PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

"Arrogant?"

No—this must be ignorance.

Luo Yu looked at the battle-hungry glint in Zoro's eyes, and a moment from the original timeline surfaced in his mind: the scene where Kizaru toyed with the Supernovas.

The look on their faces back then... was identical to this moment.

"Truly, youth gives you the right to be reckless," Luo Yu murmured, casually taking another swig of his rough liquor."This thing was supposed to be decorative—but if you're going to use me as a training dummy, I guess I have to get a little serious."

"After all… you're all worth bounty bonuses."

As the last word fell from his lips, a formless pressure radiated outward from him.

The entire room instantly felt suffocating—everyone inside sensed a strange, invisible grip tightening around their hearts.

Those calm, indifferent eyes of Luo Yu's...

Just looking into them made Zoro feel like he was being stared down by a bloodthirsty beast—every pore of his body screamed with instinctual warning.

What the hell is this feeling?!

Even Coby and Helmeppo could sense it—the air had changed.

Their nerves stretched taut as wire, and Coby cried out in a panic:"Zoro! Luffy! Don't do anything rash! Admiral Luo Yu—please, just wait a moment! Vice Admiral Garp will be here soon!"

Vice Admiral Garp?

Zoro's grip on his swords tightened.For a split second, hope flickered in his chest.

But he crushed it.

His intuition was screaming at him: this swing must be made.

If he didn't swing now, he would forever lose his edge—his blades would never again follow the path of his will.

This man… would become a demon blocking his future.

"Let's go!!"

Zoro's fingers clenched. The moment he broke through that mental wall, he charged forward like a beast unleashed.

From ten meters out, he closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

"Two-Sword Style—Tiger Hunt!"

ROAR!

Twin blades cleaved through the air, cutting with a force that howled like a wild tiger.

Watching Zoro launch himself forward, neither Sanji nor Luffy made a move.

Their eyes stayed locked on Luo Yu.

They had faith in Zoro's strength—and they wanted to see just what kind of power this young Admiral, supposedly their age, actually possessed.

In that instant, all attention narrowed in on Luo Yu.

And Luo Yu?

He didn't move.

He stood in the middle of the room, unmoving as the blast of Zoro's attack howled toward him. Only his right hand reached back—

—and gripped the Oboken on his back.

This blade—once nearly dismissed as a fishing rod—was unsheathed in a single breath.

The Demon-Slaying Sword.

Zzzzzing—!

A razor-sharp hum filled the room.

And the moment Luo Yu's hand grasped the blade, a flood of knowledge surged into his mind—memories, movements, instincts—the essence of Sasaki Kojiro's swordsmanship.

Not mere technique. It felt etched into his soul.

The body moved with the sword. The sword led the body.

The long blade arced like a streak of silver light—like a slash across the Milky Way—aimed not at Zoro, but next to him.

Yes.

Everyone saw it clearly.

Luo Yu's blade missed Zoro.

He swung at the air beside him.

Was it a miscalculation? A feint? A fumble?

Why had he missed such a huge target like Zoro?

Was that ridiculously long sword really just a decoration?

These questions shot through Zoro's mind—but then his instincts screamed louder than his thoughts.

Every hair on his body stood on end.A creeping, overwhelming sense of death consumed him.

Without thinking, without analyzing—his body moved.

Years of near-death experiences and honed battle instinct took over.

His arms twisted, swords raised to guard—

Shhhk!

Luo Yu's Oboken fell to his side.

And Zoro's entire momentum vanished.

He stood frozen, stunned, staring down at his own chest.

Spurt—!

A deep crimson slash ripped from his shoulder down to his stomach.

Blood exploded like a firework.

All eyes widened.

In their minds, they'd clearly seen Luo Yu's blade slice air beside Zoro.

Yet now Zoro was bleeding—horribly—across his torso.

What the hell was that?!

Everyone stood dumbfounded.

Did he just... cut the air, and the air cut Zoro?!

The room descended into dead silence.

All eyes turned to Luo Yu.

Everyone recalled what he'd said earlier.

"Just for show," he said.

"Decorative," he said.

If this was decorative...

Then what were Zoro's twin swords—toys?

Even Coby and Helmeppo stood frozen, unable to process what had just happened.

Sure, they'd seen Luo Yu train with Bogard.Sure, they'd heard Luo Yu's swordsmanship was "average" compared to his hand-to-hand.

Average?!

If that was average, then what had everyone else been learning—scratching the ground like dogs?

"Zoro—get out of there!!"

Sanji roared, bursting into motion.

Despite their constant bickering, the truth was clear: when it came to real combat, Zoro and Sanji were each other's most dependable battlefield partners.

In a flash, Sanji closed the distance with blinding speed.

At the same time, Luffy's arm shot out, stretching and wrapping around Zoro's waist—

He yanked him back in one fluid motion.

Already halfway to retreat, Chopper leapt forward in his human form, catching Zoro and cradling him in his arms.

It all looked like chaos—but the whole sequence took mere seconds.

A seamless response born from countless battles and near-death experiences.

And at that same moment—Luffy's body began to steam.

Gear Second.

A split-second later, Luffy disappeared, vanishing behind Luo Yu's back using Soru.

Across from him, Sanji completed his charge—closing in like a pincer attack.

"Diable Jambe—Finishing Blaze!""Gomu Gomu no—Red Hawk Pistol!"

BOOM!

Fist and foot erupted with fire.

A roaring, sonic-crack explosion echoed as the twin blows smashed toward Luo Yu.

They didn't hesitate.

Zoro had been taken down in one hit.

Neither Luffy nor Sanji dared go easy.

Their only goal now was simple—overwhelm the enemy, give the others time to heal Zoro.

As the fire-imbued attacks connected—

BOOOOM!!!

A deafening thunderclap split the sky.

The shockwave blasted outward, sending everyone around flying back over ten meters.

And then...

As the flames and smoke began to settle—

All eyes focused once more.

And their pupils shrank again.