Lloyd spent the entire afternoon relaxing in the courtyard with Monet and the others. By the time dusk settled over the estate, everyone finally prepared to return to the sleeping quarters.
Monet personally brought Lloyd a loose black robe, helping him put it on while she and the other women changed into matching white robes.
Due to her enormous size, Shirahoshi had already been escorted back earlier. When she left, her expression carried obvious reluctance. Seeing this, Lloyd casually promised that he would later arrange for people from Fish-Man Island to accompany her so she would not feel lonely.
Only then did Shirahoshi leave happily for her residence.
Surrounded by Monet and the others, Lloyd slowly returned to the sleeping quarters.
The moment they stepped inside, everyone noticed a strange black figure squirming on the floor.
Iceberg had been completely wrapped in black shadow threads until he resembled a human-shaped cocoon.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Iceberg immediately began struggling violently while muffled sounds escaped from his mouth.
Unfortunately for him, the black threads binding him were formed from split shadows and rooted directly into the ground itself. No matter how hard he struggled, his body could not move even an inch.
He looked less like a person and more like a trapped black silkworm desperately wriggling on the floor.
Hancock lightly covered her lips in surprise.
"Huh? Who is this?"
Lloyd glanced at Iceberg and smiled faintly.
"His name is Iceberg. I brought him back."
As he spoke, Lloyd casually hooked a finger.
The shadow threads dragged Iceberg across the floor and threw him in front of the group.
Iceberg continued making muffled noises while glaring at Lloyd with bloodshot eyes.
Lloyd calmly raised his fist and lightly punched him.
Bang.
Iceberg instantly went silent.
Lloyd then turned toward Pudding, who had been watching the entire scene with great interest.
"Pudding, extract his memories related to Pluton."
Olvia's eyes immediately changed.
"The ancient weapon Pluton?"
Lloyd gave a faint smile.
"Of course. Otherwise, do you think someone like him would be worth personally bringing back?"
Meanwhile, Pudding had already stepped forward.
The Memory-Memory Fruit allowed her to extract specific memories through keywords, making this task extremely simple for her.
She gently placed a hand on Iceberg's head.
A moment later, strips of memory resembling film reels were slowly pulled out from his mind.
Pudding held them up carefully before looking toward Lloyd.
"Saint Lloyd, these are all the memories connected to Pluton. What should I do next?"
Lloyd thought briefly.
"Separate and preserve the original memory first. Then make a duplicate of the section containing the blueprints."
Pudding immediately smiled proudly.
"Of course. As Saint Lloyd wishes."
She lightly swiped her fingers across the memory strip.
Soon, a smaller duplicate memory fragment separated from the original and floated into her hand.
Seeing this, Lloyd asked,
"How do I read it?"
Pudding answered obediently,
"You only need to touch it."
Lloyd nodded and grabbed the duplicated fragment.
The moment his fingers made contact, black light flashed across his palm.
The memory instantly merged into his mind.
A massive amount of information flooded into Lloyd's consciousness.
After briefly examining the Pluton blueprints, Lloyd quickly realized something.
He could not understand a single thing.
Still, that was perfectly normal.
Everyone had their own area of expertise.
Lloyd had never been skilled in machinery or engineering, nor did he need to be.
With his current status, all he needed to do was hand the blueprints to the right person.
And there was no better candidate than Dr. Vegapunk.
The Navy's advanced warships and countless technological innovations all originated from that old genius. As long as Vegapunk possessed the blueprints, recreating Pluton would only be a matter of time.
Thinking of this, the corners of Lloyd's lips curved upward slightly.
"Pudding, preserve the original memory carefully."
Pudding immediately nodded and stored the memory fragment inside her own mind.
Once that was done, Lloyd slowly turned his gaze toward Iceberg.
The shadow threads wrapped around Iceberg suddenly tightened.
In the next instant, both Iceberg and the threads vanished into the darkness entirely, disappearing without leaving even a trace behind.
A clean and efficient disposal.
Helping the Straw Hat Pirates alone was enough reason for Lloyd to sentence Iceberg to death countless times over.
Monet and the others remained completely unfazed by the scene.
To them, Lloyd's enemies were naturally their enemies.
And enemies deserved to die.
Iceberg's death failed to stir even the slightest ripple in their hearts.
Monet calmly withdrew her gaze and asked softly,
"Young Master, should I have dinner prepared now?"
Lloyd nodded lightly.
Monet bowed before leaving the room to make arrangements.
Nearby, Olvia hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously.
"Saint Lloyd... then I'll return first..."
Before she could finish, Lloyd interrupted her.
"Return where?"
Olvia froze.
Lloyd crossed his arms and continued indifferently,
"Eat here tonight. You can move into these quarters and stay with Robin."
The moment those words fell, Robin's eyes instantly brightened.
Before anyone could react, she threw herself into Lloyd's arms, stood on her toes, and kissed him firmly on the cheek.
The room suddenly fell silent.
Even Hancock and the others, who had remained indifferent moments ago while watching Iceberg die, stared at Robin in complete shock.
Robin herself also froze after realizing what she had done.
Like she had been electrocuted, she hurriedly jumped away from Lloyd and bowed deeply.
"I, I'm sorry, Young Master! I acted disrespectfully! Please punish me!"
Olvia also hurried over and bowed together with Robin.
Lloyd merely looked at them calmly.
"It's just a kiss. You're acting like someone died."
Robin slowly raised her head while nervously observing Lloyd's expression.
Seeing that he truly was not angry, she finally relaxed slightly.
Then Lloyd casually turned toward Hancock and the others.
"What about you girls? Anyone else interested?"
The atmosphere instantly changed.
Hancock's beautiful face immediately flushed red.
Excitement flashed through her eyes, but her pride and shyness prevented her from moving. She lowered her head and pretended not to hear him.
Unexpectedly, Sugar was the first to react.
"Really, Young Master?"
Even Lloyd had not expected someone to immediately take him seriously.
Still, since he had already spoken, he simply nodded.
Sugar instantly ran forward.
Standing on her toes, she happily kissed Lloyd on the cheek.
At that exact moment, Monet returned from outside.
The instant she witnessed the scene, her eyes widened dramatically.
"Sugar! What are you doing!?"
Sugar simply wrapped her arms around Lloyd's neck and hung there comfortably.
Hearing Monet's voice, she turned around and made a playful face.
"Sister, Young Master allowed it. You missed your chance~"
Monet froze in place as if struck by lightning.
A look of immense regret instantly appeared on her face.
Meanwhile, Lloyd pretended not to notice her resentful stare.
He lightly coughed before speaking in an indifferent tone.
"So... how much longer until dinner is ready?"
===
Get access to the entire catalog on Patreon, where all chapters are conveniently organized into collections.
If you prefer not to pay for a monthly membership, this is a more affordable option that gives you access to the content you want.
(Buying the collection gives you access to all chapters in it.)
Search for "_Zeph" on P@treon to get started.