"That's all he had to say? Then you can all die."
Luoyu spoke calmly.
As he raised his head, the dormant Conqueror's Haki within him erupted like a volcano.
But this time, instead of letting it explode outward, Luoyu compressed it—forcing it into the shape of a blood-red blade a hundred meters long.
And with that, he brought it down on Charlotte Snack.
The sudden outburst left everyone stunned.
Especially the Big Mom Pirates, who had just been boasting and trying to leverage their backing.
Even Snack, standing proudly at the bow, was no exception.
The Four Emperors Alliance was supposed to dominate the seas.
Even Marine HQ wouldn't dare provoke them lightly.
Yet this new admiral had drawn his blade without hesitation.
As the overwhelming slash came crashing down, Snack screamed in panic:
"You bastard! You're declaring war on the Four Emperors Alliance! Stop now, or you'll regret it!"
BOOM!
The crimson slash surged forward, its speed exploding.
In the blink of an eye, it was upon him.
Only then did Snack realize—Luoyu wasn't bluffing.
He raised his massive sword in desperation, trying to block the blow.
BOOM!
The crimson blade surged with Armament Haki and Ryuo, layered atop the Conqueror's Haki.
The combined force was unstoppable.
Snack's hair stood on end. It felt like he'd been plunged into an icy abyss.
He barely had time to scream:
"No—!"
CRACK!
The hundred-meter blade came down.
Snack's greatsword shattered in an instant.
His body, barely coated in Armament Haki, was sliced clean through.
It was like paper before Luoyu's fused Haki slash.
Blood sprayed through the air.
Snack—once so arrogant—was cut in half.
Even the pirate ship beneath his feet, bearing the Big Mom Pirates' flag, was cleaved in two.
Nearby pirates who couldn't escape were swallowed by the shockwave.
BOOM!
This slash was different from the one before.
More focused. More brutal.
But just as devastating—it stretched all the way to the horizon.
A deafening explosion followed.
Torrents of seawater rained down like a storm, drenching the entire battlefield.
Those who had been swaggering moments ago were now drowning in the aftermath.
Rebecca, the Marines, even the pirates—all were stunned.
One wrong word, and he struck without mercy.
Was he insane?
Or had Marine HQ truly decided to go to war with the Four Emperors?
Otherwise, how could an admiral act so recklessly?
"All right, that's one nuisance dealt with. Let's head to Dressrosa—Garp's got someone he wants me to find."
Luoyu let the Conqueror's Haki fade, took a swig from his gourd, and looked toward the port of Dressrosa, frowning.
Looks like Garp really is going all in.
"Vice Admiral Dalmatian, what do we do now?" Ain asked, staring at the wreckage floating on the sea.
Dalmatian finally snapped out of his daze, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
"I don't know. I thought I could step in if things went south—but from start to finish, all I could do was watch."
"Now that Admiral Luoyu has killed both a top officer of the Donquixote Family and one of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders… once this gets out, with the Four Emperors Alliance riding high, war is inevitable. We'd better report this to Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
He glanced at Luoyu's calm figure, then muttered under his breath:
"But what worries me more… is that he wasn't joking earlier. He's really been practicing that sword a lot."
Ain blinked.
Then her eyes widened as she realized what he meant.
If Dalmatian was right…
This could shake the world.
Meanwhile, at the Dressrosa harbor…
Seven or eight figures stood atop a nearby watchtower.
As the sea calmed, one cloaked figure let out a quiet chuckle.
"Just like Garp said—this guy doesn't play by the rules."
"If he finds out a Marine is really in Big Mom's hands, he'll go after them without hesitation."
"Dragon, do you really think he'll try to rescue them?" Klar asked.
"But attacking a Four Emperors officer like that—won't it alert them? If they get cautious, sneaking in to rescue someone will be even harder."
The commanders behind Dragon nodded in agreement.
They'd tried stealth rescues before.
They knew that tipping your hand only made things harder.
To them, this was reckless.
But Dragon just smiled and shook his head.
"No. You're underestimating him. He never planned to sneak in."
"He attacked first to force the Four Emperors to bring their hostages into the open. He's flipping the script—taking the initiative."
"Only by doing that can he disrupt the Alliance's control of the board."
Everyone froze.
They hadn't expected Dragon to speak of Luoyu with such admiration.
Sabo, who had remained silent, furrowed his brow and asked:
"Dragon… isn't he worried that this could backfire? That someone might die because of him?"
"If that happens, he'll be blamed for everything."
As the Revolutionary Army's chief of staff, Sabo knew the value of a perfect plan.
Dragon's praise stirred something competitive in him.
To Sabo, Luoyu's actions were full of flaws.
But before he could finish the thought, Dragon's smile deepened.
"No, Sabo. You're still thinking inside the box."
"In the face of absolute strength—strategy is child's play."