PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

The voice wasn't loud, but on the vast deck of the Moby Dick, it echoed clearly.

Marco and the others, who had just been smiling, immediately froze.The light-hearted atmosphere evaporated, replaced by an oppressive silence.

All eyes shifted toward Atmos.

Even Shanks, standing off to the side, looked visibly stunned.

In a setting like this, where two Emperors of the Sea were meeting, a Marine admiral being escorted as a captive wasn't considered particularly shocking—it simply meant he'd been bested.

But barging in on his own?

Wasn't that just suicide?

And to reveal it at such a critical moment?

If this was true, wasn't it equivalent to sticking out your neck and asking Whitebeard to cut it?

"Atmos… tell me right now—what's going on!" Whitebeard's expression darkened as he roared.

Atmos, who was usually simple and honest, suddenly understood what it meant to be in the center of attention. The pressure felt like walking on a tightrope over a volcano.

But at a moment like this, he couldn't afford to hesitate. Gritting his teeth, he spoke hoarsely,"F-Father… I underestimated him. I was careless and got taken down in two moves—sent flying straight into the sea."

"He had every chance to kill me, but he chose to spare my life and even had his men save me. Out of gratitude… I brought him here."

"I've already made it clear, though—he lives or dies by his own luck!"

Two moves?

Everyone's expression shifted.

Atmos was indeed a bit slow-witted, but it was precisely because of this that no one thought he was lying or joking.

He was one of the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates' thirteen divisions—and he'd been defeated in just two moves in a direct confrontation?

If they hadn't heard it from his own mouth, no one would have believed it.

This was the so-called paper tiger admiral they had all been mocking just moments ago?

"You… saved Atmos?" Whitebeard's face turned completely dark, and in the next moment—Boom!

A violent surge of Conqueror's Haki exploded outward like a hurricane, tearing through the deck.

The shockwave slammed toward Luo Yu, shaking the entire Moby Dick.

Marines who had only just recovered from the earlier burst of Shanks' Haki and retreated over a hundred meters were immediately knocked unconscious.

Only a few seasoned pirates with strong wills remained standing.

Seeing Whitebeard, radiating this overwhelming force while seated on his throne-like chair, the pride on the faces of the Whitebeard Pirates became palpable.

"As expected of Pops… His Conqueror's Haki might be slightly inferior to Shanks' in terms of physical impact, but it's more than enough to crush the weak and remind the world what it means to be a Yonko," Vista said proudly.

But as he looked at Luo Yu—who stood at the heart of the blast, seemingly frozen—Vista sneered.

"What's the matter, brat? Frozen in fear? I heard you have Conqueror's Haki too, one in a million… but between kings, there's still a chasm. Don't crumble now."

"On this sea, other than Shanks, no one else dares flaunt their Haki before Pops!"

"A chasm? Flaunting?" Luo Yu adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, nodding slowly. "You're right, Vista. I've seen plenty of ordinary Conqueror's Haki."

"But mine? Well… I'd say it's a bit extraordinary."

"I too wield Conqueror's Haki."

Boom!

As the words left his mouth, the Conqueror's Haki coiled deep within Luo Yu's body erupted—like a volcano bursting forth with uncontainable force.

The moment it surged out of him, it clashed violently with Whitebeard's, like colliding stormfronts.

With the precise control granted by his psychokinetic abilities, Luo Yu manipulated his Haki down to every nuance.

If Whitebeard's mastery over Conqueror's Haki was at level five—Then Luo Yu's was a perfect ten.

He may have lacked the quantity born from decades of refinement,But quality—wielded at the right moment—was enough to tear through anything.

The wave of Haki blasted forward like a mountain collapsing into the sea—and tore Whitebeard's own Haki to shreds.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Centered around Luo Yu, the deck exploded outward.

Massive cracks split the reinforced floorboards as though an invisible force had clawed them open.A great ravine tore across the deck straight toward Whitebeard.

It was a surreal scene—Haki so powerful it caused physical destruction, visible to the naked eye.

Everyone's pupils shrank. Their throats clenched in disbelief.

This completely overturned their understanding of what Conqueror's Haki could do.

Vista, who had been running his mouth moments ago, wanted nothing more than to slap himself.

Of all the things to brag about, that had to be the one to backfire.

Watching the destructive force tearing toward Whitebeard, Atmos urgently shouted,"Father! Be careful! His Haki has real shockwave impact! That's what I underestimated—what brought me down!"

"Real impact?" Marco and the others froze.

They'd only just begun to sense something off—but now that Atmos pointed it out, the truth was clear.

Vista had claimed that aside from Shanks, no one else could dare flaunt Conqueror's Haki before Whitebeard.

Yet now, Luo Yu's display—causing massive structural damage—clearly surpassed even Shanks in sheer explosiveness.

Thinking back to Vista's previous words…Things were about to get awkward for the Red-Haired Pirates.

"A Conqueror's Haki that causes real shockwaves…" Whitebeard's narrowed eyes gleamed with a flicker of recognition. He'd only seen this kind of ability once before.

He never expected to witness it again in his lifetime.

Looking at Luo Yu, still standing calmly amidst the chaos, Whitebeard's interest was finally piqued.

Muscles tensing, he reached behind and grasped the massive naginata resting at his side.

"Hmph… Let's see what gives you the nerve to board my Moby Dick and stand before me as if you belong here."

Boom!

Whitebeard suddenly rose.

His towering frame pulled against the cords and IVs attached to him, snapping them like twigs.

Taking a massive step forward, he raised the naginata and swung it down at Luo Yu with crushing force—closing the dozens of meters between them in a heartbeat.

The man once hailed as the strongest in the world—

Edward Newgate, Whitebeard—one of the Four Emperors—was making his move!