PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

Sensing the subtle glances and whispers around him…

Red-Haired Shanks' proud expression stiffened for a moment. Almost instinctively, he lowered his gaze and looked at his missing arm—something had just dawned on him.

Damn it… did I just catch a stray bullet lying down?!

Still, as he glanced at Luo Yu—about the same age as Luffy—and remembered his own words upon hearing the promotion of the new admiral…

Yes, Luffy had defeated one of the Seven Warlords and shaken the old era.But compared to catching Whitebeard's naked blade barehanded?

That gap… was huge.

Had he… bet on the wrong person? Even lost an arm for it?

But the moment the secret of that Devil Fruit resurfaced in his mind, Shanks forcibly suppressed all those creeping doubts.

Maybe for now, Luffy couldn't compare to Luo Yu.But once the power of the Nika Fruit awakened, everything would change.

Shanks believed in it.

"You brat... so you were scheming from the very start," Whitebeard's pupils widened as he locked eyes with the lone figure standing before him.

The tremendous might of his earlier strike had already dissipated.If Whitebeard wanted to crush Luo Yu now, he'd have to gather strength again.

With his current spent momentum, he wouldn't be able to break through Luo Yu's defenses.

Of course, all of that was assuming Whitebeard didn't unleash his Advanced Haki infusion or use the full power of his Gura Gura no Mi.

If he had used those…

Luo Yu would never have dared catch that blade barehanded.

He might've ended up like Shanks—losing an arm and earning a new nickname like the "One-Armed Hero."

Feeling the shift in atmosphere, the wrathful Vajra manifestation surrounding Luo Yu had already shrunk to human size, compressed around him to bolster his personal defense like a living armor.

Beyond the Armament Haki coating his right hand, the countless golden hands still hovered—assisting in that shocking moment of catching the naginata.

If not for that added aid…Luo Yu wouldn't have been able to pull off such bravado.

Still, he knew when to stop pretending.

Thanks to the system, his strength had skyrocketed recently—but if you truly measured it, he was still far from a true Yonko-level force.

He might even struggle a bit against a Yonko commander.

It was only because his techniques had flair and flash that he'd been able to maintain the performance this long.

"You brat, take another one of my strikes!" Whitebeard barked. "Let me see just what kind of power this Fourth Admiral really holds!"

As he spoke, he pulled back his massive naginata.

But before he could act, Atmos suddenly stepped forward and blurted,"Pops! I owe this brat my life. At least let him speak first!"

Luo Yu blinked in mild surprise.

He'd been thinking of ways to defuse the situation, but hadn't expected this big oaf to suddenly turn into such a useful debt chip.

With the crashing waves of pressure momentarily stilled, Luo Yu felt the weight on his body lift. He exhaled slowly, glanced toward Red-Haired Shanks not far away, and said calmly:

"Red-Hair, sorry about that. I kind of stole your dramatic moment just now."

"But now it's your turn to say the usual line—'Give me some face.' Then we can move on to the real reason I'm here."

The entire deck went dead silent.

For a brief moment, their minds couldn't catch up with the avalanche of bold lines Luo Yu had just dropped.But then, realization dawned.

If Luo Yu hadn't inserted himself a moment ago…The one clashing with Whitebeard right now would probably have been Red-Hair himself!

"Captain… I think that brat just stole your line," Lucky Roo muttered between bites of roasted meat.

The corners of Shanks' mouth twitched.He had planned to deny it completely, but now… there was no point pretending.

Feeling all eyes on him, Red-Hair let out a resigned sigh and said:

"Atmos is right. This new admiral risked his life to meet you. I'd also like to hear what he came for."

"Whitebeard, how about you give me some face—and let him speak? Call it repayment for the favor Atmos owes."

Whitebeard's expression turned cold.

"Hmph. You and this Navy brat are no different in my eyes," he snorted."You're both not worthy of me giving face."

But then, after a pause, he stomped his naginata heavily onto the deck and added with a low grunt:

"Still… for Atmos's sake, I'll allow you to speak your purpose first."

On the distant warship, Gion's hands were drenched with sweat as she gripped the Den Den Mushi monitor. Her face had gone pale.

Through the transmission, a hoarse, near-hysterical voice roared:

"Gion! Tell me right now what's happening on Whitebeard's ship! If he's in danger, tell Luo Yu to come back immediately—I'll double his bonus!"

It was Fleet Admiral Sengoku, nearly screaming.

The earlier silence, followed by the deafening explosions of Haki, had left Sengoku's heart lodged in his throat.He looked like he might claw his way through the Den Den Mushi to see with his own eyes.

At this moment, the entire Marine Headquarters strategy room was deathly silent.Even the sound of breathing could be heard, as everyone strained to catch every word of the report.

"He… he's struck!" Gion blurted out urgently. "Whitebeard launched a full-force attack—he tore through all of Admiral Luo Yu's defenses—"

"Then Admiral Luo Yu had to respond. He caught the blade with his bare hand!"

"Their Conqueror's Haki clash even split the sky above the sea—clean in half!"

"Admiral Luo Yu… blocked Whitebeard's attack!"

Nearby, Ain was so pale she looked like a ghost. As her nerves finally relaxed, her legs gave out and she collapsed onto the deck, panting heavily—soaked in cold sweat.

In that moment, not just Ain—all the Marines present looked just as worn down.

Even as mere spectators, the pressure from the clash had completely drained them.To face Whitebeard directly?

That was something on another level entirely.

Until now, they had already held great respect for Luo Yu's strength.

But after witnessing this…

That respect had burrowed into their souls, carved into their bones.

The memory of what they just witnessed would not fade for a long, long time.

"C-caught it barehanded? That kid stopped Whitebeard's slash with his hand?!"

Sengoku slumped into his chair, staring at the Den Den Mushi in disbelief.

Even Garp was stunned speechless.

But before he could open his mouth, Sengoku had already come to his senses—He glared and shouted:

"Garp, shut up! Don't give me another word about 'admiral potential'!"

"Just for ten million performance points, he's made the entire Navy HQ play a round of heart attack roulette with him!"