"Admiral Luoyu, we've tried everything. Still no sign of CP9. Could they have really escaped?"
Isuka couldn't help but ask again.
Luoyu took a swig of liquor. "If normal methods don't work, then it's time for extraordinary ones."
"Extraordinary methods?"
Isuka blinked, clearly confused.
Only Ain's face changed. "Admiral… you're not thinking of asking pirates for intel again, are you? Last time you even extorted Kaido!"
"If you try that again and offend someone else, Fleet Admiral Sengoku might actually kill you!"
Extorting a Yonko for information?
Isuka stared at her peer in disbelief.
Was this really a "method," or just a death wish?
"Ain, is it true what I heard—that Admiral Luoyu clashed with one of Kaido's Flying Six in Water 7?"
Ain gave a wry smile. "You heard right. He's still tied up on the warship. Don't believe me? Go take a look."
Isuka stood frozen.
She'd thought it was all rumors.
In her mind, the Four Emperors were untouchable.
But clearly, her worldview had been too small.
People like this… really do exist.
Still, what would Luoyu do next to find CP9?
"Relax. This time, I'm just asking two retired folks for a favor." Luoyu tapped his nose and looked toward the forest.
"Rayleigh. Shakky. You're already here—why not come out?"
Someone's here?
Isuka and Ain tensed, following his gaze.
From the shadows, a woman with a cigarette stepped out.
"Admiral Luoyu, didn't you say there were two?" Isuka asked.
Ain stiffened.
As Zephyr's student, she'd spent years at HQ and knew more than most.
The woman's face was vaguely familiar…
But she couldn't quite place it.
"The second one's here."
Luoyu took another swig.
Suddenly, a silver-haired figure blurred into view—so fast he crossed a hundred meters in the blink of an eye.
A flash of steel glinted.
Isuka reacted instantly.
"You dare attack an Admiral? You'll have to get through me first!"
Soru!
She vanished and reappeared mid-air, blade raised.
"Heh. Brave little girl. A true rookie like Luoyu. But you alone won't stop me."
Rayleigh chuckled, then raised his left hand.
Isuka froze.
A crushing pressure slammed into her like a tiger's pounce.
Before she could react, she was blasted backward—flying past Luoyu and straight toward a tree.
Ain flashed forward, catching her just in time.
They tumbled back several meters before stopping.
Isuka was stunned.
She'd been blown away by a single gesture.
"That's… that's Rayleigh? The 'retired old man' is the Dark King? Roger's right-hand man?" Ain gasped.
Isuka's face went pale.
She'd never seen Rayleigh in person—but she'd heard the name.
A legend of the previous era.
And she'd just tried to cut him down.
Her spine tingled.
These two "retirees"… were terrifying.
Before she could process it, a terrifying slash tore through the air.
"Kid! I've heard your name. Let's see what you're made of!" Rayleigh laughed.
From ten meters away, his blade came down.
The slash ripped through the ground like a scythe, tearing a trench in its path.
In a blink, it was upon Luoyu.
Isuka panicked. "Don't worry—Admiral Luoyu can handle this. Let's fall back!"
Ain grabbed her and retreated.
Isuka opened her mouth to protest, but the slash's wind had already lifted Luoyu's hair.
He didn't move.
Didn't flinch.
Then—her pupils shrank.
The slash halted inches from Luoyu.
BOOM!
It shattered.
As if crushed by an invisible force.
A storm of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Luoyu like a hurricane.
A vacuum formed around him.
Trees, rocks—everything in its path—were obliterated.
Rayleigh's eyes lit up.
His blade hummed with Armament Haki, black as ink.
He slashed forward, meeting the oncoming storm head-on.
BOOM!
The two forces collided like twin tornadoes.
The shockwave leveled everything within hundreds of meters.
Isuka barely kept her footing.
If Ain hadn't pulled her back, the aftershock alone might've knocked her out.
She stared at the twin vortexes of clashing Haki, pale and shaken.
Rayleigh had swatted her away like a fly.
But Luoyu?
He'd stopped him with a stare.
Was Fire Fist Ace really stronger than this man… even by a little?