PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

"Oi, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, how much is the bounty for one of the Three Disasters?"

Though spoken in a calm tone, the voice echoed like a thunderclap across the plaza packed with thousands of pirates.

Even Ain and the others standing atop the bell tower froze.

As for the pirates in the plaza—many of whom were rugged veterans used to blood and betrayal—their expressions instantly stiffened.

After all, the Three Disasters were fearsome monsters even among the Beasts Pirates.

Most pirates, upon encountering them, would bow their heads with utmost respect, terrified that one wrong word might cost them their lives.

But now, someone had casually tossed out a line about bounty amounts—as if planning to hunt one of the Three Disasters?

If they hadn't heard it with their own ears, they'd suspect this madman was a Marine spy deliberately trying to get them all killed by dragging Kaido's wrath down upon them.

All heads turned in the direction of the voice.

And at first glance—

A collective shiver ran down the spines of every pirate present. Their eyes widened in disbelief.

They glanced at the newspapers in their hands. Then back to the man standing casually in their midst.

It was him.

The one Marine every pirate here had been searching for.

The one they thought was still days away.

Taiote Luo Yu. The new Marine Admiral.

And he had walked right into their gathering—alone and unannounced.

More terrifyingly, his first words had been about bounty values for the Three Disasters.

Was he implying he was here… to collect?

For a moment, an unnatural silence fell over the entire square. Not a sound. Not a breath.

Luo Yu stood alone, a towering calm in the center of the storm, like a crane among chickens.

He glanced down at the Den Den Mushi in his hand and frowned. All he could hear was a busy tone.

His call to Sengoku hadn't gone through.

Tsk.

He had wanted to negotiate the bounty before making a move.

Now that the call was cut off, his whole plan was ruined.

"No bounty confirmation means half-price rewards..."

Luo Yu sighed, slipped the Den Den Mushi into his coat, and said with mock exasperation:

"Could you all pretend you didn't see me? I just need to check the bounty and I'll come back."

"Check the bounty…?"

The pirates stared blankly. None of them had expected this response.

"He's scared!"

A bald pirate with a huge scar lit up, voice booming.

"He sees how many of us are here and he's afraid!"

"We've got thirty pirate crews gathered here! Ten with bounties over 100 million! Over three thousand men in total! I don't care if he's an admiral, there's no way he can take all of us!"

"Everyone, let's inform Lord Jack and then take this admiral down! This is our shot at glory!"

His shout ignited the square.

They had long embraced the rule of the seas: numbers beat strength. Gangs beat heroes.

Even a small crew of a hundred could swagger about. But now—thirty crews and thousands of men stood together!

If they all attacked at once, they could even take down a Marine base.

More importantly, if they cooperated, the spoils would be shared—no one would be left out.

Excitement surged. Greed gleamed in their eyes.

The bald ringleader's face glowed with barely suppressed delight.

Capture a Marine Admiral. What an achievement. If they pulled it off, he'd be a made man.

"This is our best chance to join the Beasts Pirates! Follow me—attack now, and show Lord Jack how serious we are!"

"Let's teach this admiral what a tide of bodies really looks like!"

"ATTACK!"

"RAAAAGH!"

A wave of frenzied roars erupted.

Weapons flashed. Blades glinted. Guns were raised.

Three thousand pirates charged forward, bloodlust and ambition burning in their eyes.

Back on the bell tower, Ain and the others had initially thought to stop Luo Yu, to convince him not to escalate things.

Now, watching the stampede below, their faces turned bitter.

They knew full well—

If it was Luo Yu chasing pirates, he'd be lazy and complain the whole time.

But if pirates came charging at him on their own—

He wouldn't leave a single coin of bounty behind. Not even lint.

"Fall back—now!" Smoker barked.

A cloud of smoke exploded from his body as his Devil Fruit ability wrapped around Ain and Tashigi, dragging them backward at speed.

But even as he retreated, Smoker couldn't help glancing back at Luo Yu.

And what he saw made his heart skip.

The bald pirate leading the charge also hesitated for a moment.

Wait—why are they retreating?

Weren't they supposed to support their admiral?

Why are they running faster than us?

"You guys really can't just wait five minutes while I check the price tag?" Luo Yu sighed, exasperated.

But as the sea of pirates rushed toward him—thousands of blades flashing—he closed his eyes.

And then, the storm came.

BOOM!!!

A terrifying burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Luo Yu's body.

Invisible yet overwhelming, it surged like a tsunami.

The first wave of pirates hadn't even raised their weapons before they felt it—something massive and crushing slamming into them.

BAM!

Thousands of pirates were hurled backward, as if struck by a Sea King.

Bodies flew.

Blood sprayed.

Within seconds, what had begun as a "human wave tactic" turned into a bloody sea tactic.

The square around Luo Yu was flattened.

Thousands of pirates lay sprawled in every direction—limbs twisted, weapons shattered, eyes rolled back.

The earth was soaked in red.

The bald pirate who had led the charge was barely conscious, half-buried in rubble, his body drenched in blood. He stared at the devastation in disbelief.

One strike.

One outburst.

Thousands of pirates—gone.

So this was the power of a Marine Admiral.

No—this was a level of strength that numbers simply could not challenge.

Meanwhile, at the western dock of Uss Island—

Jack the Drought was lounging casually, awaiting news.

But the moment the explosion hit, his eyes snapped open.

His gaze turned sharply toward the southern dock.

"Ulti! What was that?" he growled.

Ulti, standing beside him, had also been startled. But before she could answer, the Den Den Mushi in her hand began to vibrate.

A faxed message slid out from its mouth.

"Lord Jack, intelligence update. Marine Admiral Taiote Luo Yu has appeared—he's at the southern dock."

Jack's bloodshot eyes lit up. He stood abruptly, voice booming with excitement.

"So… he's finally here?"

"If he didn't show up soon, I was ready to go knock on Marineford's door myself."

"But now he's walked into our net…"

Jack sneered, cracking his knuckles.

"Let's show him what the Beasts Pirates are made of."

"Just like Brother Queen said: bait the snake from its hole—and crush it when it shows itself!"

"To arms! We move out!"

Jack surged forward like a charging beast.

Hundreds of his men followed behind him with wild grins, blades drawn and hearts pounding.

To them, following one of Kaido's top commanders was already the ultimate privilege.

But now—now they were marching straight toward a chance at history.