Everyone present was stunned.
Staring at the final line of the report in Sengoku's hand, all their doubts vanished.
They knew one thing for sure: if Luo Yu was asking for more money, it meant the job was already done.
If he was bold enough to openly ask Sengoku for a bonus, then the matter was as good as settled.
No one doubted it anymore.
Akainu's face darkened slightly. His fist clenched—but, unusually, he didn't say a word in protest.
Even he had to admit: the title of "Admiral of Extra Pay" carried real weight.
Sengoku glanced at Akainu and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Akainu had already done his part—swallowing his pride to ask Aramaki to back down for Luo Yu's sake. That was the most goodwill Sengoku could've hoped for.
But now, with Aramaki tying up a Celestial Dragon as a "pledge of loyalty," Akainu might feel like he'd lost face in front of Luo Yu. That wouldn't end well.
Then Sengoku's eye twitched as he looked at the photo of the Celestial Dragon, trussed up like a dumpling. A sudden thought struck him.
"Lilan, you said Tashigi reported that Luo Yu had someone escort the Celestial Dragon back—but he hasn't decided to return to HQ yet?"
"If I recall, he's already got six and a half special combatants on his ship. Is he really planning to collect eight or ten just for the bonus?"
"At this rate, my retirement fund won't cover it!"
"Tsuru, can I borrow some money?"
"Get lost."
Tsuru shot him a glare and turned to leave.
Still, both she and Sengoku looked visibly more relaxed than they had in days.
Ten days later, in the Calm Belt, somewhere in uncharted waters—
A Marine warship cut through the waves.
Wherever it passed, the massive Sea Kings lurking below would poke their heads out—only to flee in terror the moment they saw the lone figure standing on the deck.
It had been ten days since the battle at Sabaody Archipelago.
But for those who witnessed it, the memory was still vivid.
Even now, they couldn't believe that Aramaki—the man Sengoku had once rated as Admiral-level—had ended up tying up a Celestial Dragon and boarding Luo Yu's ship.
"Hey, Admiral! You're scaring off all the Sea Kings! How am I supposed to replenish my nutrients?"
"Are you trying to keep me weak so I can't challenge you again?"
Aramaki stood nearby, chewing on a leaf, grumbling as he watched the Sea Kings flee.
They'd been drifting at sea for days without touching land.
As a result, Aramaki couldn't root himself to absorb nutrients and recover from the battle.
But for the sake of appearances, he refused to eat normal food—so he just sat there, glaring hungrily.
"Heh, Aramaki, still clinging to Admiral Luo Yu, huh?"
Fujitora approached, leaning on his cane-sword with a dry chuckle.
"You still want to avenge the Celestial Dragons?"
"Luo Yu already agreed to your request. Why not eat something and regain your strength first? Then you can challenge him properly."
"But as your 'older brother,' let me give you a word of advice: don't underestimate Admiral Luo Yu. The fact that he's gathered such a diverse crew says a lot. I just don't want to see you lose again."
"Lose again?" Aramaki glared.
"Hmph! Fujitora, I only lost because he used some weird trick to cut off my Devil Fruit powers. I was caught off guard—that's the only reason I slipped up."
"That slash of his just looked flashy. Who says I couldn't take it?"
His grumbling echoed across the deck.
Luo Yu, of course, didn't take Aramaki's chatter to heart.
Whether black cat or white cat—as long as it brings in money, it's a lucky cat.
And Luo Yu was especially tolerant of lucky cats.
Besides, Aramaki wasn't wrong. His Mori Mori no Mi was notoriously hard to deal with.
Luo Yu had only managed to suppress him thanks to a spell from Yami Yami no Mahō—Dark Moon.
In a small area, it could nullify all negative effects.
In a wide area, it could sever a user's connection to their Devil Fruit powers.
The effect was brief—but in the right moment, it could flip the tide of battle.
It was similar to Blackbeard's Yami Yami no Mi.
But unlike Blackbeard, who had to use his hands, Luo Yu didn't need to lift a finger—making it all the more stylish.
Still, these were just warm-ups.
Luo Yu knew the real challenge ahead: facing the Yonko.
And for that, his current arsenal wasn't enough.
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've received 180 million Berries in bounty rewards."
The system's ethereal voice rang out.
Luo Yu raised an eyebrow, nearly crushing his wine gourd in excitement.
Now that's a payday.
His balance jumped from 40 million to 220 million Berries.
A smile crept across his face.
He wondered what Sengoku's expression looked like right now.
To earn 180 million in just over ten days?
Luo Yu was glad he'd taken the special combatant recruitment mission.
The Five Elders and Doflamingo had helped too.
He'd squeezed 30 million out of Doflamingo…
Picked up 10 million from the Celestial Dragon…
And with six and a half special combatants on board, he was close to the amount needed to upgrade his Platinum Chest.
Originally, he'd only half-expected Aramaki to join.
He'd asked Sengoku for a bonus just to try his luck.
To his surprise, Sengoku had been uncharacteristically generous—rounding up the payment and counting Aramaki as a full special combatant, awarding 14 million Berries in total.
Now, with his little treasure chest finally full, Luo Yu looked toward the long-awaited Platinum Chest upgrade.
The next enemies would be Yonko-level.
He could only hope this time the chest would give him a game-breaking weapon—something to fully arm himself.
At the very least… maybe he could clock out on time.
"System, upgrade the Gold Chest to Platinum."
"Ding! Please wait, Host."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. 100 million Berries deducted. Gold Chest successfully upgraded to Platinum."
"Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've received one Platinum Chest Trial Pack. Would you like to open it now?"