Lloyd looked at the neatly organized desk, shaking his head with a faint chuckle.
"It's all worthless information. How could someone like Luffy possibly appear in the Pleasure District?"
With that, Lloyd picked up the Den Den Mushi and directly contacted the intelligence division.
"Record every Pirate crew that provided clues. Do not move against them for now. Once Joy Boy's location is confirmed, begin the arrests immediately. Anyone who resists is to be executed on the spot."
"Yes, sir!"
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Lloyd turned his gaze toward the window, deep in thought.
At present, relying on the masses and those incompetent Pirates to locate Luffy was unrealistic.
Even CP agents had failed to uncover Luffy's whereabouts. Just like before, he had vanished from the world without leaving a single trace behind.
In Lloyd's eyes, the current Luffy, who was being influenced by Joy Boy's will, was most likely hiding somewhere in an isolated corner of the sea, quietly recovering his strength.
And through their recent encounters, Lloyd had already realized one thing clearly.
Joy Boy was becoming increasingly troublesome.
By the next time they met, who knew what new abilities or methods that monster would reveal?
Thinking about it caused Lloyd's brows to tighten slightly, though the expression soon disappeared.
With his current power and mastery over the Dark-Dark Fruit, he had already approached the level once possessed by his ancestor, Saint Cassius.
Even if Joy Boy returned to his peak state, Lloyd still possessed the confidence to fight him head-on.
Besides, Imu still existed.
Unlike Joy Boy, who had effectively disappeared from history for eight hundred years, Imu had truly lived through all eight centuries.
As one of the original Twenty Kings, her talent was unquestionably extraordinary.
After eight hundred years of accumulation, her strength had undoubtedly reached an unimaginable level.
If Joy Boy truly returned at full power, Imu would certainly intervene personally.
Combined with Lloyd himself and the forces of the World Government, their lineup might even surpass the alliance of the Twenty Kings from eight hundred years ago.
Looking at it that way, Joy Boy was not as impossible to deal with as he initially seemed.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Lucia's soft voice.
"Young Master."
Lloyd immediately responded.
"Come in, Lucia."
Lucia gently pushed open the door and stepped inside.
Lloyd rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"How many times have I told you? There's no need to knock before entering my office. You can come in whenever you want."
Lucia lowered her head slightly.
"Young Master, this is the headquarters of the Marines. Here, you are the Supreme Commander. I cannot ignore the rules."
"Rules?" Lloyd sighed lightly.
"I am the one who makes the rules."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Then consider this a new rule. From now on, you may enter or leave my office freely. Make sure you obey it."
Lucia paused for a moment before revealing a bright smile.
"Lucia understands."
As she spoke, she gracefully walked behind Lloyd and extended her fair, delicate hands, gently massaging his temples.
Lloyd closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the sensation.
While continuing the massage, Lucia softly asked,
"Young Master, are you worried about something?"
"With my current position, there's always something to think about," Lloyd replied casually.
"Right now, I'm simply wondering where Luffy is hiding."
"The intelligence reports from the past few days were all useless?"
"They were obviously fabricated. None of them had any value."
Lloyd's tone carried faint disdain.
"I've already ordered the names of the Pirates who submitted those reports to be recorded. Once this matter ends, they'll all be dealt with together."
Lucia blinked her gemstone-like purple eyes.
"Young Master, isn't that what people call discarding the donkey after it has finished pulling the cart?"
Lloyd let out a low laugh.
"You give them too much credit. At least a donkey is useful. Those people are nothing but trash."
"Still, eliminating them now would discourage the others. Even if they're useless individually, there are enough of them that one might eventually stumble onto something valuable."
Lucia nodded lightly.
"As expected of the Young Master, your thinking is always thorough."
Lloyd suddenly opened his eyes and looked up at her. Raising a hand, he gently lifted Lucia's chin.
"Since when did you learn how to flatter people?"
Lucia leaned down slightly until their noses nearly touched.
Her voice became softer.
"You misunderstand, Young Master. Everything Lucia says comes from the heart. I would never flatter you falsely."
The corners of Lloyd's lips slowly rose.
"Is that so?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Then perhaps I should reward you properly."
A faint purple glow ignited within Lucia's eyes, while a blush spread across her fair skin.
Biting her lip lightly, she whispered,
"Lucia is looking forward to it."
Lloyd stared at her silently.
Lucia smiled seductively, her slender waist swaying gracefully as she stepped forward and sat on the edge of the desk.
Her long legs, wrapped in black stockings, crossed slowly as though deliberately provoking him.
Lloyd rose from his chair and wrapped one arm around Lucia's waist, pulling her tightly against him.
Dark mist began spreading from his other hand before he waved it toward the office entrance.
Black darkness instantly sealed every gap around the door. The already soundproof office became even more isolated from the outside world.
At that moment, no one could enter this room without Lloyd's permission.
Only then did Lloyd press Lucia down against the desk.
Not long afterward, muffled sounds echoed throughout the office.
Time quietly passed.
Eventually, the room returned to silence, followed only by the faint rustling of clothing.
Inside the office, Lloyd sat shirtless in his chair while Lucia rested quietly in his arms, wearing nothing but a Marine cloak draped around her body.
Curled against his chest like a satisfied cat, Lucia closed her eyes comfortably.
Lloyd took out a cigarette and placed it between his lips.
Lucia gently raised a finger, igniting a small purple flame that lit the cigarette for him.
Lloyd inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke.
Within the drifting haze, Lucia softly spoke.
"Young Master, there's something else I need to report."
Lloyd lowered his gaze slightly.
"What is it?"
"Yesterday, our men detained two members of the Mink Tribe near Marine Headquarters."
"Oh?"
Lloyd showed mild interest.
"Pirates?"
Lucia shook her head.
"No. They appear quite young. The older one seems to be a canine Mink, while the younger one is a rabbit Mink."
"They arrived on a small damaged boat and insisted they carried important information that had to be delivered directly to you at Marine Headquarters."
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