Loki remained silent for a long time.
Meanwhile, Joy Boy dispelled his giant form and returned to his normal size.
He quietly observed Loki, fully aware that someone as impulsive and arrogant as Loki would never remain silent without reason. Whether the effect was great or small, his words had clearly taken root in Loki's mind.
In the distance, several Giants floated across the sea while carrying members of the Mink Tribe. All of them watched Joy Boy and Loki with different expressions.
After a lengthy silence, Loki finally raised his head and met Joy Boy's gaze.
"I don't need anyone's acceptance, especially not from a fake Sun God like you."
Joy Boy's eyebrow twitched slightly, but he showed no other reaction.
Loki carefully watched his expression. Seeing Joy Boy continue to restrain himself, a grin spread across his face.
"However, a god never breaks his word."
"Since I promised to join you in attacking Mary Geoise, I'll keep that promise."
"So stop wasting your breath trying to persuade me."
"As for who the true Sun God really is..."
"We'll settle that after the battle against the Celestial Dragons."
After speaking, Loki turned around and activated his Devil Fruit ability, soaring toward the Giants waiting nearby.
The moment Dorry and Brogy saw him approaching, both immediately assumed combat stances.
Their enormous movements caused several members of the Mink Tribe riding on their shoulders to lose their balance and tumble into the sea.
Watching the scene unfold, Loki let out a dismissive scoff.
"I hate to admit it, but you're still my fellow Giants."
"So could you stop behaving like a disorganized rabble?"
Dorry glared at him furiously.
"You murdered your own father!"
"Why would someone like you care about your own people?"
"Selfish bastards like you only think about yourselves!"
Loki merely shook his head with contempt.
"I seriously wonder how much of that gigantic head of yours is actually occupied by a brain."
"My guess is it isn't even the size of a fingernail."
"You...!"
Dorry's muscles bulged with anger.
A powerful burst of Armament Haki erupted toward Loki.
Loki calmly raised his blazing Sun Disk and blocked the attack.
"Not bad."
"I'll admit you've got plenty of brute strength."
Whoosh!
Joy Boy suddenly appeared between them.
One hand held the straw hat resting atop his head while he lowered his gaze toward Dorry.
"That's enough."
"There's no reason to lose control over a few insults."
"If words like these are enough to make you furious, then what will happen when you stand before the Celestial Dragons?"
"You'll probably become so enraged that you won't even be able to fight."
His tone was unusually serious.
Having lived for over eight hundred years, Joy Boy knew exactly how dangerous uncontrolled anger could be.
Lloyd had provoked him more than once, pushing him to the brink of losing his composure and nearly turning the tables entirely.
Pedro immediately nodded in agreement.
"Lord Joy Boy is right."
"Our true enemies are the Celestial Dragons."
"At a time like this, we absolutely cannot allow conflict within our own ranks."
Dorry took several deep breaths before finally looking away with an irritated snort.
"Then tell him to watch his mouth."
"I don't want to hear another word from him."
Loki folded his arms across his chest.
"Don't flatter yourself."
"I was never interested in talking to you in the first place."
Joy Boy sighed helplessly.
He flipped lightly through the air before resting both hands behind his head.
"Everyone should relax."
"The decisive battle is almost here."
"So before that..."
"How about we hold a banquet?"
...
Mary Geoise, Figarland Family Training Hall.
The enormous training hall was completely empty.
Suddenly, a pitch-black vortex appeared out of nowhere.
The edges of the vortex violently shattered.
An overwhelming surge of Darkness burst outward, swallowing everything around it.
Wherever the darkness spread, space itself fractured, producing countless pitch-black cracks that stretched across the room.
Within those cracks, Lloyd's figure flickered in and out of sight.
The instant he stepped completely out of the shattered space, every crack vanished as though nothing had ever happened.
"Hoo..."
Lloyd slowly exhaled before sitting cross-legged on the floor.
Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead.
He had spent the entire day cultivating within that realm of darkness, allowing the purest and most violent Darkness to continuously merge with his body.
Pulling open the front of his robe, Lloyd looked toward his chest.
Near his heart, a cluster of black light pulsed rhythmically in time with every heartbeat.
He slowly clenched one hand.
In an instant, boundless Darkness flowed through every muscle, bone, and vein in his body.
The Demon Blade Muramasa emerged from the back of his hand and silently floated around him.
Lloyd grasped the sword.
His gaze swept across the ruined training hall.
Walls had cracked.
The floor had been torn apart.
Even the surrounding structure bore signs of severe damage.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"It looks like this place will need extensive repairs."
As his thoughts shifted, the overwhelming Darkness surrounding him rapidly flowed back into his body.
Muramasa also dissolved into darkness before returning to the back of his hand.
Lloyd casually adjusted his black robe.
Without any visible movement, his body drifted toward the exit.
The massive Seastone doors remained tightly shut.
Yet Lloyd simply walked through them as though they were intangible.
Outside, dusk had already fallen.
Lucia had been waiting patiently for quite some time.
The moment she saw Lloyd emerge, she immediately approached him.
"Young Master, have you finished training for today?"
"Would you like to return and have dinner?"
Lloyd smiled gently and nodded.
"Let's go back."
"And have Shirahoshi come as well."
...
Not long after Lloyd and Lucia returned to the residence, Shirahoshi arrived under the guidance of one of Lucia's attendants.
The entrance remained far too small for her enormous body.
As usual, she lowered herself onto the ground, preparing to crawl inside.
It was already a familiar routine.
Just as she reached the doorway, Lloyd stepped out from within the residence.
Seeing him, Shirahoshi blinked her large blue eyes before smiling brightly.
"Saint Lloyd."
Lloyd returned the smile.
"We still haven't found the Mini Mini Fruit."
"You'll have to wait a little longer, Shirahoshi."
She shook her head with an innocent smile.
"It's alright, Saint Lloyd."
"It only takes a little extra effort to squeeze through."
"Hehe..."
Lloyd raised a hand.
"Stand up first, Shirahoshi."
"Huh?"
"But... Saint Lloyd..."
"I'll hit the doorway."
Without answering, Lloyd walked over to one side of the entrance.
He gently placed his hand on the doorframe and slowly ran his fingers across it.
Then he looked back at Shirahoshi.
"Don't worry."
"Stand up."
"It won't stop you anymore."
Trusting him completely, Shirahoshi cautiously rose to her full height.
As the top of her head reached the doorway, she instinctively closed her eyes.
However, the collision she expected never came.
Instead, her head passed directly through the doorway as though it had become an illusion.
Shirahoshi blinked in astonishment.
She carefully waved her hand through the frame.
There was no resistance whatsoever.
Gathering her courage, she stood completely upright and walked forward.
This time, she entered the residence effortlessly, without needing to crawl through the doorway at all.
=≠=
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