Lucia crouched down slowly. She reached out and pinched Hancock's chin between her fingers, lifting the girl's face slightly as she examined it.
"You truly have a beautiful face," Lucia said calmly. "The Young Master should like it."
Hancock looked into Lucia-sama's amber eyes and swallowed nervously. Her voice trembled as she spoke.
"I want to go home. I want to see my sisters. Please, let me go home."
Lucia-sama raised Hancock's chin a little higher, her expression completely calm.
"From the moment you arrived here, you no longer have a home," she said in a quiet voice. "From now on, wherever the Young Master is, that is your home."
After saying this, Lucia grabbed the back of Hancock's clothes and lifted her up effortlessly.
Then she turned toward the three girls behind her.
"Monet, Sugar, Robin, follow me. We will go see the Young Master."
The three girls immediately closed their books.
They neatly stacked them on the table before quickly trotting over to Lucia-sama's side.
Spandine also wanted to follow them to see Lloyd, but he did not dare to speak. He could only stand there awkwardly, unsure whether he was allowed to move.
Lucia walked a short distance with the children before suddenly speaking again.
"Spandine, come along as well. The Young Master once said that you are one of us."
Spandine's entire body trembled when he heard those words.
The pain he felt earlier immediately disappeared from his mind.
His eyes became slightly red as he wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye.
"Yes, Lucia-sama!"
He hurried forward and followed behind her.
Under Lucia's lead, the group soon entered Lloyd's bedroom.
Inside the room, Lloyd lay quietly on a large and exquisitely crafted bed.
He wore a black robe. His posture was relaxed, his breathing steady, as if he had merely fallen into a deep sleep.
When Spandine saw him, he almost shouted uncontrollably.
"Saint Lloyd..."
Lucia immediately glanced back at him.
Spandine quickly covered his mouth with both hands, not daring to make another sound.
Sugar and Robin were too short to properly see Lloyd from the bedside. They had to stretch their arms and grab the edge of the bed to peek at his face.
Monet stood silently beside them.
From the moment she entered the room, her eyes had never left Lloyd's face.
She had visited this room many times before.
But every single time, she still stared at Lloyd in the same quiet manner.
Lucia brought Hancock to the bedside.
Only when she looked at Lloyd did a faint smile appear on her normally cold face.
Hancock stared blankly at the man lying on the bed.
His face was flawless, almost like a carefully carved work of art.
Without thinking, she murmured in disbelief.
"So beautiful... Is this also a man?"
Lucia's lips parted slightly.
Her voice became extremely gentle, as if she feared disturbing the sleeping Lloyd.
"Do not speak nonsense. He is my Young Master, Saint Lloyd."
Hancock blinked in confusion.
"What happened to him?"
Lucia-sama sighed softly.
She placed Hancock gently on the floor before reaching out and lightly stroking Lloyd's cheek.
"The Young Master is only sleeping," she said softly. "He is simply too tired."
Sugar suddenly raised her hand proudly.
"The Young Master is a great hero!" she declared. "He defeated that big bad guy named Roger!"
As she spoke, Sugar lifted her small hand high and tried to imitate Lloyd's posture when he unleashed the power of darkness during the battle.
Hancock's expression immediately changed.
She looked down at Sugar, who was a full head shorter than her.
"Roger?" she asked quietly. "Do you mean Pirate King Roger?"
Sugar pouted and placed her hands on her hips.
"What Pirate King?" she said angrily. "He was just a pirate leader!"
Hancock did not respond.
She was already completely stunned.
Although the battle between Lloyd and Roger had been broadcast to the entire world, many remote places still lacked the equipment to watch it live.
Amazon Lily was one of those places.
The island followed a closed policy, and communication with the outside world was limited.
Because of that, Hancock had never seen the battle herself.
However, newspapers still circulated.
She had heard the older warriors of the Kuja Pirates discussing that legendary fight.
From their conversations, she had learned the final result.
Pirate King Roger had been killed by Admiral Black Dragon.
It was said that the place where Roger died had become permanently shrouded in darkness.
Ships could no longer sail through that area.
Anyone who entered would be torn apart by an unknown force, resulting in the destruction of the ship and the death of the crew.
While Hancock was still lost in shock, Spandine slowly stepped closer and spoke in a low voice.
"Lucia-sama… was Saint Lloyd seriously injured?"
Lucia shook her head gently.
"No. Even before the battle with Roger, the Young Master would occasionally fall into long periods of sleep."
She lowered her gaze toward Lloyd's peaceful face.
"This time, it is most likely due to excessive use of his power. His body simply requires rest, which is why he has entered such a deep sleep."
Spandine nodded slowly.
Then his expression suddenly became filled with anger.
"What were the Marines thinking?" he said through clenched teeth. "How could they allow Saint Lloyd to personally fight like that?"
His voice grew more emotional.
"With his noble status, why should he lower himself to deal with someone like Roger? That pirate was not even worthy!"
Lucia-sama lowered her eyes slightly.
"You cannot blame the Marines entirely," she said calmly. "No one expected Roger to possess a Devil Fruit ability, and that power was extremely strong."
She paused briefly.
"At that time, on the battlefield, only the Young Master had the strength to confront him."
"If the Navy had lost that war, the consequences would have spread to the World Government itself. Naturally, the Young Master could not simply stand aside."
Her gaze remained fixed on Lloyd.
"In a sense, the Young Master is also one of the rulers of the World Government."
Spandine nodded vigorously.
"Lucia-sama is absolutely correct," he said excitedly. "Saint Lloyd is the true ruler of this world."
His voice rose with passion.
"Only he deserves the title of King. Someone like Roger, a pirate, daring to call himself King, it is simply ridiculous!"
One could only sigh at those words.
Spandine was now a high ranking official within the World Government.
Naturally, he knew that above the Five Elders stood the mysterious ruler known as Imu.
Yet he completely ignored that fact and directly declared Lloyd the rightful king of the world.
Those words could easily be considered treason.
Even Lucia-sama looked at him in surprise.
But Spandine seemed completely unaware of what he had just said.
It was as if he had become possessed by excitement.
"This world will one day kneel at Saint Lloyd's feet," he continued. "Only Saint Lloyd deserves to be called King!"
After finishing his declaration, Spandine's face flushed with excitement.
Only then did he notice the strange expressions on Lucia-sama's face, along with the stunned looks from the others.
At that moment, realization struck him.
His face turned pale.
If those words spread outside this room, he might lose his life.
He might even drag Lloyd into unnecessary trouble.
Thinking of this, Spandine immediately collapsed to his knees.
"I am sorry!" he said in panic. "I spoke without thinking!"
Lucia-sama remained silent for a moment.
Then she spoke slowly.
"Stand up."
Spandine hesitated before rising to his feet.
Lucia-sama looked at Lloyd again, her voice calm and steady.
"You did not say anything wrong," she said.
"The Young Master truly is the rightful King."
Standing nearby, Hancock felt her mind spin in confusion.
She had already realized something unbelievable.
The impossibly beautiful man sleeping on the bed was the same man she had heard about countless times.
Admiral Black Dragon.
The man who had killed Pirate King Roger.
Among the older warriors she admired, Lloyd was often described as the strongest man in the world.
Even their former captain, Flame Flower, believed the same thing.
Before that, the title of strongest man in the world had belonged to Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.
But now, according to them, that title belonged to only one person.
Saint Lloyd.
===
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