Lloyd returned to his warship, standing at the bow with his Marines' cloak flapping in the sea wind.
Before him, the remains of Ohara Island could be seen through clouds of smoke. The great Tree of Wisdom, once towering and full of life, now sagged and crumbled like ash made flesh.
Behind Lloyd, four Marine officers stood at attention, each holding a Den Den Mushi, awaiting his command. Their faces were solemn, hardened by years in service yet clearly uneasy.
Lloyd did not look back. His voice was steady, his tone devoid of hesitation.
"Relayed my command," he said plainly, "all battleships fire."
At his order, the other four warships responded immediately, receiving the signal from Lloyd's flagship.
Moments later, all five warships fired in near perfect unison.
Countless cannonballs arched through the sky in symmetrical perfection before crashing down onto Ohara Island. The blue of ocean and sky was drowned by booming echoes and flashes of destruction.
The Tree of Wisdom, already scorched by Lloyd's own fire, was obliterated in the first barrage of bombardment.
From the decks of the warships, Marines watched as flame and smoke swallowed the island whole. Every building buckled and collapsed, reduced to plumes of dust and fiery ruins.
Crimson light painted the clouds above, casting long shadows on blackened earth.
On the island's surface, the scattered remnants of lives once lived lay charred and hushed. Human‑shaped forms, motionless, marked where people had once stood.
Lloyd's eyes, hollow and unreadable, stared down at the ruin below. There was no flicker of satisfaction, no triumph — only the calm stillness of someone who had long abandoned the luxury of regret.
He knew, of course, there must have been innocents among them. But what did that matter to him? To Lloyd, true resolve did not bend for pity. If he lacked that mindset, he would be no different from the pirates he despised.
They might burn towns, revel in chaos, and call it freedom — but he was neither pirate nor fool.
Lloyd was Marine. Loyalty to justice was his steel, and the peace of the world, his ultimate order.
Meanwhile, Olvia and Robin were confined within the ship's cabin. The violent tremors of the bombardment had finally quieted.
Robin lifted her head, her voice small and fragile.
"Mom," she asked softly, uncertainty trembling in her tone, "has Ohara… completely disappeared?"
Olvia reached out and gently stroked her daughter's hair, though her expression was hollow, as if disbelief and numbness had worn away any warmth in her features.
"Yes," she murmured, her voice distant, "from now on, Ohara will no longer exist in this world."
"Why…" Robin's voice cracked, emotion squeezing her throat, "why did this have to happen?"
Olvia said nothing for a moment. Her thoughts drifted to Lloyd's words from earlier, spoken in Sleepy Ancient Town: that truth was not meant for the weak to bear, and even if they knew it, it was meaningless.
Her breathing was slow but hollow, as though every breath cost her something she could never reclaim.
Outside the cabin, Lloyd surveyed the smoking ruins of Ohara, waiting until the island had burned sufficiently before issuing another order to the Marines behind him.
"Notify all news agencies immediately," he commanded, his voice chillingly calm, "broadcast the images of Ohara's destruction worldwide."
"Yes, Admiral!" the Marines responded, scrambling to comply.
After giving the order, Lloyd turned his cold gaze toward the cabin where Olvia and Robin waited.
He stepped inside, his presence filling the small space with icy authority.
There, Olvia pressed Robin closer to her chest, both of them trembling as Lloyd approached.
Lloyd rested casually against the doorframe, producing a cigarette and lighting it with a slow inhale. Smoke did not curl outward, but his calm composure remained unshaken.
"Everything you created has been dealt with," he said in his low, emotionless voice, "Now, let's discuss your reward."
Olvia's eyes widened in shock, disbelief searing through her like fire.
"Reward?" she echoed, her voice trembling. "You expect me to be grateful? My home has been utterly destroyed! My people… gone!"
Lloyd exhaled the cigarette smoke, letting it drift lazily before finishing it without haste. The ashes did not fall — they were solid remnants, supplied to Admirals by the World Government for their durability.
