Laughter echoed through the conference hall.
Spandain, face twitching, barely held back another mouthful of blood as he turned desperately to Sengoku.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! You must uphold justice! If not, we'll report this to the Five Elders!"
But before he could finish, Sengoku's face contorted, and he roared:
"Luoyu! Next time, can you not hit so hard before confirming their identity?"
"Tsuru, get Spandain and the others an ID."
"No—issue a public notice. From now on, Admiral Luoyu is officially face-blind. Anyone assigned to him must first get an ID from HQ. If they get hurt otherwise, I won't be able to sleep at night!"
SPLURT!
Spandain spat blood and collapsed back onto the stretcher.
Across the seas, CP0 was already infamous for shamelessness.
But now?
The Marines had taken it to a whole new level.
Sengoku had just publicly disowned Luoyu's actions—while also making it clear:
Approach at your own risk.
BANG!
Spandain's blood splattered three meters across the floor.
The gathered admirals exchanged stunned glances.
Sengoku, the paragon of justice?
Now playing dumb like a pro.
"Old man Sengoku, you're dangerous. You might kill someone with laughter," Luoyu said, sipping his liquor and adjusting his glasses.
Sengoku's response had made it clear: the CP0 incident was over.
At worst, Luoyu might get a slap on the wrist.
"You little brat! If it weren't for you bringing back CP9, I'd have kicked you out of Marineford already! You'd be banned from the gates of justice like Garp!"
"Luoyu," Garp chimed in, picking his ear, "Sengoku's right. Next time you mess up, don't use the front gate. Use the back. I know a guy. Just say my name."
"Oh, and didn't you say Koby brought me senbei? Got it on you?"
Sengoku trembled with rage.
He'd meant to use Garp as a warning.
Instead, Garp had turned it into a punchline.
If he weren't worried about getting tag-teamed by Garp and Luoyu…
He'd have decked them both.
Feeling the shift in the room, Tsuru shot Garp a glare.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Admiral Luoyu has made amends. CP0 overstepped. He didn't recognize them—it's understandable."
"And didn't we have a tricky mission? Why not let Luoyu handle it?"
Tricky mission?
Luoyu raised an eyebrow and glanced at the table.
Perfect timing.
He'd just upgraded his golden chest.
Now he needed some quick cash.
But when he saw the file, his expression froze.
"This mission… might be a bit much for old man Zephyr."
"If he finds out, things could get ugly."
Silence fell.
Eighty percent of the officers in the room had been trained by Zephyr.
Even the current three Admirals.
To ask them to recruit the pirate who had killed Marine cadets and taken Zephyr's arm—
It wasn't just cruel. It was madness.
That battle had become Zephyr's personal demon.
Sengoku said nothing.
He knew exactly how deep the wound ran.
As Fleet Admiral, he should refuse.
But against the Five Elders?
His authority meant nothing.
Tsuru sighed.
She knew how devastating this decision would be.
But orders were orders.
"Admiral Luoyu, you know what happened to Zephyr." Tsuru said quietly.
"This meeting is to choose someone to recruit Edward Weevil—Whitebeard Jr.—as the new Warlord to replace Crocodile."
"Most of us here were trained by Zephyr. Because of that, no one's volunteered."
"Originally, Admiral Sakazuki was going to go. But since you're new, and he's also Zephyr's student…"
"So you think I'm the least emotionally attached, and therefore the best choice?" Luoyu asked, sipping his liquor and scanning the room.
"But Zephyr did recommend me. We do have a bond. This mission might be…"
Tsuru fell silent.
The other admirals looked surprised.
Luoyu, the bounty-obsessed wildcard, was showing sentiment?
Sengoku raised an eyebrow.
"You're right, Luoyu. Zephyr did vouch for you. If you want to decline, Sakazuki can go."
Akainu stood, ready to leave.
But then—
"No, Fleet Admiral. You misunderstood." Luoyu said, raising his gourd.
"What I meant was—Zephyr and I are close enough that it'll cost extra."