"Ah yes, I forgot to tell you—I am Spandam, the Chief Commander of CP9 and Judicial Island itself!"
"In terms of authority, my status within the Marines is on par with the Fleet Admiral!"
"Which means, what I say… is an order!"
A weaselly-looking man, flanked by three CP9 agents, landed heavily on the ship's deck.
Hina and Smoker's faces turned sharply pale.
This group of uninvited guests was far beyond what they had anticipated.
The surrounding Marine soldiers looked visibly uneasy.
There was a chilling rumor long whispered across the Grand Line—once a person entered Judicial Island, they were presumed guilty. No one had ever walked out innocent.
If Spandam simply gave the word, CP's notoriously ruthless tactics could pin guilt on just about anyone.
"Heh… figures. Marines are useless."
"Even a sure thing like military credit can be snatched from under your nose."
From the brig, Crocodile, chained with seastone cuffs, scoffed in contempt.
"If I hadn't been caught off guard by that brat, I would never have fallen into Marine hands."
"If I had gone all out, even your precious Admirals wouldn't be able to touch me."
"You…!"
Hina trembled with rage.
Spandam, meanwhile, smirked even more smugly.
His father, Spandine, the former CP9 chief, had made his name by exploiting Vice Admirals Sakazuki (Akainu) and Kuzan (Aokiji) during the Ohara Incident—an achievement that eventually earned him a seat in CP0.
Now, with a defeated Warlord ripe for the taking, even grabbing a sliver of the credit would gild his own name.
"Colonel Hina!"
The lookout cried out in alarm."Marine reinforcements are arriving! But—it's not a Vice Admiral… it's an Admiral!"
An Admiral?!
Everyone's expression shifted dramatically.
Even Crocodile, who had previously scoffed at the Marines, now wore a much more serious look.
As a veteran pirate who had crossed swords with the three original Admirals, he knew firsthand just how terrifying their strength truly was.
He had already been sulking over being escorted by two mere Colonels, thinking it an insult.
But now, with a real Admiral coming in person, his pride felt slightly appeased… though his caution spiked just the same.
"Commander Spandam… what now?"
Behind Spandam, Jabra was the first to speak.
Had it been a mere Vice Admiral, they would've snatched the prisoner without hesitation.
But this was one of the Navy's top three military powers—not someone to be taken lightly.
Spandam's face turned dark, but the next second, his eyes gleamed.
"Find out who the Admiral is!"
"Who it is?"
Everyone blinked.Wasn't an Admiral already a big enough deal?
"It's the new Fourth Admiral—Taotie Luoyu!"
Nero, one of CP9's newer members, leapt down from the mast to report.
Spandam's face lit up."Ah! I thought it might be Akainu or Aokiji. Didn't expect it to be this new one—the Fourth Admiral making waves lately."
"Seems we should give this new Admiral a proper welcome."
"Are you mocking our Marine Headquarters' newly appointed Admiral Luoyu?!"Hina snapped, her voice now like ice.
Though unfamiliar with this new Admiral, she couldn't stay quiet when the dignity of the Navy was at stake.
"Colonel Hina, don't take it the wrong way."Spandam's sly voice slithered out."The rumors say your new Admiral is quite powerful—maybe even stronger than our Rob Lucci."
"We're merely… curious about how true that really is."
"Of course, if it had been one of the other Admirals… we would've already left."
Behind Spandam, Jabra and the others smirked in amusement.
Among CP9, ranking their strength was always a matter of pride—testing themselves against a newly minted Admiral sounded far too tempting.
As the Marine warship approached, Luoyu adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, catching sight of the gathering figures.
His eyes twitched in surprise.
He hadn't expected to run into the infamous CP9 Chief—the man whose Doriki was just 9, so weak even ordinary citizens could overpower him.
But now he understood why someone had the audacity to poach a Marine accomplishment like this.
"Koby," Luoyu asked, raising his gourd for a sip of grain wine, "if you had an item that could instantly strengthen your Haki and physical prowess—what would you use it on?"
He had been pondering this all the way here and already had his answer, but he wanted to hear Koby's thoughts too.
"Admiral Luoyu, is this really the time for philosophical questions?"Ain fumed.The enemy was right in front of them, and he was still daydreaming?
Koby quickly tried to defuse the tension with a nervous laugh.
"Colonel Ain, please don't worry. Admiral Luoyu may seem unreliable… but he always comes through on his promises."
He turned back to Luoyu and said seriously:
"If I had the chance to grow instantly… I'd want to awaken Conqueror's Haki, just like you."
Conqueror's Haki, huh?Luoyu grinned and took another deep swig.
"That's exactly what I was thinking."
"System, use the Mutation Card on my Conqueror's Haki."
Ding-dong! Host, please wait!
Ding-dong! Mutation Card applied successfully. Conqueror's Haki mutation in progress—duration: 60 seconds.
An ethereal system chime echoed in his mind.
Luoyu felt a warm surge flood into his brain.
His perception of Conqueror's Haki sharpened instantly—condensing, expanding, becoming something more.
A 60-second countdown appeared in his consciousness.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have cared.
But with the random nature of the Mutation Card, he couldn't help but worry—it might just turn out to be a trap mutation.
Ding-dong! Mutation complete—Conqueror's Haki has undergone fission! Gained new ability: "Qi Control" (Nian Qi Mastery).
Qi Control?!
Luoyu froze. That was unexpected.
If he remembered correctly, this was a passive skill used by underground Qigong Masters.
But before he could study the details, the massive warship pulled up beside Hina's vessel.
With the arrival of the Fourth Admiral, the entire sea seemed to grow heavy and tense.
Even Tashigi and Smoker's faces grew grim.
They could sense it too—the CP9 agents weren't done yet.
And Spandam…He had more tricks up his sleeve.