Lloyd had no intention of acknowledging Gulando's words. He simply raised his hand, and the Demon Blade Muramasa flew back into his grasp with a whisper of steel.
Gulando's arms hung limply, swaying as blood dripped steadily from his fingertips. He forced out a hoarse sound and glanced toward Garling behind Lloyd, laughing dryly,
"Garling, did you really think I would end up like Father, lost to irrational madness?"
Garling's expression remained calm, unshaken. "Before that ever happens, I will put an end to your suffering. Right now, your focus must be on facing Lloyd."
No sooner had Garling finished speaking than massive bat‑like wings unfurled from behind Lloyd with a whoosh. Scarlet and dark auras swirled around his form, and he gripped the Demon Blade Muramasa, stepping forward toward Gulando with measured precision.
Gulando's eyes widened in surprise at Lloyd's transformation. He couldn't recall ever injecting Lloyd with anything resembling blood‑type enhancements.
He asked aloud, voice trailing off, "This form you've taken…"
Before he could finish, Lloyd's figure blurred and became intangible. Gulando's gaze sharpened just as a blood‑sized hole split open in his chest — Lloyd's strike had missed.
Gulando split apart into several streams of living blood, reforming behind Lloyd in an instant.
In his blood‑shaped body, Gulando thrust a blood claw toward Lloyd's back. Lloyd turned swiftly and countered with a blood‑formed strike of his own.
Their limbs collided, and Lloyd's hand flared with intense red light as he forcefully drained Gulando's blood in a violent surge.
Gulando's expression twisted with shock and fury. His other hand darkened to a deep red and slammed into Lloyd, forcing Lloyd to unleash a powerful Pushing Haki shockwave to create space between them.
Gulando stabilized himself, frowning. The arm Lloyd had earlier grabbed now showed cracked, aged skin.
After a moment's silence, his arm liquidly reformed into blood and solidified again, the skin returning to normal.
Looking up at Lloyd, he spoke in a low growl,
"I never expected you to obtain that second Devil Fruit."
Lloyd's mouth curved faintly, a glint of cold light at his fang.
"That is correct," Lloyd replied. "Thanks to you back then, I acquired this second Devil Fruit."
Gulando narrowed his eyes and asked,
"Do you think you can defeat me with just that Fruit?"
Lloyd's voice was as cold and aloof as ever,
"We'll find out soon enough."
With that, Lloyd loosened his grip on Gulando's blood and allowed the Demon Blade Muramasa to float beside him.
A brilliant electric glow crackled along his left arm. His right arm burned with searing fire, while darkness and blood‑tinted energy coiled behind him. A silver sash materialized around his waist as his aura reached its peak.
Seeing Lloyd like this, Gulando's face twisted into ecstatic delight,
"Excellent, excellent! This is my masterpiece!"
Before Gulando could finish, Lloyd vanished and reappeared before him, leaving multiple afterimages in his wake.
With a deafening boom, Lloyd's punch struck, blasting Gulando into a scattering cloud of blood mist that dissolved into the air.
Lloyd clenched his right fist, flames surging and instantly vaporizing the lingering blood particles.
But Gulando would not be defeated so simply. A single drop of blood from the ground suddenly trembled, then shot skyward, rapidly reforming his body once more.
He laughed, voice resounding,
"In less than a year, your strength has grown so much. You truly did not disappoint!"
Darkness at Lloyd's feet surged as he reached to absorb the blood drop. Before it could be swallowed, it rose into the air, transforming into Gulando's restored form.
A burst of scarlet light flared in Lloyd's eyes as he stared up at him,
"Just as I planned. Slaying you once was never enough to extinguish the hatred within me!"
Lloyd lifted his arm, summoning a tide of darkness that poured outward from all directions, converging upon Gulando and enveloping him in a sphere of shadowed might.
In that instant, Gulando roared, unleashing a terrifying aura that shattered the encroaching darkness. With blinding speed he dove toward Lloyd.
Lloyd's raised fist met him head‑on. Their clash crackled with scattered black lightning, and the entire royal chamber erupted in a violent explosion.
After a moment, Garling's figure blinked out from the shattered remains. The disturbance was so great that it drew the attention of the Figarland Family's inner circle, the Five Elders, and even a contingent of Celestial Dragons.
As soon as Saint Saturn arrived and saw Garling, he hurried over and demanded urgently,
"Garling, what is happening?"
Garling did not turn his head. He stared at the vast ruins with a steady voice,
"Gulando's Blood‑Blood Fruit was on the verge of losing control. For the safety of the Holy Land, Lloyd has chosen to personally execute him."
The reactions around them shifted instantly. The Five Elders' expressions turned solemn, because they knew Gulando's former position in the Figarland Family, while the other Celestial Dragons were utterly shocked that Lloyd would take on his own father.
Swiftly figures flitted to Garling's side. Among them was the man with the crown and firearm seen earlier, leaders of the God's Knights entrusted to Garling's command.
The man with the gun stepped forward with resolve,
"Commander, we are willing to assist Lloyd in executing Gulando!"
But Garling shook his head, voice firm and absolute,
"No, this is an internal matter of the Figarland Family. No one is to interfere."
Turning, he gave a clear command,
"Immediately evacuate everyone. This place is too dangerous!"
The God's Knights scattered in response. Celestial Dragons willing to leave did so of their own accord, and those reluctant were physically removed by their own kin joining the evacuation.
In every Celestial Dragon family, there were one or two members in the God's Knights. For the elite Celestial Dragons, membership in the God's Knights often carried greater honor than their own lineage.
This was a point of contention among the ranks. Warcury, known for his suspicion and pride, had wanted to oppose such influence, but the history of the God's Knights always placed the Figarland Family at the center of command.
Saturn and Warcury both understood this reality, but they approached it differently — one by seeking alliance, the other by attempting suppression.
Among them, three of the Five Elders led by Saint Nusjuro chose to remain neutral in the escalating tensions.