Seeing Kuma gulp down the Paw-Paw Fruit, Linlin's fury erupted. Her glare toward Lloyd seemed fierce enough to swallow him whole, yet she couldn't act. Saint Fingerland's presence kept her firmly suppressed, denying her any chance to lash out.
Seizing the moment, Lloyd grabbed Ivan with one hand and shouted at Kuma:
"Kuma, use your ability to send us away! Control the force—just pat!"
Lloyd instructed Kuma on using the Paw-Paw Fruit for rapid displacement. Thanks to Kuma's natural compatibility with the fruit, he responded instantly, patting himself and appearing before Lloyd in a near-instant flash.
Lloyd then spread his hands. Dark whirlpools spiraled to life in his palms, forming powerful gravitational pulls that swept Ginny and the displaced Ivan into his reach.
Even while doing this, Lloyd kept his eyes fixed on Saint Saturn, who was entangled in chaotic combat with the Rocks Pirates. According to the original plan, Saturn should have moved to stop Kuma, but he was nowhere to be seen—likely deterred by Saint Fingerland's presence. Before the Roger Pirates arrived, even the combined Navy and Saturn struggled against the Rocks Pirates, especially when some pirates were clearly holding back.
Kuma raised his paw again, ready to transport Lloyd and the others away from God Valley.
Saint Fingerland, who had been observing Lloyd intently, finally understood what was happening. Seeing Kuma's motion, he quickly realized Lloyd was attempting an escape.
Just as Kuma's paw brushed against Lloyd, Saint Fingerland shouted:
"Kid! Remember! Your surname is Figarland!"
Pop!
The Paw-Paw Fruit activated, and Lloyd vanished.
Kuma wanted to save more, but Rocks—enraged beyond reason—unleashed a devastating surge of Conqueror's Haki. The skies above God Valley exploded with blinding brilliance and roaring thunder, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing.
Rocks' bloodshot eyes swept across the area where Lloyd had disappeared. His furious roar shook the battlefield:
"Bastard! Where did you send that kid?! That Devil Fruit is mine!!"
Sengoku and Garp exchanged confused looks. What exactly pushed Rocks into such a frenzy? Was it really the Paw-Paw Fruit?
Despite his potential, Kuma was still young. Under the crushing weight of Rocks' Haki, he momentarily froze. Recovering quickly, he slapped himself and sent his own body flying out of the battlefield.
Watching this, Saint Saturn shouted sharply at Fingerland:
"Fingerland! Return immediately!"
Fingerland hesitated for a brief moment before tossing Linlin aside and rushing back to the main battlefield. Linlin, however, refused to follow—her mind fixated solely on tracking down the Blue Dragon Fruit.
From afar, Saturn exhaled in relief as he saw Fingerland return.
"That Devil Fruit was originally meant for you…" Saturn muttered.
Fingerland shook his head calmly.
"My interest in Devil Fruits has never been great. I only came for the thrill of the hunt. Besides… he's still alive. That means Dr. Vegapunk's experiment succeeded. No fruit suits him better than that one."
Saturn opened his mouth to respond, but he never got the chance.
Rocks appeared like a bolt of black lightning, hurling a monstrous punch straight at him.
Garp and Sengoku instinctively stepped back. Fingerland, lost in thought, didn't even attempt to intervene.
The Celestial Dragon guards charged forward bravely, but to Rocks, they were nothing more than insects. Many were instantly obliterated.
Saturn's cane flew from his grasp as a brutal strike sent him tumbling across the ground, legs thrown up in the air.
Sengoku looked tempted to laugh but didn't dare. Garp couldn't help snorting—only for Tsuru to pinch his waist sharply, leaving his normally stoic face twisted in pain.
Rocks' crew howled with laughter, openly mocking Saturn's sorry state. Yet Saturn rose again. As a Mythical Zoan user, his recovery was impressive, though his trembling limbs betrayed the severity of the blow.
His cold eyes swept across the Navy forces, pausing on Garp several times as the man casually picked his nose. Restraining his fury, Saturn growled to Fleet Admiral Kong:
"Annihilate the Rocks Pirates. Leave no survivors."
Rocks snorted.
"Just you? Today, I'll be the new King of the World! My little ones—attack!"
The battlefield erupted once more.
Even with the combined force of the God's Knights and the Navy, the Rocks Pirates surged forward without losing momentum. In fact, faint signs of dominance appeared on their side.
Rocks' excitement surged. Ideally, he wanted to consume the Dark-Dark Fruit, further boosting his power for a decisive victory. Yet the Navy and World Government's performance felt disappointingly weak—even with some pirates deliberately holding back.
Among Rocks' subordinates, Kaido fought with the most intensity. His kanabo swung in blinding arcs, leaving trails of afterimages. Compared to the division commanders who were simply matching the flow of battle, Kaido was putting his full strength on display. Rocks made a mental note to "reward" him later.
Just as Rocks grabbed a Navy commodore by the collar, ready to crush him, a massive black-and-red sword slash tore through the sky accompanied by a thunderous voice:
"Divine Departure!!"
Rocks' expression tightened. He released the commodore and leapt back as the slash detonated, carving a deep trench across the battlefield.
A figure in a red cloak descended with confident steps.
Garp, previously disinterested, exploded with excitement.
"Roger! You bastard, you finally showed up!"
Roger grinned at Garp before raising his sword toward Rocks, his voice steady and cold:
"Rocks… you're far too dangerous. We cannot allow this to continue."
_____
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