Under Lindbergh's command, Revolutionary Army soldiers swiftly boarded the cargo ship, carrying crates of supplies down to the shore and stacking them in orderly rows.
Once the final crate had been unloaded, Lindbergh stepped forward and pried one open.
The moment the lid lifted, a faint scent of sulfur reached his nose. As a Mink, his senses were far sharper than those of ordinary humans, making the smell immediately alarming.
His gaze fell upon the contents, tightly wrapped bundles concealed beneath layers of black paper. His expression darkened.
At that moment, Koala approached silently, stopping beside him.
Lindbergh turned toward her, his voice edged with confusion. "Koala, what exactly is this?"
Koala slipped one hand into her pocket while resting the other lightly atop one of the bundles. Her tone was soft, almost indifferent.
"Explosives."
"Explosives?" Lindbergh froze, stunned by the answer. The thought of betrayal never crossed his mind. Within the Revolutionary Army, Koala's loyalty had never once been questioned.
He pressed on, his confusion deepening. "I told you to prepare food and water. We are not engaging the Marines in battle. Why would you bring this many explosives?"
Koala slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes had turned a vivid scarlet.
A faint smile curved her lips. "Because I intend to kill all of you."
In an instant, her other hand emerged from her pocket, revealing a lit kerosene lighter.
Lindbergh's pupils shrank violently as he roared, "Get back!"
The lighter slipped from her fingers, spinning as it fell directly into the crate.
The moment the flame made contact, everything detonated.
A thunderous explosion erupted, followed by a chain reaction that shook the entire island. A towering mushroom cloud surged into the sky above Gott Island, its flames casting a crimson glow across the night.
Moments later, silence descended, broken only by the crackling of fire and drifting smoke that blanketed the ground.
"Cough... cough..."
Lindbergh forced himself upright from beneath shattered debris, coughing violently.
His condition was dire. His fur had been scorched black, and his left arm was gone entirely, leaving behind a charred stump.
He looked around.
Bodies of Revolutionary Army soldiers lay scattered in all directions, limbs torn apart by the blast. Among the wreckage, he spotted Kildeo's severed head, nothing more remained.
A sudden motion drew his attention.
A white figure burst from the pile of corpses.
It was Luffy, in his Nika form. His arm had stretched into a rubbery tether, tightly securing Nami, Chopper, and Brook against him. Their pale faces made it clear he had shielded them at the critical moment.
Not far away, Emet staggered forward. His outer tissue had been stripped away by the explosion, faint arcs of electricity flickering across his damaged frame. Luffy had made no effort to protect him.
Elsewhere, the surviving members of the Revolutionary Army struggled to rise, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
The attack had been too sudden, too absolute. No one had imagined Koala capable of such an act.
Suppressing the surge of grief and fury within him, Lindbergh searched the devastation until he found her.
Koala lay within a scorched crater.
Her condition was horrifying. Half of her face had been obliterated, the remaining portion burned beyond recognition. Her limbs were gone, leaving behind only a mangled torso.
Clutching his wound, Lindbergh staggered toward her, his teeth clenched.
"Koala... you actually..."
Before he could finish, her ruined body moved.
A hoarse voice escaped her broken form. "Hah... you survived that, you filthy animal?"
Lindbergh recoiled in shock, his fur bristling. "You are still alive? No... this is not Koala. Who are you?"
Her facial muscles twitched unnaturally.
Then, a grotesque transformation began.
Bright crimson blood surged from her wounds, flowing unnaturally as it reconstructed her shattered face and formed new limbs. Flesh regenerated at a visible rate, her body reshaping itself completely.
Within moments, her injuries had vanished.
Her skin appeared even smoother than before, unmarred and eerily pristine.
She had become something else entirely. A being sustained through blood, one that would not fall so long as her heart remained intact.
Koala rose slowly to her feet, her voice devoid of emotion.
"I am Koala."
Lindbergh took a step back, his voice filled with disbelief. "What kind of absurdity is this?"
By now, Luffy and the remaining Revolutionary Army members had gathered, forming a loose encirclement around her.
Koala's gaze shifted to Luffy.
"Joy Boy?"
Luffy met her stare, wary and resolute. "No. I am Luffy."
She tilted her head slightly, murmuring to herself, "Not Joy Boy... it does not matter. My mission is already complete."
Lindbergh seized on her words immediately. "Mission? What mission are you talking about?"
Electricity crackled in his remaining hand, silver arcs dancing across his palm as he prepared to strike at any moment.
Koala ignored him.
Instead, she turned toward the darkened coastline, her expression twisting into fervent devotion.
"For Saint Lloyd!"
At the mention of that name, a chill spread through the survivors. Almost instinctively, they began to retreat.
They followed her gaze.
At first, there was only darkness.
Then, lights appeared.
Dozens, then hundreds of brilliant lights ignited along the coastline, illuminating a vast expanse. The darkness peeled away, revealing dense black mist slowly dissipating.
As it cleared, the truth emerged.
A massive fleet of Marine warships had already surrounded Gott Island from all directions.
Lindbergh's face drained of color. Confusion gripped his mind. Such a force should have been impossible to conceal.
Before he could process further, he moved, closing the distance in an instant and slamming Koala to the ground.
"Lloyd... you traitor!"
Koala was pinned against the cold earth, electricity surging violently across her body. Yet she only smiled with contempt.
"Idiot. As a member of CP0, how could I be a traitor?"
"What?!"
A shout suddenly came from behind.
"Look! What is that?!"
Lindbergh turned sharply.
At the forefront of the fleet, on the main warship, a figure stood at the bow.
Lloyd.
He stood with arms crossed, black mist curling around him as his Marine cloak billowed in the wind.
From his elevated position, he gazed down upon the shattered remnants of the Revolutionary Army.
A faint, calculating smile rested on his lips as the trap he had orchestrated unfolded to perfection.