Half a day later — Holy Land Mariejois, Supreme Temple.
Inside the grand hall, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Three of the Five Elders—Elder Warcury, Elder Mars, and Elder Nasujuro—sat in silence, their expressions dark as thunderclouds.
Below them, Spandine knelt trembling, head nearly buried in the floor.
Elder Mars slammed his cane and roared:
"Well? Spandine, you still have the nerve to return?"
"If not for your family's generations of loyalty to us, I would've crushed you on the spot!"
"We told you to fracture Marine HQ, weaken their strength so we could tighten our grip."
"And now you tell me Zephyr didn't defect, and our chosen Warlord is lying on a stretcher?"
"Is this some kind of joke?"
His fury echoed through the temple, shaking the pillars.
Spandine froze, not daring to make a sound.
All he could do was pray someone would speak up for him.
Elder Nasujuro, tall and dressed in a sharp black suit, finally spoke:
"Enough, Mars. This isn't entirely Spandine's fault. The real mistake was underestimating that brat."
"We let him rise to Admiral to stir internal conflict, to drain Marine HQ's strength and make them easier to control."
"But we miscalculated. He didn't just survive—he gained influence. No one even questions his position anymore."
"We played the wrong move."
The Elders' faces turned grim.
The rise of the three Admirals, backed by veteran officers, had made Marine HQ stronger than ever.
The Five Elders feared losing control—so they tried to sabotage it from within.
But anything involving Luoyu…
Spiraled out of control like a wild stallion.
Elder Warcury tapped his cane and said coldly:
"Enough. What's done is done. No point wasting breath."
"Marine HQ just sent word. Blackbeard Teach wants to trade Fire Fist Ace for a Warlord seat."
"And the one handling the exchange… is that same new Admiral."
"Since he ruined our plans, let's prepare our next move. Let's hope he returns in one piece."
"Send word to Ulti. The time is ripe. Begin the harvest."
"Yes, my lord! I'll see to it immediately!" Spandine replied, as if granted a royal pardon, and fled the hall.
Meanwhile — edge of the Calm Belt, on a remote island.
Thousands of spear-wielding natives charged toward a massive figure the size of a mountain.
Armor clanked as they sprinted.
In seconds, they closed the hundred-meter gap.
But before they could strike—
The mammoth turned and let out a thunderous roar.
Then it charged.
BOOM!
Hundreds of natives were flung into the air.
Some burst like balloons under the sheer force.
Blood mist filled the sky. Limbs and flesh flew everywhere.
The mammoth didn't stop.
It slammed into a cliff behind it.
CRASH!
The cliff shattered.
The ground shook for half a minute before falling silent.
"Hmph. Trash. Useless trash. Couldn't even scratch me."
"Ulti! How much longer are you going to make me wait? I'm this close to killing you!"
Jack turned, blood-red eyes glaring.
His roar made nearby pirates go pale and freeze in place.
They knew—approach him now, and they'd die.
Ulti, graceful and smiling, stepped forward.
"Don't worry, Lord Jack. I've just received his travel route."
"He's heading to the Chelsean Sea. Just a few days from here."
"Get ready. You'll get to see his face when he realizes he's doomed."
"Chelsean Sea?" Jack's eyes widened.
His massive body shrank back into human form.
He raised his twin crescent scythes and smashed them into a boulder.
"Good. Very good. I've waited long enough. He better not disappoint me."
"All hands—set sail! I want to give the big brothers a surprise before they hear about Saul!"
With that, the pirates scrambled to their ships and set sail like their lives depended on it.
Ulti watched, her smile deepening.
She glanced at the photo in her hand—Luoyu's face.
"Such a handsome boy. I wonder what he'll look like in despair."
Three days later — Chelsean Sea.
A Marine warship cut through the waves.
Luoyu stood on the deck, stretching lazily.
He opened his system interface.
His points, once empty, had skyrocketed to 15 million Berries thanks to the Weevil mission.
—
Normally, the system would tempt him to spend it all.
But with just a day or two left before his first month's paycheck…
He resisted.
Barely.
—
Still, counting the days like this was torture.
"Admiral Luoyu," Ain called, hurrying over. "Blackbeard hasn't confirmed the meeting point yet. We'll need to stop at Swoo Island to resupply. But… we've noticed something strange."
Luoyu raised an eyebrow, took a swig, and grinned.
"Strange, huh? The weirder it is, the higher the bonus. I'm free anyway."
Ain blinked.
Her worry vanished instantly.
—
What kind of brain works like this?
—
Anyone else would be terrified, knowing this mission could provoke a Yonko.
But Luoyu?
He welcomed the chaos.
—
There was only one Luoyu in the world.