PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

BANG!

Sengoku's teacup shattered in his grip.

His facial muscles twitched uncontrollably at Luo Yu's ever-consistent obsession with "performance bonuses."

So much for hope and heroism… you bring up money, and the mask falls right off.

"You brat," Sengoku scolded with a fierce glare, "Can't you act like a pillar of justice for just one moment before shouting 'pay raise' again?"

Still, he exhaled slowly and continued:

"But fine. Since this concerns the Navy Headquarters' survival and the odds of waging war against two Yonko at once…"

"If you hadn't asked for more pay, I might've worried you weren't taking it seriously."

"That said, you should know our financials are tight right now. At most, we can allocate 20 million Berries per special combatant. That's already pushing our limit."

"I hope you can understand."

Twenty million per person?

Luo Yu's eyebrow twitched, but he laughed and raised his clay wine jug.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, honestly, I thought you were going to offer me ten million per head."

"Didn't expect twenty million off the bat—that's some rare generosity."

"Anyway, it's getting late. These boring meetings are better left to you lot. I've got people to find."

With that, he turned and left without lingering.

The gathered Marines watched him go, stunned for a second by his casual departure.

They exchanged glances—but none looked uneasy.

Luo Yu had never once said exactly who these "special combatants" were…

…but just as Sengoku said, the moment Taiote Luo Yu asked for extra pay?

That meant the deal was sealed.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku…" Vice Admiral Doll finally broke the silence, still seated stiffly, "Do you really think he can find eight or nine of them?"

Meanwhile, in the shadows of Marineford…

The Navy's highest-level emergency meeting had drawn attention from spies buried deep within HQ.

And now, those agents—placed by the Four Emperors themselves—sprang into action.

Even if it cost them their lives, they would get the information out.

Because this was the moment they'd all been planted for.

New World — Beehive Island

The Whitebeard Pirates' stronghold.Feared across the seas, a forbidden zone none dared enter lightly.

Now, the massive Moby Dick was anchored at the dock.

Whitebeard sat on deck, gripping a freshly delivered intel report.

His face had darkened to the extreme.

"Old man, the report…""Is it true that Ace was defeated by Teach?" asked Diamond Jozu, unable to hold back.

The others stood tensely, watching with apprehension.

CRACK!

Whitebeard crushed the ship's wooden railing in his grip.

His white hair whipped in an unseen wind as his voice roared like a storm:

"Damn that Teach! Not only did he betray my trust and murder a crewmate…"

"He's now traded Ace to the World Government in exchange for a damn Warlord title! That's a slap to the face of everything we stand for!"

"I'll kill him with my own hands!"

BOOM!

His Conqueror's Haki exploded like a thunderclap, roaring into the skies.

All present wore expressions of dread—none dared speak.

They'd already considered the worst after Luo Yu left their ship.

But this outcome…

…was worse than even their darkest fears.

Had Ace still been in Blackbeard's hands, they could have mounted a direct rescue.

But now? Blackbeard had handed him over to the World Government.

To rescue Ace now would mean…

declaring war on the Navy Headquarters.

The stakes could not be higher.

And the Navy—well, no one could take them lightly.

"Old man… what do we do now?" asked Izo, breaking the silence.

Jozu followed quickly:

"Old man, just say the word."

"All of us here are ready to die. If it means declaring war, none of us will flinch."

Everyone nodded in silent agreement.

But Whitebeard remained grim. Torn.

As a father, Ace's life mattered.But the lives of every single one of his sons mattered too.

They claimed to be ready—but how could he gamble all their lives?

"We can go to war with the Navy," a voice cut in.

It was Marco, speaking for the first time.

"You remember that Marine Admiral who boarded our ship? Taiote Luo Yu?"

"He's the one who handled the transaction with Blackbeard."

"He's also the one who defeated Jack the Drought from the Beasts Pirates and sent both him and Ace to Impel Down."

"With how Kaido operates, he won't let this go either."

"So if we declare war, Kaido will almost certainly jump in too—he'll see this as a perfect opportunity to strike."

"At that point, the Navy would be fighting two Yonko at once."

"That's actually good for us."

"But—here's the catch: the intel says Sengoku is planning for this."

"Not only has he issued the Warlord mobilization order…"

"He's also allowing Admiral Luo Yu to recruit special combat forces from across the seas."

"We don't know who they are yet. But whatever he's planning—if we had that info, we might've been able to copy the same strategy."

The words hung heavily in the air.

Everyone was shaken.

To challenge the Navy was already madness.

Now they claimed they'd fight two Yonko simultaneously?

That wasn't brave—it was lunacy.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, none of them would've believed it.

"Two Yonko… at once?" Whitebeard's eyes narrowed.

Then he threw back his head and laughed.

"Gurararara! That damn Sengoku—still as crazy as ever!"

"But I suppose he's lucky. If it weren't for that arrogant little brat Luo Yu, he wouldn't have the guts to make such a move."

"Well then…"

"Since he's gone all in—so will we."

"It's time to shake the heavens with war!"

"Send out the order! The Whitebeard Pirates declare war on the Navy Headquarters!"

"Let's see if Kaido has the guts to follow suit!"