CHAPTER 90- The Power Struggle Deepens

"Reporting him on the spot?"Watching Isuka's eager face, Luo Yu took a swig of his homemade liquor and laughed."You really do have the makings of a model citizen."

He shook his head slightly and continued, "Aside from the Dark King Rayleigh, the woman with him is none other than the former Rocks Pirates intelligence officer—'Poison Widow' Shakky. Her reputation is no less fearsome than Rayleigh's."

"The fact that both of them have been living openly in the Sabaody Archipelago, right under the Navy Headquarters' nose for so many years... Well, let's just say their continued presence is no accident. Both the World Government and the Navy have tacitly allowed it."

"It's better to keep dangerous individuals within sight, under surveillance, rather than have them lurking out at sea as time bombs. At least this way, we can keep tabs on them."

"You're saying... that woman is even more dangerous than Rayleigh? And the higher-ups allowed them to stay there? We can't even report it?" Isuka blinked in disbelief.

She had never imagined that the quiet, seemingly ordinary woman could rival one of the Pirate King's closest crewmates.

Just then, a familiar chime echoed in Luo Yu's mind.

Ding! Congratulations, host. Golden Treasure Chest successfully upgraded. Opening it now will yield a 100% guaranteed reward.

Luo Yu's brows lifted slightly. He had almost forgotten.

Three days earlier, he had finally accumulated enough for a 20-pull lottery—planning to flex a little. But before he could, the system had hijacked the event and upgraded the reward instead.

Now, with the golden chest quietly floating in his mental space, Luo Yu felt his mood shift.

Although he missed out on the satisfying ritual of 20 consecutive draws, the golden chest—with its top-tier reward potential and guaranteed drop rate—was more than fair compensation.

Especially now. With one of the Flying Six tied up on his ship as bait, he knew it was only a matter of time before Jack the Drought, the notorious Calamity, would arrive.

And if Jack was now flagged as a bonus target by the system? Then Luo Yu had to be ready—absolutely ready—to claim that bonus without fail.

The golden treasure chest was exactly what he needed right now.

Taking a deep breath, Luo Yu commanded, "System, open the golden treasure chest—now."

Ding! Please wait, host.Ding! Congratulations, host. Golden chest successfully opened. You have obtained: Intermediate Mutation Card (1).

This card can be used on yourself or any skill you possess. Once used, the target will undergo an unexpected transformation.

"An Intermediate Mutation Card?" Luo Yu was momentarily stunned.

He had been hoping for something dimensional, something overpowered. At the very least, he thought he might receive an advanced Haki power like Future Sight or Internal Destruction.

Something obvious and flashy.

But instead, the system had served up this obscure-sounding "mutation" card.

Still, Luo Yu wasn't the kind to waste good steel on a rusty blade.

He tapped his fingers thoughtfully.

And a bold idea formed in his mind.

"Stop right there! This is no place for Marines!"

A sharp, grating voice suddenly rang out, snapping Luo Yu back to the real world.

They had arrived—right in front of the auction house, the central slave-trading venue of Area No. 3.

Though the streets had just been emptied of pirates, scared away by the aura of a Marine Admiral...

They were now packed again—with unfamiliar thugs streaming out of the auction hall, forming a new blockade.

At the forefront stood an unexpected figure: a hulking man clad in stone-plated armor, wielding a massive katana—but speaking in a high-pitched, nasally voice.

A body and voice that didn't match at all.

Luo Yu recognized him instantly.

This was Pica, top executive of the Donquixote Family—underworld king Doflamingo's most trusted lieutenant.

"So that's what Shakky meant by 'troublesome,'" Luo Yu muttered to himself.

Doflamingo wasn't just a warlord. He was a key broker in both legal and illegal worlds—and perhaps more dangerously, someone who knew the secrets of the Celestial Dragons.

If one of his people was here, then this matter truly wasn't simple.

It also explained how CP9 had managed to elude not just the Navy's surveillance, but even CP0's intelligence web.

They had help.

Luo Yu was sure—even if CP0 were to personally arrive and see someone like Pica involved, they wouldn't act rashly. They would report it to the Five Elders and await instructions.

Elsewhere, in a shadowy corridor, two more figures moved stealthily.

One of them, cloaked in white robes, had a heavily bandaged body and a half-covered face.

It was Spandam.

"Father, you have to help me! Our Spandine family has always been loyal dogs to the Celestial Dragons—we can't be ruined in my generation!" he whimpered.

"I don't want to die!"

"If we just pin the failure at Enies Lobby on Rob Lucci and the others—say they disobeyed orders—we can still survive. They're all dead or missing anyway!"

The older man standing before him—the infamous Spandine, former director of CP9—glared at his son.

"Shut up, Spandam! This matter is no longer about you. The official report will be that Lucci and the others acted recklessly and suffered the consequences."

"I've already requested aid from CP0. They'll be here soon. As long as we eliminate CP9 before word reaches Imu-sama, the situation can be salvaged."

Suddenly, two figures appeared behind them—silent as ghosts.

"Spandine. Never thought you'd come crawling to us," a voice said.

Spandam flinched in terror and stumbled backward, nearly falling to the floor. Spandine quickly reached out and steadied him.

These newcomers were tall and eerily slender, their movements otherworldly.

Iga and Iha of CP0.

Spandine gritted his teeth. "Don't forget—you owe me. Settle that debt now, and I won't forget your help."

"Settle a debt?" Iga laughed beneath his mask.

"Don't be so formal. If it concerns your son, it's our concern too."

"We'll take care of the CP9 remnants for you. But now that Doflamingo's forces are involved, we can't move openly. Let the new Admiral handle it first. If he captures them, we'll make sure he hands them over to us."

Spandam, now steadied, turned to look at Luo Yu's back in the distance.

His heart tightened with a cold dread.

Something about that man filled him with unease...

Like staring into the eyes of a predator far beyond his understanding.