BOOM!
A pitch-black slash tore across the sea.
A single, casual swing—yet it spanned a hundred meters. The effortless motion was like death itself calling.
Diamante barely had time to raise his sword, hardening every part of his body he could using the powers of the Flutter-Flutter Fruit.
He met the slash head-on.
Clang!
The blade passed through without pause.
Dozens of meters behind him, a pirate ship was cleaved clean in half.
The pirates aboard didn't even have time to react.
The slash had already passed them, racing across the sea toward the horizon.
"Damn it! Why is it him?! Everyone, evasive maneuvers—now!"
Charlotte Snack roared in panic.
On the next ship, the helmsman frantically spun the wheel.
But a massive vessel could never outpace a slash like that.
BOOM!
The black slash ripped through the sea, crashing into a massive seastone reef in the distance—and exploded.
The shockwave swept across the ocean like a hurricane.
Rebecca, Snack's pirates, and everyone else on nearby ships were hurled hundreds of meters away.
But no one dared take their eyes off the sea.
Two pirate ships—cleaved in half, crew and all.
Those who survived the initial strike barely had time to breathe.
Then, as if sliced by invisible blades, blood erupted from their bodies.
They were cut down by sword aura they couldn't even see.
Before they could understand what had happened, a towering wave crashed down, dragging them into the abyss.
One corpse, frozen midair with eyes wide in disbelief, split cleanly in two, fell into the sea.
Only then did Kyros snap out of it.
The enemy he had just said would require staking one's life to defeat—
Had been killed in an instant by Luoyu.
Was this the gap in power?
A single man, crushing the second front of the war.
The same man who made Whitebeard willingly embrace death.
The Navy's Fourth Admiral.
BOOM!
The sea roared as it collapsed inward.
Luoyu looked at the black staff in his hand and frowned slightly.
"Admiral Luoyu, that slash… it had to be Supreme Swordsman level!"
Vice Admiral Dalmatian was the first to recover, laughing in awe.
To ensure Luoyu's safety and maintain communication with HQ, Sengoku had assigned a vice admiral as his aide.
Originally, Chaton would've been the best choice.
But Sengoku feared Chaton's emotions might compromise the mission, so he sent the calm and reliable Dalmatian instead.
In Sengoku's eyes, even if ambushed by two Emperors, Luoyu could hold out long enough for Dalmatian to call for backup.
"Supreme Swordsman level?" Luoyu frowned and shook his head.
"Not quite."
Not… quite?
Dalmatian froze.
That slash had split the sea itself—something even he, a seasoned vice admiral, couldn't do.
And yet Luoyu dismissed it?
"Admiral Luoyu, your strength already surpasses most. You defeated Kaido head-on—few can even dream of that. I've seen Mihawk fight, but never at full power. I can't say how close you are to him."
Dalmatian had watched Luoyu rise through the ranks, accomplishing one feat after another.
But he still didn't understand why Luoyu, who could crush enemies while standing still, had suddenly taken up the sword.
Was this the loneliness of the strong?
"Admiral Luoyu, you only recently picked up swordsmanship, yet you're already this powerful. I believe you're not far from Mihawk. With time, you'll surpass him and become the greatest Supreme Swordsman!"
Ain clenched her fists, speaking with fervent conviction.
Dalmatian wasn't surprised by her fangirl-like devotion.
After all, the "Pay-Up Admiral" had always had an undeniable charm.
And now, having stepped into forbidden waters, that charisma had only grown.
But just as admiration filled the air—
Luoyu's next words stunned everyone.
"Who said I'm comparing myself to Mihawk? I'm just thinking about how to cut down the Five Elders."
He took a swig of his earthy liquor, letting the power around him dissipate.
As the raging sea calmed, he turned to the two ships that had stopped in a panic.
"The former king of Dressrosa?" Luoyu raised an eyebrow, unsurprised.
He had expected some fallout after forcibly taking Doflamingo.
He just hadn't expected to run into King Riku's party while searching for Gion, as per Garp's instructions.
Rebecca was the first to recover. Seeing Charlotte Snack's pirate ship nearby, she gripped her sword tightly and called out:
"Admiral Luoyu! We're the Riku royal family, once persecuted by Warlord Doflamingo. We're a member nation of the World Government. If you're willing to save us—I, Rebecca, will agree to any condition you ask!"
Seeing her long-lost family on the brink of ruin again, Rebecca couldn't stay calm.
She clung to Luoyu like a lifeline.
But before she could say more, Viola quickly covered her mouth.
"Admiral Luoyu, if you have any demands, take them out on me. Rebecca is still young…"
Rebecca froze, realizing what she'd just said.
Her face flushed crimson, all the way to her neck. She looked down at her toes—though she couldn't even see them.
She wasn't that young anymore… was she?
Still, remembering Luoyu's overwhelming power, she desperately wanted to know—
What would the Navy's fearsome Fourth Admiral choose?
"Rebecca, Princess of the Riku line?" Luoyu took a sip of liquor, then glanced back at Dalmatian—still stunned, cigar dangling from his lips.
"Vice Admiral Dalmatian, doesn't that cigar burn your mouth?"
"By the way… can the Riku royal family be exchanged for bounty money?"