PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

The vast battlefield was suddenly wrapped in a dead silence.

Everyone stood frozen, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Had Blackbeard not been boasting so arrogantly just moments earlier, no one would've felt such a crushing contrast.

But the reality before them now…

It felt like reality itself had slapped Blackbeard across the face.

Just moments ago, he had claimed his power could nullify any Devil Fruit ability.

Now, those bold words hung awkwardly in the air as Luo Yu's golden shield of light had utterly withstood the Dark-Dark Fruit's supposed supremacy.

And even more terrifying—

That Thousand-Hand Guanyin forming behind Luo Yu…

It wasn't just an ability—it felt like a direct blow to the soul.

"Blackbeard... is this the reason you forced me into overtime?"

Luo Yu turned, his expression calm as ever, gazing at the utterly stunned Blackbeard.

"I didn't want Fleet Admiral Sengoku to pay me another round of bonuses."

"But since you insist on handing yourself over, I guess I'll accept… begrudgingly."

Then he turned toward Smoker and the others.

"Smoker, you're my witnesses—it was Blackbeard who attacked first."

Smoker and Tashigi stood dumbfounded.

Even when facing a would-be Warlord like Blackbeard… Luo Yu was still thinking about performance pay?

"Damn it… damn it!"

"This bastard's been baiting Blackbeard from the very start!" Spandine's face went pale.

The memory of the last time Luo Yu called him a fake CP0 and beat him to a pulp—it was still fresh in his mind.

If Blackbeard lost here…

He, Spandine, might not live to escape either.

"Blackbeard! I told you! The brat's a trickster! Don't treat him like an ordinary opponent—RUN! Run while you still can!"

Spandine's desperate scream echoed.

Blackbeard's face turned purple with rage.

He nearly cursed Spandine's entire family.

You couldn't have said that five minutes ago!?

Now, the situation had spiraled out of control.

Blackbeard gritted his teeth.

He still didn't know why his Devil Fruit power had failed—but with everything in motion, there was no turning back.

"Dark Water Shock!!" he roared.

"—Rage."

Luo Yu uttered a single word.

At once, the Thousand-Hand Guanyin surrounding him shifted.

The golden hue turned blood crimson, and its fierce Vajra face ignited with wrath.

A storm of crimson fists erupted from behind him like a downpour, raining down on Blackbeard with terrifying speed.

Blackbeard jerked back instinctively, using his own Devil Fruit's repulsion to recoil.

Yes, his Dark-Dark Fruit granted the ability to nullify others' powers…

But the price?

He couldn't turn into an elemental form—and physical attacks caused double damage.

And those fists…

If they landed full-force?

He was finished.

"Dark Hole Devour!!"

Blackbeard roared again.

He unleashed his full power.

His arms twisted in the air, summoning a massive black vortex before him.

It sucked in dozens of Luo Yu's crimson fists.

But—

The more fists it absorbed, the more unstable the vortex became.

Until finally—

BOOM!!

A massive shockwave erupted.

Blackbeard was blasted backward like a rag doll.

He slammed violently into the main mast of his raft.

CRACK!!

The mast shattered like dry wood.

Blackbeard rolled onto the deck, blood pouring from his mouth.

"Captain, are you kidding right now!?"

Jesus Burgess wiped blood from his face, looking stunned.

"Why isn't his Devil Fruit ability being nullified!?"

"We're supposed to be using this Navy Admiral to make our name known across the Grand Line!"

"You can't be pulling your punches!"

He remembered their battle with Ace clearly.

Blackbeard's powers had repeatedly suppressed Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit until they'd finally captured him.

But now—

That same strategy was failing completely.

The man in front of them was also a newcomer…

But their tricks just didn't work.

Blackbeard's jaw clenched. His facial muscles twitched with frustration.

Looking at Luo Yu, now fully cloaked in the raging crimson Guanyin…

He couldn't deny it—something was deeply wrong.

But as a seasoned schemer and pirate lord, he quickly made his call.

"Burgess, Lafitte—don't panic."

"I was just holding back to gauge his power."

"But now… it's time to fight for real!"

He forced himself to stand up, blood still dripping from his lips.

Then he spread his fingers wide, and his Devil Fruit's energy surged again.

"Let me show you my strongest attack."

"Dark Abyss Path!!"

BOOOOOM!!

A monstrous tide of blackness burst out from Blackbeard with nothing held back.

All the matter he had previously absorbed—

Weapons, debris, wreckage—exploded back outward.

The sea itself seemed to roar.

The blackness engulfed the sky, rising like a volcanic eruption and falling toward Luo Yu like judgment day.

Smoker and the others turned pale.

"This darkness… it's consuming everything!!"

Blackbeard's voice echoed again:

"Let's see if you can withstand this."

"You're not walking away this time, kid!"

The massive raft beneath Blackbeard was now swallowed entirely by darkness.

Burgess, Lafitte, and the others felt their fighting spirit rekindle.

"Captain, you're finally going all out! When do we strike again!?"

But hidden in the shadows, Spandine's nerves were pulled taut like wire.

Was Blackbeard really about to turn this around?

That fleeting thought barely crossed his mind when suddenly—

Blackbeard did something shocking.

He spun around.

One hand grabbed the edge of the raft.

The other—

Pointed at the sea.

"Strike again? Are you idiots blind!?"

"That Marine Admiral is bluffing! If we don't retreat now, what are we waiting for? For him to tear through our darkness and crush us!?"

As his words echoed—

Blackbeard released another blast of darkness beneath the raft.

A powerful backblast surged outward, launching the massive vessel away from the battlefield like a jet.

On the deck, Burgess and the others were stunned.

Even Ace was speechless.

Only now did they finally understand.

All the setup…

All the attacks…

All the shouting…

Blackbeard was never planning to win.

He was buying time to escape.