"Admiral Luoyu, you finally came out!"
As the cabin door creaked open, Gion gave a wry smile.
"Back when Chaton and I returned to the Red Line, we already lost track of the Red-Haired Pirates' ship. If we keep delaying like this, it'll be nearly impossible to find them before Red-Haired and Whitebeard meet."
"Chaton just contacted HQ's intelligence agents, but this area is Whitebeard's territory. Our Navy's intel network can't reach this deep. Finding them in a short time will be extremely difficult."
"But I'm worried that the longer we delay, the more likely we'll miss the moment the Emperors meet."
"If we can't determine whether their meeting is about forming an alliance, the Navy will be at a serious disadvantage in the coming days."
From the Navy's perspective, if Whitebeard and Red-Haired clash, that would be ideal.
But if they're forming an alliance and the Navy can't prepare in time, the Emperors could catch them off guard.
The Navy might suffer a devastating blow, making it nearly impossible to continue maintaining peace on the seas or deterring the Four Emperors.
Even someone like Gion didn't want to see that happen—let alone Sengoku.
"Relax. Whether the Emperors ally or not doesn't matter. What matters is that Vice Admiral Tsuru promised me a ten-million-Berry bonus. I'm not about to let that slip away," Luoyu said with a grin, adjusting his glasses.
"I've already thought of a way to find Whitebeard. It shouldn't be too hard."
"You have a way?" Gion blinked in surprise. "This is Whitebeard's turf. Even our intel network can't penetrate this sea. Are you really confident?"
After spending time with Luoyu, Gion had come to understand him better.
She knew all too well how obsessively he clung to his 9-to-5 schedule with weekends off.
Expecting him to track down both Whitebeard and Red-Haired on a weekend, when even they couldn't, seemed impossible.
"Don't worry. Just because the Navy can't find them doesn't mean others can't," Luoyu said, taking a swig from his flask. As he looked toward the rapidly approaching island, he smiled. "Let's go. We've arrived."
Arrived?
Gion and Chaton were both stunned, staring at the island coming into view with a sense of disbelief.
They hadn't even realized Luoyu had changed the ship's course.
Quickly pulling out a nautical chart and comparing it, they were soon filled with shock.
If they weren't mistaken, this was an island infested with pirates.
And now Luoyu was suddenly heading straight for it?
Was he planning to get information about pirates from pirates?
Could that even work?
As the warship docked, the pirate ships moored at the crude pier came into focus.
The pirates on the dock were stunned at first, then burst into raucous laughter.
"Is this Navy blind? Don't they know this is a pirate haven? Coming ashore here is suicide!"
A burly pirate wielding a massive axe laughed menacingly.
"Don't forget, we've got backing now. Even if Whitebeard's men show up, we're not afraid!"
"All hail Captain Yuri!"
"All hail Lord Xihai Pustede!"
The crowd erupted.
Over a thousand pirates had gathered, and their cheers were thunderous.
In the past, they would've scattered at the sight of a Navy ship.
But this time, with powerful support behind them, they had the confidence to taunt this clueless Marine.
Luoyu leapt ashore, smiling at the gathered pirates.
He had been wondering whether he could find useful intel in one go. Judging by their chatter, it seemed promising.
"Sorry to interrupt. I'd like to know—who's in charge here?" Luoyu adjusted his glasses and scanned the crowd.
He tried to recall if any of these faces matched wanted posters.
This was indeed Whitebeard's territory—a no-go zone for the Navy.
But for pirates scattered across the seas, it wasn't anything special.
Rather than relying on the Navy, it might be more effective to find a breakthrough among the pirates.
Though these small fry probably weren't worth much.
"Captain Yuri, this guy looks familiar!" a scrawny pirate muttered, frowning as he struggled to remember.
"Familiar?" the burly man gripped his axe tighter and laughed savagely.
"Is he that rookie from the forward base?"
"Doesn't matter who he is. In front of Lord Xihai Pustede, he's just a brat."
"Not only did he barge into our Olai Island, now he dares to ask for Lord Pustede? Perfect—we'll take his head as a gift!"
"Boys, get him!"
To Yuri, this Marine—regardless of whether he was from HQ—was just a kid in his twenties. How strong could he be?
More importantly, these outlaws had gathered here hoping to join a Yonko crew.
Whitebeard's crew was out of reach, but even joining the Beasts Pirates would be enough.
Now a Marine had shown up—perfect as a stepping stone.
He wasn't about to let this chance slip by.
"Kill him!"
Over a hundred pirates grabbed their weapons and charged, grinning viciously.
They planned to take down this lone Marine before the rest of the Navy could land.
Then they could use him as a hostage to keep the Navy at bay.
"Are you cavemen? Your village doesn't have internet yet? If someone just paid the Wi-Fi bill, you wouldn't have to die for it," Luoyu sighed, adjusting his glasses as he slowly raised his right hand.
His strange gesture, bizarre words, and rare gold-rimmed glasses made the scrawny pirate beside Yuri freeze. Then his face twisted in terror as he cried out:
"C-Captain Yuri! We can't touch this guy—he's the Navy's new Fourth Admiral, Glutton Luoyu!"
Fourth Admiral?
Yuri froze. His grip on the axe faltered, and a chill ran down his spine.
A memory flashed in his mind—he had seen this man's face on the front page of the newspaper Lord Xihai Pustede had shown him not long ago.
That full-page cover photo of a man who now stood before him.