PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

"Ace, compared to him?"Whitebeard took a swig of sake, his expression softening into a rare smile before breaking into hearty laughter.

"Gurarara… Marco, Ace debuted far earlier than this Marine brat."

"This kid appeared out of nowhere, like a bamboo shoot after rain."

"If we're being honest, I wouldn't be surprised if Sengoku cooked up this Fourth Admiral story just to make the Navy look stronger—trying to cover up the damage caused by the collapse of the Warlord system."

"If we really met him… there's no need for Ace or Atesmo to lift a finger. Just the sight of our flag would probably send him running."

"Hahaha, that's right, Pops!" one of the pirates burst out. "That so-called admiral came out of thin air, hasn't got a single real battle to his name. A paper tiger—nothing to worry about!"

"Let's not forget, Captain Ace fought Fish-Man Jinbe—one of the Seven Warlords—for days and came out evenly matched!"

"And he even refused the World Government's offer to become a Warlord himself. That kind of honor is proof of absolute strength. How could some fresh-faced Navy rookie compare?!"

The entire deck burst into laughter and cheers.

Marco smiled faintly at the sight.This kind of unwavering trust—that was the essence of the will Pops always passed down.

If not for Blackbeard's betrayal, this idyllic sense of unity would never have been broken.

Yet, the thought of Teach—who'd spent decades on this ship playing the part of a nobody—still sent a faint unease through Marco's chest.

Especially now, with Shanks suddenly requesting a meeting… he could only pray nothing serious would happen.

At Marine Headquarters, inside the main command office…

Sengoku's expression was stormy.He stared at the thick stack of repair invoices on his desk, feeling like his heart was about to seize up.

When he first heard, back in Mary Geoise, that Marineford's Justice Plaza had been obliterated, he'd mentally prepared himself.

But after seeing the actual numbers—with row after row of zeros—he realized just how naïve that mental prep had been.

After the fact, both Gion and Cha Jin, candidates for admiral promotion, had expressed willingness to help cover some of the damages…But Sengoku still felt like his chest was bleeding.

He'd originally hoped to squeeze a few "donations" out of his subordinates to replenish the slush fund in case of emergency.

Now? That dream was up in smoke.

Worse still, the person responsible was Luo Yu—the one he'd gone out on a limb to protect before the Five Elders, sacrificing all his pride just to secure his position.

And now, Sengoku even had to clean up after him?

"Damn it—!!"

Sengoku's anger surged. With a thwack, he smacked Garp across the back of the head as the latter casually strolled in.

"Garp! You finally show your face?!"

"How long did you plan to keep us waiting?! Are you the Fleet Admiral or am I?! Just looking at these repair bills is enough to give me a stroke—and you show up two minutes late?! You treating me like I don't exist?!"

The thunderous roar shook the whole room, reverberating like a cannon blast.

All the other Marine officers gathered inside instinctively shrank their necks.

They knew full well that Garp could usually get away with being 10 or 20 minutes late—and Sengoku wouldn't even blink.

Now he was being chewed out over two minutes?

Clearly, Garp had just wandered into the line of fire.

"Bwahaha! Sengoku, your slaps still got bite!"Garp scratched his head like nothing had happened, plopping lazily into a chair. He pulled out a rice cracker, crunched down on it, and said:

"Relax. I know you're stressed about all the repairs, but I've got some good news—Luo Yu left on a mission."

"He's already sailed out toward Whitebeard's territory. He's finally off Marineford, out doing real fieldwork."

"No matter how good he is at causing disasters, whatever he destroys out there isn't your problem. Isn't that a blessing?"

"Sengoku, you should be happy. From now on, whenever he comes back, just send him straight out again. Keep him deployed long-term. That way, I can enjoy some peace and quiet too."

"He accepted a field mission…?"Sengoku paused, then a flicker of unease welled up in his chest.

"You're telling me he left without making any demands? No requests for a raise? No talk of performance bonuses?"

"That doesn't sound like him at all. Isn't his whole thing about salaries and hitting bonus targets?"

As the Navy's top strategist, Sengoku had long since deciphered Luo Yu's behavioral pattern.

A pathologically obsessed nine-to-five worker, fanatical about weekends, and utterly fixated on performance pay.

And now this guy just… willingly accepted an assignment?

That didn't add up.

Hearing Sengoku's concern, the officers in the room all turned subconsciously toward Garp.

Garp dug in his nose nonchalantly, then munched on another rice cracker before saying:

"Sengoku, you really are the Navy's tactical genius—figured it out that fast."

"To convince that brat to take an external mission, Tsuru had to talk his ears off."

"In the end, Luo Yu said he'd only accept the assignment if he could get a ten-million Beli bonus—if he discovered the reason behind Whitebeard and Shanks' meeting."

"Tsuru agreed for you."

"Ten million Beli?!"Sengoku collapsed into his chair like his legs gave out.

If it had been anyone else asking for a ten-million bonus, he might have laughed it off.

But the moment Luo Yu's name was attached, Sengoku felt a sharp pain lance through his heart.

"Are you all insane?!" he bellowed.

"That brat destroyed half the base just for some overtime pay and a few bonus points!"

"Now you've promised him ten million?! You're not worried he'll destroy the world for it?!"

BANG!

The doors to the office suddenly burst open.

Everyone turned.

Sengoku, mid-rant, fell silent. His face tensed as he looked at the person storming in.

It was Zephyr—and his expression was deeply unnatural.

Everyone in the room froze.

An ominous feeling settled over them.

Sengoku clenched and unclenched his fists repeatedly, trying to calm his breathing before growling through gritted teeth:

"Zephyr… Don't tell me this is about that brat again."

"You might as well speak. I'm ready. I swear no matter how bad it is, I'll stay calm. So go ahead."

"Is it about Luo Yu?"

Zephyr's stiff expression eased slightly. With a sheepish smile, he set a Den Den Mushi fax onto Sengoku's desk and said:

"Just got word from Ain. That brat was out looking for Whitebeard…"

"Then—he just happened to run into some of Kaido's men…"

"Then—Kaido just happened to call…"

"Then—he just happened to extort Kaido…"

"And finally… well, then he just happened…"