Dragon, with only one arm still usable, sprinted across the deck and dodged Lucia's strikes wherever he could, doing everything possible to buy time.
Lucia, on the other hand, aimed every blow at Dragon's vital points, clearly with no intention of taking him alive.
Soon she found an opening and cut Dragon across the back with her blade, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone. Dragon grunted and fell, leaving a pool of bright red blood on the deck.
He struggled to push himself upright. Seeing Lucia coming at him again, he gathered his strength and summoned a small tornado of wind with his remaining ability.
Lucia immediately swung a slash of sword energy, her purple flames surging as she rushed straight at Dragon with even greater speed.
She brought her sword down directly on his head and growled,
"Die!"
Dragon had nowhere left to evade. Summoning every ounce of strength he had, he wrapped his right hand in Armament Haki, performing a Dragon Claw attack that slammed into Lucia's blade.
But he was too worn down. Though he barely managed to block the deadly strike, it nearly depleted all of his Haki.
With what remained, he formed a crude wind barrier for defense. Lucia snorted coldly, prepared to continue her assault, when something caught Dragon's eye.
His face momentarily shifted with recognition and something like elation as he roared,
"Father!"
In the dim sky above, a dark figure was hurtling toward the ship at incredible speed. Everyone onboard looked up as the shape drew closer. As it took form, it became clear who it was: Lloyd, returning with Garp in his grasp.
At the sight of him, the few remaining personal guards of Garp dropped their weapons and fell to their knees, despair in their eyes.
Dragon's eyes widened, disbelief written across his face. He wondered if he was hallucinating from his severe injuries.
It wasn't until Lloyd landed and casually dropped Garp's motionless body onto the deck that Dragon snapped back into reality.
Looking at the white‑haired old man on the ground, Dragon's voice trembled as he whispered,
"Father…"
But Garp remained unresponsive.
Dragon's eyes immediately turned bloodshot. He glared at Lloyd with fierce hatred and shouted,
"Lloyd, I will fight you to the death!"
Seeing his father in such a state, any restraint shattered inside Dragon, and he charged at Lloyd without hesitation.
Garp's remaining personal guards watched in horror, knowing full well that their leader's son was walking into certain death.
Their fear was justified. Red energy already crackled in Lloyd's hand as he moved with inhuman swiftness and seized Dragon by the throat in an instant.
Just as he was about to drain him dry, something unexpected happened.
Garp, who had laid motionless on the ground like a lifeless shell, suddenly sprang up. His sudden resurgence caught Lloyd off guard, and Lloyd was knocked backward.
Garp's bones creaked like old hinges under enormous strain. He could barely rely on his strength in this state, but nothing mattered in that moment except his son. Garp looked at Dragon, whose temples had turned stark white from exertion and blood loss, and a flash of pain passed through his eyes.
Summoning the last of his strength, Garp seized his dazed son and hurled him into the air, shouting with everything he had left,
"Fist of Justice, Meteor!"
Dragon's body shot forward like a cannonball.
Garp collapsed to the deck with a heavy thud, gasping for breath. He lifted his head to watch where Dragon disappeared, whispering with broken resolve,
"My child… this is all Father can do for you…"
Before he could finish, Lloyd returned and stepped down on him without hesitation.
Lloyd looked down at Garp with cold indifference and then stamped down hard. Garp groaned and lost consciousness completely.
Lloyd ordered those nearby to tie Garp up, then produced a dark bible‑like artifact and absorbed Garp into it as though trapping his essence.
Lucia approached Lloyd slowly, guilt in her voice,
"Young Master, I am sorry. If I had killed Dragon earlier…"
Lloyd raised a hand to stop her, then turned and spoke with a calm smile,
"It is not your fault. You did everything you could, I was simply deceived by Garp. I did not expect him to put on such an act."
Once Ginny and the remaining sailors secured Garp's personal guards, she walked over and said with concern,
"Brother Lloyd, Dragon was already badly wounded. Then Garp threw him like that. I fear he might already be gone."
Lloyd shook his head. He was absolutely certain Dragon was still alive.
He suspected something greater was at play, something like what the legendary World Will was said to be. The D Clan, Dragon's family, might truly be under its special protection.
Especially those connected to the destined protagonist Luffy, whose existence should have already appeared in the world line — such figures were often extremely difficult to kill before fulfilling their fate.
Thinking this, Lloyd glanced at the dark bible device in his hand and said coolly,
"Garp, it seems your mission is over. I want to see if the D Clan can really overturn this world."
Outside, the first rays of sunrise pushed back the night. Lloyd lifted his gaze to the sky, his body radiating flame‑like dark energy that formed a towering pillar into the heavens, devouring the sunlight above.
He narrowed his eyes and murmured lowly,
"One day, this world will bow to my will."
In the time that followed, after gathering the remaining tribute, Lloyd set sail immediately.
He first escorted the transport ship safely back to Mary Geoise, allowing Spandine to deliver the tribute and report, while he took another vessel and led the remaining Marines back to Marineford.
Along the way, Lloyd informed Marine Headquarters of his imminent return. By the time his ship reached Marineford, Fleet Admiral Kong and several high‑ranking officers were waiting at the port to welcome him.
Within Marine leadership circles, Lloyd's mission had significantly elevated the Navy's prestige with the World Government, so his return was seen as notable.
As Lloyd and the Marines stepped off the ship, Kong led the applause. Only Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned slightly, leaning toward Sengoku and murmuring,
"Sengoku, why has Garp not appeared yet? Has there been any message from him?"
Sengoku hesitated, then shook his head.
"No, but that is just how Garp is. He rarely called us during missions before. This time he went to support his son, how would he worry about such things?"
A sharp glint passed through Tsuru's eyes as she continued in a lower voice,
"Then where is Dragon? And the soldiers Garp took with him — all gone too?"
At those words, Sengoku's expression shifted — something was clearly wrong.
Just then, the last group disembarked, including five Marines bound and escorted ashore.
At the sight of those five, Kong and the others were stunned. Tsuru and Sengoku narrowed their eyes, recognizing some of them as Garp's personal guards.