BOOM!
Water from the shattered harbor surged down like a torrential storm, drenching the entire square.
The icy seawater sent shivers through the stunned onlookers, snapping them out of their shock one by one.
They looked toward the warship—half-destroyed, with a gaping crater where it had been struck.
In the rubble, the disheveled figure of Chaton lay embedded.
Everyone remained frozen, their minds still struggling to process what had just occurred.
The last few seconds... were a blur.
According to logic, Chaton had claimed to "act on Gion's behalf," launched a sudden attack on Admiral Luoyu, and was blocked unexpectedly. Then—just as he prepared to get serious—
Luoyu, still munching on his meat bun, casually triggered a golden aura and summoned a Thousand-Armed Guanyin to strike back.
He had blasted the admiral candidate straight into a warship with sheer, divine force.
Though it felt like a dramatic sequence, in truth, it had all happened in the span of a dozen breaths.
From the audience's perspective, it was simple:
Chaton attacked. Luoyu stood still. Chaton got blown away.
If they hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes, no one would have believed it.
Some even wished they could slap themselves—just to check whether this was a dream.
"This brat really hid his cards too well…" Crocodile muttered, still in disbelief."I thought what I saw yesterday was already his limit—but today's display makes yesterday look mild in comparison."
Beside him, Mr. 1 looked grim."Yesterday, he at least showed signs he was about to attack. Today, he just took a bite of bread… and launched a navy admiral candidate into the sky."
"This kind of power is terrifying. If anyone ever has to face him, even raising a finger would require full alertness."
Crocodile twitched at Mr. 1's blunt description, but he had to admit—it wasn't wrong.
Just a single bite of bread, and a top Marine was sent flying.
Even Crocodile, who had fought countless monsters across the seas, had to admit—that was stylish.
Not even a Yonko could pull that off so effortlessly.
As the final drops of seawater splashed down, the vast square fell into dead silence.
Every eye turned, in unison, toward Luoyu.
Even Gion looked visibly shaken.
She knew Chaton well—they had trained together, fought side by side. She knew how powerful he truly was.
That was why, the moment Chaton had made his move, Gion had instinctively called out to stop him.
They weren't just anyone—they were candidates meant to monitor the Yonko. If their strength wasn't up to par, they would've never been trusted with that responsibility.
Under the weight of countless gazes, Luoyu swallowed the last bite of his bun with a sigh.
"I told him to dodge. I can't stop the Guanyin when she gets serious."
He glanced at the ruined square.
"And now the plaza's been wrecked again. Not to mention, a perfectly good warship's gone with it."
He turned to Gion, shrugging helplessly.
"Vice Admiral Gion, you all saw it—he struck first. I'm not paying for the ship."
He struck first? I'm not paying?
The crowd froze again.
That majestic image of Luoyu—the calm, golden radiance, the godlike retaliation—all collapsed in an instant.
Was this really the same man who just stood still and launched Chaton into orbit?
Was he seriously arguing over ship repairs at a time like this?
This wasn't being frugal. This was blatant disrespect for an admiral candidate!
A voice echoed from within the wreckage, laced with fury:
"Admiral Luoyu… are you mocking me?!"
A wave of pressure exploded out.
The shattered deck trembled, and wooden planks splintered further as a battered but upright figure emerged—Chaton, disheveled and furious.
Everyone tensed again.
That earlier clash had been explosive enough. If Chaton truly lost control now, this could escalate beyond control.
Luoyu looked mildly annoyed.
This was supposed to be his first relaxing day off since becoming an admiral.
Now it had been completely derailed.
Still… he couldn't help but marvel internally.
The "Immortal Talent" he'd drawn from the silver treasure chest had far exceeded expectations.
According to the system, this "Immortal Talent" came from a parallel world—Fire X—and was the ultimate trump card of one of the Twelve Guardian Blades, Earth Deer.
It allowed communication with the natural chakra of the world, triggering powerful, nature-based energy attacks akin to sage arts.
It was similar to the Cursed Seal on Jugo—where chakra was drawn from nature to empower the body.
But Luoyu's power worked differently.
Jugo's seal internalized it; Luoyu's released it.
Both had one thing in common—explosive boosts, several times to tenfold increase in strength.
And with the system's modification, Luoyu's power now had two forms.
The one he'd just used—Welcoming Thousand-Strike Guanyin—was the passive defensive mode.
As long as Luoyu had Immortal Power in reserve, any threat would automatically trigger Guanyin's protection.
Of course, this passive version lacked the raw offense of the Wrathful Vajra Mode—a full-power active form.
At first, Luoyu had thought the Guanyin form was more about flair than force.
Now?
He knew better.
Guanyin wasn't just pretty—it hit like a truck.
He could only imagine what Wrathful Vajra Mode might unleash.
Still… this was his day off.
And the excitement had completely ruined his mood.
"Admiral Luoyu," Chaton growled, striding back onto the broken plaza."That last strike… caught me off guard. I admit it."
"But if you think that's all it takes to end this—then you underestimate me, Gajii!"
"I demand a duel!"
He landed squarely on the rubble, his expression deadly serious.
The damage wasn't too bad. Just some internal bleeding—he'd spat up a few dozen milliliters of blood, that's all.
But the shame?
He had sworn to fight for Gion's honor—and got launched across the plaza in front of her.
He couldn't walk away from that.
His pride wouldn't allow it.
And he needed to know—
Was this young admiral really as powerful as Crocodile claimed?
One man worth ten Chatons?
That thought had barely formed when Luoyu replied lazily:
"A duel? Fine. But we have to follow proper procedures first."