PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

"Five o'clock sharp… so he stops killing people?"

Nami stared blankly.

What kind of reason was that?!

She looked at the cheerful, grinning old man in front of her—Vice Admiral Garp, Hero of the Marines.

Was this really Luffy's grandfather?

Or was Luffy… adopted by the neighbor?!

How could a blood-related grandfather stay so calm while his grandson was getting hacked half to death?

Surely he should be panicking or rushing over in a fury?

"Vice Admiral Garp, aren't you even worried your watch might be wrong again?" Bogard glanced at his own timepiece.

"Fortunately," he added, "this time it seems your watch is right. It really is five o'clock sharp. If it were any other admiral, who knows—but if it's Admiral Luo Yu…"

He nodded with quiet certainty.

"He won't attack again unless there's overtime pay. That's… his bottom line."

Ever since Luo Yu was rescued and brought aboard Garp's ship, both Garp and Bogard had acted as his mentors in different ways.

And Bogard, too, had come to understand all too well the man's obsession—no, madness—with performance bonuses.

Watching these two Marines casually chatting, not even remotely hurrying to help, Nami was stunned.

Her mind reeled.

She wanted to ask—"Is Luffy really your grandson? Or are your son and grandson both adopted?!"

But thinking back on the overwhelming power they'd just faced… all she could do was pray what Garp and Bogard said was true.

Please. Let it be true that at five o'clock, he really stops killing.

"Vice Admiral Garp," Bogard asked as they approached the ruined harbor, "have you thought about what you're going to tell HQ about this?"

"Haha, what's there to think about?" Garp chuckled. "Let's just go check on my grandson first—see how long he managed to last against Luo Yu."

With that, he strolled cheerfully into the wreckage, still picking his nose.

Bogard sighed, shaking his head. "If you can still walk, keep up. You're lucky Vice Admiral Garp has some pull with Admiral Luo Yu… it probably saved your lives today."

"Last time you ran into Admiral Aokiji, it was Garp's name that got you out alive too," he added pointedly.

"But next time, don't count on luck. If you don't want to die in despair, you'd better grow stronger yourselves."

Nami panicked. "Wait! You said the Admiral won't kill Luffy and the others—then why did he even come here?!"

Bogard paused, his expression twitching slightly.

"…Probably for the bonus."

The bonus?!

Nami stood frozen as the two Marines walked away.

What kind of reason was that? What kind of Admiral was this?

What kind of garbage luck did they have to end up being hunted down by an Admiral chasing his commission?!

Back in the ruined harbor, Robin and Chopper were supporting the bloodied Zoro and Sanji, all of them pale and battered.

Blood and soot stained their faces and clothes, a sorry contrast to the pride they'd carried just days ago.

Only now did they truly understand—

The higher you rise, the harder you fall.

They had stormed Enies Lobby full of confidence and fire.

But now? Luo Yu had singlehandedly crushed them like ants… and now just stood there, sipping his wine in silence.

Why had he stopped?

Why wasn't he finishing them off?

It felt like a blade hovering just above their necks… but never falling.

"Kill us already," Zoro growled, struggling to stand. "Sitting there drinking while we suffer… that's just cruel."

But his chest wound split open again with the slightest movement, blood gushing anew. He collapsed.

Sanji rushed forward to steady him, eyes burning.

"We knew the risks the day we set out to sea. Death doesn't scare me."

He glanced at Robin beside him.

"If I'm dying here, at least I'm dying beside her. So go ahead and finish us off!"

"I can still fight!" Luffy wheezed.

But after using Gear Third and taking a direct blow, he was nothing more than a toddler-sized wreck.

Even his defiance came out in a squeaky voice.

"Sorry," Luo Yu said with a shrug, taking another swig of cheap liquor. "It's five o'clock. I'm off duty."

He sheathed his Oboken sword.

The Straw Hats froze.

They had already accepted their fate. They'd braced themselves to die.

And now he was saying he'd stopped… because it was after hours?!

It was like punching a pillow—nothing to fight back against.

"Hahaha! Luo Yu, I knew you'd clock out on time again. Looks like I got here just in time!"

A loud, hearty laugh echoed through the ruins.

Garp and Bogard finally arrived, Garp still grinning like he'd come for a family barbecue.

"Gramps!!" Luffy's eyes lit up. For the first time, he actually felt a flicker of safety at the sight of his grandfather.

But that feeling lasted exactly one second.

Garp appeared in a blur—and punched him straight in the face.

BANG!

Luffy went flying, landing with a crash ten meters away, clutching his forehead and howling in pain.

Luo Yu took another sip of his wine and nodded quietly.

Yup. Love means hitting harder.

Without Garp's brutal training—throwing Luffy into wild jungles to fend for himself—the kid probably would never have survived this long.

Zoro and Sanji both flinched, watching the rubber boy writhe on the ground.

How the hell did a guy who eats punches like that manage to survive for so long?

What would happen to them?

"Zoro!" Nami staggered over, catching her breath. "You're alright?! Garp just told me—this new Admiral won't kill anyone after five. We… might actually live."

"After five?" Zoro muttered.

Finally, the whole crew understood why Luo Yu hadn't finished them off.

Robin, frowning, glanced at her watch. "Then… if he's not going to kill us, why was he chasing us down?"

They all turned, slowly, toward Luo Yu.

The Admiral had just hung his wine gourd back on his hip.

Then he calmly took out a Den Den Mushi.

"Oh, that? I just wanted to take a photo of you guys," he said casually.

"Gotta send it to Fleet Admiral Sengoku… to claim the bonus. You lot were too rowdy."

Photo?! Bonus?!

Everyone froze in place.

Their half-healed wounds threatened to rupture all over again.

They'd just come back from the brink of death—

And now he tells them it was all for a picture?!

Was this… a joke?

Was any of this real?

Was this the kind of Admiral they were up against now?

One who clocked out at five, punched people for commission photos, and still nearly killed them without drawing his sword more than once?