PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

Boom!

Whitebeard took a massive step forward, his cloak billowing with the surge of force.

Gripping his colossal naginata, he brought it down with thunderous momentum—a blow charged with the full might of a mountain, aimed directly at the surging Conqueror's Haki in front of him.

BOOM!!

The strike landed as if cleaving into an invisible wall of steel.

The impact exploded like a drumbeat of heavenly thunder, crackling arcs of Haki sparking in the air like a storm of fireworks.

But the next moment—that intangible barrier of Haki shattered like a web of glass under a hammer.

The shockwave blasted outward, forcing the surrounding pirates to retreat instantly.

Luo Yu had known from the start that Conqueror's Haki alone wasn't enough to block the man known as the strongest of the old era.

Watching the immense blade grow larger in his pupils, Luo Yu exhaled deeply and slowly raised his head.

Everyone's expressions changed.

It had been a long time since they'd seen anyone face down a Yonko with such composure.

And yet, Luo Yu still didn't move.

Was he frozen in fear?

But just as the thought crossed their minds—blazing golden light burst from Luo Yu's body.

In an instant, the light surged and took shape—forming a towering Thousand-Hand Guanyin, nearly eight meters tall.

As the naginata whistled through the air toward him, the Guanyin moved first.

Thousand Hands Catch the Blade!

Dozens of golden arms, forged of pure Haki and radiant light, shot forward in unison to grasp the descending weapon.

The sudden eruption caught everyone off guard.

The earlier Conqueror's clash had already shaken their understanding.Now they thought the admiral was finally forced to act.

But they never expected Luo Yu to still have such tricks up his sleeve.

"Hmph, parlor tricks!"

Whitebeard snorted, the muscles in his arms bulging as the power behind his swing surged even further.

The golden arms, once majestic and divine, shattered like paper under his might.

The cold gleam along the edge of the naginata seemed unstoppable—tearing through everything in its path as it slashed toward the golden Guanyin.

"Rage!"

Luo Yu's lips parted slightly. The single word triggered a transformation.

The golden Guanyin turned crimson, morphing into a wrathful Vajra—its many fists blurring into a violent storm as they rained down on the incoming blade.

Another shockwave tore through the deck.The sudden change, like a divine hand flipping the battlefield, struck everyone's hearts.

Many looked on with expressions like they'd seen a ghost.

To face Whitebeard—the strongest man on the seas—in single combat was, for any up-and-coming warrior, an unimaginable honor.

Most would already be fighting in desperation.

But Luo Yu… was still calm, unmoving, steady as a mountain.

And what's more, his methods kept overturning their expectations again and again.

BOOM!

One after another, the crimson fists exploded into nothingness beneath the naginata's might.

Explosions filled the air, shockwaves ripping across the Moby Dick.

But Luo Yu had never intended for any of these "fancy tricks" to stop Whitebeard.

All of this was setup—merely to create the perfect moment.

After all, Luo Yu had no desire to clash head-on with Whitebeard.

If not for the ten-million-Belly performance bonus, he wouldn't even be in this mess.

"Kid, you've got quite the bag of tricks… but if you think this is enough to stop me, then you're underestimating Whitebeard!"

Whitebeard laughed thunderously.

His naginata tore through the sea of blood-red light—and at the final moment, Luo Yu finally made his move.

If the Whirlwind Iron-Cutting Fist was the peak of offense,then the Flowing Water Rock-Crushing Fist was the pinnacle of defense.

Using the fluidity of water, it created an absolute defensive zone that could withstand the full impact of crashing stone.

Flowing Water Formation!

Luo Yu's right hand surged with Armament Haki.

His fingers curled into claws as the swirling wind around him merged with the flowing Ryuo on his arm.

In an instant, the scene in front of everyone struck deep into their hearts.

A jet-black river of Ryuo—dense and violent—lashed forward to meet the naginata.

BOOM!!!

Conqueror's Haki exploded again as the two monstrous forces collided.

The shockwave shot skyward, blasting through the clouds.

Beneath their feet, the reinforced deck could no longer bear the impact—splintering like a spider's web.

The pirates watching nearby were forced to retreat again, choking under the suffocating pressure.

Once they steadied themselves in the gale, they looked anxiously toward the center of the deck.

Whitebeard had finally made a move.

They couldn't wait to see this so-called "new admiral" embarrass himself.

But what they saw—

—made their eyes nearly burst from their sockets.

"Th-that… that brat caught it—he caught Pops' blow with one hand!"

"No—look at the sky! It's been split open! Their Haki clash actually tore the heavens apart!"

"How can this be?! Pops clearly shattered all of that brat's tricks… how did he still manage to catch the naginata with one hand?!"

The deck exploded with chaos.

Even Gion and Cha Jin, watching from a ship one nautical mile away through a Den Den Mushi, were utterly dumbfounded.

They had felt their hearts clench at the power behind Whitebeard's overwhelming strike.

But now?

What lay before them defied all sense.

They had never actually seen Luo Yu fight in person before.

But none of them expected him to be this terrifying.

He had caught Whitebeard's naked blade—barehanded.

Few people in the world could achieve such a feat.

"This guy really is something else," Benn Beckman muttered, his cigar dangling from his lips as a rare look of shock and solemnity appeared on his face.

"Not just his techniques and mentality—even his insight is monstrous."

"He knew from the start that Whitebeard wouldn't go all out… so he deliberately baited him with one technique after another—each one shaving off a bit more force from the final strike."

"And finally, he created the perfect moment to catch the blade with his bare hand."

"Against the strongest man of the old era… any misstep or hesitation would have cost him that arm."

Everyone around was still reeling.

Even before Beckman's analysis, they had thought what Luo Yu did was incredible.

Now, with that deeper explanation, they realized it was even more insane than they had imagined.

And just then, quite a few people instinctively turned to look at Red-Haired Shanks' empty left sleeve.

In their minds, this must've been the price of failing to catch a naked blade.

Why else… would he have lost that arm for no reason?