PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

The atmosphere instantly grew more stifling.

Everyone was now staring intently at Luo Yu.

In the face of Whitebeard's words, they all knew the truth: if Luo Yu couldn't give a convincing explanation, there was no way he'd be allowed to leave so easily.

But even racking their brains… they couldn't think of a single reason strong enough to convince Whitebeard.

Luo Yu stopped in his tracks, took a swig of his cheap liquor, and smiled.

"To be honest, I didn't want to get involved in this mess either. But that old man Garp once did me a favor."

"Now, I don't like being anyone's grandson—but to repay a little bit of that debt, I figured I'd make this trip."

"After all, Ace once called that stubborn old man 'Gramps', didn't he?"

"I just don't want Garp to be caught between justice and family."

Garp? Gramps?

Red-Hair and Whitebeard's expressions shifted drastically.

They knew this secret.

But they never expected Luo Yu to speak it aloud so bluntly.

And if that was his true motivation… then all of Luo Yu's earlier madness suddenly made sense.

Luo Yu had long predicted this change in the air.

If he didn't have that particular card to play, he wouldn't have had the confidence to leave this ship before clock-out time.

As for the business of "calling Garp grandpa"...

Well, whether or not Luo Yu liked it wasn't the point.

If Garp were to call right now and offer him a hundred million Berries in performance bonuses, Luo Yu wouldn't just call him Gramps—he'd call him Grandpappy ten times over.

In this world, no one mocks the rich—only the poor.

And isn't money delicious?

More importantly, with that ten million, Luo Yu was confident he could push his strength to a new level—make the title of Admiral carry even more weight.

So he could slack off later… with dignity.

At the very least, he couldn't fall too far behind Kizaru in the art of "coasting".

"Old man, should we—" Diamond Jozu couldn't help but speak up.

Whitebeard's outward surge of Conqueror's Haki had already dissipated. Staring at Luo Yu's departing back, he snorted coldly.

"Hmph. For Ace's sake, let the arrogant brat leave."

"Brat—next time we meet, don't blame me if I cut you down for real."

"Those flashy tricks of yours may work on average fighters, but against true powerhouses—they're useless."

"Haki is the only true path to supremacy!"

"Heh, Whitebeard, you better keep that speech to yourself," Luo Yu replied with a wave of his hand, not even turning around. "If someone overheard that, they might think I'm your secret confidant or something."

With that, he leapt down into the small boat that Atmos had prepared for him.

The earlier clash may have seemed chaotic, but Luo Yu had used it to reinforce something very important:

The true importance of Haki.

In the original timeline, during the Paramount War, Akainu's strength nearly matched that of an Emperor. A typical First Mate would've struggled to fight him evenly.

Of course, that's if we're only considering Devil Fruit mastery.

But if you factored in all three types of Haki, Akainu's lack of Conqueror's Haki became a glaring weakness.

Especially Advanced Conqueror's Infusion—a hurdle he could never overcome.

Let's not forget—Luffy only managed to defeat Kaido after awakening the Nika Fruit and after being taught how to use Advanced Conqueror's Haki through repeated beatdowns.

Only then could he land a true, decisive blow.

Otherwise, with Kaido's monstrous endurance, no amount of plot armor would have brought him down.

That didn't mean Akainu was weak. If he refined his fruit power to the absolute limit, he might well close the gap.

Even when up against users of all three Haki types and awakened Fruits, a fully mastered Magma Fruit was no joke.

And if one day Akainu did suddenly reveal himself to be a rare Conqueror's Haki user?

Luo Yu would believe it, too.

"Ah, right! Whitebeard—suddenly remembered something," Luo Yu paused, turning back with a sly grin. "If you and Garp ever meet in person again… what do you think he'll call you?"

Everyone froze.

Marco and the others frowned, clearly trying to decipher what he meant.

They knew Garp and Whitebeard's relationship wasn't that bad—at times, they even appreciated the old Marine who once chased Roger across the seas.

But still—they were from opposite sides. One was the Navy's hero, the other a Yonko.

If they could meet without drawing blood, that would already be a miracle.

Calling each other names?

Now that was pushing it.

"M-M-Marco… I-I just thought of something really bad…" Jozu stammered, a ridiculous idea flashing through his diamond head.

"If Old Man Whitebeard runs into Garp… wouldn't Garp call him 'son'?"

"Doesn't that mean Whitebeard got tricked into being someone else's kid?"

Son…?

Everyone was stunned.

Even Whitebeard himself froze.

But with Jozu's reminder… realization dawned.

Ace had called Garp "Grandpa".

Whitebeard was Ace's "Old Man".

So when Old Man met Grandpa…

Wouldn't that technically make Whitebeard the… son?

For a full moment, the entire deck of the Moby Dick fell into stunned silence.

No one had seen it coming.

That lunatic Marine admiral had just said what no one dared to.

Whitebeard—the man who spent his life collecting sons—had just been made someone else's son!

"You little shit! Get back here! I swear I won't kill you!" Whitebeard roared, gripping his naginata in a rage. The explosion of Conqueror's Haki that followed split the heavens once more.

Spines shivered across the deck.

Marco could only smile bitterly.

Luo Yu had just walked on the edge of death again. And now, he was sprinting across the blade.

Of all the things not to bring up, he picked the worst one.

He had just publicly turned the world's strongest man into someone else's adopted son.

But by the time they regained their senses and looked out over the sea…

Luo Yu was long gone.

He'd greased his heels and vanished onto the small boat. Using Geppo and Soru, he launched himself through the air, swiftly crossing the sea to the Marine warship a nautical mile away.

In just a few dozen seconds, they could already see him on the deck of the warship.

They all looked at each other, dumbfounded.

Was that the fastest getaway after the boldest insult ever?

No one dared say a word—not in front of a Whitebeard who had just been made into a "son."

"Marco… I—I just remembered something else!" Jozu spoke up again, visibly shaken.

Marco and the others felt their hearts lurch.

Another outrageous theory?

"Jozu, your brain's the least reliable here. Spare us, will you?"

"No—no, Marco! I am smart! Listen—if we all call Whitebeard 'Old Man'…"

"Then when we meet Garp… doesn't that make us a bunch of grandkids?!"