Upon hearing that the visitor was Saint Saturn, Lloyd and Saint Garling exchanged a glance before Garling said in a calm tone, "You may all withdraw."
"Yes."
Captain Carlos immediately turned with Jona and left the hall without lingering a second longer.
Lloyd gently stroked Sugar's little head in his arms, then helped her down, and looked toward Monet. "You two come with us as well, let Jona show you around here."
The Monet sisters nodded obediently, then hurried out of the hall behind Carlos and Jona.
Once they were gone, Lloyd asked Garling, "Uncle Garling, do you think Saint Saturn is here because of Rosward?"
Saint Garling pondered for a moment and replied, "No, given his relationship with our family, he wouldn't bother sticking up for someone like Rosward. If it were Saint Warcury who came, then maybe there would be reason to suspect it."
Lloyd let out a soft laugh, "Speaking of which, that old man Saint Warcury has really become much more well‑behaved since last time."
"Hmm, but we should not underestimate him. That fellow has a lot of twisted ideas, who knows when he'll pop up and disgust us again."
"Hmph," Lloyd said with perfect calm, "that old bastard, I'll kill him sooner or later."
"No need to spend too much thought on him. He's lived for hundreds of years and only reached this state, in the end he's still just trash."
"Quite true."
Inside the reception hall, Saint Saturn sat comfortably, occasionally sipping the hot tea a servant held before him. Only when Saint Garling and Lloyd entered did he set down his teacup and slightly raise his hand in greeting.
They were old acquaintances, so after a brief exchange, Saint Saturn spoke directly to Lloyd with a solemn expression.
"Saint Lloyd, tomorrow I need to take you to the Flower Room. Saint Imu wishes to see you."
Hearing this, both Saint Garling and Lloyd furrowed their brows at the same time, their expressions mirroring one another. Saint Saturn seemed momentarily taken aback by their reaction.
To be honest, if he had not collected Lloyd's blood when he was born, Saint Saturn might have genuinely doubted that Lloyd was truly Saint Gulando's biological son. The two before him looked more like a natural father and son pair, and the more he looked, the more they resembled each other.
Of course, Gulando's personality had always been an anomaly in the history of the Figarland family, which was why Saint Cassius had immediately excluded him from the family tree.
Just as Saint Saturn's thoughts drifted, Lloyd asked in his calm, detached voice, "Saint Saturn, is there something important that Saint Imu wants to see me about?"
Saint Saturn snapped back to attention. "Saint Imu simply said he wanted to meet you. You should know more once you're with him."
Lloyd was silent for a moment, then said with a slight smile, "All right, I'm quite curious about this ruler of the world, Saint Imu."
Saint Garling glanced at Lloyd with a quiet expression but did not speak.
Seeing Lloyd consent, Saint Saturn stood up and said, "Then let us make it tomorrow morning. I will come to take you to see Saint Imu."
With that, Saint Saturn walked toward the door. Saint Garling and Lloyd watched him out of the Figarland Family Territory.
At the entrance of the territory, the guards Saint Saturn had brought were waiting. Spotting Saint Saturn exit, they immediately stepped forward, but he motioned with a raised hand for them to stay.
Saint Saturn turned to Lloyd and said, "No need to be nervous. You have the support of the Figarland Family and the God's Knights behind you. Saint Imu will not have any ill intent toward you."
Saint Garling raised an eyebrow and said, "Saint Saturn, shouldn't I be the one saying that?"
Saint Saturn smiled faintly, "Consider it just a casual remark from me." Then he pondered for a moment and continued, "After all, we are all on the same side."
Lloyd crossed his arms and suddenly asked, "Saint Saturn, does this same side you mention include Saint Imu?"
Saint Saturn looked at Lloyd with calm intensity and said in a low voice, "Yes, Saint Lloyd. I merely want to tell you that no matter what conflicts exist among those on the same side, there is always a bottom line; it will not escalate into a life‑or‑death situation."
Hearing this, both Saint Garling and Lloyd regarded Saint Saturn with measured surprise.
Saint Saturn realized he had said too much and did not continue. He only reiterated that he would return the next morning, then departed flanked by his guards.
Only after Saint Saturn and his group disappeared from sight did Saint Garling say to Lloyd, "It is your first time seeing Saint Imu. Do not be reserved in his presence, or it will be our family's face that is lost."
Lloyd narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Uncle Garling, was I reserved when I first returned to see you back then? You were quite imposing at that time, nearly giving your nephew a showing of strength!"
"That was me testing you. Besides, wasn't your Haoshoku Haki awakened at that time?"
"Tch," Lloyd scoffed faintly, "I bet Uncle Garling did not expect me to awaken Haoshoku Haki then, right? You only wanted to scare me to establish your authority!"
"That's a good kid! Looking for a beating!"
"Kamui, see you."
Saint Garling stared at the empty air for a moment. After a while he shook his head and laughed, "That kid…"
At the same time, he glanced over the guards stationed nearby. Beneath their helmets, their faces appeared as if they had seen ghostly specters, but as soon as Saint Garling's gaze reached them directly, they immediately lowered their eyes, not daring to meet his stare again.
Only after Saint Garling vanished in a flash did the group of guards raise their heads once more. They exchanged looks, then silently resumed their patrol duties.
Lloyd returned to the courtyard in front of his palace. Just as he prepared to step inside, a conversation drifted to his ears. He raised an eyebrow, and then his figure gradually dissolved into shadows as he vanished from sight.
In a courtyard some distance from the palace, Jona and Captain Carlos stood facing one another, both looking awkward.
Jona pursed her lips and spoke softly, "Captain Carlos, it's already very late, you should head back…"
Carlos nodded and said, "Hmm, it is late. Well, Jona, I wasn't intentionally ignoring you back there today. After all, Saint Garling and the Young Master were present."
"I know, Captain Carlos. I am just a maid, you didn't need to pay special attention to me anyway!"
Carlos quickly waved his hand, almost blurting, "You can't say that. I've never considered you just a maid."
Jona blinked twice at that, then asked, "Then how do you see me?"
Carlos replied, his gaze flickering aside, "Uh, just… normally!"
The moment he said that, the atmosphere between them grew extremely awkward, so much so that even Lloyd, hidden nearby using the darkness of his Vampire Fruit, felt a faint flicker of embarrassment on their behalf.
Although Captain Carlos was no weakling, he had not detected Lloyd's presence at all — a reminder of how thoroughly Lloyd could vanish from perception. Even legendary warriors like Vice Admiral Garp had fallen victim to this ability in the past.
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Powerstones?? (´ε｀ )
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Patreon = _Zeph