CHAPTER 182- Moonlight Subdued, Kings Summoned

"That's the Navy's flag... what are they doing here?!"

Pedro's face twisted in shock.

As a former pirate captain, he wasn't naïve when it came to the balance of power across the seas. But what stunned him was that the Navy had found the moving nation of Zou.

Even more astonishing was the massive ship descending from the skies—a custom-built, airborne fortress unlike anything Pedro had ever seen. It was less a warship and more a mobile citadel.

Whoever was aboard… was no ordinary figure.

"Wanda, go notify the two Kings immediately! Carrot's still in Sulong form—I'll buy some time!"

Pedro unsheathed his saber, roaring orders with urgency.

"Tell them this enemy... only they together can stop!"

The gathered Minks turned pale.

They had never heard Pedro speak this way before.

As one of the rare Minks who had ventured beyond Zou, Pedro's knowledge far exceeded theirs. He always spoke of the two Kings—Inuarashi and Nekomamushi—as peerless warriors, able to stand against any threat from the outside world.

And now—Pedro was saying even their combined strength might be needed?

"Attack!!"

Pedro bellowed once more, saber flashing as he charged straight toward Luo Yu.

The others hesitated only a moment before following.

ROAR!!

In that instant, Carrot, still engulfed in her Sulong transformation, snarled like a wild beast.Lightning surged around her, crackling and fierce, as she prepared to break through Luo Yu's golden Guanyin defense.

But before she could leap, Luo Yu raised his head, sighed, and spoke:

"I'm on a tight schedule. No time to play with you."

"Wake up."

BOOM—!!

A storm of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Luo Yu's body like a collapsing sea.

Wanda and the other minks had barely moved three meters when—

An invisible force hit them square in the soul.

Their heads rang.

Their minds blanked.

Their knees buckled.

It was as if they were tossed into a roaring tide, consciousness teetering on the edge of collapse.

And then…

The Haki detonated outward, sweeping across the jungle, across the mountaintop—over ten kilometers of land blanketed in overwhelming pressure.

Wanda and Pedro came to, drenched in cold sweat.

If this had been a real battle…

That moment of unconsciousness would have meant death.

They looked back behind them—

All across the field, hundreds—thousands—of Minks had collapsed, foaming at the mouth, unconscious.

And Carrot, still just a few meters from Luo Yu, was gasping for breath.

Her wild, violent Sulong instincts—the frenzied energy coursing through her—had vanished.

The moment she attempted to strike, the tidal wave of Conqueror's Haki surged into her very soul.

It felt like she was a dinghy in a typhoon—about to be shattered at any moment.

As she looked up at the calm young man before her, the one she had just tried to attack…All she could feel now was fear.

Her body trembled.

Her legs buckled.

Her Sulong form, only barely mastered, collapsed like a broken tide.

Pedro and Wanda were stunned.

He'd forcefully suppressed the Sulong transformation.

And they… no longer dared to attack.

"It's alright. This isn't your fight—stand down."

Luo Yu sipped his earthy liquor and casually patted Carrot on the head. Then he turned toward Wanda and Pedro, smiling.

"No need to be so tense. Leave what's next to your Kings."

BOOM!

A figure wearing a blue cloak crashed through the forest and landed before Wanda and Carrot.

The force of impact cracked the ground and shattered the surrounding rocks.

The dust cleared to reveal—Duke Inuarashi, King of the Day.

His face was grave as he scanned the surroundings.

"To think the Navy would find this place... This has never happened before," he muttered. "It seems we've been too complacent."

"Now tell me—what is a Marine doing here?"

He narrowed his eyes, studying Luo Yu. "That Haki just now... was that Conqueror's Haki? A one-in-a-million talent?"

"I haven't been in touch with the outside world for a few months. When did the Marines start producing monsters like you?"

"Are you… a Rear Admiral? Or a Vice Admiral?"

Zou, as a moving kingdom, could only be located through torn fragments of a Vivre Card.Not even News Co.'s flying seagulls could reach them through the thick mists of the elephant's back.

And just like Wano, Zou had always been closed off from the world.

Only a handful of their kind were permitted to leave.

As such, Inuarashi had no knowledge of what had transpired recently.

To him, the Marines were still the same—with only three Admirals.

Luo Yu chuckled lightly.

"My rank isn't important."

"What matters is—I'm in a rush, and I'd rather not say things twice."

He turned his gaze into the jungle and raised his voice.

"So the other King hiding in the shadows—come out."

He patted Carrot's shoulder again.

"That's enough out of you too. Go stand to the side."

Carrot blinked, jolted back to her senses.

Her legs were still wobbly, but seeing Duke Inuarashi gave her a sense of safety.

She glanced one more time at Luo Yu—a strange light in her eyes—before she jogged back to Wanda.

Pedro and Wanda let out a breath of relief.

The moment earlier had made them painfully aware of Luo Yu's might.

If he had used Carrot as a bargaining chip… they wouldn't have been able to stop him.

"Heh… I thought you might use that kid as leverage," Duke Inuarashi said with a wry smile. "Didn't expect you'd let her go. Seems there are good men among the Marines."

"But I'll be blunt—if you've come to negotiate, you'll have to do it with me."

"That guy and I… we haven't spoken in decades. If I'm here, he won't show. That's a hard rule."

"A hard rule?" Luo Yu gave a faint smile, shaking his head.

"No. I believe… he will come."

"I see. After all these years, you still can't move past Oden's death."

"But let me make one thing clear—"

"I'm not here to play the good guy."

"If I really wanted to destroy you… you're too weak to even be worth using hostages against."