Garling only brought Lloyd into his private sleeping quarters. Once the two of them vanished inside, the Golden Armored Guards, who had been forced to kneel for so long under Garling's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, finally gasped for breath. Some wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads as they watched the retreating figures with deep awe.
Some people were simply born kings.
Inside the chamber, Lloyd silently examined his surroundings. The room was spotless and snow-white, far simpler than the opulent spectacle he expected from the residence of the Figarland Family Head. The walls were bare, the furnishings minimal, almost ascetic.
Garling walked ahead without speaking. The sleeping quarters stretched far deeper than expected and soon revealed a stairway leading underground.
They descended, and a massive black door appeared before them. The instant Lloyd approached it, his knees weakened. With every step toward the door, the sensation intensified, spreading through his limbs like a suffocating weight. He reached the door only through sheer, stubborn willpower.
Garling, in contrast, walked normally. He glanced back at Lloyd.
"Do you feel your whole body going limp?"
Lloyd pressed a hand against the wall to steady himself and nodded. His voice was calm despite the strain.
"This door is made of Sea Stone, right?"
Garling nodded.
"Correct. Its purity is exceptionally high. It suppresses Devil Fruit users so effectively that even without touching it, you can lose access to your abilities. It is also one of the hardest substances in the world."
Lloyd tried activating the Dark-Dark Fruit, but nothing happened. Not a hint of his usual darkness appeared. The suppression made him even weaker, and his body tilted forward as if he might collapse.
Garling had clearly anticipated this. He stepped forward and caught Lloyd by the arm. Lloyd's breathing was unsteady, though his expression remained composed.
"Sorry, Uncle Garling. My strength is... barely holding."
Garling gave a light chuckle and shook his head.
"No need to apologize. You are doing well. Back then, Garudo performed far worse than you."
"Garudo is an ability user?"
"He was not, until he entered this room." Garling pointed toward the door. "The Devil Fruit he took from within this chamber is the Paramecia Blood-Blood Fruit."
Lloyd's eyes narrowed. The name was unfamiliar to him, but anything stored in a secret room controlled by the Figarland Family had to be extraordinary.
Garling continued.
"The previous Family Head, your Grandfather, possessed the Blood-Blood Fruit. After his death, the fruit returned to the world. The Family recovered it with great difficulty. Garudo desired it, so I gave it to him."
Lloyd had no memories of his grandfather. No one in the family ever spoke of him. He asked quietly,
"The Blood-Blood Fruit must be powerful. Why didn't you eat it?"
Garling's expression hardened.
"I have no interest in Devil Fruits, and this particular one is far too sinister. It corrodes the user's mind. A few years after Father ate it, he lost his sanity completely. If he hadn't regained a moment of clarity at the end, I would not have had the chance to..."
Garling's voice trailed off, grief flickering briefly behind his stern façade.
Lloyd understood. Garling had personally killed his own father.
The thought struck him with unexpected intensity. He, too, would one day kill his own father, but unlike Garling's situation, his motive was not necessity, but vengeance.
A heavy silence settled between the uncle and nephew. Lloyd eventually broke it.
"If the fruit is so dangerous, why give it to Garudo?"
Garling exhaled slowly.
"Garudo resented me for taking the position of Chief of the Divine Knight Order. After I became Family Head and gained access to this chamber, he demanded the fruit. I refused at first."
Lloyd couldn't help thinking, So you still gave it to him in the end?
The idea that Garudo's strength had increased again irritated him. He asked casually, his tone cold and edged,
"Did he kneel to you or something?"
Garling froze at the remark, then shot Lloyd an annoyed glare.
"With his personality, he would never kneel to me. He promised that if I gave him the fruit, he would not interfere with you again. I also wanted to ease the tension between us, so I agreed."
Lloyd's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
So that was why Garudo never tried to harm him all these years.
For the first time in both his lives, Lloyd felt the weight of genuine familial affection. Garling's quiet protection suddenly painted a very different picture of the man he had kept at a distance his entire life.
Lloyd looked at him and said softly, his voice stripped of its usual coldness,
"Uncle Garling... thank you."
Garling paused, clearly taken aback. Lloyd had called him uncle before, but never like this. The sincerity was unmistakable. The wall Lloyd had built in his heart for years finally cracked and fell.
Garling's face turned slightly away, discomfort tugging at his features. He wasn't good at expressing emotion.
"...You are welcome."
Without giving Lloyd time to respond, he steadied him and led him directly to the door. Garling withdrew a golden key and inserted it into a hidden slot. A deep rumble echoed as internal mechanisms unlocked. Then, with one hand, Garling pushed the heavy double doors open.
Lloyd immediately understood from the sound that the door weighed an enormous amount. Even with the key, he doubted he could push it open in his current state.
If he became Family Head in the future… would he need Lucia with him every time?
He imagined leaning weakly against her while she opened the door like a caretaker assisting a delicate noble girl.
Even Lloyd, aloof as he was, felt his pride twitch with discomfort.
Bringing Lucia wasn't the issue. She belonged to him. But appearing helpless in front of her? That was a different matter entirely… and more embarrassing than he cared to admit.
_____
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