"So it's the newly appointed Fourth Admiral, Taotie Luo Yu. He really does look like a young punk!"
Spandam suddenly laughed.
As the master of Enies Lobby, his strength was indeed lacking, but his position gave him plenty of confidence.
Moreover, the person who had arrived was a newly appointed Admiral, which gave him even more reason to be unrestrained.
"Spandam, what are you saying? Hina is very angry," Hina said, her face turning green, and she hurried forward.
However, she was quickly stopped by Smoker, who reached out and said, "Hina, since the Admiral is here, let him handle this!"
Hina hesitated for a moment. Of course, she knew what Smoker was thinking.
During this time, Smoker, facing this ridiculously young boy, who had been promoted to Admiral, and also possessed a Logia Devil Fruit, was hailed as the most likely candidate to be promoted to Admiral, also felt a bit unconvinced.
However, they were clearly not qualified to deal with Spandam, the highest-ranking officer of CP9.
"Let me handle this!" Luo Yu landed on the deck, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses.
"Hello, I am Luo Yu, the new Admiral of the Navy. I heard that before our Fleet Admiral had even issued the documents, you were planning to intercept my first mission.
"Are you trying to steal five hundred thousand in merit/performance from me?"
Seeing Luo Yu step forward, Ain was still hopeful, wanting to see how Luo Yu would respond.
She never expected that he would end up saying something so full of the stench of money.
An Admiral of the Navy, haggling over five hundred thousand in merit.
Is this really okay?
"Five hundred thousand in performance?" Crocodile's cheek muscles twitched. The next moment, his expression contorted as he roared, "You little brat from the Navy, are you deliberately insulting me?"
"I am the mighty Crocodile, the Sand Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai! You say I'm only worth five hundred thousand in performance? You're courting death!"
"Don't let me get away, or I'll show you what despair truly is!"
Luo Yu glanced at Crocodile, who had completely lost it.
Of course, Luo Yu liked the idea of getting the bounty on his head, worth eighty million Berries.
Unfortunately, this bounty exceeded the recognition range of the check-in system.
At the same time, Luo Yu had also considered pressuring the Navy Headquarters to drastically increase his salary to three, five, or even seven hundred million Berries.
Unfortunately, according to the system's instructions, this illegally obtained salary did not fall within the system's recognized scope.
Luo Yu ultimately had to accept his fate as a corporate slave.
Therefore, when Crocodile went on a rampage, Luo Yu just glanced at him before losing interest and turning his gaze to Spandam.
"Hey, I was asking you a question. Are you really planning to steal my Five hundred Thousand in performance bonuses?"
Spandam and the others were dumbfounded. They hadn't expected Luo Yu to be so hung up on a mere five hundred thousand Berries.
As an Admiral, if he had enough strength, he could have Berries overflowing from the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line, let alone the New World.
Why would he be worried about five hundred thousand in performance bonuses?
"Admiral Luo Yu, are you joking? Or are you using this as an excuse to refuse our CP9 taking over this escort mission?" Spandam regained his composure and smiled playfully.
"By the way, Admiral Luo Yu, I learned from CP's intelligence network that Fleet Admiral Sengoku once compared you to, or even said you were stronger than, Rob Lucci of CP9."
"The few under my command also possess the potential of a Lucci. They're eager to test the difference between an Admiral and Lucci."
"I believe Admiral Luo Yu won't mind. At the same time, let us see if Admiral Luo Yu has the confidence to escort Crocodile to Impel Down!"
"Jabura, you and your team, go warm up the Admiral!"
"Understood, Director Spandam!" Jabura and the other two instantly moved.
Nero, standing to the side, also revealed a face full of interest. As a newcomer to CP9, he didn't immediately join the fray, instead flashing forward to stand in front of Hina and Smoker.
"Spandam, you've gone too far! Hina will report your actions to Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Hina became anxious.
Smoker's expression also darkened slightly, not expecting Spandam to push his luck so far.
Even Ain and Koby were no exception.
Only Crocodile, who had been furious, sat in the cabin with a sneer.
He was eager to see how the new Admiral would react to CP9's challenge.
"Whoosh!"
Jabura and the other two appeared before Luo Yu like phantoms, taking the initiative.
For this open test, they completely abandoned any thought of a sneak attack and opted for a direct assault.
Seeing this, Ain and the others prepared to intervene.
The next moment, before they could even move, a terrifying aura, hard to describe, erupted from Luo Yu's body.
Boom!
The entire world and the sea shuddered in response.
Even the surface of the ocean vibrated, creating massive ripples and waves.
A vast, crimson tide, like a shockwave, erupted from Luo Yu's body. In a semi-circular form, it slammed head-on into Jabura and the other two, who were rushing forward.
"He has Conqueror's Haki? Isn't that ability only effective against the weak?"
Crocodile's expression froze, but his pupils immediately constricted, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
The crimson tide, as if materialized, instantly collided with the impact of Jabura and the others.
Boom!
A dull thud, like a god beating a drum, echoed.
The three of them felt their attacks slam against an invisible iron plate.
The next moment, a crushing pressure, like a tidal wave, surged towards them.
In an instant, the three were sent flying back like cannonballs.
Wherever they passed, even the deck of the warship beneath their feet seemed unable to withstand the impact of this seemingly tangible mental force.
It crumbled and shattered inch by inch.
Spandam, who had been standing twenty meters away, planning to use CP9 to probe Luo Yu's strength and save face, was completely dumbfounded.
He hadn't expected that the three he'd considered to possess Lucci's potential…
…couldn't even withstand a glare from Luo Yu.
Watching their pupils rapidly enlarge, Spandam considered turning and running.
Unfortunately, there was no way his speed could match the shockwave generated by Luo Yu's haki !
"No, don't! I am the highest-ranking official on Enies Lobby, the commander of CP9, and I hold the same rank as the Fleet Admiral of the Navy Headquarters! You can't lay a hand on me, or it's insubordination!"
"You, stop it quickly! You're a newly appointed Admiral of the Navy!"
Hysterical roars echoed across the deck.
Everyone's nerves couldn't help but tense.
Spandam was indeed shameless, but this statement was impossible to refute!