BOOM!
The pitch-black slash tore the sea apart like paper.
A casual swing, spanning a hundred meters—executed with the nonchalance of a death god.
Diamante had barely enough time to raise his sword, hardening every inch of his body with the power of the Flutter-Flutter Fruit.
He braced himself.
Clang!
The blade met his defense—and sliced straight through without pause.
Dozens of meters behind him, the pirate ship was cleaved in half, along with everything on board.
The pirates had no time to react.
The colossal slash surged forward, streaking across the sea.
"Damn it! Why the hell is he here?! All hands—evasive maneuvers!"Charlotte Snack's furious roar rang out.
The helmsman of the second Big Mom Pirates vessel frantically spun the wheel.
But massive ships could never outrun a slash like that.
BOOM!
The black arc struck forward, splitting sea and sky, finally crashing into a distant stone ridge that jutted from the sea.
The moment it collided—the entire formation detonated.
A monstrous shockwave swept through the battlefield like a hurricane.
Rebecca, Kyros, and all the pirates under Snack's banner were flung hundreds of meters across the sea.
But they weren't focused on the pain.
They scrambled back to their feet, eyes glued to the water.
Where two pirate ships had stood—
Now, there was nothing but a yawning chasm, split clean in half.
Both vessels and all aboard had been cleaved apart.
Some pirates survived the first impact, cheering for their luck.
But they never had time to celebrate.
Blood erupted.
As if sliced by invisible blades, they were hacked apart in midair—gutted before they even touched the sea.
Before anyone could grasp what happened, a tsunami engulfed the remains—dragging corpses and debris into the ocean's abyss.
Then came the final image:
A corpse, frozen mid-fall, sliced in two with eyes wide in disbelief, crashed into the sea.
Only then did Kyros finally awaken from his trance.
The enemy he'd just told Rebecca must be risked against with one's life—
Had died like an insect before Luoyu.
So this... this is the gap in power.
The man who crushed Dressrosa's second battlefield…
The Marine Fourth Admiral for whom even Whitebeard was willing to embrace death.
BOOM!
The sea thundered as water surged back into the chasm, slamming together with a deafening roar.
Luoyu frowned slightly, glancing down at the fishing-rod-like blade in his hand.
"Admiral Luoyu! That slash—surely that's already the level of a Supreme Grade Swordmaster!"Vice Admiral Momonga—nicknamed Burning Mountain—was the first to recover, laughing as he stepped forward.
He had been assigned by Sengoku to accompany Luoyu as a precaution—to ensure contact with Marine HQ wasn't lost.
Originally, Vice Admiral Tokikake would've been the ideal pick as a candidate for Admiral.
But Sengoku worried Tokikake's kindness might compromise a critical moment.
So instead, he chose the steady and experienced Momonga.
In Sengoku's mind, even if they were ambushed by two Yonko at once—Luoyu alone could hold the line long enough for Momonga to signal for help.
"A Supreme Grade Swordmaster?" Luoyu frowned, then shook his head.
"No… still not enough."
Not enough?
Momonga was stunned.
That kind of slash—cleaving the sea, ships, and enemies like butter—was beyond anything even he could do as a seasoned Vice Admiral.
And Luoyu thought it wasn't enough?
"Admiral Luoyu, you defeated Kaido head-on. Most of us can't even fathom that.""I've seen the world's strongest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, fight once—but even then, I never saw his full strength."
"If we're talking about comparing you to him… I don't think I can say anything for sure."
Momonga had watched Luoyu rise through the ranks—witnessed him create shockwaves across the seas with every move.
Yet he never understood why a man who could dominate enemies just by standing there suddenly started practicing swordsmanship.
Was this the loneliness of the strong?
"Admiral Luoyu," came Ain's voice—her fists clenched tight with admiration, "your swordsmanship has only just begun, and already you've reached such heights. Compared to Mihawk, there can't be much difference. I believe in you! One day, you'll surpass him—and become the strongest swordsman on the sea!"
Her eyes sparkled with almost childlike reverence.
Momonga wasn't surprised. Luoyu's charisma had never been in doubt.
But now, after seeing him stride into Yonko territory like it was nothing—that charisma had become legend.
Yet just as Ain's voice faded…
Luoyu's next words stunned everyone around him.
No—shattered them.
"Who said I was trying to match Mihawk?" Luoyu took another swig from his rough clay gourd and let the power around him dissipate.
"I'm just figuring out how to cut down the Five Elders."
The deck went silent.
Even Momonga's cigar drooped from his mouth.
Not just Momonga—everyone nearby froze.
Those words echoed like thunder in their minds.
Cut down... the Five Elders?
Luoyu glanced over the sea as it began to calm. His eyes landed on two stopped ships nearby.
"Hm? That's the former king of Dressrosa?"
He raised a brow—completely unsurprised.
After all, when he'd personally dragged Doflamingo out of that hellhole, he'd known his heavy-handedness would have consequences.
He never expected, though, that following Garp's guidance here to search for Tsuru…
He'd run into the Riku family instead.
Rebecca was the first to recover.
Her eyes flared as she looked at the pirate ship bearing Charlotte Snack.
Clutching her sword tightly, she shouted out:
"Admiral Luoyu! We are the Riku royal family—wronged by the former Warlord Doflamingo! We're members of the World Government! If you save us, I, Rebecca, will agree to any condition you name!"
Her voice trembled with desperation—holding onto her final hope like a drowning woman grasping a floating plank.
But just as she spoke, Violet quickly covered her mouth.
"Admiral Luoyu, if you want compensation, take it from me! Rebecca is still young…"
Rebecca blinked in confusion—then realized.
What did I just say…?
Her face turned crimson to the tips of her ears.
Looking down at her feet—though she couldn't even see them from this angle—she muttered inwardly.
I'm not that young anymore, right…?
But after witnessing Luoyu's terrifying display of power, she was still desperately eager to hear his answer.
Would the Navy's Fourth Admiral, whose name shook the seas, accept her plea?
Luoyu took another sip from his drink, glancing over at Momonga, who was still frozen, cigar smoldering in stunned silence.
"Vice Admiral Yamakaji, doesn't your cigar burn your mouth?"
"Oh, right. Does saving the Riku royal family come with a bounty reward?"