Zephyr suddenly froze,
Darkseid
Lloyd also used that name. He remembered when Sengoku once mentioned Lloyd's background. At the time, he hadn't paid much attention to it, but now he couldn't ignore it.
By all accounts the cousin was a user of the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit ability, and now there was a Mythical Zoan cousin as well. Could this really be mere coincidence?
A low-probability event happening once might be called a coincidence, but twice in a row was not normal. Zephyr was almost certain that Lloyd and Lucia's Devil Fruits had been granted by forces beyond ordinary means.
As he pondered this troubling thought, a burst of unruly chatter outside the window snapped him out of his reverie.
"These brats, acting like the world owes them something just because I wasn't around for a bit! It must be Borsalino who egged them on!"
Zephyr stalked to the window, his face dark with irritation, and looked toward the training field below. At once he understood the situation.
Lloyd had returned, and beside him stood a graceful young woman with dark hair. Though they were at a distance, Zephyr immediately recognized her as Lucia, the person mentioned in Lloyd's profile.
On the training ground, Ginny was practically clinging to Lloyd, her lovely face constantly brushing against his chest. Lucia watched with a slight frown, though she said nothing.
Earlier on the ship Lloyd had introduced Lucia to several of his comrades, placing special emphasis on Ginny. Lucia knew how important Ginny was to Lloyd.
Among the cadets, Gion wanted to speak to Lloyd, but she sensed awkwardness in doing so. She merely watched Lucia standing quietly beside him, a teasing glint in her eyes.
Lloyd had referred to Lucia as his cousin, but Gion detected something strange. The way Lucia looked at Lloyd wasn't how a mere cousin would; her gaze was filled with attachment and dependency.
When Lucia noticed someone looking at her, she frowned slightly, turned her head, and met Gion's stare. Her right hand drifted slowly toward the hilt of doom.
Gion's expression shifted. She felt a sudden sense of threat from Lucia, suggesting that Lucia's strength might surpass her own.
Just then Lloyd noticed Lucia's tension. He spoke her name gently, and her grip eased as she withdrew her hand, falling silent again.
Akainu spoke once Jessica finished her greetings to Lloyd.
"Lloyd, you've gotten stronger."
Lloyd smiled faintly and said half in jest, "Sakazuki, are you judging by my hair?"
Akainu responded gravely, "No, it's not your hair. It's an aura I can sense."
Kizaru propped his chin and nodded in agreement, sensing the same thing.
The others barely reacted, believing that with Lloyd's incredible talent, constant growth was to be expected, especially after just a month.
"What are you all doing, slacking off while I'm not around?" Zephyr's voice boomed across the field, startling everyone into silence. Lloyd thought of how a teacher had once arrived unannounced at Blue Star Academy just like this.
The cadets immediately formed two neat squares, with only Lucia still standing beside Lloyd on his right.
Being the only girl among the male cadets made Lucia stand out. Zephyr noticed this right away and asked, "You must be the new student, Lucia. Step forward and introduce yourself to everyone."
Lucia didn't respond, standing perfectly still. Zephyr frowned, about to prompt her again when Lloyd intervened.
"Zephyr sama, my cousin hasn't been out much and is shy. Let's not have her introduce herself yet. I already introduced her to everyone earlier. Lucia, apologize to Zephyr sama."
Lucia immediately nodded and said softly to Zephyr, "Sorry."
Her voice was stiff and awkward. Zephyr simply nodded and thought to himself, This Lucia has a very aloof personality. Hope she isn't a female version of Sakazuki.
Sakazuki suddenly scratched his nose, feeling an odd tickle as Zephyr continued, "Then you may join the female cadets."
Awkwardly, Lucia still didn't move until Lloyd spoke again. Only then did she obediently walk away from the male cadets and stand with the female line.
Everyone watching secretly clicked their tongues, thinking that this cousin was far too submissive to Lloyd. If Lloyd weren't so young, some would suspect he might be Lucia's father.
In truth, Lloyd was troubled. Lucia's dependence on him seemed even stronger than Ginny's. He worried about how to handle tonight. He couldn't have Lucia following him back to the dorm.
Among the female cadets, Jessica looked back at Lucia standing silently in the line. She nudged Ginny and whispered, "Ginny, is Lucia really Lloyd's cousin? I don't see it!"
Ginny had her doubts too. At first, she assumed Lucia was just a relative Lloyd reconnected with after returning to the family, but now she wasn't so sure. After all, Lloyd had been away from the family since age eight. How could a cousin be this clingy? She behaved almost like… Lloyd's wife.
A troubling thought popped into Ginny's head.
Could Lucia be Lloyd's fiancée?
Once that idea appeared, Ginny couldn't shake it. She grew increasingly uneasy just thinking about it. She began imagining melodramatic scenes of Lloyd's elders arranging a fiancée for him upon his return.
"Ginny? Ginny! Why are you so quiet? What's on your mind?" Jessica prodded her once more.
Ginny snapped out of her daze and blurted out, "No! Lloyd, don't agree to anything like that!"
Her sudden shout drew everyone's attention. Ginny's eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed. She dared not look at Lloyd, who stood there puzzled, and stammered, "Sorry, I was just distracted."
____
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