"Five o'clock sharp, no more killing?"
What kind of logic is that?
Nami stared at the grinning Marine Hero Garp.
Was this really Luffy's grandfather?
Or was Luffy secretly the neighbor's kid?
Because no real grandpa would watch his grandson get sliced half to death and just… shrug.
"Vice Admiral Garp, aren't you worried your watch is wrong again?" Bogard asked, glancing at his own timepiece.
"Luckily, this time it's not. It's exactly five o'clock. If it were any other Admiral, who knows. But Luoyu?" He shook his head. "If he hasn't been paid extra, he won't lift a finger past five. That's his line."
Ever since Luoyu had been rescued and brought aboard Garp's ship, Bogard had become something of a mentor.
And he knew all too well about Luoyu's… obsessive quirks.
Nami stared at the two Marines, dumbfounded.
They weren't even rushing to help.
She wanted to scream: "Is Luffy really your grandson? Or is he just some random kid you picked up?"
But after what she'd just witnessed—after that overwhelming, soul-crushing display—she could only pray that what they said was true.
Please let it really be five o'clock. Please let him really be off the clock.
"Vice Admiral Garp, have you thought about how you're going to explain this?" Bogard asked, surveying the wreckage.
"Hah! What's there to explain?" Garp laughed. "Let's go see how long my grandson lasted against Luoyu."
He strolled toward the ruins, still picking his nose.
Bogard sighed. "If you can still walk, you'd better come along. You're lucky Garp's on your side."
"Last time you ran into Aokiji, it was Garp who got you out alive. Next time? No promises."
"If you don't want to die in despair, you'd better get stronger."
"W-wait!" Nami called out. "If this new Admiral isn't going to kill Luffy, then why did he come here?"
Bogard paused, his cheek twitching.
"For the bounty, probably."
The bounty?
Nami stood frozen.
What kind of twisted luck did they have?
What kind of Admiral chased them down and nearly killed them—for a bonus?
She clenched her fists, teeth grinding.
Then stumbled forward to follow.
In the ruins, Robin and Chopper were helping the others up.
Blood and dust clung to their clothes.
They looked like ghosts of their former selves.
The glory of Enies Lobby felt like a distant dream.
Luoyu stood in the rubble, sipping his drink, no longer attacking.
Just… watching.
It was unnerving.
Like a blade hovering at their throats, refusing to fall.
"If you're going to kill us, just do it," Zoro growled, trying to stand.
But the cross-shaped gash on his chest burst open again, and he collapsed.
Sanji caught him, gritting his teeth.
"We knew we might die when we set sail. I'm not afraid. If you're going to kill us, just do it."
"I can still fight!" Luffy wheezed.
But in his post-Gear Third chibi form, the words came out in a squeaky, babyish voice.
"Sorry," Luoyu said, sheathing his sword. "It's five o'clock. I'm off the clock. I'm not wasting my personal time on you."
He took another swig of his earthen brew.
Zoro and Sanji blinked.
They'd already made peace with death.
Now they were being… spared?
Because it was after hours?
It felt like punching a pillow after bracing for a wall.
"HAH! Luoyu, I knew you'd clock out on time."
A booming laugh echoed across the ruins.
Garp strode in with Bogard behind him.
"Gramps!" Luffy's eyes lit up.
For the first time, seeing his grandfather felt like salvation.
That feeling lasted exactly one second.
WHAM!
Garp's fist landed square on Luffy's forehead, launching him seven meters back.
"OWWWWW!" Luffy wailed, clutching his head.
Luoyu took another sip, unfazed.
Classic Garp.
Love, in his case, meant a few extra punches.
If Luffy hadn't been raised in the wilderness by this maniac, he'd never have survived half the fights he'd been in.
Zoro and the others instinctively shrank back.
Watching Luffy—rubber-bodied Luffy—get flattened like that?
Yeah… maybe they didn't want to know what came next.
"Zoro, are you okay?" Nami stumbled over.
"Luffy's grandpa said the new Admiral never kills after five. We might actually live."
"Five o'clock?"
The crew stared at her.
Suddenly, it all made sense.
Why Luoyu had stopped.
Why he hadn't finished them off.
Robin glanced at her watch.
"Then why did he chase us down in the first place?"
Everyone turned to Luoyu.
He calmly hung his gourd at his waist, pulled out a Den Den Mushi, and said:
"Nothing much. Just needed a photo for the bounty report. You guys were a bit too aggressive."
A photo. For the bounty.
Everyone froze.
Their wounds throbbed.
Their brains short-circuited.
They'd been sliced, crushed, and nearly killed… for a picture?
Was this a joke?
Because if it was, it was the cruelest one they'd ever heard.