The moment Lloyd returned to Marine Headquarters, he ordered his subordinates to compile a full report on how the mission was executed and send it straight to Kong. Without waiting for anyone else, he took off toward Mary Geoise, escorting Olvia and Robin personally.
As they traveled toward the Figarland family territory, Olvia noticed something strange. Every Celestial Dragon they encountered bowed deeply when they saw Lloyd. Not groveling, but with an unusual level of respect — far greater than any she had seen before from even the highest nobles.
Olvia held tight to young Robin's hand as they walked behind Lloyd, her mind full of questions. She already knew Lloyd was a Celestial Dragon, but she had never learned his surname. If she had, she would have immediately understood why even other Celestial Dragons treated him differently.
When at last they reached the gates of the Figarland family estate, even Olvia — a woman who had seen the palaces of kings and nobles across the world — was stunned. The Figarland territory dwarfed every noble residence she had ever visited. It was far larger than the estates of Celestial Dragons she had passed on the journey.
The golden guards at the gates greeted Lloyd respectfully as "Young Master." Lloyd barely nodded, then led Olvia and her daughter inside without any hesitation.
At that moment, Olvia finally began to piece everything together. As a historian, she knew the history of the Celestial Dragons better than most. Of the seven most revered families, only one name fit with Lloyd's bearing and strength — the Figarland family.
Her thoughts solidified when Lloyd led them to a grand chamber, and called out, "Uncle Garling." Hearing the name, Olvia realized exactly who Lloyd was.
And the "Uncle Garling" in question — a middle-aged man with a commanding air — was clearly the head of the Figarland family, Saint Garling Figarland.
Olvia watched silently as Lloyd spoke easily with Garling, her expression a mixture of awe and disbelief. She had known Celestial Dragons were powerful, but she had never imagined one could be this significant.
Garling barely spared them a glance before picking up his teacup, then resumed his conversation with Lloyd as if nothing exceptional had occurred.
The uncle and nephew sat across from each other, discussing what had happened during Lloyd's absence.
"The Berries we allocated, and yet they did nothing but disobey what we clearly forbade," Garling said casually, sipping his tea. "If they brought ruin upon themselves, that's their own fault."
"That's exactly how I see it," Lloyd replied with a faint smile.
Olvia forced a tight smile, understanding all too well how little the destruction of Ohara mattered to those at the top. To them, even a whole island could be nothing more than a chess piece.
Garling continued, "I heard from the newspapermen that when the Marines arrived, the fire hadn't even been fully extinguished."
"That was intentional. Strike while the iron is hot," Lloyd said, leaning back comfortably. "By the way, I didn't know you had ties to the news world."
"Hmm, I keep a few 'little devils' there," Garling admitted with amusement. "If it weren't for your involvement, I might have forgotten I even had them."
"You always have a way of managing things, Uncle," Lloyd said with a faint grin.
Garling rolled his eyes, but the affection in them was unmistakable.
"You know how reckless those reporters are. Some wanted to paint the Ohara incident as your fault."
"That didn't surprise me," Lloyd replied. "So far, I haven't seen any slander about me. But there's been quite a bit about Commander Kong."
"That's because the ones who dared open their mouths have been silenced," Garling said coldly. "They're no match for my Figarland family. And as for Kong — why should I care about an outsider?"
Lloyd's expression remained unreadable, but inside he was thinking. This conversation reminded him that it was time to bring public opinion under control.
In a world where even the World Government couldn't fully control what people believed, the press was a battlefield all its own. The greatest news network in the world — the World Economic News Agency — was ruled by a stubborn president named Morgans who answered to no one.
Morgans was precisely the type of unpredictable element Lloyd could not allow to remain in power forever. But at this moment Morgans had not yet become president, so Lloyd had no need to act on him yet.
What Lloyd did want was someone loyal and capable inside the World Economic News Agency, someone he could trust to shape what the world heard.
Garling watched Lloyd's face, sensing his nephew was already scheming again. He didn't ask what Lloyd was thinking, simply waited as Lloyd gathered his thoughts.
Finally Lloyd spoke, "Uncle Garling, how are Gulando's old chambers coming along?"
"Why bring that up now? Do you want to move rooms?" Garling asked. "It's cleaned up, but if you want something new built, there's plenty of land in our territory."
"No," Lloyd replied. "My current chambers are fine. And even if I were to move, I wouldn't choose that place."
"Suit yourself," Garling said. "It was yours anyway."
Lloyd let out a small laugh. "Then I'll have someone turn Gulando's chambers into a library. I have the richest collection of books in the world now."
"Huh?" Garling raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you care about books?"
"I just think some people shouldn't be too ignorant," Lloyd said simply. "These books are all from Ohara. And there's Olvia here — I plan to have her compile a new history book, one we can use as a textbook from now on."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Garling asked with mild curiosity.
"It means some people need to learn truth instead of wandering aimlessly, believing every rumor they hear," Lloyd said, his eyes distant and cold.
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