No matter how much Saint Saturn raved behind him, Garling remained unmoved.
Lloyd's expression twisted in pain as he clutched his head and roared, "Bastard! I will not let you succeed!"
The darkness enveloping his body burned fiercely, threatening to swallow Gulando completely.
"Stop struggling! I am inside your body now. No matter how strong your Devil Fruit is, you cannot harm yourself, can you? Hahaha! And I never imagined… your body could handle multiple Devil Fruits! Soon, both top-grade fruits will be mine!"
Lloyd gritted his teeth, his body twisting violently, when Gulando's voice rang out once more, "This move is useless now. I am one with you!"
"Then I will destroy myself!"
With that, Lloyd exerted every ounce of strength, plunging fully into the darkness. His figure vanished before Garling and the others.
Kamui had a limit. Overstepping it risked permanent loss in the dark space. Though it appeared effortless, Lloyd had to focus entirely each time, or failure would strike instantly.
Gulando remained oblivious. Inside Lloyd's body, he continued shouting, unaware that Lloyd had already ceased communication.
The Blood-Blood Fruit's possession ability was formidable. With Gulando's strength surpassing Lloyd's, successful control seemed inevitable. Yet, the moment Lloyd entered the dark space, he fully relaxed, abandoning all defenses. He allowed Gulando to occupy his body — but what awaited Gulando was endless solitude.
Gulando, believing Lloyd had resigned, increased his power output. Lloyd's entire form became blood-red, his consciousness fading rapidly.
"Is this really the end…" Lloyd murmured, dazed.
Suddenly, a familiar, commanding voice sounded.
"Kid, giving up already?"
Both Lloyd and Gulando froze. The darkness around Lloyd spun like a vortex, then the Demon Blade Muramasa emerged from behind his hand, hovering in front of him.
A hazy, radiant figure slowly appeared from the blade. Both Lloyd and Gulando were shaken. Lloyd's face paled, as if confronted by a ghost.
And in a way, it was like a ghost. Anyone of the Figarland Family would recognize this ethereal presence immediately.
Lloyd and Gulando exclaimed in unison, shock and disbelief ringing in their voices.
"Ancestor Saint Cassius!?"
Cassius, however, remained indifferent. He lifted his hand, beckoning the Muramasa closer, and spoke with a faint sigh, "Muramasa, it seems you truly favor your new Master."
The blade quivered slightly, as if responding to him.
Gulando's heart surged with unease. Cassius, ignoring him entirely, released the Muramasa and transformed into a brilliant white light, entering Lloyd's body.
In an instant, Lloyd's form went pitch black, blending completely with the dark space. Cassius' commanding voice resounded:
"King's Command: Darkness Baptism!"
The dark space trembled violently, then stilled. Lloyd reappeared, his face streaked with two blood-red tear marks, his right sleeve gone to reveal a scarlet arm.
Cassius' ethereal form detached, floating before Lloyd. The white light around him had dimmed, as if it could vanish at any moment.
Lloyd's empty eyes gradually refocused. The Muramasa let out a sharp cry and swooshed back into his hand.
Cassius smiled with a hint of jealousy, shaking his head. "Muramasa, you don't seem to care for your former Master at all, do you?"
The blade remained silent. Lloyd gently stroked its edge, then bowed deeply. "Thank you, Ancestor, for saving me."
As Cassius entered his body, Lloyd regained control from Gulando. A vast, terrifying Darkness Power surged through him, yet he controlled it effortlessly, swallowing Gulando's consciousness entirely and leaving only the condensed blood that Gulando had produced.
Cassius waved a hand. "No thanks are necessary. It was the Muramasa who saved you, awakening the last trace of my will."
He looked Lloyd over carefully. "To become the Master of the Demon Blade Muramasa, you must truly be a member of the Figarland Family. What is your name?"
"Figarland Lloyd," he answered respectfully.
"En… earning the recognition of the Dark-Dark Fruit is no small feat. You are impressive. But tell me… who was that inside your body just now?"
"He is Figarland Gulando."
"What!?"
Cassius' eyes widened in astonishment. The trace of his will that had awakened knew nothing of past events; all it knew was that Lloyd was his descendant. Anyone who threatened him had to be eliminated. But hearing Gulando's surname left him speechless.
"What exactly is going on? Has the Figarland Family descended into mutual slaughter?"
Lloyd then briefly explained the situation. Cassius raised an eyebrow, exhaling slowly. "Why are they obsessed with this damned Blood-Blood Fruit? Why not focus on the Dark-Dark Fruit?"
"Ancestor, it has been over eight hundred years since your passing. During that time, no one in the Figarland Family obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit. I only gained it by chance."
Cassius was silent for a moment, then extended a transparent, ethereal hand to pat Lloyd's shoulder. "No wonder the Muramasa sought me so eagerly. It wasn't easy to find you as its new Master. As for Gulando… if he's dead, then he's dead. The Muramasa would never have recognized him anyway."
Lloyd blinked, momentarily unsure how to respond.
___
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