Lloyd had never expected it, that he could freely manipulate the next user of the Blood-Blood Fruit.
It wasn't until Stussy transformed into blood and lunged at him that he felt a strange connection form between them.
From that moment on, Stussy truly became Lloyd's in every sense, and her existence became a part of his power.
What Lloyd possessed was the primal force of the Blood-Blood Fruit.
He hooked a finger under Stussy's chin, a devilish smile curling on his lips.
"Very good, I didn't expect such an unexpected gain."
Stussy lowered her head slightly, extended her pink tongue, and licked the tip of his finger like a docile little cat.
Lloyd laughed, pulled Stussy into his arms, and without another word to Dr. Vegapunk, vanished from the lab.
He flew back to Mary Geoise holding Stussy close, and that night they bonded through the devil fruit power.
They lived together in the Figarland Family estate for several days, and then Lloyd brought Stussy to the territory of the Jaygarcia Family, where Saint Saturn resided.
Now there was no one in Mary Geoise who didn't know Lloyd. The guards at the entrance dropped into deep bows the moment they saw him approach.
"Saint Lloyd!"
Lloyd inclined his head slightly, then walked in with Stussy. The guards made no attempt to stop him and remained bowed until he had gone far.
Although Stussy had been fed information about Lloyd while in the research facility, this was her first time experiencing the authority he commanded firsthand.
He could walk freely even into the residences of the Five Elders, a privilege ordinary Celestial Dragons would never have.
Everyone who saw Lloyd bowed respectfully, and several of Saint Saturn's relatives stepped forward to greet him.
When they saw the beautiful Stussy in his arms, they looked on with envy, yet none dared entertain inappropriate thoughts about her.
They were family of Saint Saturn, one of the Five Elders, and far more sensible than the Celestial Dragons outside.
Saint Saturn was their ancestor, and he taught them respect for the Figarland Family. As the designated heir of the Figarland Family, none of them wanted to offend Lloyd.
Lloyd acknowledged them politely, and with his enhanced hearing he didn't need a guide. He strode directly toward Saint Saturn's quarters.
Saint Saturn was just stepping out as Lloyd arrived. Seeing him, he paused.
"Saint Lloyd, how did you find this place? I was just about to come to the entrance to find you."
It was the guards who had alerted Saint Saturn to Lloyd's arrival.
Lloyd smiled.
"You are an Elder. I would not ask you to come out to greet me."
Lloyd still remembered Saint Saturn's reaction when Gulando possessed him. Although Saturn had intended to kill him at the time, it was clear he was aligned with Garling.
Thus Lloyd's attitude toward Saint Saturn was far more measured than toward the other Elders.
Saint Saturn sensed this and nodded. His gaze drifted to Stussy in Lloyd's arms.
"Saint Lloyd, let us talk inside."
Once the three of them were seated on the sofa, Saint Saturn pointed at Stussy.
"Saint Lloyd, this woman should be called Stussy."
Lloyd nodded.
"That's right, I just brought her out from Dr. Vegapunk."
"I see. I was planning to assign her to CP0 once she woke up, but since you've taken interest, then forget that plan."
In Saint Saturn's mind, Lloyd only came here to inform him about Stussy, since the research facility was under his jurisdiction.
Lloyd smiled.
"Thank you, but I still have to return to the Navy, and it is inconvenient to bring her with me. Let her join CP0. She can train there."
Saint Saturn blinked, thinking, What is inconvenient about that? Didn't he bring Lucia into the Navy?
But he was a man who had lived for centuries. He reacted quickly, looking at Lloyd intently.
"Saint Lloyd, you want to extend your influence into CP0, right?"
Since Saint Saturn spoke so plainly, Lloyd didn't hide it.
"Yes, Saint Saturn. You know my influence in the World Government is still too weak. Now that Gulando is dead, it is time for me to build my own power."
Saint Saturn smiled knowingly.
"Hehe, Saint Lloyd, I think you want to turn CP0 entirely into your force, right?"
Lloyd simply smiled.
Saint Saturn continued.
"It is good you have such ambition. No wonder Saint Cassius chose you."
Lloyd blinked. The information in Saint Saturn's words was significant — he clearly had a close connection with his ancestor, Saint Cassius.
Saint Saturn then asked,
"Saint Lloyd, can you let me meet Saint Cassius?"
Lloyd shook his head.
"The ancestor has entered a deep sleep. It is best not to disturb him."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Saint Saturn's face, but he did not insist.
"All right. Given his condition, it is already rare that even a trace of his will remains."
Lloyd couldn't help asking.
"Saint Saturn, you and Saint Cassius…?"
"Saint Cassius was my teacher, though he never admitted it. And yes, someone as untalented as I am did not deserve to be his disciple."
Saint Saturn smiled wryly. He raised his head slightly and spoke softly.
"If Saint Cassius had not been so severely injured back then, he would have been the one most qualified to achieve eternal life."
Hearing the words eternal life triggered Lloyd's interest.
"The eternal life you mentioned, is it related to that Ope Ope no Mi?"
"Yes. Didn't Saint Garling tell you about this Devil Fruit?"
"No. But the matter of the Ope Ope no Mi is no secret among us Celestial Dragons. I'm familiar with it somewhat."
"Well then, since we speak of that fruit, let me remind you of one thing: there is only one slot for the Immortality Operation. If you miss it, no one knows how long before another chance appears."
In the past eight hundred years, including Imu, only six people in Mary Geoise had achieved eternal life.
Because the difficulty of the procedure was extraordinarily high.
First, one had to find the Ope Ope no Mi, then select a suitable user, and train them to perform the Immortality Operation. That process alone took decades, if not longer.
And once the operation was completed, the trained user became useless, and the whole process had to start over.
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