PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

As Luo Yu hung up the Den Den Mushi, a chill crept down the spines of both pirates and Marines still lingering amidst the wreckage.

Everyone stared at the young Marine admiral before them as if they'd seen a ghost.

All for the sake of a ten-million Beli performance bonus, not only had he torn face with a Yonko faction…

He had even gone so far as to extort Kaido himself through a direct call!

If that wasn't asking for death, what was?

"Well then, we got lucky today," Luo Yu said, pocketing the Den Den Mushi and adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses. "We've already found Whitebeard's whereabouts. If I recall, we're not far from Sicilian Island—should only take us half a day to reach it."

"Why are you all standing there like statues? Get moving. If we waste time and they flee, I might have to call Kaido again."

Call Kaido again?!

Gion and the others snapped out of their stupor, faces full of bitter resignation.

They genuinely believed that if they failed to find Whitebeard, Luo Yu would call Kaido again—like it was just a routine follow-up.

"Admiral Luo Yu… is that ten-million bonus really worth it?" Gion asked with a helpless smile.

The others glanced at Luo Yu as well.

Luo Yu took a long swig from a bottle of grain liquor and grinned. "Maybe not for you. But for a proper working man? Doing whatever it takes to hit that performance quota… that's the rule of survival."

"Well then—it's 9:03 now. Tea break time. I'll leave the cleanup to you guys."

He turned and casually boarded the ship, his calm, breezy demeanor making everyone around him twitch.

In their eyes, Luo Yu only ever showed emotion when salary or performance bonuses were involved.

"Admiral Luo Yu, what about him?" Koby suddenly asked.

Everyone's eyes shifted to the figure still half-buried in the wrecked ship—Sheepshead.

"Him?" Luo Yu paused. "As a Marine admiral, I must stand by my word. Kaido did provide me intel, so I won't kill him."

Hidden beneath the rubble, Sheepshead cracked one eye open, a flicker of joy on his battered face.

After those two devastating blows, his arms and ribs had been shattered. He thought he was done for.

He never expected that hope would suddenly appear at the brink of despair.

"But," Luo Yu added lightly, "I only said I wouldn't act. I never said you all couldn't."

"That guy has a bounty of 180 million Beli. Not a small military merit. Whoever wants it, just remember to treat me to a drink afterward."

The casual tone of his words made Sheepshead's body go rigid again.

Then he erupted in rage.

"Damn you Marines! How dare you mock the Beasts Pirates! Kaido-sama will never let you off!"

Clenching his jaw against the pain, Sheepshead turned and tried to flee again.

Cha Jin sighed bitterly. "Vice Admiral Gion, things have gone this far. Let's just bring him back. A little credit is still better than nothing."

"At the very least, when Marshal Sengoku hears about this, maybe he'll scold us a bit less…"

Gion nodded reluctantly.

She watched Luo Yu vanish aboard the warship, but unease stirred deep in her chest.

"Cha Jin," she said quietly, "if I remember right, Admiral Luo Yu has to uncover the true reason behind Whitebeard and Shanks' meeting to earn that ten-million bonus, right?"

"If we're being honest… that's basically an impossible task."

"I just have a bad feeling about it. For the sake of that bonus, he might end up doing something insane again…"

Cha Jin's steps froze. A chill crept over him, and his face went pale.

"Let's report all of this to Marshal Sengoku first. Maybe that'll save us some blame!"

Meanwhile, in the Sicilian Sea…

A massive pirate ship shaped like a whale sat anchored in the calm waters.

Upon its open-air deck, Whitebeard, pierced with infusion tubes, sat like a king upon his custom-built chair, guzzling a jug of alcohol.

"Marco," he rumbled, "what's going on? That brat Shanks hasn't arrived yet?"

"If he hadn't said he was coming personally, I wouldn't be wasting my time waiting for some snot-nosed junior."

As the foremost Yonko, and one of the few beings who once stood shoulder to shoulder with the Pirate King Roger, Whitebeard still saw Shanks—no matter how strong—as the apprentice who once served on Roger's ship.

If not for Roger's legacy, he would never have agreed to this meeting.

Standing nearby, Marco glanced at the surveillance Den Den Mushi and replied, "Pops, they're about 70 nautical miles away. Should be here in under half a day."

"But... according to intel from our eyes in the sea, not only are ships from Big Mom's and Kaido's crews spotted nearby—there's also a Marine warship tailing us. Seems like it's carrying the newly appointed Fourth Admiral, Taiote Luo Yu."

"Should we deal with them?"

"Marine's Fourth Admiral?" Whitebeard raised a brow, then snorted coldly.

"Looks like this meeting between me and that brat Shanks has stirred the whole sea."

"But that old fossil Sengoku… if he thinks sending some greenhorn brat can uncover our purpose here, then either he's lost his mind, or he's underestimating the Whitebeard Pirates far too much."

"Since they've all come, Marco, send some of our men to drive back Big Mom and Kaido's people."

"And inform Atesmo on patrol. If that new Marine admiral shows up, drive him out immediately. Use force if necessary. He needs to understand—some waters are forbidden to the Navy."

His deep voice brooked no argument.

Marco didn't object. He immediately signaled to his men to relay the orders down the chain.

In their eyes, this was Whitebeard's territory.

Even if Sengoku himself came, he would still have to play by their rules.

Otherwise, they would unleash the might of the Whitebeard Pirates—a force of 100,000 elite warriors—upon him.

As the orders rippled outward, Marco's eyes fell upon a copy of the World Economic Journal placed nearby.

On the front page, a massive headline read:

"Marine's New Fourth Admiral: Taiote Luo Yu"

Marco chuckled. "Pops, this new admiral looks about the same age as Ace. If Ace were here, maybe it would've been better to let him handle it."

"At least then, the world would know—among the younger generation, the strongest Supernova… is still part of the Whitebeard Pirates."