He flicked the remaining cigarette butt aside without concern.
Unfazed, he folded his hands behind his back and asked bluntly, "What will you give to this world now?"
Olvia swallowed hard, her voice shaking.
"You want something from me?" she asked cautiously, as though she was afraid to utter the words.
Lloyd cocked his head slightly.
"It's not for me," he corrected, speaking as though discussing mundane weather. "It's for the world."
Olvia's lips twitched involuntarily, confusion and fear battling within her.
"Your world?" she uttered with disbelief.
Lloyd let out an almost indifferent laugh.
He glanced at Robin in Olvia's arms before offering a faint, unsettling smile.
"Your daughter is… quite cute," he said.
At once, Olvia pulled Robin closer protectively, her body shaking.
"Please," she said, voice tight with fear, "don't harm her. I will do anything you ask — just don't hurt her!"
Lloyd's expression did not change, but his gaze did shift, as though evaluating her entirely.
"Don't be tense," he said simply, "look at these first."
With a wave of his hand, several thick tomes appeared from the shadows, dropping quietly into the cabin.
Olvia blinked in shock before recognition struck her like a thunderbolt.
"These… these are the books from the Tree of Wisdom!?" she exclaimed, trembling as she reached for one and opened it.
The title page bore the unmistakable mark of Ohara.
Her eyes filled with disbelief and hope.
"How many of these did you save?" she asked urgently, looking to Lloyd with desperate hope.
"All of them," Lloyd replied.
At that moment, Olvia felt tears well up — not merely tears of sorrow, but of fragile joy.
"Thank you!" she breathed, her voice breaking. "With these books, Ohara will not be forgotten! The knowledge will live on!"
Lloyd's eyes narrowed slightly, his voice calm but cold.
"You misunderstand," he said, stepping closer and lifting her chin gently yet firmly. "Ohara is already gone. If you continue clinging to illusions, you will vanish with it."
The warmth Olvia felt a moment ago drained instantly. Her enthusiasm froze, extinguished by his unyielding gaze.
She opened her mouth, trembling.
"And these books…"
Lloyd's expression softened only slightly, but the edge in his words remained.
"Of course they are for you," he said. "I want you to organize them, especially the historical sections. Make minor revisions and compile them into a single volume."
Olvia's breath hitched.
"You want to rewrite history?" she asked, incredulity and horror blending in her voice. "Do you know what history truly is?"
Lloyd glanced again at Robin, who stared at him in stunned silence, her young mind still processing the weight of his words.
"It's like a little girl," he said with an unsettling, dry humor. "You dress it up however you want. What else could it be?"
Olvia could barely absorb his words. She wanted to protest, but the reality of today's devastation pressed down on her like iron.
If history could be erased…
Could it not also be rewritten?
Her breaths trembled, thoughts racing through fear, duty, and despair.
After a long moment, she closed her eyes, as though resigning herself to fate, and asked softly, "How do you want me to change it?"
Lloyd's expression remained unreadable.
"You are the expert," he said calmly. "You know better than I do. Just compile it and revise it — but the final copy must be submitted to me for inspection."
Olvia nodded slowly, brows furrowed with unease.
She hesitated to speak, but Lloyd interrupted her before her thoughts could escape.
"If I'm not satisfied," he said, as though issuing a gentle warning, "it will be sent back for rework. You understand, right? You don't want to spend your whole life in one place, do you? Perhaps you could — but what about Robin?"
Olvia swallowed her fear, determination flickering in her tired eyes.
"I understand," she said quietly. "But where will you keep us?"
Lloyd's lips curled into a faint smile.
"Don't worry," he said, voice icy. "The environment there is… good. You and Robin will not suffer."
"…Mary Geoise?" Olvia asked, disbelief and dread threading through her tone.
Lloyd nodded, his repose distant yet resolute.
"Smart," he said. "Consider this a guest invitation… Welcome to my home."
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