Lloyd felt the same sensation he once experienced when he first obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit back in God Valley. The Demon Blade Muramasa felt like an extension of his own body.
With a single thought, Muramasa dissolved into a drifting wisp of black mist and merged into his right hand, settling into the shape of a dark blade-like mark on the back of his skin.
Garling watched the entire scene unfold. His shock gradually eased, replaced by a deep and measured calm. His gaze lowered to the mark on Lloyd's hand as he spoke slowly.
"As expected, Lloyd. You, a wielder of the Dark-Dark Fruit, are the most compatible master Muramasa could ever choose."
Garling's words held an obscure meaning. Lloyd's expression didn't shift as he pressed for clarity.
"Uncle Garling, does that mean anyone with the Dark-Dark Fruit can become Muramasa's master?"
"Of course not. To wield the Demon Blade Muramasa, one must carry the bloodline of the Figarland Family. Without that, Muramasa will devour the wielder."
"Devour them?"
Garling nodded.
"Yes. Our first ancestor, Saint Cassius from eight hundred years ago, also possessed the Dark-Dark Fruit. His mastery of that power nearly surpassed its boundaries. He could even separate the Devil Fruit's power from his own body at will."
When Garling first mentioned "surpassing the limit," Lloyd assumed it referred to Devil Fruit awakening.
He had even thought the ancestor's accomplishment sounded underwhelming. To be merely "close" to surpassing the limit implied he might not have even awakened the fruit.
But the last statement crushed that assumption entirely.
Actively separating Devil Fruit power? He had never encountered such a concept, not even with his Earth knowledge.
That meant the ancestor had touched the deepest essence of Devil Fruit power. Awakening wasn't the true peak—beyond it was another realm entirely.
The information he gained today shattered much of his previous understanding of the world. Even with memories from another life, he could no longer consider himself above this world's logic.
The manga had never reached its conclusion. Nothing guaranteed this world matched it perfectly. There were unknowns everywhere.
Lloyd knew he had developed the Dark-Dark Fruit better than most, yet awakening remained far off. Surpassing the limit was even more distant.
His hunger for knowledge grew sharper.
Seeing him as the next heir, Garling concealed nothing and continued.
"Eight hundred years ago, the ancestor used this very Demon Blade Muramasa to land the decisive blow on Joy Boy. He suffered fatal injuries during that battle, and died shortly after the World Government was formed."
Though Lloyd already knew of Joy Boy, he maintained the appearance of curiosity.
"Uncle Garling, who exactly was Joy Boy? Was he so powerful that even the ancestor couldn't defeat him?"
"Joy Boy is the nemesis of all Celestial Dragons. He is the only known being to push a Devil Fruit's power beyond the limit. His ability manifested as a terrifying rule-type power. Because he fused his own essence with the Devil Fruit's, a unique fruit was created—one that held both Paramecia and Zoan attributes: the Nika Fruit."
The moment Garling uttered the name "Nika Fruit," the mark on Lloyd's right hand flared. Muramasa pulsed violently, releasing a surge of dark emotion that felt unmistakably like resentment.
Lloyd suppressed the blade's unrest, his voice deep as he asked,
"So this Joy Boy… he is dead, correct?"
Garling hesitated, then spoke slowly.
"In the physical sense, yes. He was killed by the Twenty Kings. But devil fruits are reborn after their user dies. As long as the Devil Fruit carrying his will still exists, Joy Boy can never be considered truly dead."
Garling fixed Lloyd with a meaningful look.
"For eight hundred years, we have ensured that fruit never returns to the world. However, the Nika Fruit possesses a will as troublesome as your Dark-Dark Fruit. Every time we approach it, either someone has already eaten it, or circumstances force it to vanish again."
He let out a cold breath.
"Fortunately, none of its recent wielders have been able to draw out its true power. Not one managed to awaken it. As a result, the world continues believing in the fabricated 'Gum-Gum Fruit' we created as a disguise."
After finishing, Garling placed a steady hand on Lloyd's shoulder, speaking with solemn weight.
"But we cannot grow complacent. This world belongs to the Celestial Dragons. If someone truly awakens the Nika Fruit, it becomes the greatest threat imaginable. You must have heard how the world views us."
"Yes. The outside world speaks poorly of Celestial Dragons."
Garling scoffed.
"The opinions of insects are meaningless. But it is true—most Celestial Dragons wallow in decadence. Their complacency has eroded their minds. Only one of the original Twenty Kings remains, and if the Nika Fruit returns in its true form, our current state would crumble instantly."
Lloyd silently agreed. Without Garling and a few clear-headed figures, the Celestial Dragons might not even need the Nika Fruit to be destroyed. The Rocks Pirates alone could have wiped them out.
Garling breathed out slowly.
"Beyond the Nika Fruit, the Dark-Dark Fruit is also one of our highest-priority targets. In that ancient war, its power was indispensable. But because the ancestor never truly reached Joy Boy's level, he took precautions. Before dying, he separated a fragment of the Dark-Dark Fruit's power and sealed it within the Demon Blade Muramasa."
He glanced at the mark on Lloyd's hand.
"This blade followed him into countless battles, and he frequently nourished it with his blood. Even if the Dark-Dark Fruit were to leave our family, this blade ensures it never truly will. It forever belongs to the Figarland line."
"With Muramasa's help, awakening the Dark-Dark Fruit becomes far easier. I cannot explain the exact method. You will have to discover it yourself."
Garling nodded proudly.
"The ancestor's foresight was extraordinary. A Devil Fruit as rare as the Dark-Dark Fruit is nearly impossible to obtain. If not for that fool Rocks, who knows how many centuries would pass before we found it again."
He concluded, voice steady with conviction.
"Now that it has returned to the Figarland Family, that is no coincidence. It is fate."
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