"Search for Zou."
"Huh? Celestial Dragon Marshal, are you referring to the legendary elephant island where the Mink Tribe lives?"
"That's right. Dressrosa isn't far from the area where Zou was previously seen. Do you have any information regarding Zou?"
Rosinante pondered for a moment after hearing the question. He glanced at Violet before speaking.
"Violet, I remember you mentioning over a month ago that an unknown giant object passed through the nearby sea, didn't you?"
Violet immediately nodded.
"Yes. During that period, fishermen constantly reported strange winds and unusual waves in the surrounding waters. I used my ability to investigate and discovered a massive elephant-shaped object moving across the sea about five hundred nautical miles from here."
Lloyd had not expected to receive actual information about Zou. Looking at Violet, he asked,
"What direction was it moving in?"
Violet carefully recalled the scene.
"It should have been heading southeast. I'm truly sorry, Celestial Dragon Marshal, but shortly after I located it, a brilliant white light suddenly erupted. The flash blinded me for a while, and by the time my vision recovered, it had already disappeared."
Lloyd frowned slightly.
"That white light was most likely Joy Boy's doing again. It seems that guy really did return to Zou. Southeast, huh..."
The moment Joy Boy's name was mentioned, Rosinante froze briefly before suddenly becoming excited.
"That Joy Boy is Straw Hat Luffy, right?!"
Lloyd looked at him.
"It's him. Why? Do you have a grudge against him?"
Rosinante clenched his fists tightly.
"I've never met him, but that beast killed Vice Admiral Garp! His own grandfather! Vice Admiral Garp was Fleet Admiral Sengoku's closest friend. I can't imagine how painful it must have been for Fleet Admiral Sengoku to hear that news."
Even Rosinante's normally gentle voice carried unmistakable killing intent when speaking about Luffy. Because of his childhood experiences, the thing he hated most was someone harming their own family, especially when it involved Sengoku, the man he respected more than anyone else.
What Rosinante did not know was that Lloyd, sitting right in front of him, had done something very similar to his older brother, Doflamingo.
The matter involving Lloyd and Gulando remained one of the Celestial Dragons' most closely guarded secrets. Only a handful of people knew the truth.
From Rosinante's words, Wanda and Carrot learned yet another one of Joy Boy's infamous deeds. Their disgust toward Joy Boy deepened even further.
Carrot spoke indignantly.
"He actually did something like that? Occupying someone else's body and killing their own grandfather? He's not even human!"
Rosinante looked completely confused.
"Miss, what do you mean by occupying someone else's body?"
Lloyd gently patted Carrot's head and answered on her behalf.
"Joy Boy and Luffy are two different individuals. You can think of Joy Boy as a devil residing within a Devil Fruit. At that time, he was still fighting Luffy, the original owner of the body, for control. Killing Garp was most likely not Luffy's intention. He's not foolish enough to do something like that."
"What?! There are actually devils inside Devil Fruits?!"
Rosinante was visibly shocked, while Violet's face immediately turned pale.
"Doesn't that mean every Devil Fruit user is in danger?"
Lloyd glanced at her.
"Don't worry. The Devil Fruit Luffy ate is a special case. Aside from that one, even if other Devil Fruits possess a will of their own, it is generally limited to Zoan Fruits. Those wills are weak and have very little influence over their users."
Violet finally relaxed after hearing the explanation.
The thought of being possessed by another consciousness sounded horrifying. Just imagining it made her feel uncomfortable.
Rosinante, on the other hand, was far less concerned, largely because he had never eaten a Devil Fruit.
That situation traced back to the first time Lloyd met him in Sengoku's office. Lloyd had considered the Nagi Nagi no Mi that Rosinante possessed in the original timeline to be too mediocre, so he casually advised Sengoku not to allow Rosinante to eat a Devil Fruit too hastily.
Because of that single remark, Sengoku took the matter seriously and never encouraged Rosinante to become a Devil Fruit user.
However, when Devil Fruits were brought up, Rosinante appeared hesitant, as though he wanted to say something.
Misunderstanding his expression, Lloyd smiled faintly.
"Rosinante, you still haven't eaten a Devil Fruit, have you?"
Rosinante blinked.
"No. I've never really considered becoming a Devil Fruit user."
His answer surprised Lloyd.
Over the years, Rosinante had worked diligently. Becoming a king might have been a dream for many people, but for Rosinante, it was merely a difficult responsibility.
If Rosinante had requested a Devil Fruit, Lloyd would have been willing to provide a powerful one as compensation for his years of service and as a gesture toward Doflamingo's younger brother.
Seeing that Rosinante had no such desire, Lloyd glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.
"Do you have anything else you want to discuss? If so, say it now. It's getting late, and I need to rest."
In reality, Lloyd's stamina was so immense that going several days without sleep would not affect him in the slightest.
He only said that because Rosinante appeared reluctant to speak openly, and Lloyd wanted to push him into saying what was on his mind.
As expected, Rosinante did not want to delay Lloyd's rest.
Anxiously, he blurted out,
"Celestial Dragon Marshal, I just wanted to ask... how is Law doing now? I heard Fleet Admiral Sengoku mention that during the incident at Shambles, you didn't kill him and instead had someone take him away..."
A look of understanding crossed Lloyd's face.
"Oh, him."
He leaned back slightly.
"Don't worry. He's doing very well now. He no longer has to spend his life hiding and running from danger. Once Dr. Vegapunk completes his research, Law will be able to come out and live freely again."
Rosinante had worried about Law for years.
The moment he heard that Law was safe, tears immediately filled his eyes.
In his excitement, he jumped up from the sofa and dropped to his knees with a loud thud, causing Lloyd's eyelids to twitch slightly.
It was obvious from this alone that Rosinante carried absolutely none of the pride or burden typically associated with being a king.
Kneeling on the floor, he shouted loudly,
"That's wonderful! Celestial Dragon Marshal, on behalf of Law, thank you!"
Lloyd waved dismissively.
"As for Law's situation, you shouldn't hold any resentment toward your brother Doflamingo either. From the moment Law became the user of the Ope Ope no Mi, his fate was no longer entirely his own."