PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

Rolling waves of uproarious laughter echoed throughout the conference hall.

Spandine, veins bulging in his forehead, fought the urge to cough up blood as he glared toward Sengoku with a desperate expression.

"Sengoku! You're the Fleet Admiral of the Navy Headquarters—you must uphold justice for us! If you don't, we'll take this matter straight to the Five Elders!"Spandine shouted in fury.

But before his words even landed, Sengoku had already started howling with rage.

"Luo Yu! Next time you don't know who someone is—don't hit so damn hard!"

Then Sengoku turned toward Tsuru.

"Tsuru, make Spandine and his men some kind of ID—no, better yet, issue a full announcement!"

"From this day forward, Admiral Luo Yu is officially face blind! Anyone needing to coordinate with him must first obtain formal identification from Navy HQ."

"Otherwise, if someone gets hurt again—don't come crying to me!"

Pfffft!

That long-suppressed mouthful of blood finally burst from Spandine's lips.

Eyes wide with disbelief, he collapsed stiffly back onto the stretcher.

Across the Grand Line, CP0 was infamous for their shameless tactics…

Yet no one had ever imagined that the Fleet Admiral himself could so shamelessly distance the Navy from Luo Yu's actions with a straight face.

All of Sengoku's roundabout statements came down to one thing:

"Deal with Luo Yu at your own risk.""If you get beaten, it's your own damn fault."

Splat!

Spandine's blood splashed a full three meters across the floor.

The assembled officers exchanged glances in stunned silence.

To them, Sengoku had always embodied the very image of righteous fairness.

No one had expected the old man to be so… casually shameless.

Had Luo Yu's bad habits rubbed off on him?

"Old man Sengoku," Luo Yu laughed while taking a sip from his gourd, pushing his glasses up,"You really might end up killing someone from laughter—but seriously, I didn't know they were CP0."

Sengoku's tirade had already defused the tension around CP0's beating. At worst, Luo Yu would face a symbolic slap on the wrist.

"You little brat! Shut it!" Sengoku's jaw clenched as his cheeks twitched.

"If it weren't for the fact you brought back CP9, I'd have kicked you straight out of Marineford. Just like Garp—banned from ever entering the Gates of Justice again!"

From the sidelines, Garp scratched his ear.

"Luo Yu, Sengoku has a point. Next time you get in trouble, don't use the front gate—come in through the back. I know a guy. Just tell them Garp sent you."

"Oh, right—didn't you ask Koby to bring me some rice crackers? Got them on you?"

Sengoku, seated at the head of the room, was trembling with rage.

Originally, he'd used Garp as a cautionary example to rein in Luo Yu.

He hadn't expected the old man to turn it into an endorsement for future mischief.

If it weren't for the very real concern that he couldn't take Garp and Luo Yu in a 2v1, Sengoku swore he'd beat both of them black and blue.

Sensing the mood had shifted, Tsuru shot Garp a venomous glare.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku," she said coldly, "Admiral Luo Yu did, in a way, make up for things this time."

"CP0 overstepped their bounds, and given that Luo Yu's new and didn't recognize them, it's an understandable mistake."

She glanced at the large folder still lying on the table.

"Didn't we have that particularly troublesome assignment to deal with? Perhaps Admiral Luo Yu should handle it."

Troublesome assignment?

Luo Yu raised an eyebrow and instinctively looked toward the documents.

Sure enough—ask and ye shall receive.

He had just upgraded his golden treasure chest, and was wondering how to make quick cash.

He hadn't expected a new job to land in his lap so quickly.

But the moment he skimmed the mission file, his expression froze.

"Isn't this one… a little too triggering for Old Man Zephyr?"Luo Yu muttered.

"If he finds out… the consequences might be dire."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Eighty percent of the Marine officers present had once been Zephyr's students at the Naval Academy—including the three current Admirals.

To assign someone to recruit the pirate who had once ambushed a Marine convoy, killed new recruits, and severed Zephyr's arm, and now wanted to become a Warlord of the Sea?

It was more than just disrespectful—it could very well drive Zephyr insane.

That battle had left a permanent scar on Zephyr's soul.

Even Sengoku fell silent.

He knew full well what that pirate's name meant to Zephyr.

As Fleet Admiral, Sengoku should have refused the assignment.

But in front of the dictatorial Five Elders, even a Fleet Admiral's word carried little weight.

Tsuru sighed heavily.

As Chief Strategist, she understood the dangerous implications this mission carried for Navy HQ.

Still—the order had been issued.

As senior leadership, they had no choice but to comply.

"Admiral Luo Yu," Tsuru said gravely,"You're aware of Zephyr's past. This meeting was convened to select someone for the task."

"The World Government has decided to name this so-called 'Whitebeard Jr.'—Edward Weevil—as the next Warlord, replacing Crocodile."

"But most of the officers present today were trained by Zephyr. Because of that, no one has wanted to take the job."

"Originally, Admiral Sakazuki was going to go in person. But since you just became an Admiral, and you're not one of Zephyr's former students…"

"You think my ties to Zephyr are weak, so I'm the most 'suitable' candidate, huh?"Luo Yu chuckled, sipping his drink as he looked around the room.

"But the old man did speak on my behalf. There is some sentiment there. Honestly, this mission…"

He trailed off.

Tsuru remained silent.

Surprisingly, many of the other officers looked at Luo Yu with a touch of admiration.

They had always thought of him as a wild card—someone who cared only about bonuses and performance metrics with near-maniacal zeal.

They never expected him to show this kind of loyalty and restraint.

Even Sengoku's expression softened.

"You're right, Luo Yu. Zephyr did support your promotion. If you truly feel uncomfortable, we can send Sakazuki instead."

Akainu, who had been silent all this time, stood to prepare for departure—

Until Luo Yu's next words hit the room like a brick:

"No, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you misunderstood me."

"What I meant was—my relationship with Zephyr is strong enough… that it deserves extra pay."