Suddenly, Moria seemed to sense something.
He lifted his head and looked at Perona, hesitating before saying, "I don't know you, but… you feel really familiar. If you want, we can get to know each other."
Perona's eyes widened with joy. "Yes! Of course I do!"
Oguro stood nearby with a thoughtful expression.
"So even without his memories, something still lingers deep in the soul."
"That makes sense. At the end of the day, it's still the same soul. It can't be completely different."
Watching Perona chatter nonstop beside Moria, Oguro smiled and quietly left.
With Moria as her emotional anchor, Perona would never betray him.
After all, he was the Soul King. Moria's very life now depended entirely on his will.
Once everything was arranged, Oguro finally began living a peaceful life.
The World Government had temporarily pulled back, giving Water 7 a rare window of quiet development.
Oguro also decided to keep a low profile for a while.
The Five Elders had compromised, but that didn't mean they had accepted defeat.
If he kept stirring up trouble, those old men definitely wouldn't sit still.
The World Government had ruled the seas for eight hundred years. Of course they had their pride.
Not long after, Vivi arrived in Water 7 with the agreed-upon personnel.
Iceburg was overjoyed.
Oguro's plans for Water 7 were drastic and sweeping. Almost all the responsibility had fallen on Iceburg's head, and he had been so busy he practically lived in his office.
Now someone could finally share the load.
Oguro spent a few days showing Vivi around Water 7. It was only proper hospitality.
Unfortunately, Vivi couldn't stay long.
The alliance between the two countries was still a secret.
The Holy Spirit Empire and the World Government had a tense relationship.
If anyone found out that Alabasta had signed an alliance with Oguro, Alabasta would definitely face retaliation.
There was no helping it. Alabasta simply wasn't strong enough.
In the world of One Piece, a nation's power depended first on top-tier fighters, and second on military strength.
Even though Oguro had given Vivi the method to train Armament Haki and Observation Haki, raising a top-tier fighter still required a long time.
On the other hand, military strength… that was something he could actually improve.
Oguro remembered that this world still used flintlock guns. One shot, reload, horrible accuracy.
Otherwise Shanks wouldn't have spent so long searching for a real sniper.
"With nothing else said, just a single Colt revolver is enough to show them what a real difference in firepower looks like."
A faint smile appeared on Oguro's lips.
They fire one shot. He could fire six without stopping. That alone could teach anyone the meaning of firepower suppression.
And rifles… the Mauser 98k was a classic for a reason.
Five-round internal magazine, high accuracy, long range.
With a proper scope, you wouldn't even need Observation Haki to hit something nine hundred meters away.
"Right. Franky loves making weapons. If I give him both designs, he'll be thrilled."
As for the production line…
The Twelfth Division's Technology Development Bureau had plenty of workshops. Setting aside one was more than enough.
And aside from supporting Alabasta, he could sell them too.
Weapons were one of the most profitable businesses out there.
No wonder Doflamingo made a fortune selling arms and even became one of the underground emperors.
Once Oguro decided, he acted immediately.
He personally handed Vivi the Haki training method and explained the firearm plans. Vivi was so overwhelmed that she threw her arms around him.
Alabasta had always been in an awkward position on the Grand Line.
With these two things, Alabasta finally had a real chance.
A moment later, realizing what she was doing, Vivi jumped back as her face turned bright red.
Oguro simply gave her a warm smile.
He had already noticed her budding feelings over the past few days.
And with a girl like her, he naturally had no reason to refuse.
Before she left, Oguro gently kissed Vivi. It was a promise.
Afterward, Oguro instructed Franky to begin developing the two firearms.
He promised that once production started, five percent of the profits would go to Franky as research funding.
Franky didn't hesitate for a second. It took him around three months to complete the prototype guns.
As for the matching ammunition, that was even easier.
Once Franky understood the principle, he finished it in two days.
After acquiring a large shipment of ore from Alabasta, the military factory began mass production with a roaring start.
A month later, the first batch of guns arrived in Alabasta, causing an uproar among the military.
A small portion secretly slipped into the black market, just as Oguro arranged, and prices instantly skyrocketed.
A flood of funds began flowing back.
Everything was starting to move in an orderly, unstoppable direction.
Months passed quietly.
Year 1522 of the Sea Calendar finally arrived.
The true curtain of this world was finally rising.
In the North Blue, a sailboat sped across the sea like an arrow.
On the bridge, a middle-aged man shouted, "Faster! Push it faster! If we lose this shipment, we might as well jump into the sea!"
None of the crew answered. They were already pushing the ship to its limit.
But just a few seconds later, the lookout cried in terror, "Captain! It's bad! We're surrounded!"
The middle-aged man looked around. Three standardized warships were closing in from three angles, forming a half-circle.
"Damn it!"
He knew instantly that this was an ambush.
As the ships drew closer, the flags became clear.
It was the flag of the Holy Spirit Empire.
On the flagship, a man in a black suit and tall top hat stepped out.
Seeing him, the captain's heart stopped and trembled violently. "Rob Lucci…"
The head of the Holy Spirit Empire's Shadow Dragon Guard. The spymaster.
If even he had come personally, there was no escape.
The sailboat was quickly surrounded. Lucci leapt lightly and landed in front of the middle-aged man, his voice cold.
"Lawson Maika. Bounty six million. Who gave you the courage to rob the Holy Spirit Empire's weapons shipment?"
Since Oguro's weapons business had expanded, the North Blue had become their biggest market.
The underworld crawled everywhere here, and their appetite for weapons was massive.
The Holy Spirit Empire's high-firepower guns dominated almost ninety percent of the market.
But recently, three shipments had been robbed in a row.
Oguro suspected someone was trying to take a piece of his cake and immediately ordered a full investigation.
Lucci then requested a shipment and arranged this trap.
Maika swallowed hard, forcing himself to stay calm. "Rob Lucci, we're both working under orders. If you want to know who's behind me, go ask the one behind you."
Thud.
Lucci punched Maika in the stomach.
Maika gagged up bile on the spot and collapsed to the deck.
"A little thief like you thinks he deserves to speak to His Majesty? If you want to die, I can grant your wish right now."
Under the crushing killing intent, Maika broke instantly.
"No! No! I'll talk! It's Joker! He sent me!"
***
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