PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

"Take the admiral and run! Quickly!"

Smoker froze.

He hadn't expected Ace, the enemy, to be the one shouting such a warning.

Neither had the Marines around him. For a moment, everyone just stood there, caught off guard by the fiery outburst.

"Hurry! Get out of here before it's too late!" Ace barked again, more urgently.

If it had been anyone else, he would've stayed silent. But anything involving Blackbeard—anything connected to betrayal and justice—he couldn't ignore. Not even now.

"Hahaha! Captain Ace, so what if you warn them?" Blackbeard bellowed with twisted glee. "Once I've marked someone, even with wings, they can't fly away!"

"But don't worry… the Warlord title is already in the bag. You Marines? You're just stepping stones on my path to fame. I won't kill you."

With a manic laugh, Blackbeard unleashed the power dormant within him—the Dark-Dark Fruit exploded into action.

As always, Blackbeard lived by one rule: "A real man knows when to bend and when to strike."If he couldn't win, he'd bow his head.But if he could…He'd crush everything in his way without hesitation.

"Let me show you the strongest Devil Fruit power!"

"Dark Surge!"

BOOM!

A pitch-black tide erupted from his body like a crashing wave, surging toward the Marine battleship like a devouring abyss.

On deck, Smoker's face paled.

"Tashigi! Alert Admiral Luo Yu immediately! Blackbeard is provoking Marine justice itself—I'll hold him off!"

With a roar, Smoker activated his Smoke-Smoke Fruit, erupting in a storm of swirling white vapor.

His mist collided with the dark surge midair.

Black versus white. Light against shadow.

The sea split in half.

A deafening shockwave blasted in all directions.

For a brief moment, Smoker's smoke held its ground.

But then—

Crack—

The white mist shattered like glass, completely overwhelmed by the crushing dark tide.

Black waves surged forward like a dam had broken, crashing toward the warship.

Smoker's face went deathly pale.

He'd thought that following the new admiral had made him stronger.

He hadn't expected to be completely outclassed.

Gritting his teeth, he prepared to make a last-ditch stand—

"Heh… So another rare Logia-type user?" Blackbeard mocked.

"But compared to Ace, you're not even close."

He raised his hand.

A swirling black vortex appeared around his fingers.

"Black Vortex!"

With a sudden grip, an invisible force seized Smoker's body.

His head buzzed violently—like something was ripping his soul out.

The power of his Devil Fruit vanished instantly.

His body was yanked toward Blackbeard like a rag doll.

Before anyone could react—

"Oi… Blackbeard… You trying to force me to work overtime?"

BOOOOM!!!

An overwhelming burst of Conqueror's Haki slammed down like thunder.

It struck the dark tide head-on, not yielding an inch.

The air split with a roar as the black tsunami met the invisible force of will.

The impact rocked the sky itself.

The tsunami shattered like paper beneath the force of Luo Yu's Haki.

The resulting shockwave flipped Blackbeard's entire raft, sending him and his crew flying.

Icy seawater poured down like a monsoon, extinguishing their rising momentum in an instant.

As they sputtered in the waves—

A lone figure stepped calmly onto the Marine deck.

White coat billowing in the breeze.

Not a trace of injury.

Luo Yu.

"Wasn't he supposed to be badly wounded from his fight with Jack?""Didn't CP0 say Admiral Kizaru was stepping in because Luo Yu was incapacitated?"

But there he stood—perfectly fine. In fact, more imposing than ever.

"Is that… really the Navy's Fourth Admiral?" Ace muttered, stabilizing himself.

He stared.

This man was his age.

He'd heard his name whispered dozens of times. Even compared to his own.

At first, he'd scoffed. How strong could this 'rookie admiral' really be?

But now…

Even after a battle with Jack…

Even after being ambushed by Blackbeard…

He still looked untouchable.

"Captain… what do we do? Do we retreat?" Burgess whispered, face ghost-white.

That Conqueror's Haki wasn't just terrifying—it left an aftershock in their minds.

They all knew—when that kind of force appeared suddenly in battle, just a moment of hesitation could mean death.

Blackbeard's face darkened, eyes twitching.

That one strike had shaken him.

He hadn't expected Luo Yu to appear this strong.

Suddenly—

"Blackbeard Teach!" a raspy voice called out.

Everyone turned.

It was Ulti—tied up, beaten, bloodied.

Still alive.

"The guy's just putting on a show!" she screamed. "Yesterday's battle with Lord Jack drained him dry! There's no way he's recovered this fast!"

"This is your chance! Strike him down now while he's weak!"

Hidden in the shadows, Spandine's pupils constricted.

He knew exactly who Ulti was.

She'd been the one who leaked Jack's ambush location.

He'd been wondering why she never checked in afterward.

Now he knew—Luo Yu had captured her too.

Had she not revealed she was CP0?

Or worse… had Luo Yu let her speak on purpose?

A chill ran down Spandine's spine.

Ulti's gag—the same model used on Jack—had somehow come off.

Did Luo Yu remove it deliberately?

Was he trying to provoke Blackbeard into a fight he couldn't win?

Was this entire confrontation… a trap?

And if so…

Then Blackbeard was walking willingly into a cage.