"Hey, Fleet Admiral Sengoku—how much is a Calamity/Disaster worth?"
The voice wasn't loud, but in a plaza packed with thousands of pirates, it rang out like a slap to the face.
Even Ain and the others on the clocktower froze.
As for the pirates in the square—their expressions turned rigid.
The Calamities were figures they revered.
Anyone who crossed paths with them would bow in fear, terrified of provoking instant death.
And now, someone had just said something that insane?
If they hadn't heard it themselves, they'd have thought it was a government spy trying to get them all killed by the Beasts Pirates.
—
Everyone turned toward the voice.
And at first glance—
Thousands of pirates shuddered.
Their eyes widened in disbelief.
—
They looked at the newspaper in their hands.
Then back at the man who'd just spoken.
It was him.
—
The very target they'd been hunting—
Had walked right into their midst.
Without anyone noticing.
—
And the first thing he said?
Was asking how much a Calamity was worth.
—
Was he planning to take one down?
—
The plaza fell into a stunned silence.
Luoyu stood in the center, utterly out of place—like a crane among chickens.
—
Feeling the shift in atmosphere, Luoyu frowned at the Den Den Mushi in his hand, which had just gone dead.
He'd planned to negotiate the bounty before making a move.
Now the line had cut out.
That threw off his whole plan.
—
A ripe fruit, dropped too early—half price.
Luoyu wasn't about to let someone else set the terms.
He pocketed the Den Den Mushi and said:
"Can you all pretend you didn't see me? I'll go ask about the bounty and come back."
—
"Ask about the bounty?"
The pirates blinked.
That was… not what they expected.
—
"He's scared. Too many of us."
A bald pirate with a booming voice shouted:
"Brothers! We've got thirty pirate crews here, ten of them with bounties over 100 million. Over three thousand pirates in total!"
"No matter how strong a Marine Admiral is, he can't take us all on!"
"Let's call Lord Jack and take this guy down. We'll be heroes!"
—
The pirates stirred.
For them, ganging up on the few had always been the law of the sea.
Even a hundred men gave them the confidence to run wild.
Now, with thousands?
They could take on a Marine base.
—
And if they all worked together, no one would be left out when credit was handed out.
Eyes lit up across the crowd.
—
The bald pirate, practically trembling with excitement, shouted:
"This is our best shot at joining the Beasts Pirates! Let's show Lord Jack what we can do!"
"Let this Admiral see what a real numbers game looks like!"
"Attack!"
"Kill him!"
Thousands of pirates surged forward, blood rushing to their heads.
Weapons flashed from their sheaths, blades gleaming as they charged at Luoyu.
—
On the clocktower, Ain and the others had been about to warn Luoyu not to stir up trouble.
Now, watching thousands of pirates charge—
They could only grimace.
—
They knew Luoyu well by now.
He'd never waste time chasing a pirate crew.
But if the bounty walked up to him?
He'd never let a single coin slip by.
—
"Fall back!" Smoker barked.
His Smoke-Smoke Fruit erupted, wrapping around Ain and Tashigi as he yanked them away.
He glanced back at Luoyu one last time.
—
The bald pirate, leading the charge, faltered.
Wasn't the rest of the Navy supposed to back him up?
Why were they retreating faster than he was charging?
—
"Can't you people let me finish negotiating before we fight?"
Luoyu sighed.
—
As the thousands of pirates rushed in, blades gleaming—
His dormant Conqueror's Haki exploded like a tidal wave.
BOOM!
A massive shockwave surged outward, engulfing the plaza.
—
The pirates didn't even have time to react.
A crushing force slammed into them.
CRACK!
It felt like being hit by a Sea King.
Bodies flew in every direction.
Blood sprayed through the air.
—
Their "human wave tactic"—
Instantly became a "blood wave tactic."
—
In a flash, everything within several kilometers of Luoyu was flattened.
Thousands of pirates were hurled like rag dolls, crashing into the ground.
—
The earth was soaked in blood.
The bald pirate who'd led the charge lay buried in rubble, drenched in red.
He stared at the settling dust, eyes wide with disbelief.
—
One strike. Thousands down.
—
This was the power of an Admiral.
No number of men could bridge that gap.
—
Meanwhile, at the western dock—
Jack, who'd been waiting for news, snapped his head toward the explosion.
"Ulti! What just happened at the southern dock?"
—
Ulti, still stunned by the blast, was about to answer when her Den Den Mushi buzzed.
"Lord Jack, intel just came in—Admiral Luoyu has appeared at the southern dock."
"He finally showed up?" Jack's eyes lit up.
He stood abruptly, voice booming:
"Good. Very good. If he hadn't shown up soon, I was going to Marine HQ myself."
"Since he came to us, let's show him what the Beasts Pirates are made of."
"Just like Brother Queen said—lure the snake out of its hole. He's walked right into his grave."
"Move out!"
Jack charged forward.
His hundreds of subordinates followed, thrilled.
—
After all, following one of the Three Calamities—
A pirate with a billion-berry bounty—
This was a free ticket to glory.