Joy Boy gasped for breath, his face pale as death.
"Why? Why are you standing against me? We should have been companions..."
He could not understand it. Ever since his consciousness had awakened once more, almost nothing had unfolded according to his expectations.
Yet, more unsettling than everything else was the existence of Lloyd.
Restricted by Luffy's body, he was unable to unleash his true power. Under normal circumstances, with the awakened Nika Fruit alone, almost no one in the world could stand against him as long as Imu did not interfere.
But Lloyd had appeared.
The thought filled Joy Boy with indescribable frustration.
At that moment, Lloyd's figure descended from above the colossal black blade. Looking down at Joy Boy, a faint smile rested on his face.
"How strange, Joy Boy. Since we started fighting, I haven't seen you laugh even once. Weren't you supposed to be the one who laughed the most? Why aren't you smiling? Is something troubling you?"
Joy Boy's brows were twisted tightly together, making it impossible for him to smile.
His expression darkened as he replied coldly,
"Celestial Dragon, don't be so arrogant. If my power weren't restricted, even your ancestor Cassilias would not be my match!"
Lloyd's smile did not fade.
"The victor writes history, and the loser becomes a footnote. You are nothing more than a complete failure. Making excuses now only makes you look pathetic. Perhaps you should find a copy of the Genesis of the Celestial Dragons and educate yourself."
"The Genesis of the Celestial Dragons? What is that?"
Lloyd merely smiled.
With a single thought, several black swords separated from the massive blade above. The blades multiplied continuously, dividing again and again until countless black swords covered the sky.
Even Joy Boy felt his scalp go numb at the sight.
The strength he had gathered through the Nika Dance had already been consumed to a great extent, and he no longer had the confidence to survive another overwhelming assault.
A playful curve formed on Lloyd's lips.
Stretching out his hand toward Joy Boy below, he chuckled.
"Joy Boy, how about I prepare a proper grave for you? A burial beneath countless swords."
Joy Boy's eyes sharpened.
"You can't kill me. I am the Will of D..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lloyd's eyes narrowed.
His open hand suddenly clenched into a fist.
"Black Coffin."
Buzz!
An endless darkness instantly spread around Joy Boy, swallowing him whole before condensing into a massive rectangular coffin of pure black.
At the same moment, Lloyd waved his hand.
The endless rain of black swords transformed into a surging torrent, crashing into the floating coffin from every direction until every last blade disappeared inside it.
The black coffin shook violently.
Then, the enormous blade above descended once more.
Darkness Judgment erupted, cleaving downward with unstoppable force and splitting the coffin into two.
A moment later, one half dissolved into drifting black smoke.
The other half became covered in countless white cracks.
Brilliant white light burst from within.
Boom!
The coffin exploded.
Joy Boy emerged once more, protected by a flickering white spherical barrier. A thin crack had already spread across its surface.
A sword wound pierced completely through his abdomen, and streams of white mist continuously escaped from it.
Swish!
Lloyd instantly appeared before him, a faint laugh escaping his lips.
"You look rather miserable, Joy Boy."
Without hesitation, he swung Demon Blade Muramasa toward Joy Boy's neck.
Ignoring the agony of his injuries, Joy Boy stomped through the air, creating rings of transparent ripples beneath his feet as the tremendous rebound launched him backward.
While retreating, he reached up and removed the straw hat from his head.
Holding it before his eyes, he noticed something that made his entire body freeze.
A hole had appeared in the crown of the hat.
His pupils contracted violently.
"No...! That's impossible!!"
Lloyd had no intention of showing mercy.
His pursuit was immediate.
Dark purple waves of gravity wrapped around Muramasa as he swung again.
"Gravity Blade, Celestial Dragon."
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Layer after layer of crushing gravity slammed into Joy Boy.
His body became a streak of white light, crashing violently into the earth below.
The elastic battlefield caved inward under the impact.
Joy Boy clutched the damaged straw hat tightly against his chest, gritting his teeth.
"Damn it..."
He wanted to escape.
Unfortunately, the overlapping gravity fields pinned him down completely.
The ground compressed further and further until it reached its limit.
Then, the gravity suddenly vanished.
The unimaginable elastic force that had been building up exploded all at once, launching Joy Boy back into the sky.
High above, Lloyd stood waiting.
The tip of Demon Blade Muramasa pointed directly toward the ascending Joy Boy.
Unable to stop his upward momentum, Joy Boy could only grit his teeth and raise the damaged straw hat before him.
Whoosh!
The straw hat rapidly expanded, growing into something resembling a gigantic umbrella that shielded him completely.
It collided directly with the tip of Muramasa.
Despite the hole through its surface, the straw hat's defensive power was astonishing.
It actually managed to lock Muramasa in place.
Joy Boy finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
But he knew the danger had not passed.
Lloyd narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the straw hat.
He had already realized that the aura emanating from it was exactly the same as the one he had sensed from Imu inside the Flower Room.
Turning his wrist, dark flames ignited across his palm.
He pressed his hand against the straw hat.
Instantly, a black vortex appeared.
The power of darkness tore relentlessly at the hat, forcing it to spin wildly as it was dragged toward the endless abyss.
Pain instantly spread across Joy Boy's face.
The wound through his abdomen had not caused him such suffering.
After all, this body had never truly belonged to him.
But the straw hat was different.
To Joy Boy, it was a part of his very existence.
Lloyd noticed that Joy Boy's aura was rapidly weakening.
Without hesitation, he increased the output of his Darkness Power.
The vortex grew larger.
Its pull became stronger.
Even space itself began to distort beneath the terrifying force.
Joy Boy struggled desperately.
The white flame clouds and ribbons surrounding his body gradually faded.
A harsh tearing sound echoed from the straw hat.
Large amounts of white mist poured from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth.
His body slowly began to shrivel, as though all the air inside him was leaking away.
Standing at the edge of life and death, Joy Boy's expression unexpectedly became tranquil.
He lowered his gaze toward the straw hat.
The white light within his eyes gradually solidified.
"Hm?"
Lloyd seemed to sense something unusual, and his brows drew together slightly.
Joy Boy slowly opened his mouth.
"Critical, Other Self Heaven."
===
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