Carrot swallowed nervously, her expression stiff as she asked,
"Then what exactly do you want me to do?"
Lloyd revealed a faint smile.
"You do not need to do anything. Until I completely eliminate Joy Boy, you can stay here as my pe… hm, mascot."
Former Fleet Admiral Sengoku had raised goats and pigeons before, so there was nothing strange about him keeping a talking rabbit capable of generating electricity.
Carrot's eyes widened instantly.
"Hey, hey, hey! You were definitely about to say 'pet,' right?! It had to be 'pet'! You actually want me to become your pet?! You're seriously…"
"Hm?"
Before Lloyd could even respond, Lucia let out a cold snort.
A terrifying aura erupted from her body as strands of purple lightning crackled around her. The blade at her waist emitted a chilling gleam.
Carrot's voice stopped abruptly.
She had no doubt that if she dared to insult Lloyd any further, Lucia's sword would be at her throat in the next instant.
However, Lloyd clearly had no intention of letting the frightened rabbit off so easily.
He slightly raised his chin and looked at Carrot with an amused smile.
"So what if it is a pet? You are unwilling?"
Although Lloyd's expression remained composed, the pressure he emitted felt even more terrifying to Carrot than Lucia's burst of Conqueror's Haki.
Carrot trembled.
"I, I…"
Lloyd did not give her the chance to finish.
Crossing his arms, he said indifferently,
"You seem troubled by the idea. I dislike forcing people. Since the two of you performed a valuable service, collect your reward and return to where you came from. Perhaps we will meet again very soon."
Carrot had not fully processed his words yet, but Wanda immediately panicked.
She hurried to Lloyd's desk and pressed both hands against it, causing her chest to tremble violently from the sudden movement.
"Celestial Dragon Marshal, we don't need any reward! Carrot is still young and immature, so please don't blame her! If necessary, let me become your pet instead. I can do it too!"
After speaking, Wanda glanced toward Lucia beside Lloyd.
Under Lucia's cold gaze, Wanda slowly walked around the desk and stopped directly in front of Lloyd, clearly prepared to accept whatever he decided.
In truth, Lloyd admired Wanda somewhat.
As a woman, she had traveled thousands of miles with a young Mink girl all the way to Marine Headquarters for the sake of her tribe's survival. That alone made her far more capable than the so called King Pedro in Lloyd's eyes.
As far as Lloyd was concerned, Wanda was the ideal candidate to become the future ruler of the Mink Tribe.
With that thought in mind, Lloyd suddenly reached out and pulled Wanda directly into his arms.
Caught completely off guard, Wanda instinctively struggled briefly before obediently settling onto Lloyd's lap.
Carrot stared at the scene in complete shock.
Lloyd lowered his eyes toward Wanda and asked evenly,
"Do you wish to become the Queen of the Mink Tribe?"
This was the closest Wanda had ever been to a man.
Her face instantly flushed red as she lowered her head shyly. However, the moment she heard Lloyd's question, she abruptly looked up at him in disbelief.
Lloyd continued calmly,
"There is no reason to look so surprised. If the Mink Tribe wishes to continue existing in the future, it requires a queen like you. Besides, I do have some connection to the Mink Tribe."
He paused briefly before continuing,
"I can promise you this. When the time comes, only the warmongers within the Mink Tribe will be punished. Those who desire peace, including your sisters, will not be implicated."
The instant those words entered Wanda's ears, the enormous pressure weighing on her heart disappeared.
Unable to restrain herself, she gently leaned against Lloyd's chest.
The reason she had humbled herself so completely was not solely for the tribe's survival.
Deep within her heart, she also held genuine admiration for Lloyd.
From the very beginning, Wanda believed the World Government's power was absolute.
And Lloyd, as the man standing at the peak of that immense authority, represented something even more overwhelming.
To him, the Mink Tribe likely resembled nothing more than a slightly larger anthill, something that could be erased with a single command.
Compared to a Joy Boy who had appeared from nowhere, Wanda trusted Lloyd far more.
At least Lloyd's achievements were real, visible, and undeniable.
Along the journey to Marine Headquarters, she had heard countless stories about him.
During his youth at the Naval Academy, he rose to prominence and even clashed against the Whitebeard Pirates before retreating safely.
Later, he single handedly slew Golden Lion Shiki and annihilated the Golden Lion Pirates entirely.
That feat alone sounded almost absurd.
After graduating from the Naval Academy, Lloyd became an Admiral before reaching the age of twenty, making him the youngest Admiral in Navy history.
When Wanda first learned of that achievement, she had remained stunned for an entire day.
Even on isolated Zou, the Mink Tribe understood what the title of Admiral represented.
It symbolized the World Government's highest military power.
Yet Lloyd's legend only continued to grow.
As an Admiral, he led the Navy against both Gol D. Roger and the Whitebeard Pirates, ultimately achieving victory.
Afterward, before the eyes of the entire world, he personally executed Roger shortly after Roger became Pirate King.
Then, for reasons unknown, Lloyd vanished from public view for twenty two years.
Even so, the achievements he accomplished within those few short years remained deeply engraved into the world's memory.
When he returned, he carried Kaido's severed head and ascended to the position of Fleet Admiral.
Soon after, he defeated the other two Yonko, Whitebeard and Linlin, completely solidifying the Navy's dominance across the seas.
Although the newspapers later exposed Lloyd's identity as a Celestial Dragon, nobody questioned his worthiness as Fleet Admiral.
Compared to his overwhelming accomplishments, the title of Celestial Dragon almost seemed insignificant.
For young women like Wanda, a man like Lloyd possessed an irresistible attraction.
Not only did he appear extraordinarily young, but despite being a sparsely furred monkey Mink, his appearance surpassed even many fully furred Mink Tribe members in beauty.
More importantly, Lloyd possessed a transformation ability similar to the Mink Tribe's Sulong form. After transforming, he appeared almost divine beneath the moonlight in the eyes of the Minks.
Now that most of her worries had disappeared, Wanda's gaze gradually became hazy.
Seeing this, Carrot misunderstood completely.
In her eyes, Wanda was clearly enduring unimaginable humiliation for her sake.
Determination instantly appeared on Carrot's face.
Puffing out her chest, she shouted loudly at Lloyd,
"Then let me become the pet instead!"
After speaking, Carrot wore the expression of someone preparing to sacrifice herself heroically as she marched toward Lloyd.
However, before she could take more than a single step, Wanda hurriedly spoke.
"Wait, wait a second, Carrot! You don't need to do that. Let me handle it instead…"