Five days later.
A Marine warship cleaved through the waves at full speed.
On the foredeck, Ain paced back and forth, her face grim, like an ant on a scorching iron plate.
She clutched a report in her hand, glancing anxiously at the tightly shut cabin door every few seconds.
If Koby and Helmeppo weren't standing guard by the door, she would have already kicked it open without hesitation.
"Colonel Ain," Koby said helplessly, "there are still three minutes before nine. Just a bit more and Admiral Luoyu will come out. No need to panic."
"No need to panic?"Tashigi, who had just arrived, stopped in her tracks and said coldly,"Don't forget, that man now represents Marine Headquarters as an Admiral."
"Why is it that the higher the rank, the less reliable they are?"
Koby and Helmeppo both looked away awkwardly.
Achoo!
Just then, the cabin door swung open.
"Ain, were you just badmouthing me?"
Luoyu stepped out, rubbing his nose. He glanced at his pocket watch and muttered,
"Still two minutes before my shift begins. If the Fleet Admiral knew I came out this early, maybe he'd give me an 'Exemplary Attendance Award'."
Exemplary Attendance Award?!
Ain stared at him blankly. She was on the verge of breaking.
She had met her share of shameless people—but this man's shamelessness had reached an entirely new level.
But remembering the emergency dispatch in her hand, she steadied herself and said urgently:
"Admiral Luoyu, Colonel Tashigi just sent a distress call. The ship transporting Crocodile was intercepted—Judicial Island is attempting to take over the prisoner escort."
"Judicial Island trying to snatch the mission?" Luoyu raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Judicial Island, Marine Headquarters, and Impel Down were known as the Three Powers under the World Government—each usually minded its own affairs.
And now, they were interfering with his mission?
This was his first assignment as an Admiral!
"Colonel Ain, we're simply escorting Crocodile to Impel Down for a routine handover…" Luoyu adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled faintly.
Koby and Helmeppo froze on the spot, their brains instantly filling in the second half of that sentence:
"So if Judicial Island wants to take it, let them have it?"
"Admiral Luoyu, are you seriously considering handing the mission over to them?"Ain nearly crushed her molars in frustration. She glared at Luoyu, who looked completely indifferent—as if he were about to officially slack off with proper documentation.
"Don't forget—Crocodile, a Warlord, was defeated by pirates. This already humiliated us, the Navy."
"If Judicial Island steals this handover too, our last shred of dignity will be stripped away. Marine Headquarters won't even be able to raise its head in front of the World Government!"
"Admiral Luoyu—are you even listening to me?"
Ain nearly screamed when she saw him still staring at his pocket watch, waiting to clock in on the dot.
"And most importantly—if you let them take over without orders from Fleet Admiral Sengoku, your performance bonus will be canceled too!"
"No bonus?"Luoyu's expression shifted.
That meant losing out on half a silver loot box.
Ding-dong! Congratulations, Host! As the new Admiral, you've successfully clocked in for five consecutive days. Reward: Mutation Card!
Mutation Card?
Luoyu blinked in surprise.
Five days ago, he had wondered why his first check-ins as an Admiral yielded no reward, unlike when he'd just become a Vice Admiral.
Now he understood—it wasn't broken, just had a longer cooldown.
Or maybe, Admirals just had a higher prestige threshold.
Still, this "Mutation Card" piqued his interest.
Unlike standard skill upgrades, it felt more like a one-time-use consumable, similar to an Insight Talisman.
"System, what does the Mutation Card do?"
Ding-dong! The Mutation Card is a single-use item. It mutates a selected skill or object. The higher the item's tier, the harder it is to mutate, and the lesser the effect.
Luoyu frowned slightly as the description scrolled across his mental interface.
So this was a lottery-type consumable—like eating a Devil Fruit or injecting Monster Cells. You had no idea what you'd get until you used it.
Pure gamble.
"Admiral Luoyu! Are you listening or not?!"Ain trembled with fury.
She was beginning to deeply regret joining this mission.
"Colonel Ain! We've spotted Colonel Tashigi's ship! It's under pursuit by a vessel flying the Judicial Island flag. Should we move in to support?"
A lookout called down urgently from the mast's observation post.
Ain stiffened and turned toward Luoyu.
As much as she wanted to choke this lazy Admiral, she couldn't act impulsively—the man outranked her by far.
"They're here already? Then let's move to intercept. I'm not giving up my 500,000 Beri bonus that easily."Luoyu snapped out of his system interface and took a swig from his gourd of homemade liquor.
Ain stared at him like she'd just been petrified.
So it was true—just like Akainu had said.
In Luoyu's world, no amount of face or Marine prestige could outweigh a performance bonus.
He really did value his paycheck more than his pride.
—
Several nautical miles away.
A Marine battleship sped forward, trailed closely by a ship bearing the flag of Judicial Island.
Only a few hundred meters separated them now—and the gap was shrinking fast.
"Colonel Tashigi! We've spotted the main Marine vessel! But we can't tell which Vice Admiral is in charge!"A soldier rushed to report.
Tashigi glanced at the ship behind them, her face tense and pale.
"Forget that! If this drags out any longer, we'll be overtaken!"
"If Judicial Island seizes Crocodile now, we'll become the Navy's laughingstock."
She turned sharply and barked,
"Smoker! Is your body healed yet? Hurry and slow those arrogant bastards down!"
At the bow, wrapped in bandages, Smoker clenched a cigar between his teeth. He was reading a newspaper that featured the now-infamous story of the Fourth Admiral's shocking promotion.
He already knew of Admiral Luoyu's name.
And after recent events, Smoker had begun to truly understand the weight of military rank.
—
"What's this now? You Marines still refusing to hand him over?"
A sinister, honeyed voice rang out across the deck.
"Come on—let CP9 handle Crocodile's transfer. It's a once-in-a-lifetime credit. Once I get promoted to CP0 Commander, I'll be sure to… reward your cooperation."