The attack missed. Gion froze for a moment, then seemed to remember that Lloyd was a logia-Type user — physical attacks without Haki could not harm him at all.
Realizing that, she infused her sword with Armament Haki and thrust toward Lloyd's waist, as if obsessed with striking that spot. She made the same mistake someone like Kizaru once did, confusing Lloyd's Kamui with simple elementalization.
Even with Konpira imbued in Haki, the blade passed through Lloyd's body without resistance. Gion's eyes widened, her mouth agape in shock. "How is this possible? I clearly used Armament Haki!" she blurted.
Lloyd said nothing. With a cold detachment, he grabbed Gion's shoulder with one hand, then delivered a brutal knee strike into her stomach.
She tried to defend with Armament Haki, but her Haki layer was brittle as paper under Lloyd's lethal force. It cracked immediately.
The impact drove into her abdomen. Gion cried out, spewing a mouthful of blood. Her body trembled as she staggered backward several steps, finally collapsing onto one knee before him.
Spectators in the arena jerked in their seats. Many muttered under their breath that Lloyd showed no mercy to a woman — ruthless, indeed.
Looking down on her, Lloyd spoke flatly: "What's with that look? Thinking of giving up?"
Humiliation and disbelief flickered across Gion's face. Moments ago, she had looked down on Ginny with confidence, certain of her strength. Now the roles were reversed. Her pride, her arrogance, her swordsmanship — none of it had even grazed Lloyd's clothes.
At that moment she understood why Tsuru had raved about Lloyd. Indeed, even those praises might have been too modest.
She forced a bitter, rueful smile — what had once seemed like confidence now felt painfully ridiculous.
Swallowing hard, she steadied herself by gripping her sword, pushing herself upright. Her peach-colored eyes locked onto Lloyd's stern face.
After a long, trembling moment, she spoke softly: "I lost."
Lloyd raised an eyebrow — surprised at her immediate surrender. For a moment he looked as though he had punched at thin air.
If she had hesitated a second longer, his next strike would have knocked her out cold. She wouldn't have left the infirmary for at least half a month.
Over the six years he lived in Sorbet Kingdom, Lloyd had trained his temperament — his mental fortitude had long since been tempered. Yet when he recalled the injured Ginny, he nearly lost control. His composure nearly shattered. That fear, that protective instinct — it showed him how deeply Ginny had embedded herself into his life. He would never allow anyone to hurt her.
Black energy gathered around his hand, crackling faintly as Gion's tied ponytail loosened and swayed in the air. Her heels sunk into the mud. She dared murmur, "Still don't want to stop? It seems that girl doesn't suffer from unrequited love. I suddenly feel… a bit envious of her."
Lloyd's expression remained blank as he lifted his blackened hand toward her.
But just as he prepared to strike, a figure in a Marine cloak moved in a flash and struck palms with Lloyd. "Calm down, Lloyd!"
The newcomer was tall, her long dark-blue hair tied like Gion's. Though her face showed signs of age, her presence was capable, authoritative: Vice Admiral Tsuru. Thanks to a report from Momonga, she had arrived just in time.
Momonga, only a student, could not summon Tsuru directly. He first contacted Zephyr. To his surprise, Zephyr was already on the Marine warship returning to Headquarters. Without hesitation Zephyr relayed the emergency. Tsuru abandoned whatever she was doing and rushed to the Navy School immediately.
When she arrived, she saw Lloyd raising his devil-fruit-imbued hand toward Gion. Tsuru recalled the dreaded reputation of the Dark–Dark Fruit user. According to Zephyr's report, pirates slain by him on this voyage vanished without a trace — cleaner than any Admiral's justice.
Though Tsuru believed Lloyd would not kill her, she dared not gamble.
She launched her own defense. Drawing her arm back, she channeled full Armament Haki — the aura erupted outward in a powerful wave, thrusting Lloyd back.
As soon as he released Gion, Tsuru swept the injured swordswoman behind her, quickly checking her wounds. Once she confirmed Gion was stable, she let out a short sigh, half admonishment.
"Gion, you really caused a mess for me. Didn't you always say you don't like staying at Headquarters? And now you drag me here like this."
Gion lowered her head, voice faltering. " Tsuru-nee, I… I only heard how amazing this year's batch is, especially the genius Lloyd. I couldn't resist curiosity — I wanted to see with my own eyes."
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