Akainu rushed forward like a blazing meteor, his magma burning fiercely as he charged straight toward Rayleigh.
At that moment, besides Rayleigh himself, two other people felt their hearts rise into their throats.
One was Lloyd, inside the battlefield.
The other was Saint Garling, who was watching everything unfold from afar.
Lloyd forced himself to remain conscious as overwhelming exhaustion surged through his body like a tidal wave. His vision blurred, and every breath felt heavier than the last.
Still, he clenched his teeth and spoke to Lucia beside him.
"Quickly go and call Sakazuki back. Tell him I need to see him immediately."
Lucia reacted without hesitation. Her figure shot into the sky at once.
Unfortunately, she was already too late.
Akainu's arm had already transformed into blazing magma. The molten limb stretched forward violently, forming the terrifying technique known as Hell Hound.
The magma surged like a volcanic eruption as it shot directly toward Rayleigh. If it landed, it would pierce straight through Rayleigh along with the two boys he carried, Shanks and Buggy.
At that critical moment, Rayleigh finally reacted.
His eyes snapped open.
With astonishing reflexes, he twisted his body sideways while gathering the last fragments of Armament Haki he still possessed.
The Haki coated his remaining left arm as he forced himself to meet the incoming attack.
The collision came instantly.
Pfft!
The clash lasted only a brief moment.
Rayleigh's Armament Haki was already exhausted from the battle, and it could not hold against the terrifying heat of Akainu's magma.
The molten attack devoured his left arm entirely.
In the blink of an eye, Rayleigh's arm was vaporized into nothingness.
However, the violent impact sent Rayleigh flying backward through the air.
His body arced across the battlefield before crashing heavily into the sea.
Splash!
When Lloyd saw Rayleigh fall into the ocean, the tension inside his chest finally eased.
The outcome could have been far worse.
Akainu landed on the frozen edge of the sea and clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Damn it. He got away."
At that moment Lucia finally arrived.
She looked at Akainu and spoke quickly.
"Sakazuki. The Young Master wants to see you."
Akainu already understood Lloyd's identity and his connection with Lucia. Hearing the title "Young Master" did not surprise him in the slightest.
Without wasting a second, Akainu's body melted into magma again and shot into the sky.
Moments later he landed beside Lloyd.
But when he saw Lloyd's condition, his expression immediately changed.
Lloyd's eyes were half closed, reduced to thin slits. His body swayed weakly as if he might collapse at any moment.
Akainu felt genuine panic.
He grabbed Lloyd's shoulders and supported him.
"Lloyd! What's wrong with you? Wake up! Didn't you say you needed to see me?"
Akainu shook him urgently.
Lloyd's eyes nearly rolled back from the force.
He sighed weakly.
"I'm fine. I called you over because... I wanted to confirm that you weren't injured."
Akainu froze.
For a brief moment he did not know how to respond.
"I'm fine," he said quickly. "It's you that should be worrying about your condition."
Lloyd slowly exhaled.
"I just need to sleep."
He paused before continuing.
"But this sleep might last a very long time."
Akainu's expression turned serious.
Lloyd's tone remained calm and indifferent.
"There are two things I need you to do."
"I trust you to handle them."
Akainu immediately nodded.
"Lloyd, just tell me."
Lloyd forced himself to remain awake long enough to finish speaking.
"The first task. Send people to Windmill Village in the East Blue, Garp's hometown."
Akainu listened carefully.
"If a child named Monkey D. Luffy is born there, kill him immediately."
Akainu's brows tightened slightly, but he said nothing.
"If he hasn't been born yet," Lloyd continued weakly, "then search the waters around Windmill Village."
"There should be a Sea King there."
"It isn't very large. It looks like an eel."
"Find it and kill it."
Akainu silently memorized every word.
Lloyd's voice grew even softer.
"There is one more matter."
"It concerns Zephyr Sensei."
Akainu straightened.
