Ignoring Rocks' grim expression, Lingling decided to leave the battlefield after spotting the Paw Paw Fruit.
She dashed forward so fast she was nearly in front of Ivan in an instant.
Suddenly, Riven raised his right hand—now turned pitch black—and pointed it at Ivan. A swirling black vortex appeared in his palm.
"All things are drawn to heaven!"
Hum!
A powerful gravitational force burst forth from the vortex, yanking Ivan and the Paw Paw Fruit from his hand toward Riven at high speed. Lingling, caught off guard, missed her target and froze, confused.
The onlookers in the distance wore different expressions. Rocks stared at Riven in disbelief, his eyes fixed on the dark vortex.
"Is that the brat from before?! That ability... could it be!?"
Even Saint Satan showed rare shock—not at the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, but at Riven's face.
"Who is that little... child?"
His gaze shifted to Garin, silent nearby. Garin's expression was complicated as he murmured,
"He should be dead... but he looks just like..."
Everyone had their own thoughts for a moment.
Lingling turned back to Riven, a playful smirk on her face. With a teasing tone, she said,
"I didn't expect a little kid like you to have special powers. You've got quite the ability. Hmm, you're handsome too, but you stole my prey. So, be a good boy and give me the fruit. How about following me from now on?"
Lingling was no longer the bloated old woman she once was—she had become a beautiful woman with a hot body and a charming voice.
Still, the image of the drooling, crazy old lady lurking behind her flashed in Riven's mind, making him shudder.
Noticing his unease, Lingling laughed softly and sauntered toward the "frightened" boy.
Just as Lingling thought the Paw Paw Fruit was hers, Riven grabbed Ivan's hand tightly. Ivan cried out in pain, mouth wide open.
Seizing the moment, Riven snatched the Paw Paw Fruit and tried to stuff it into Ivan's mouth. But Lingling's speed was underestimated.
In a flash, she appeared before Riven and kicked Ivan away like a ball.
She crouched and pinched Riven's slender arm, her tone harsh,
"You little brat, you're not playing fair... huh?!"
Suddenly, Lingling's expression darkened. She raised an arm already covered in armor-like colors.
At that moment, a black shadow wielding a sword appeared and slashed Lingling's arm.
"Qiang!"
It was Jialin Sheng. After the strike, he used the force to retreat and landed nearby, staring coldly at Lingling.
Lingling pulled back her arm, the armor fading to reveal a clear red slash on her pale skin. Despite her formidable defense, the pain was sharp.
Frowning, she didn't expect the leader of the Knights of God to abandon the main battlefield just to deal with her. She felt troubled and thought,
"The Celestial Dragons really do value this Paw Paw Fruit. Then I must get it—and the Fish Fish Fruit too!"
Ginny's message had clearly mentioned the Blob and the Fish Fish Fruit. Lingling had already studied the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia before coming here. Her main goal at the Valley of the Gods was the Blue Dragon Fruit.
Since she already possessed the Soul-Soul Fruit, she didn't plan to eat the Blue Dragon Fruit herself. Instead, she intended to use it to seduce Kaido, who had stubbornly refused to "submit."
Linlin had no real loyalty to Rocks. She longed to leave the Rocks Pirates and carve out her own path. Kaido was the man she liked, and she planned to bind him with the Fish Fish Fruit for her own future.
Originally, she considered the Paw Paw Fruit a mere substitute, but Jialin Sheng's intervention had made her take it seriously.
However, she was mistaken about one thing—Jialin Sheng had no interest in the Paw Paw Fruit at all. He turned his gaze to Riven, ignored by Lingling, and stared at the crisscrossing scars on Riven's open chest.
His eyes flickered as he said,
"Hey, what's your name?"
Riven was stunned. Of course, he knew this was Garin Saint, leader of the Knights of God—the absolute elite of the Celestial Dragons with terrifying strength.
Why would someone like him pay attention to a kid like me?
Maybe it was because of the Dark-Dark Fruit's power he just saw.
No matter the reason, neither Lingling nor Garin Sheng were people Riven could resist. And Jialin didn't seem hostile.
"My name is Riven."
Garin's body trembled slightly upon hearing the name. He asked anxiously,
"What's your full name?"
Riven hesitated. Apparently, Garin knew him—or more precisely, his predecessor. But Riven had no memory of the past.
He honestly replied,
"I can't remember anything from before. I only know my name now is Riven. That's my full name."
What Riven said was true and sincere.
Garin nodded thoughtfully and whispered,
"Lost your memory, huh? you can remember your first name, but not the last name..."
Riven asked cautiously,
"You know me? Then... can you tell me my full name?"
While the two spoke quietly, Lingling's veins throbbed with anger. She shouted,
"That's enough! What good is talking about names? What do you take me for!?"
She roughly grabbed the Meat-Ball Fruit and prepared to leave.
Just then, Garin Sheng moved again.
He raised his sword and swung. A blade of energy crackled with red and black lightning, shooting straight at Lingling.
Lingling had no choice but to cross her arms defensively and absorb the blast. The force knocked the Paw Paw Fruit from her hand, and it rolled to Riven's feet.
Ivan, already kicked several meters away, watched helplessly.
Riven kicked the fruit toward Kuma and shouted,
"Kuma! Eat the Paw Paw Fruit!"
Kuma and Ginny were still dazed, but Riven's shout snapped them back. Kuma ignored everything else and opened his mouth to catch the flying Paw Paw Fruit.
His mouth was much bigger than Riven's. He swallowed the paw-shaped fruit whole.
Soon, a pair of adorable paw pads appeared on the Kuma's palms.