's surface. A solemn look flickered across his face.
This scene had also appeared in the manga.
In Lloyd's view, the attack was most likely connected to Uranus, one of the Ancient Weapons.
Judging from its destructive power, it was essentially a space-based weapon capable of erasing entire islands in an instant.
Even Lloyd understood that if he had taken that bombardment head-on without using his void-like intangibility, he would have suffered severe injuries.
Thinking about this, Lloyd slowly raised his head.
The sky above had already returned to normal.
The dark clouds were gone.
Not even a trace remained, as though nothing had happened at all.
Imu's voice also never sounded again.
Lloyd withdrew his gaze.
Deep down, he still believed Joy Boy would not die that easily.
After remaining silent for several seconds, the black wings behind him spread apart and trembled violently.
His figure transformed into a streak of black light before diving straight into the sea below.
Within the seawater, Lloyd released both his Observation Haki and soundwave perception simultaneously, searching the depths carefully.
After a long period of searching, he finally confirmed that there was no trace of Joy Boy anywhere nearby.
Only then did he emerge from the sea once more.
Lloyd narrowed his eyes slightly.
There was still a trace of unwillingness within them.
He slowly raised a finger.
The sky instantly darkened again as a massive black curtain spread across the heavens.
The next moment, countless needle-like black spikes rained downward from the darkness above, bombarding the sea relentlessly without leaving a single gap untouched.
The terrifying assault continued for a long time.
Only after ensuring everything beneath had been thoroughly destroyed did Lloyd finally disperse the darkness overhead.
His body dissolved back into a swirling black vortex before vanishing completely.
...
Deep beneath the sea.
Inside the endless darkness, a faint white light flickered weakly.
Looking closely, one would realize it was a protective barrier shaped like a Straw Hat.
Inside the barrier were Joy Boy, Nami, and the others.
The interior was extremely cramped.
Joy Boy glanced at the unconscious Straw Hat crew members and slowly exhaled.
The flame-cloud ribbons behind him gradually disappeared.
He removed the glowing Straw Hat from his head and held it gently in his hand.
Lindbergh swallowed nervously.
"That Straw Hat...?"
Joy Boy replied slowly,
"It's always good to prepare a few backup plans."
Lindbergh shifted awkwardly within the crowded space.
The barrier was packed tightly, mainly because there was also a giant metal head squeezed inside.
It belonged to Emeth.
Emeth's body had simply been too massive.
The barrier Joy Boy created had limited space and could not accommodate the giant robot's enormous steel frame.
At the critical moment earlier, they had only managed to save Emeth's head.
The rest of his body had been completely erased by Imu's attack.
Despite losing everything except his head, Emeth had not fully shut down.
As an advanced robot created through special means, he still retained consciousness.
The lights in his eyes flickered weakly, appearing as though they could go out at any second.
Broken mechanical sounds escaped from him intermittently.
"Joy... Boy... sorry... I... cannot... continue... accompanying... you..."
Sadness appeared in Joy Boy's eyes.
He clenched his fists tightly.
"Don't say that, Emeth. I failed to protect you properly."
His voice became heavier.
"But I won't let you die."
Emeth's mechanical voice crackled again.
"I... was... originally... a robot... there... is... no... death... for... me..."
However, Joy Boy no longer responded immediately.
Instead, his gaze slowly shifted toward the body lying beside Nami.
Franky's headless corpse remained motionless.
The sight caused the atmosphere inside the barrier to become unbearably heavy.
After staring silently for several seconds, Joy Boy suddenly looked toward Lindbergh.
"Lindbergh, you're an inventor, right?"
Lindbergh nodded cautiously.
Joy Boy continued,
"You're skilled with machinery?"
"I suppose so."
Joy Boy lowered his eyes briefly before speaking again.
"Franky's body was already partially mechanical. Now that he's gone... I want you to create a mechanical head suitable for his body."
Lindbergh frowned slightly.
Joy Boy continued,
"Then implant Emeth's chip into that head."
Lindbergh froze.
A moment later, realization struck him.
"You want to attach the new head to Franky's body?!"
"That's right."
Lindbergh instinctively looked toward the unconscious Straw Hats nearby.
"But shouldn't something like this be discussed with Luffy and his crew first?"
Joy Boy placed a fist against his chest.
"Luffy already agreed."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"His only request is that the head should resemble Franky as much as possible."
Lindbergh looked uncertain.
"If that's truly what he wants... then I'll do everything I can."
Joy Boy gently placed a hand on Emeth's metal head.
"Thank you."
After saying that, Joy Boy sat down cross-legged.
The floating white hair on his head gradually lowered, its color slowly shifting back from white to black.
Lindbergh immediately understood what was happening.
Luffy's consciousness was returning.
Joy Boy was giving the body back to him.
Before disappearing completely, Joy Boy spoke one final time.
"Try communicating with the Straw Hat. He'll guide us somewhere safe..."
His voice gradually faded until it vanished entirely.
At that moment, Luffy slowly raised his head.
Lindbergh cautiously called out to him, but Luffy gave no response.
For a moment, Lindbergh could not even tell whether the person before him was truly Luffy anymore.
After waiting for a while without hearing anything, Lindbergh stepped forward and reached toward Luffy's shoulder.
Suddenly, Luffy moved.
He slowly stood up before walking toward Franky's body.
Then he collapsed to his knees beside him.
A second later, heartbreaking cries erupted from his mouth.
"AHHHHH!!! FRANKY!!!"
He raised both fists and slammed them violently against the inside of the protective barrier, causing ripples of white light to spread everywhere.
"Bastard! Bastard! Why does this always happen?!"
His voice cracked completely.
"I can't protect anyone! I can't protect anyone!!!"
The barrier isolated his screams from the outside world, but the pain in his voice still pierced everyone's hearts.
Lindbergh lowered his head heavily and turned away.
Luffy continued crying uncontrollably.
"Gone... they're all gone... my friends... my brother... everyone's gone..."
"I'm too weak..."
The loud cries finally awakened Nami and the others.
They sat upright abruptly before turning toward Luffy.
The moment they saw him kneeling beside Franky's body while crying hysterically, their own emotions collapsed as well.
"Luffy!"
Nami rushed toward him instantly and wrapped both arms tightly around his neck.
Tears streamed endlessly from her eyes.
"Luffy... Franky was killed by the Celestial Dragons too..."
Her voice trembled violently.
"I was so scared..."
During the earlier battle, Luffy had not completely lost consciousness.
Although Joy Boy controlled the body, Luffy had still witnessed everything.
Including Franky's death.
Luffy slowly turned his head toward Nami.
His eyes looked empty and broken.
"Nami..."
His voice sounded weak.
"Will you leave me too?"
Nami shook her head desperately without hesitation.
"No!"
She held him even tighter.
"Luffy, I'll always stay by your side!"
===
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