Dr. Olvia turned to the far side of the stone tablet and began feeling along its surface. Soon, her fingertips brushed against a hidden compartment. Pressing down deliberately, she pushed with both hands. With a series of grinding, clicking sounds, a section of the ground not far from the tablet slid open, revealing a dark tunnel. This was clearly the entrance to the ruins.
Lloyd immediately led Dr. Olvia inside.
In the past, when Dr. Olvia had encountered ruins like this, she would never have ventured in so hastily. Many ancient ruins were infamous for deadly traps. Those were lessons learned by blood. Now, however, with Lloyd — an Admiral of the Marines — at her side, she felt far more confident entering without hesitation.
As the two went deeper, light quickly began to fade. Just as darkness threatened to swallow them completely, a glowing orb of flame suddenly appeared behind Lloyd's neck, its warm, flickering light banishing the chill and illuminating their path.
Dr. Olvia stared in awe at the flame, recalling the pair of black wings she had seen behind Lloyd earlier. A legendary race sparked in her mind, and she could not help but speak up.
"Black Dragon Admiral, could it be that you are a Lunarian…" she asked hesitantly.
Lloyd glanced back. Immediately, Dr. Olvia realized she had spoken too freely. She lowered her head in embarrassment and silence. Still, her heart throbbed with curiosity. It was known that the Lunarian race had originated on the Red Line and were famed for their ability to create and manipulate fire. They were almost living historical records in flesh, and long thought extinct.
But Lloyd had no intention of discussing the topic. Without a word, he continued forward.
Suddenly, his foot seemed to press something on the ground. In the next instant, countless pitch-black, sharp arrows shot from both walls toward them.
Dr. Olvia gasped and prepared to dodge, but Lloyd did nothing.
The arrowheads struck his body with metallic clinks and fell away. At the same time, an inky mass of darkness surged from behind him, blocking the arrows aimed at Olvia. The entire event was over in a blink.
Dr. Olvia's face remained frozen with lingering fear. When she finally regained her senses, she saw sharp arrowheads scattered all around Lloyd's feet. The metal tips were bent and broken, yet Lloyd stood unscathed, as if nothing had happened.
Lloyd turned and asked calmly, "Dr. Olvia, are you alright?"
"Yes, I am… I'm fine," she stammered, regaining her breath. "Thank you, Black Dragon Admiral, for protecting me."
Lloyd offered a quiet smile.
"You are here to assist me, so naturally, I will protect you."
Dr. Olvia's eyes then fell on the torn parts of Lloyd's clothing.
"Black Dragon Admiral, your clothes…" she began.
Lloyd looked down, and from the ragged tears in his outfit, dark gas emerged. Within seconds the torn fabric reknit itself, perfectly restored. The convenience of being a Natural System user — one whose power could merge with clothing to repair it — was astounding.
Once the repairs were complete, Lloyd surveyed the passageway and said,
"Dr. Olvia, let us proceed without delay."
At once, Dr. Olvia shut her eyes and held her breath, bracing herself. The next moment, Lloyd had already scooped her up and in a single breath carried her to the end of the tunnel.
Before them stretched a cavernous chamber. At its center stood a stone compass, its base engraved with ancient text. On the ground before the compass lay a vast red rune, pulsing with a strange aura.
Dr. Olvia read the inscriptions with effortless precision. She placed her hand on the compass and turned it carefully from left to right. When she stopped, the ground beneath the rune slowly sank, and a golden altar rose from below.
Resting atop was a deep purple, eerie Devil Fruit.
The moment the fruit fully emerged, Lloyd leapt forward without hesitation. Grabbing it, he examined it briefly, then nodded.
"That is indeed the Vampire Fruit," he murmured.
Before Dr. Olvia could react, Lloyd took a bite of the fruit, then tossed it aside as if it were nothing but refuse.
Dr. Olvia's eyes widened in horror. She sprinted forward and grabbed Lloyd by the waist, shaking him fiercely. Given her height, she could only reach his midsection, but she shook him hard and cried,
"Spit it out immediately! Oh my goodness! An Admiral of the Marines should know you can only eat one Devil Fruit!"
But Lloyd did not flinch. With a slow swallow and a pale expression, he consumed the pulp fully. Wiping a trace of violet juice from the corner of his mouth, he muttered in distaste,
"This tastes disgusting."
Dr. Olvia stood frozen, staring at Lloyd's youthful face, unable to process the sheer absurdity of what she had just witnessed.
After a stunned pause, she looked at him with a complex expression and said,
"Black Dragon Admiral… you… sigh…"
At that moment, Lloyd felt a new power stirring in his body. It felt reminiscent of the first time he had eaten the Dark-Dark Fruit long ago, another force he could control.
With a thought, torrents of blood energy surged from Lloyd's form.
Dr. Olvia's eyes widened, and she whispered,
"It's happening… he's going to transform!"
There was a tearing sound. Lloyd's clothes shredded as enormous black bat-like wings sprouted from his back. The feathers dissolved until only vast leathery wings remained. His ears elongated, sharp points emerging at either side of his head. Lloyd parted his lips slightly, revealing two sharp fangs, his appearance shifting into something devilish.
Dr. Olvia instinctively took two steps back, only to be grabbed suddenly by Lloyd. A strange red light flared from his hand and spread over her arm. In the next moment, Dr. Olvia's once-silky silver hair rapidly turned gray, and wrinkles appeared on her previously smooth, pretty face. She aged in an instant.
In contrast, Lloyd's complexion grew rosier, and the flame behind his neck blazed with even greater intensity.
Dr. Olvia raised her hand, staring at the shriveled skin on its back. She coughed twice and quavered,
"What… what is happening?"
____
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