"Impel Down?"
Blackbeard, who had been standing quietly to the side, suddenly lit up. His eyes gleamed as he quickly spoke up:
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I'd like to accompany Admiral Luo Yu to Impel Down as well."
"You want to go too?" Sengoku was a little surprised.
Everyone present was caught off guard.
They had full confidence in the fortress-like Impel Down. And with Luo Yu personally leading the escort, Sengoku didn't believe Blackbeard was foolish enough to ask for another slash.
Besides, seeing Blackbeard wrapped in bandages like a mummy—such a pitiful sight for a Warlord—Sengoku couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy. He sighed and said:
"Fine. Since you're a newly appointed Warlord, I'll allow you to accompany Admiral Luo Yu. But don't cause any trouble. If anything happens, I won't be able to guarantee your safety."
Blackbeard perked up, beaming:
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral Sengoku! With Admiral Luo Yu around, I wouldn't dare cause trouble even if I had ten lives. If there's nothing else, I'll go prepare."
As Blackbeard turned to leave, Luo Yu naturally understood why he wanted to go to Impel Down.
But Luo Yu's motto was simple: Take the money, solve the problem.
If Blackbeard really managed to stir something up in Impel Down, Luo Yu would actually thank him—for giving him another chance to earn a bonus.
What did surprise Luo Yu, though, was that Garp, after whispering a few words to Sengoku, was also approved to join the mission.
Luo Yu wasn't surprised. Sengoku and Garp had been through life and death together. If there wasn't trust between them, Garp would've retired long ago.
As medical treatment began, Ace and Drought Jack were stabilized.
As key figures, Sengoku couldn't afford to let them die.
By the time Luo Yu led the group back to the warship, most of the day had passed.
Judging by the time, Luo Yu realized this mission might end up running into overtime again.
"Luo Yu, brat… thank you," Garp said quietly, standing beside him on the deck.
"Whether it was boarding Whitebeard's ship alone or dragging Drought Jack back here—you've done more than enough."
"Ace ending up like this… maybe it was just fate."
"If you were trying to repay me for anything, consider it done. You don't need to go this far anymore."
Looking at the weary Garp, Luo Yu figured he'd already spoken to Ace in private.
Whatever was said between them didn't concern him.
In the original story, Ace had never blamed Garp—not even at the end. That was already admirable.
"Old man Garp, what are you saying? 'Take the money, solve the problem'—that's my motto. I didn't do anything."
Luo Yu grinned, took a swig of his cheap liquor, and tossed the gourd over.
"If one day, Old Man Sengoku pays me to kill you, I won't hesitate. That's a promise."
"Really?" Garp caught the gourd and burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! If you can say that, I'm satisfied."
"Originally, to fulfill my promise to Sengoku, I thought at least one of those three brats would join the Marines and shake up our stale sense of justice. Never thought it'd end up being you."
"Your justice may reek of money, but I still sense a bit of humanity in it. After all, law must bend to compassion."
His deep voice drifted away on the sea breeze.
Luo Yu didn't respond. He simply looked ahead at the slowly approaching Gates of Justice—the entrance to Impel Down.
Behind him, the Marines were already preparing.
With a loud creak, the massive gate—dozens of meters tall—began to open.
Dozens of warships were stationed at the harbor, their decks lined with soldiers.
Not far ahead stood the warden and deputy warden of Impel Down.
A chilling aura emanated from the prison's entrance.
Even Smoker, Tashigi, and Blackbeard tensed up.
This time, Blackbeard had come alone—just to scout the place.
But seeing the fortress-like prison up close, he felt reassured. This trip was worth it.
"Welcome, Admiral Luo Yu! I'm the warden—well, the deputy. Just call me Hannyabal."
As Luo Yu's group stepped onto the dock, Hannyabal—trident in hand and posturing like a pharaoh—rushed forward with a forced smile.
"I didn't expect the new Admiral to be so young, and yet you defeated one of Kaido's top fighters, Drought Jack, and brought him to Impel Down. Truly impressive!"
But before he could finish, Magellan stepped forward, pushing Hannyabal aside with a scowl.
He strode forward, his face dark and serious, and swept his gaze across the group.
"Admiral Luo Yu, I'm Magellan, Chief Warden of Impel Down. Thank you for your efforts."
"However, for security reasons, we'll need you to personally escort the prisoners inside."
"I don't usually care for Hannyabal's rambling, but he wasn't wrong—your strength has exceeded our expectations."
Luo Yu was a little surprised.
Magellan's tone was stiff, but his praise was sincere.
In the original story, Magellan had wiped out the entire Blackbeard crew with a single Venom Demon.
If not for the fruit's nasty side effects—like constant bathroom breaks—his power would be terrifyingly overpowered.
Luo Yu glanced at the time.
"Well, there's still half an hour until the end of my shift. Let's get this over with."
End of shift?
Magellan and the others turned to look at the wall clock—4:30 PM.
They froze.
It was the first time they'd heard an Admiral talk about "clocking out."
But they'd heard stories about Luo Yu's work ethic.
So they quickly turned to lead the way.
They knew—this Admiral really did clock out on time.
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You've unlocked a treasure chest upgrade opportunity. Only 100 million points needed to upgrade your Gold Chest to Platinum."
"Once upgraded to Platinum, you'll have a chance to receive Diamond-tier rare rewards."
A mystical voice echoed in Luo Yu's mind.
He raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected to qualify for a Platinum Chest so soon.
Maybe it's because the bonus fund's been swelling lately?