"That's the Navy's flag—what are they doing here?!"
Pedro's face was filled with shock.
As a former pirate captain, he wasn't some clueless rookie when it came to the power structures of the sea.
But what he hadn't expected was for the Navy to locate the ever-moving island of Zou.
Especially when he looked up and saw the massive custom-built warship descending from the sky—like a floating fortress. It was the first time he'd seen anything like it.
Whoever had come… was clearly no ordinary figure.
"Wanda, go alert the two kings immediately! Carrot is still in her Sulong form. I'll hold the line and buy us some time!"
Pedro drew his sword and shouted urgently.
"Tell the kings—the enemy can only be stopped if they join forces!"
Wanda and the other Minks turned pale.
It was the first time they'd ever heard Pedro say something like that.
As one of the few Minks who had traveled the seas, Pedro's knowledge far surpassed theirs.
He had always said that each of the two kings was strong enough to stand alone against any threat on the sea.
They never imagined he'd now say it would take both of them together to repel a single enemy.
"Attack!"
Pedro roared again, charging toward Luo Yu with his blade.
Wanda and the others snapped out of their daze and moved as well.
ROAR!
Carrot, still in her Sulong form, seemed to understand the command. She let out a beastly howl, her body crackling with lightning as she prepared to break through Luo Yu's Thousand-Armed Kannon defense.
But just as she moved, Luo Yu looked up and sighed.
"I'm trying to get off work on time. I don't have time to play with you. Sleep it off."
BOOM!
A tidal wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded from Luo Yu's body.
Wanda and the others had barely taken a few steps when an invisible force slammed into their very souls.
Their minds went blank. Their spirits trembled.
By the time they regained their senses, the overwhelming pressure had already swept across a ten-kilometer radius, rippling outward like a storm.
Wanda and Pedro snapped out of their daze, cold sweat running down their backs.
In a clash between true powerhouses, life and death could be decided in an instant.
If Luo Yu had chosen to strike during that moment of weakness… they would already be dead.
They turned to look behind them.
The Minks who had gathered there—
No, the Minks within several kilometers—were all unconscious, foaming at the mouth, collapsed on the ground.
As for Carrot, just a few steps away from Luo Yu, still in her Sulong form—
She was gasping for breath, her wild instincts shattered.
The moment she had lunged forward, the Conqueror's Haki had slammed into her soul.
It felt like being a tiny boat in a raging sea, about to be swallowed by towering waves.
Looking at the young man before her, Carrot—who had always longed to master her Sulong form—now found herself wishing she could surrender to her instincts.
Because her rational mind told her not only that she couldn't lift a finger against him…
But that if she tried, she would die.
Her body trembled. Her legs gave out.
The Sulong form she had barely managed to control now faded like a receding tide.
Wanda and Pedro stared in horror, exchanging glances.
Had he just… suppressed the Sulong form by force?
They had been ready to fight—but now, they couldn't even summon the will to try.
"That's enough. This doesn't concern you anymore. Step aside."
Luo Yu took a sip from his gourd, ruffled Carrot's hair, then glanced at Wanda and Pedro with a smile.
"No need to be nervous. Leave the rest to your kings."
BOOM!
A figure in a blue cloak burst from the forest and landed heavily in front of Wanda and Carrot.
The impact cracked the rocky ground beneath him.
As the dust settled, the Duke of Day—Inuarashi—scanned the area with a grim expression.
"I never thought the Navy would find this place. This has never happened before. Looks like we've been careless."
"But tell me, Navy man—what are you doing here? That was Conqueror's Haki, wasn't it? One in a million possess that. I didn't expect the Navy to produce someone like you in just a few months."
"I'd like to know—are you a Rear Admiral or a Vice Admiral?"
Zou, being a moving nation, could only be found using fragments of a Vivre Card.
Even News Coo birds couldn't deliver papers here through the thick fog surrounding the giant elephant.
Like Wano, the Mokomo Dukedom had long remained isolated from the world.
Only a handful of Minks had ever left Zou to sail the seas.
So they were clearly unaware of recent events.
In Inuarashi's mind, the Navy still only had the three Admirals.
"What rank I hold doesn't matter," Luo Yu said, patting Carrot's shoulder.
"What matters is I'm in a hurry. I don't want to repeat myself. Tell the other king hiding in the shadows to come out."
"Carrot, don't just stand there. Go wait on the side."
Carrot snapped out of it.
Her legs were still shaky.
But seeing Inuarashi gave her a sense of relief.
She glanced at Luo Yu once more, then quickly ran to Wanda's side.
Wanda and Pedro both let out a silent sigh of relief.
That earlier burst of Haki had left them deeply shaken.
If Luo Yu had used Carrot as a hostage, that would've been a nightmare.
"Heh… I thought you'd use our young one as leverage. Didn't expect you to let her go. Looks like there are still good people in the Navy," Inuarashi said, a bit surprised.
"But I'm sorry. If you have something to say, say it to me. I don't speak to that guy. If I show up, he definitely won't. That's a hard rule."
"A hard rule?" Luo Yu chuckled and shook his head.
"No—I believe he'll come out to meet me."
"I didn't expect that after all these years, you still can't accept Oden's death."
"But don't get me wrong—I'm no saint. If I wanted to kill you, you're so weak you wouldn't even be worth using as hostages."