The endless sea of blood churned violently, and from its depths a throne forged of fresh crimson rose. Atop it, Gulando propped his chin with one hand, gazing down at Lloyd with an unsettling, wicked smile.
With a snap of his fingers, all the Gulando clones surged forward at once, charging toward Lloyd at the center of the field.
Lloyd's expression remained calm. As the Demon Sword Muramasa danced in his grip, it formed a shimmering, impenetrable net of blades that sliced through the advancing clones without mercy.
These clones possessed about half the strength of the original Gulando, meaning Lloyd could obliterate them with focused strikes. But the sheer number of them was overwhelming. The worst part was that even after being cut down, the clones dissolved into blood only to quickly reform. They seemed limitless.
Recognizing the danger, Lloyd unleashed a powerful force wave that blasted outward, clearing a circle around him. With the next wave of clones closing in, he dropped to one knee and drove Muramasa deep into the ground.
From his body as the epicenter, endless darkness poured outward, swallowing scores of clones into the void. Those consumed by this darkness could not reform.
When the light faded, only ten clones remained standing. Unlike those devoured by shadow, these ten broke free from the darkness's pull and fused their lower halves into the base of the blood throne itself.
Gulando, perched on the throne, clapped his hands and laughed.
"The Dark‑Dark Fruit truly lives up to its reputation. Shame you still haven't awakened it."
Gulando had acquired the Blood‑Blood Fruit slightly later than Lloyd, yet had already reached its awakened stage. This wasn't due to any lack in Lloyd's talent. Awakening a Devil Fruit within the Natural System was inherently more difficult than other types. Meanwhile, the Blood‑Blood Fruit was one of the easiest to awaken — as long as its user surrendered completely and absorbed sufficient blood, the transformation would occur. The cost, however, was accelerating the user's own demise.
Black energy pulsed through Lloyd's body. He tightened his grip on Muramasa and sent a slash of dark sword energy toward the throne beneath Gulando.
The ten fused blood‑creatures split apart instantly. Three met his incoming slash and dispersed it, while the remaining clones, far stronger than before, posed a greater threat. A moment earlier, Lloyd's attack would have mowed through them.
Now, surrounded on all sides, even Lloyd's wide‑range techniques couldn't damage them effectively.
He fought back and retreated, blade flashing as he engaged the ten clones head‑on, fighting as one with Muramasa. At a split second's opening, Lloyd seized a chance: grabbing two clones by their necks with both hands, he twisted them apart with brutal force, absorbing their blood into himself. Simultaneously, Muramasa pierced the head of another clone, devouring it.
Seeing this, the remaining seven closed in rapidly, allowing Lloyd no chance to pick them off one by one.
Lloyd emitted a low roar as furious flames erupted around him, coalescing into a massive fireball. Raising his hand, he activated Almighty Pull, drawing five clones into the conflagration.
The moment they entered the fireball, its temperature spiked.
"Calamitous Fire Realm!"
The massive sphere expanded until it detonated, unleashing terrifying heat that scorched everything in its path, leaving behind a bottomless charred black crater.
When the smoke finally cleared, the five clones had been completely vaporized, leaving Lloyd hovering in mid‑air among drifting embers.
After this brutal engagement, only two clones of Gulando remained.
Gulando vanished from the blood throne in an instant, reappearing before the two clones. He did not look worried — instead, he smiled and said,
"It seems your body has fully adapted to both bloodline factors. I'm truly happy for you."
Lloyd sneered, lifting his hand as a bolt of silver lightning shot forth. One clone flashed before Gulando and deflected it with a palm.
Feigning a sigh, Gulando suddenly became a streak of crimson light and blasted toward Lloyd. His speed was so immense that Lloyd was knocked flying backward before he could brace himself.
Pfft!
Mid‑air, Lloyd spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Before he could steady his descent, Gulando's two clones caught up with him. Their arms were sheathed in thick black blood armor, and they slammed into Lloyd's abdomen simultaneously.
With a bone‑shaking impact, Lloyd crashed into the ground, lying motionless.
As Garling instinctively reached for his sword, Lloyd finally burst out of the crater. Upon hitting the earth, he lifted his hand to wipe the remaining blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression solemn and focused.
The strength and speed Gulando had displayed were vastly different from before he awakened his Devil Fruit. What made it even more troubling was that these final two clones were nearly as powerful as the original Gulando had been.
Gulando did not rush his attack this time. Instead, he spread his arms and smiled.
"How about it? Do you still have the confidence to defeat me now?"
Lloyd rose without replying. The flames at his neck extinguished as he entered Lunarian Speed Mode.
His lips moved.
Suddenly, Gulando's smiling expression twisted in agony, and the two clones began to tremble violently. Their blood‑composed bodies became unstable, cracking from within.
Before anyone could react, the ground beneath Gulando and his clones ruptured. The three plunged downward into emptiness. In that instant, Lloyd's form shimmered, becoming illusory for a heartbeat.
Pfft!
Gulando and the two clones were cut in half. Gulando reacted in time to restore his body instantly. Only one of his clones failed to reform — it was directly absorbed into Lloyd.
Gulando and his last surviving clone leaped far into the distance, both breathing hard.
"What was that just now?" Gulando asked with a grim expression.
Of course Lloyd did not bother to explain that he had just used one of the Vampire Fruit's abilities — an ultrasonic wave. This was not some anime where rules dictated that you had to explain your techniques mid‑battle, as if your enemy needed instructions to counter them.
Lloyd remained silent.
Gulando narrowed his eyes.
"Never mind. It doesn't matter if you don't say it. Soon, you'll be mine…"
As he spoke, veins of red blood crackled across Gulando's face, giving him a feral, terrifying look.
Seeing this spectacle, Garling's expression became complex. Quietly, he murmured,
"As expected…"
Then he called out to Lloyd,
"Lloyd, Gulando is close to losing control. Your chance has come!"
Lloyd immediately lifted Muramasa, his gaze unwavering as he focused entirely on Gulando.
But Gulando turned his head and sneered at Garling instead.
"Garling, my good brother, you truly wish for my death!"