Sengoku's heart stirred violently.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea — a system the World Government created to balance the power of pirates.
On paper, it looked good.
It even created the current balance of power in the New World: the Four Emperors, the Marines, and the Warlords — a three-way stalemate.
But Sengoku knew the truth. Every time they summoned those guys, it was a mess. Forget about them doing their job — it was already a blessing if they didn't cause trouble.
None of them ever truly cared about the orders of the Marines or the World Government.
They only accepted the Warlord title for their own gain, and when forcibly summoned, they would do the bare minimum.
But Oguro... was different.
This man never ignored evil. When summoned, Sengoku knew he would act — no need to worry about half-hearted effort.
"In that case, let's make contact first. If he's willing, we'll recommend him to the World Government as Crocodile's replacement."
Sengoku made the final call.
If they could gain one less enemy and one more ally, he'd be more than happy.
As for whether Onigumo would be displeased — Sengoku didn't care at all.
Those hardline officers might be extreme, but at least they followed orders.
And honestly, if Onigumo hadn't been flattened in a single move, would the Marines even need to go out of their way to win Oguro over?
No matter how you looked at it, he had no right to object.
Out at sea, Oguro and his crew had no idea that, because of Soifon, the Marines' attitude toward them had shifted dramatically.
Right now, they were all sitting on the deck, silently staring at a cabin door.
"Come out already. Don't tell me you plan to hide forever?"
Oguro was the first to break the silence.
Creaaak!
The cabin door opened, and a slender figure stepped out slowly.
With a smile, Robin said, "Sorry for coming aboard without asking first."
Oguro couldn't help but feel a strange sense of déjà vu.
This scene... it really felt familiar.
Could it be that defeating Crocodile came with a reward — Robin joining his crew?
He shook off the thought and waved his hand. "You helped me before. This is nothing. I just want to ask — what are you planning to do now? Don't tell me you're going to stay with us?"
To his surprise, Robin nodded without hesitation.
"That's right. I intend to travel with you."
"Why?"
Robin smiled faintly. "Because you know where the Poneglyphs are... and even their general contents. If I want to find the others, I have to stay by your side."
Well... as expected of an archaeologist from Ohara.
She'd stop at nothing for the Poneglyphs.
"Of course, I won't freeload."
Robin took out a stack of documents.
"These are the assets Baroque Works accumulated over the past two years. A lot's been spent already, but there's still about three to four hundred million Berries left. Consider it my payment."
Those funds were originally meant for the next year's purchases of Dance Powder and propaganda operations — all of which she had conveniently stolen.
"Lord Oguro, I think she's being sincere. Why not accept it?" Nami said, hugging Oguro's arm with her eyes shining.
There it was — her greedy nature on full display.
"Also," Robin continued, "I have experience with planning and logistics. I can help your crew with strategy and organization."
She had been searching alone for the Poneglyphs for years. Now that she'd met someone holding key information, she wasn't about to let this chance slip away.
Oguro thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright. There's a Poneglyph on Skypiea anyway. You can come with us."
Robin's eyes lit up instantly.
Another Poneglyph!
Following this man was definitely the right choice.
After settling things with Robin, Oguro checked his system interface.
Sure enough, there was no "recruitment reward" like when Nami joined.
Well, it made sense. In the original story, Robin hadn't truly become part of the Straw Hat crew right away — not until after the Enies Lobby incident.
He couldn't expect his charisma to rival Luffy's protagonist halo.
For now, Robin was just cooperating with them out of shared interests, not loyalty.
The crew began sailing toward Jaya Island.
Of course, those documents worth hundreds of millions of Berries had already been safely confiscated and hidden by Nami.
After several days of sailing, they finally reached the waters near Jaya.
Suddenly, Nami shouted, "Hey! Look at this!"
In her hands were two compasses — one pointing normally toward Jaya, but the other, a standard Log Pose, was tilted sharply upward, pointing straight into the sky.
"Lord Oguro, this must be Skypiea, right? Only islands with stronger magnetic fields can pull the pointer that high!" Nami's eyes sparkled with excitement.
After all, Skypiea meant one thing — gold!
"Yeah, that's about the right location. From here on, we'll rely on you, Rangiku." Oguro turned to her seriously.
Normally, reaching Skypiea required using a massive upward current to launch the ship ten thousand meters into the sky.
But that method was extremely dangerous — one mistake could shatter both ship and crew.
So Oguro had come up with a safer plan.
He'd have Rangiku release her Zanpakutō to lift their ship, the Desert Rose, into the sky. He would assist midway, sharing the load to prevent her from exhausting her reiatsu.
"Alright, I'll start."
Rangiku drew her Zanpakutō. "Growl... Haineko!"
In an instant, a storm of ash-like dust surged beneath the Desert Rose, forming a whirlwind that lifted the ship steadily into the air.
After an unknown amount of time, a vast stretch of white clouds loomed overhead.
Just as Rangiku prepared to push through, Oguro quickly stopped her.
"That's not a cloud. It's the White Sea — basically a floating ocean. Charge through it head-on, and you'll suffocate before you make it!"
He then glanced at Robin. "And it's not just that. The White Sea works just like the ocean — it weakens Devil Fruit users."
For the rest of them, diving in was just a matter of holding their breath... but if Robin did the same, it could be fatal.
Robin understood immediately and smiled gratefully.
"Then I'll circle around," Rangiku said, preparing to change course.
"No need. Rukia, open a path." Oguro turned toward her.
Rukia nodded and drew her Zanpakutō.
"Dance... Sode no Shirayuki."
"First Dance... Tsukishiro."
In an instant, a towering pillar of ice rose within the White Sea, connecting the upper and lower layers.
Then, with a gentle sweep of her blade, Rukia melted the ice's center, leaving behind a tunnel that reached straight toward the heavens.
Oguro smiled in satisfaction. "Let's go — straight through there!"
Moments later, sunlight streamed down through the tunnel's upper opening.
They'd reached the exit.
***
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