After the passage of time, the seawater surrounding the massive sphere had been completely dyed red with blood.
Even from a distance, the Navy could still vaguely make out the twisted remains of the pirates trapped inside.
Their corpses floated lifelessly, their deaths cruel and beyond comparison, serving as silent proof of the overwhelming power that had descended upon them.
Lloyd calmly observed the scene, his expression indifferent as if he were merely appreciating a finished piece of work rather than the aftermath of total annihilation.
After a brief moment, he turned his gaze toward Admiral Sengoku, who was still standing stiffly, his mind clearly struggling to process what he had just witnessed.
"Admiral Sengoku," Lloyd said in an even, emotionless tone, "judging from the situation, there should be no survivors left inside.
Do we still need to approach and confirm the numbers?"
Sengoku snapped out of his daze and looked at Lloyd, his eyes filled with complicated emotions that were difficult to conceal.
After a short pause, he replied, "There is no need, Lloyd.
That ability of yours… will it remain there forever?"
Lloyd shook his head slightly.
He raised one hand and slowly clenched his fingers.
In response, the gigantic sphere suspended in the sky abruptly began to contract, everything within it being forcibly dragged toward the pitch black orb at its center.
Moments later, the black orb itself continued to shrink, growing smaller and smaller until it vanished entirely, as if it had never existed.
In essence, the black orb had been a miniature black hole created by Lloyd.
The reason it had not instantly devoured everything around it was because Lloyd had deliberately restrained its pull.
After all, his battle results needed to be witnessed.
Now that Sengoku and the others had seen everything clearly, there was no longer any reason for him to maintain such delicate control.
Although the black hole had disappeared, the shock it left behind lingered heavily in the hearts of the Marines present.
For a long time, none of them could accept the reality before their eyes.
The Flying Pirates, a force that had once rampaged freely across the seas, had been completely wiped out by Lloyd alone.
This battle could be said to have unfolded under every possible favorable condition.
After the devastating natural disaster, Golden Lion Shiki and his crew had been weakened to their lowest point.
Lloyd's timing was flawless, entering the battlefield at the exact moment needed to deliver a fatal blow.
As for Sengoku and the others, they had been reduced to little more than observers.
Their role in this mission was limited to escorting Lloyd and bearing witness to the end result of his overwhelming strength.
…
Marineford.
Inside his office, Fleet Admiral Kong waited silently for news.
His arms were crossed, his brows tightly furrowed as unease weighed on his mind.
"I wonder how things are progressing on Sengoku's side," Kong muttered to himself.
"Roger and Shiki are not opponents that can be dealt with easily."
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a knock echoed at the door.
Before Kong could respond, the door was pushed open and Sengoku walked in without hesitation.
Seeing Sengoku return so quickly, Kong froze for a moment.
Based on the time alone, Sengoku should only have just arrived at the battlefield and returned.
Could it be that the clash between Roger and Shiki had already ended before Sengoku even reached them?
While Kong was still stunned, Sengoku stepped up to the desk, took a deep breath, and began to report everything he had witnessed, sparing no detail.
As he listened, Kong's eyes widened steadily, his expression growing more and more dramatic.
When Sengoku finally mentioned that Golden Lion Shiki was dead and that the Flying Pirates had been completely exterminated, Kong abruptly stood up from his chair.
Sengoku had already anticipated such a reaction.
He remained standing silently, giving Kong the time he needed to process this earth shaking revelation.
Even with decades of experience as Fleet Admiral and a mind known for its composure, it still took Kong quite some time to recover.
Eventually, he sank back into his chair, managing to speak only a single sentence.
"Where is Golden Lion Shiki's body?"
"Only his head remains," Sengoku answered truthfully.
"I have already ordered it to be sealed."
Kong nodded slowly before asking again, "And Lloyd?"
"He has returned to G1 Branch."
Kong fell silent for a brief moment.
Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he looked up sharply.
"Sengoku, what do you think of Lloyd's strength?"
Sengoku hesitated before answering, "I cannot say for certain.
The last time I personally saw him take action was during the graduation examination a year ago.
As for his current strength, I truly cannot judge it accurately."
Kong leaned back slightly and continued, almost as if speaking to himself.
"If I were to promote him to Admiral now, would that be too early?"
Sengoku's body stiffened subtly, but Kong showed no sign of stopping.
"Garp has always refused promotion to Admiral.
At present, Marine Headquarters only has you and Zephyr as Admirals.
Compared to the increasingly rampant pirate forces on the seas, that number is far from sufficient."
He paused, then fixed his gaze on Sengoku once more.
"Furthermore, Lloyd's military achievements this time are nothing short of astonishing.
What reward do you think Marine Headquarters can possibly give him?"
Those words aligned perfectly with Sengoku's own thoughts.
He had already considered the issue during his return trip.
Lloyd was already a Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters and held the title of Admiral candidate.
What he lacked was seniority.
However, what kind of seniority could possibly outweigh the achievement of single handedly destroying the Flying Pirates led by Golden Lion Shiki?
That pirate crew had once stood at the very top of the sea, a hegemonic force even more formidable than the Roger Pirates.
And now, they were gone.
This achievement alone was comparable to Garp's legendary feat at God Valley, where Rocks D. Xebec had been defeated.
However, Sengoku knew the truth behind that incident.
Rocks had not fallen solely at Garp's hands.
The Navy, Gol D. Roger, and the God's Knights had all played crucial roles.
The World Government had simply erased certain participants from history, elevating Garp as the sole hero for the sake of convenience and secrecy.
In comparison, Lloyd's achievement was frighteningly genuine.
If not for Golden Lion's head being securely stored at Marine Headquarters, such an accomplishment would almost sound like a fabrication.
Had this merit belonged to Garp, his refusal would have been meaningless.
The World Government and Marine Headquarters would have forcibly elevated him to the rank of Admiral.
But Lloyd was different.
He was only nineteen years old.
An Admiral before twenty.
The very idea made Sengoku's scalp prickle.
Kong, meanwhile, tapped his fingers lightly against the desk, deep in thought.
Minutes passed in silence, neither man willing to break it.
The stalemate was finally interrupted when Tsuru pushed the door open.
Seeing the two men lost in contemplation, she spoke directly.
"You're thinking about Lloyd, aren't you?"
Kong and Sengoku both looked up at her.
Tsuru folded her arms calmly.
"Garp already told me everything.
It is truly unbelievable.
Sengoku, it seems what I told you a year ago is about to come true.
Lloyd will become an Admiral before anyone else."
Sengoku blinked.
"Tsuru, do you truly believe Lloyd is already qualified to be an Admiral?"
Tsuru tilted her head slightly.
"Then tell me, based on his merits this time, does he not deserve the position?"
"But his age…"
"Stop worrying about such meaningless details," Tsuru cut in sharply.
"Shiki's head is real.
If anyone refuses to accept it, Roger, Whitebeard, and the others are still alive.
Let them go and bring back even one of those heads.
Then they can speak."
Her words shattered the remaining hesitation.
Kong straightened in his chair and made his decision without further delay.
"Very well," he said firmly.
"First, release the news of Golden Lion Shiki's death.
Then, take this opportunity to officially announce Lloyd's promotion to Admiral."
___
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