Tonight became a night that Ginny would never forget. Before then, she had never witnessed Lucia in such a bold and uninhibited state, completely overturning everything she thought she knew about her.
By the latter half of the night, Ginny could barely remember what had happened. She only recalled Lucia pulling her away, and when she finally regained full awareness the following morning, she found herself resting in Lloyd's arms, her mind still in a haze.
Ginny instinctively glanced at Lucia, who lay opposite her. Lucia's eyes remained peacefully closed, while a faint smile rested on her alluring lips, as though she was still savoring the memories of the previous night.
When Ginny looked up, she found Lloyd already watching her.
The moment their eyes met, a deep blush rapidly spread across Ginny's face. Fragments of last night's memories surfaced one after another, each one making her wish she could disappear from sheer embarrassment.
Lloyd, however, had no intention of letting her escape so easily.
He reached out, lightly pinched her soft cheek, and said with amusement,
"So, where exactly are you planning to run, when you're already here?"
Ginny opened her mouth several times, but no words came out.
At that moment, Lucia slowly opened her eyes. Seeing Ginny's flustered expression, she couldn't help laughing softly.
"Ginny, weren't you much braver last night? What happened now?"
Ginny puffed out her cheeks and complained,
"The one stealing all the attention was obviously you, Lucia!"
Laughing, Lucia leaned forward and wrapped Ginny in a playful embrace.
"I was only showing you how things worked," she whispered teasingly. "I'd say you learned rather well, didn't you, Ginny?"
She gently breathed near Ginny's ear.
Ginny instantly shivered, her entire body trembling as she instinctively tried to squirm away.
Unfortunately, Lucia possessed far greater physical strength. No matter how much Ginny struggled, Lucia effortlessly kept her in place, smiling victoriously throughout the playful exchange.
Lloyd watched the two with quiet amusement as they continued their lighthearted teasing.
Eventually, Ginny surrendered and rested against Lloyd with an exhausted sigh, while Lucia sat proudly beside them, clearly pleased with herself.
The three remained together until well past noon before finally leaving the bedroom.
Outside, Sugar quietly nudged Carrot.
"See? Sister Lucia is still the strongest. Her combat ability is unbelievable."
Carrot's cheeks immediately turned bright red.
"She really is amazing. Last time, when I was with Sister..."
"Hmm!?"
Sugar's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What happened between you and your sister? Don't tell me..."
Carrot quickly covered her burning face with both hands, turned away shyly, and gave a small confirming hum.
Sugar was completely stunned.
She had always believed she was ahead of Carrot in that regard, yet it appeared the little rabbit had somehow beaten her to it.
What Sugar didn't know, however, was that the situation she imagined had never actually happened.
Wanda watched Lucia standing beside Lloyd and sighed with admiration.
"Miss Lucia truly carries herself with remarkable grace."
Monet nodded in agreement.
"Lucia-sama is exceptional in every way. All of us here received guidance from her."
"Only someone like her is worthy of serving Master."
Monet smiled gently before standing.
"Alright, it's time to prepare lunch."
After finishing lunch, Lloyd and Lucia headed toward the main hall.
Akainu and the others had already departed to oversee the deployment of their respective forces.
After spending some time having tea with Garling, Lloyd and Lucia also left the family estate.
However, almost immediately after stepping outside, a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral hurried over and saluted.
"Celestial Dragon Marshal, we've received an urgent report. The fleet stationed along the outermost defensive perimeter has come under attack by an unknown enemy."
Lloyd's eyes narrowed slightly.
Without another word, black wings unfolded behind him as he launched himself into the sky.
Lucia immediately followed, her own figure becoming a streak of violet light.
One black trail and one purple trail raced across the heavens before arriving at the outermost defensive line.
Looking down from above, Lloyd saw shattered warships drifting across the sea. Fragments of wreckage still floated on the waves, while several vessels had already begun sinking beneath the surface.
His expression grew colder.
Retracting his wings, Lloyd descended rapidly before landing firmly on the deck of a nearby battleship.
The surrounding Marines immediately stood at attention.
"Celestial Dragon Marshal!"
A moment later, Lucia landed gracefully beside him.
Lloyd raised a hand.
The commanding officer of the vessel, Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Huoshaoshan, immediately stepped forward.
His uniform was badly torn, and several large holes were visible in his Marine coat, clear evidence of the fierce battle he had just endured.
Lloyd asked,
"What happened here?"
Huoshaoshan steadied his breathing before answering.
"Celestial Dragon Marshal, we were suddenly attacked by two enormous mechanical giants. They emerged directly from beneath the sea without warning. One of our warships was destroyed before we could properly respond."
"Giant robots?"
"Yes. We managed to inflict serious damage on one of them, but both machines retreated beneath the sea before we could finish them."
As he spoke, Huoshaoshan led Lloyd to the edge of the deck and pointed toward the distant ocean.
Floating upon the waves was a gigantic steel arm.
"That was blown off during the battle."
Lloyd flew over for a closer inspection.
The design immediately caught his attention.
It matched the ancient robot Emeth that he had encountered on Egghead Island.
Everything became clear.
These mechanical giants could only be Joy Boy's handiwork.
Lloyd extended one hand.
A swirling vortex of darkness appeared in his palm as the massive steel arm was pulled into the air by overwhelming gravitational force before disappearing entirely into the darkness.
He then returned to the battleship.
Turning toward Lucia, he instructed,
"Remain here and oversee the situation."
Then he looked at Huoshaoshan.
"Organize the rescue efforts immediately. Count the casualties, treat the wounded, and relocate them to secure positions."
"Understood!"
After issuing his orders, Lloyd activated Kamui and vanished instantly.
...
Outside Dr. Vegapunk's laboratory, a gigantic mechanical arm suddenly materialized in midair before crashing heavily onto the ground.
The tremendous impact shook the surrounding area.
Hearing the disturbance, Dr. Vegapunk rushed outside together with all six of his satellites.
The moment he saw the enormous mechanical arm lying before the laboratory, surprise filled his face.
Before he could speak, a familiar commanding voice echoed from above.
"Dr. Vegapunk, dismantle this mechanical arm."
Vegapunk looked up and immediately spotted Lloyd descending from the sky.
Landing smoothly before the laboratory, Lloyd looked directly at him and said,
"What are you waiting for? Begin the analysis immediately."
===
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