A small voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
The entire plaza on Onigashima fell into dead silence.
Even Queen bit clean through his cigar.
Wasn't that Sheep's Head's Den Den Mushi?
Why was a completely unfamiliar voice coming through?
And more importantly—did it just say, "Do you want the man or the money?"
Was a Yonko… being publicly extorted?
"You little bastard! Who the hell are you? What nonsense are you spouting? Where is Sheep's Head? I'm Kaido!"
Kaido's face darkened as he roared, snatching the Den Den Mushi from Queen's hand.
If he weren't so desperate to know who was on the other end, he would've crushed the snail in his trembling fist already.
King and the others stared at the Den Den Mushi, minds racing through every possible suspect.
But no one came to mind.
Who in the world had the guts—and the youth—to try and rob a Yonko?
Then, as if struck by the same absurd realization, they all glanced at the newspaper lying on the floor.
Could it be… that brat they'd just mocked?
"Oh, so I really got through to you. Saves me the trouble of tracking you down," Luoyu said with a surprised smile.
What a lucky start to the week.
Not only had he landed on an island crawling with Yonko-affiliated pirates, but now the Yonko himself had called him.
How convenient.
"Right, forgot to introduce myself. I'm Luoyu, the Navy's new Admiral. Just now, one of your Beasts Pirates officers attacked me out of nowhere, so I had no choice but to beat him up."
"And since I happen to be looking for Whitebeard, and you happened to call, and you happen to be Kaido—why don't we just solve everything at once?"
"So, Kaido, do you want your man back, or do you want to pay… I mean, give me some intel? Just tell me where Whitebeard is, and I'll let your guy go."
The Fourth Admiral?
The same brat they'd just dismissed as a joke?
Queen and King froze.
They never imagined the very Admiral they'd mocked would show up like this.
But really—could there be that many "coincidences" in the world?
Only fools would believe that.
Kaido's hand trembled violently as he gripped the Den Den Mushi.
He was doing everything he could not to crush it.
That calm, breezy voice on the other end—Kaido couldn't remember the last time someone had dared speak to him like that.
"You little punk! You dare threaten me? You're asking for death!"
"Tell me where you are—I'll kill you myself!"
His roar cracked like thunder, making the surrounding pirates clutch their ears in pain.
Luoyu casually picked his ear. "Relax. You're welcome to come kill me—after you tell me where Whitebeard is."
"Let's call it an exchange of intel."
"Oh, and by the way—you've got one minute to decide. After that, it's my morning tea break, and I won't be taking calls."
The pirates were stunned.
He was openly extorting a Yonko.
Calling it "intel exchange" was laughable—it was blackmail, plain and simple.
And giving a Yonko a countdown?
What the hell was a "morning tea break"?
Was this guy trying to speedrun death?
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Kaido's grip on the Den Den Mushi cracked audibly. His eyes bulged as if trying to see through it and locate Luoyu.
But the other end remained maddeningly calm.
As the seconds ticked by, Kaido's face twisted in fury.
King, sensing what was coming, quickly stepped in.
"Whitebeard is thirty nautical miles off the coast of Sicily Island!"
"Now tell us where you are! Where's our man?"
"Yeah, brat! Tell us where you are!" Kaido roared again.
"Thirty nautical miles off Sicily Island?" Luoyu raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Thanks, Kaido. Looks like I've just secured my first ten-million-Berry bonus. If you're looking for me, come to the Sicily Sea. Bye now."
BANG!
Kaido crushed the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
Bits of shell and flesh flew everywhere.
King opened his mouth to speak, then thought better of it and swallowed his words.
Even as the Beasts Pirates' top strategist, he couldn't believe what had just happened.
The Navy's new Admiral, Glutton Luoyu, had just trolled Kaido—for a bonus.
Was this… the power of a salaryman's obsession?
Would he really do anything for performance pay—even pick a fight with a Yonko?
"That little bastard! How dare he mock me like that! King, I know you'll find him!" Kaido's furious roars sent shivers down the spines of nearby pirates, who instinctively scattered.
Anyone who knew Kaido's temper knew what came next.
One wrong move, and you'd be the next human baseball.
"Boss Kaido, if you hadn't crushed the Den Den Mushi, we could've tracked him through the parent snail," King said coolly.
"But since that's out, and he's in Whitebeard's territory, I suspect the Navy sent him to investigate Red-Haired's visit. If we want to find him, we just head to the Sicily Sea."
"Still, with Whitebeard and Red-Haired meeting, we don't know the full picture yet. You can't go charging in, Boss. If they ambush you, it won't end well."
"This new Admiral may be strong, but he's still young. Let Jack handle it."
"Besides, that's Whitebeard's turf. If he finds out a Marine is stirring up trouble on his island, he'll probably deal with it himself."
"Then, when Jack steps in, that brat will suffer the biggest humiliation of his career."
Jack's eyes lit up.
He'd been standing in the corner like a glorified prop for ages.
Now was his moment to shine.
"Don't worry, Kaido-bro. No matter who he is, I've got the strongest defense. I'll make sure he pays for disrespecting you."