PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

A faint voice drifted across the sea, carried by the wind.

The distance between the two enormous ships steadily decreased.

Whether it was the pirates on deck or the Marines—

Both sides were left staring at each other, completely dumbfounded.

They had imagined many possible developments upon meeting.

But they had never expected Luo Yu to open with such a blatantly insane statement.

This was Whitebeard's territory, after all.

And they were Marines.

Two factions diametrically opposed—like fire and water.

Yet Luo Yu's very first words were: "Take me to see Whitebeard."

If that wasn't handing yourself over to the enemy, what was?

"Admiral Luo Yu! Just for ten million performance points—don't you think this is going a bit too far?" Gion suddenly panicked.

A moment ago, she had doubted whether her own assumptions were ridiculous.

Now, she realized—when it came to Luo Yu, the most ridiculous things always seemed to happen.

At her side, Cha Jin visibly tensed. No longer content to remain in the background, he quickly stepped forward.

"Atmos, it's been a long time. This is our new Marine admiral. We're only here in the Sicilian Sea on a routine patrol—no other intentions. What Admiral Luo Yu just said... that was just a joke. Don't take it seriously."

As candidates for the position of admiral, both Cha Jin and Gion bore the duty of monitoring the Four Emperors.

Frictions with the commanders of the Emperors' crews were inevitable.

Anywhere else, they wouldn't be afraid.

But this was Whitebeard's home ground. And that made all the difference.

If they ended up facing the full fury of the Whitebeard Pirates—Even one of the other Four Emperors might not be able to withstand it.

"Cha Jin, shut your mouth! Whether he's a new admiral or an old one—anyone who dares disrespect the Whitebeard Pirates, dares to call Pops by name, must pay the price!"

The towering man known as Water Buffalo Atmos roared furiously.

"I'll make sure your new admiral understands—the might of a Yonko is not to be taken lightly!"

BOOM!

With a powerful stomp, Atmos's massive frame exploded with strength, shaking the deck violently.

Harnessing the force, he launched himself like a cannonball toward Luo Yu.

With a twist of his arms, two large gleaming broadswords appeared in his hands, sweeping down with terrifying force.

His body—thick and powerful like a raging water buffalo—only added to the explosive momentum.

Despite his massive size, his speed showed no signs of sluggishness.

In the blink of an eye, the distance of dozens of meters vanished.

The sudden attack jolted everyone to their core.

Whether Marine or pirate, all eyes snapped toward the confrontation.

At the same time, the pirates behind Atmos—his trusted subordinates—locked their gazes on the two Marine admiral candidates behind Luo Yu, their hands tightening on their weapons.

With their captain Atmos taking the lead, they had no fear of this so-called paper tiger admiral.

But if they had to face three opponents at once...

No matter how much faith they had in Atmos's strength—

Even they weren't sure he could take on three top officers at once.

Yet just as that thought surfaced—

The next scene shattered all their expectations.

"Everyone fall back! Don't get accidentally blasted by Admiral Luo Yu!"

Cha Jin shouted in alarm as he and Gion leapt backward in retreat.

They had considered stepping in to help.

But Luo Yu had stood motionless this whole time.

Would their intervention really make a difference?

As the deck cleared in the blink of an eye, Atmos was stunned.

He hadn't expected Gion and the others to retreat as if fleeing from a plague.

But at this point, there was no turning back.

Luo Yu stood there—still motionless—as if frozen in shock.

Atmos let out a thunderous roar, his muscles bulging like granite. The aura of his broadswords surged to its peak as they came crashing down.

"You brat! You call yourself an admiral? If you die here, it's your own fault for being too weak to even dodge!"

BOOM!!!

The twin blades slammed down like thunder, shaking the sea with a deafening impact.

The explosive shockwave surged outward like a hurricane.

Yet Luo Yu—

Still stood there.

Unmoved.

Untouched.

The pupils of every pirate on deck shrank. Their eyes went wide in disbelief.

He blocked it.

That earth-shattering slash had been caught—By the radiant golden arms of a Thousand-Hand Guanyin.

Even Atmos's expression shifted dramatically.

That strike had been a probe—true. He hadn't used his full strength.

But it was more than enough to bisect a sea king tens of meters long.

And yet it was caught without even a flick of the wrist?

The contrast was too much to accept.

Especially when the gentle, serene visage of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin before them… felt completely at odds with the arrogance of the man who summoned it.

"So... it's a Devil Fruit ability?" Atmos's face darkened. "No wonder you're so full of yourself—you're an ability user."

"But don't think you're special. You're not the only one with powers. Let me show you the strength of a Whitebeard division commander!"

ROAR!!!

Atmos let out a bestial bellow as the armor on his upper body shattered apart.

Coarse, black hair burst from his body like steel wires.

In a heartbeat, he transformed—A bull-headed beast, with horns curling from his skull.

The power of the Ox-Ox Fruit: Model Water Buffalo—a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.

As the 13th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—nicknamed the Water Buffalo—this was the source of his fearsome reputation.

His already enormous frame swelled even further.

Twin blades in hand, he slashed down once more—This time, the sound of the air splitting echoed like a chain of firecrackers.

"You damn brat—let me tear apart that paper tiger façade!"

"Oh?" Luo Yu smiled faintly, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses.

"So it seems a peaceful negotiation is off the table, huh? You won't take me to see Whitebeard willingly."

"In that case... let me show you—even a paper tiger bites when it's pushed too far."

BOOOOOOOM!!!

Luo Yu's dormant Conqueror's Haki erupted like a volcano.

Under the control of his willpower, the violent force surged like a tidal wave, crashing directly toward Atmos.

The surrounding pirates, as members of a Yonko crew, instantly recognized what it was.

But what puzzled them was this:

Wasn't Conqueror's Haki only effective as a mental shockwave when projected outward?

He was planning to block their captain's overwhelming slash with that?

Had this newly appointed admiral lost his mind?

Even Atmos was momentarily taken aback—