"When Zephyr Sensei turns sixty five, if he takes students out for training at sea, you must go with him."
"Do not fail to accompany him."
Akainu nodded firmly.
"Understood."
The moment he finished speaking, Lloyd's eyes finally closed completely.
His head tilted to the side as his body relaxed.
He fell into a deep sleep.
Akainu quickly caught him before he could fall.
After checking his breathing carefully, Akainu finally confirmed that Lloyd had simply fallen asleep.
Only then did he release a heavy sigh of relief.
By this time the pirates remaining on the battlefield had already been completely defeated by the Navy.
Admiral Kizaru and the others gradually gathered nearby.
Lucia gently took Lloyd from Akainu and allowed him to rest against her broad and soft chest.
Akainu remained silent, repeatedly reviewing Lloyd's instructions in his mind.
He repeated every word again and again, afraid he might forget even the smallest detail.
If Kizaru had not spoken to him, he might have remained standing there for an entire day.
"Sakazuki."
Kizaru's voice pulled him back to reality.
Akainu looked up and asked suddenly,
"How old is Zephyr Sensei this year?"
Kizaru answered immediately.
"Fifty."
Akainu looked at him with surprise.
In truth, Akainu already knew Zephyr's age. He had only asked to confirm Lloyd's information.
What surprised him was how quickly Kizaru responded.
Kizaru himself seemed embarrassed.
He turned his head aside and muttered,
"I just keep thinking about when he'll retire. That's why I remember his age."
"It's not because I care about him."
The others looked at him with knowing expressions.
Kizaru coughed awkwardly and quickly changed the topic.
"Sakazuki, why did you suddenly ask about that?"
Akainu glanced toward the sleeping Lloyd in Lucia's arms.
"Lloyd gave me two instructions before he fell asleep."
"One of them concerns Zephyr Sensei."
Akainu then repeated Lloyd's exact words to everyone present.
After hearing it, Aokiji spoke first.
"I don't understand the meaning behind Senior Lloyd's instructions."
"But if he said it, we must complete it."
"A Sea King in the East Blue near Windmill Village. Understood."
Aramaki immediately corrected him.
"It is a Sea King near Windmill Village that looks like an eel."
He sighed.
"I'll go with you. Your efficiency worries me."
Kizaru also spoke.
"When the time comes, Sakazuki, I will accompany you and Zephyr Sensei."
After a brief discussion, the admirals began organizing the aftermath of the battlefield.
Orders were issued.
Soldiers counted casualties.
Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Above them, the News Coo birds circling in the sky gradually scattered to deliver the news across the world.
The war that had begun because of Pirate King Gol D. Roger had finally ended.
The result shocked the entire world.
Pirate King Roger had been killed by the Navy legend Lloyd.
The pirate forces had been nearly annihilated.
The Navy had achieved a decisive victory.
When the fleet finally returned to Marineford, Fleet Admiral Kong personally led the soldiers waiting at the port to welcome them.
However, even after the last soldier disembarked from the warships, Kong noticed something strange.
Lloyd was nowhere to be seen.
Akainu calmly explained.
"During our return journey, a ship sent by the World Government took him."
"The Five Elders wish to personally reward him for killing the Pirate King."
Kong quickly confirmed this information through a call personally made by Saint Saturn, one of the Five Elders.
Saint Saturn also issued a strict order.
"Lloyd requires rest."
"Do not disturb him."
...
Meanwhile, somewhere on the Grand Line, waves crashed against a small deserted island.
Three figures were washed ashore by the sea.
Rayleigh lay unconscious on the beach.
Even though he had lost an arm, his remaining right arm still held tightly onto the two boys he had protected.
Shanks and Buggy.
As soon as they reached land, Shanks struggled free and hurried toward Rayleigh.
He shook Rayleigh anxiously.
"Uncle Rayleigh!"
"Wake up!"
Rayleigh slowly opened his eyes.
After observing the unfamiliar island around them, he smiled weakly.
"It seems..."
"We survived."