PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

"Fake CP0?"

Ulti froze on the spot.

She hadn't expected that—not at all.

In all her time, the moment someone uttered "CP0," it was like dropping a bomb—instant authority, unquestioned obedience.

But Luo Yu had just… dismissed it outright.

Like it meant nothing.

Even Smoker and the others were momentarily stunned. This wording… felt eerily familiar. A certain memory bubbled up in their minds.

Then—

"Grab me and don't let go!" Smoker suddenly roared."Smoke Tunnel!"

Boom!

Smoke erupted from his body like a volcanic blast.

Using the backdraft propulsion of his Logia ability, he grabbed Tashigi and Ain and rocketed a hundred meters away in an instant.

If this had been before his time with Luo Yu, Smoker would never have believed his Smoke-Smoke Fruit could be used like… an escape pod.

But the memory of what had happened last time someone falsely claimed to be CP0 in front of Luo Yu—

That still made his spine go cold.

Ulti stood dazed, watching Smoker's trio vanish in a puff of mist and wind. An unsettling premonition gripped her as she turned to face Luo Yu.

Surely her Phantom Fox Charm ability would protect her, right?

That thought had barely formed when—

BOOM!!

A wave of Conqueror's Haki surged forward like a crashing tsunami.

Under its sheer pressure, Ulti felt like she had been rammed by a hundred-meter-long Sea King.

PFFT!

Blood spurted from her mouth as her body blasted backward like a cannonball, smashing into the ground hundreds of meters away.

The impact was so intense it shattered the thick bedrock beneath her, forming a massive crater.

Dust and debris rained down as Ulti lay there, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief. Her limbs twitched slightly… and then stilled.

Even to her dying breath, one question echoed in her mind:

Was I not pretty enough?

Why are even pretty girls not spared?

And why does CP0 never work on this guy?!

"Admiral Luo Yu… was that really necessary?" Ain murmured, twitching as she stared at the dust-covered figure of Ulti, embedded in the crater like a smashed porcelain doll.

She remembered how they had all been mentally paralyzed, their willpower overridden, unable to attack this woman.

But Luo Yu… had zero hesitation.

Brutal. Efficient. Unapologetic.

"Why not?" Luo Yu replied, taking a swig from his crude liquor gourd.

"I go through all this trouble to catch a high-value target…"

"And then some random jumps in, claims to be CP0, and tries to take him?"

"Why should I bother next time?"

He smirked and added:

"Besides, I'm still just a rookie. I don't know who's who."

"Anyway, I'm clocking out. You guys handle the rest."

And with that, he turned and walked off, leaving behind a stunned trio of Marines.

Smoker, Ain, and Tashigi stood frozen.

"Only Luo Yu… only he could use being a 'rookie' as an excuse to beat the crap out of CP0."

They turned back toward Jack and Ulti, now unconscious or incapacitated.

Somehow, it felt like this wasn't the end—only the beginning.

What will the Navy Headquarters say about this?

Marine Headquarters, Strategy Hall.

The air was tense.

With the impending confrontation involving Blackbeard and the handover of Portgas D. Ace—the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—the Navy was preparing for potential war.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku had held multiple high-level strategy meetings in anticipation of the fallout.

But now…

The room had been silenced by one single moment.

The phone transponder snail in Sengoku's hand had been crushed to bits.

Everyone stared at the mess in stunned disbelief.

A chill crept into the room.

"That call… was from Admiral Luo Yu, wasn't it?" asked Tsuru, her brows furrowed.

As Chief of Staff, Tsuru was rarely shaken.

But this? This was different.

Ever since Luo Yu had been granted the rank of admiral under special circumstances, Sengoku had shown a… strange sensitivity to anything involving him.

Sengoku exhaled, then said in a low voice:

"Yes, it was him. That brat again."

"Every time he calls, it's never for anything good. It's making my nerves fray."

"He just casually asked me: 'Hey, what's the bounty on the Three Calamities?'… and I couldn't take it. I crushed the damn phone."

"The Three Calamities?" Tsuru blinked.

Then it hit her.

"The only ones called Calamities on this sea… are Kaido's top three officers."

"And I recall Luo Yu had a recent scuffle with the Beasts Pirates."

"Didn't he also have one of the Flying Six locked up on his ship—still not delivered to Impel Down?"

She turned sharply toward Sengoku.

"Do you think he… actually encountered one of the Three Calamities?"

Sengoku's face darkened.

"The Calamities are no joke. Each of them has a bounty of at least a billion—because of how deeply they've mastered their Devil Fruits."

"They're not just muscle—they're monsters."

Vice Admiral Dalmatian—who had been silent—couldn't hold back.

"Fleet Admiral! You don't think Luo Yu could handle it?"

He had personally seen Luo Yu crush Weevil like swatting a fly. In his heart, Luo Yu was practically a living myth already.

Sengoku shook his head.

"No. I'm not saying he's weak."

"Even if he can't beat a Calamity outright, there's no way they can take him down either."

"But here's the thing… with the Whitebeard Pirates stirring and Blackbeard lurking, we can't risk provoking Kaido too."

"If Luo Yu keeps clashing with the Beasts Pirates, it's only a matter of time before Kaido makes a move."

"I'm planning to have Luo Yu pull back for now. Let's finish the Ace situation first."

Tsuru nodded in agreement.

"The call just came in a few minutes ago. We should try contacting Luo Yu again—before anything goes south."

She looked around—and then locked eyes with Garp.

Besides Sengoku, only Garp had a personal transponder link to Luo Yu.

But as soon as she looked…

Her heart skipped a beat.

Garp scratched his head and casually tossed a fax onto the table.

"Ah, the brat sent me this just now."

Everyone leaned in.

Sengoku snatched it up.

There was just one sentence on it:

"Target secured. Bounty, please. No need to reply."

Everyone in the room:

"..."