"That'll cost extra?"
Doll's cheek twitched involuntarily.
Thinking back to Luo Yu's awe-inspiring slash just moments ago, the noble and heroic image she had built up in her mind was instantly shattered by his blatant obsession with money.
Still, glancing at the seven or eight special combatants gathered nearby, she quickly let it go with a wry smile.
With personalities as wildly different as theirs, probably only someone as eccentric as Luo Yu among the Four Admirals could have brought them together.
Even the Mokomo Dukedom—whom not even the World Government could subdue—had now joined the ship as a special combatant.
Thinking of the upcoming war at Marineford, Doll felt an unexpected sense of reassurance.
"Admiral Luo Yu, now that the two kings of the Mokomo Dukedom have agreed to join as special combatants, and with only twenty days left until the date agreed upon with Fleet Admiral Sengoku, should we return immediately to prepare?"
"Return?"
The moment she said it, everyone's attention snapped to her.
Fujitora, Aramaki, and the others perked up.
They were just as curious—had Luo Yu finally collected all the bounties he wanted?
"Nope. If there's still time, how could I pass up another chance to make Sengoku pay more?"
Luo Yu grinned, taking a swig from his gourd.
"Next stop—I want to visit Wano."
"Wano?"
Doll's expression froze.
"Admiral Luo Yu, isn't that Kaido's territory? I doubt there are any special combatants left there."
Fujitora and the others nodded silently.
In their minds, Wano had been under Kaido's iron grip for so long, any strong fighters would've already been crushed or absorbed into the Beasts Pirates.
But before they could respond, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi—who had just finished their oath—suddenly lit up with excitement.
"Admiral Luo Yu, we know that place like the back of our paws!"
"We just happen to know a few folks we can sell—er, recommend. They might make great special combatants!"
Doll and the others were stunned.
Watching the two kings speak so casually, they suddenly felt Sengoku's wallet was about to bleed dry.
Looking at the monstrous lineup of special combatants already assembled, their scalps tingled.
If Luo Yu really managed to recruit more from Wano…
The number of special combatants might soon exceed what two hands could count.
Sure, their strength might vary.
But not everyone on the sea was Yonko-level.
Even so, with the force Luo Yu had gathered—
Doll was certain:
If Luo Yu left the Navy right now and raised a pirate flag…
The Fifth Emperor would be born on the spot.
"Admiral Luo Yu… have you ever thought about leaving Marine Headquarters someday?"
Doll couldn't help but ask.
Luo Yu raised an eyebrow, then smiled and took another sip.
"Justice or not—I don't really care."
"What I care about is whether Old Man Sengoku will pay up."
"It's five o'clock. That's clock-out time. Everyone rest up here for now—we'll head out after the weekend."
With that, Luo Yu turned and walked off, gourd in hand.
Still dazed, Doll stared after him.
Tashigi chuckled beside her.
"Vice Admiral Doll, are you wondering if Admiral Luo Yu was joking?"
"If he'd given any other reason, I might've doubted him."
"But the moment he said 'make Sengoku pay more'—I believed him."
"Don't forget what he always says: he can go against anyone, but never against money. Especially when it's Sengoku's money."
Doll blinked, then burst out laughing.
Watching Luo Yu's figure disappear into the distance—
Yeah… that really did sound like him.
Five days later, deep in the New World, at the heart of the Beasts Pirates' territory—
On a massive cliffside island, tens of thousands of pirates had gathered.
Flags of all kinds fluttered in the wind, but none could overshadow the enormous banner of the Beasts Pirates—one of the Four Emperors.
At the harbor, a colossal warship with a dragon-head prow stood out among hundreds of pirate ships.
On its deck, tens of thousands of pirates stared toward the massive seawall.
Three towering figures stood atop it.
Nearby were dozens of samurai.
Among them, a stunning beauty with pale green hair in an oiran kimono stood watchfully.
In front of her was a sleazy-looking man with a brick-like face.
"Heh, Kaido, it's been years since I've seen you go all out like this."
"You've gathered seventy percent of Wano's pirates, plus fifty or sixty thousand more from the seas—forming a force of a hundred thousand. Are you planning to wipe out a nation?"
Orochi laughed first.
"Or are you trying to scare Marine Headquarters to death? Planning to take over Marineford too?"
"Oh, and I heard the Navy declared war on two Yonko at once—besides you, there's that Whitebeard guy."
"Are they giving up their territory? If so, I might be tempted myself!"
As Wano's shogun, Orochi often felt like a puppet.
But that didn't stop his ambition—or his grasp of outside intel.
Kaido had left the dirty work to him, making things much easier for himself.
"Heh, Orochi, you serious?"
Queen, puffing on a cigar, smirked.
"If so, why not lend us your samurai? I'll take you along for the fun."
Orochi's face twitched. He quickly waved his hands.
"Haha, Queen, you're hilarious. I was just joking. Isn't it great being the shogun of Wano?"
"Why would I go stir up trouble outside? With you guys protecting me, I'm perfectly safe!"
"Anyway, I heard Marine Headquarters sent some newly appointed Admiral to recruit special combatants across the sea. Sounds like a smokescreen to me."