Various pieces of equipment totaling 8 billion Belly were required.
About 5 billion of that equipment could be acquired through conventional channels. However, there were over 2 billion worth of items that were simply unavailable through legal means.
Despite the difficulty, Lucci took only three days to bring Sean a definitive answer.
Everything could be procured, but the cost was steep—the prices were marked up by 100%. In other words, equipment originally valued at 2.7 billion Belly was being quoted at 5.4 billion in the underworld.
Although it meant wasting an extra 2.7 billion Belly, it was a price worth paying. Without a second thought, Sean gave Lucci a single, decisive command.
"Buy it!!!"
Once Lucci had departed, Sean let out a soft sigh.
'I have to find a way to make money,' he thought. 'Otherwise, I'll be broke before long.'
'Once the Pirate Guerilla Force is fully assembled, I'll take a stroll through the Grand Line and perhaps make a trip to Sky Island.'
'''
Dressrosa.
"Young Master, we haven't been able to contact Gladius for three days. Do you think something has happened?"
"I've already sent people to investigate," Doflamingo replied. "News will arrive soon. Even if he was captured after a defeat, the Marines wouldn't dare kill him."
To Doflamingo, Gladius himself wasn't the primary concern. He knew the Marines would likely just imprison him; once the situation was confirmed, he could simply ask Sengoku to release him.
What truly troubled him was the team of researchers. Not only was their expertise in weapons research vital to him, but having spent a year in his employ, they knew far too much. He could not allow them to fall into the hands of others.
'Purupurupuru...'
Suddenly, a Den Den Mushi began to ring. It was a specific, private line, and Doflamingo immediately knew who was calling. He didn't ask the others to leave, as those present were the family's highest-ranking executives; they all knew who was on the other end.
"Vergo, what's the status?"
"I still haven't found any leads. However, I just received an order from Headquarters that may be related to this matter."
"What order?"
"Headquarters has instructed me to strictly monitor every move of the family from this moment forward. Any time a high-ranking member leaves, I am to report it immediately."
Hearing this, Doflamingo's eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.
If Gladius had simply been captured, Headquarters wouldn't need to go this far. This was clearly a sign that they feared Doflamingo would lash out in retaliation.
For them to fear his retaliation... could it be that Gladius had already...
"Vergo, carry out the orders from Marine Headquarters, but I need you to leave a loophole."
"What kind of loophole?"
"Well, you see..."
'''
Half a month later.
East Blue, 16th Branch.
The various pieces of equipment arrived in waves and were installed in the underground research facility. Retes and his team threw themselves fully into their work.
To Sean's surprise, the research department produced its first result in less than a week.
Though it was only a simple modification of the existing standard-issue rifles—adding rifling to the barrels and introducing a new type of ammunition—it was a revolutionary leap for the world of pirates.
The effective accurate range was increased from roughly 100 meters to over 200 meters, and the maximum range reached a staggering 600 meters.
Beyond that, the increase in power was the most noticeable improvement. During the testing phase, Lucci served as a human target to gauge the weapon's lethality.
With the previous standard-issue rifles, the bullets were practically harmless against Lucci once he activated Tekkai, regardless of where he was hit. However, with these modified barrels and rounds, Lucci frowned slightly upon impact.
Although the bullets still failed to penetrate his Tekkai, he actually felt a flicker of pain.
Lucci estimated that if someone like Kalifa or Blueno were targeted by a concentrated volley from these rifles, they could actually be wounded. For the first time, Lucci's perception of rifles shifted. Previously, he had looked down on such weapons.
Of course, this rifle was merely a proof of concept to validate the new technology. Modifying existing gear was not the ultimate goal for Sean or Retes. The research facility still had more technology to verify before they could design a completely new, era-defining rifle.
Inside the office.
"Lucci, are Kalifa and the other three back yet?"
"They will arrive sporadically within the next three days. However, Commodore, Headquarters mentioned they have been monitoring Dressrosa and haven't found anything unusual. It should be..."
"Do you know who Headquarters put in charge of the surveillance?"
"The G5 Branch near Dressrosa. The Branch Chief is Vice Admiral Vergo. I've heard his mastery of Haki is quite impressive; his strength is among the top tier of Marine Vice Admirals."
"Correct. But that's exactly where the problem lies," Sean said. "Let me tell you something: Vergo is actually a mole. His true identity is one of the highest-ranking executives of the Donquixote Family."
...
Even Lucci's expression shifted dramatically. The news was simply too absurd. A Marine Vice Admiral was a spy for a pirate crew?
Despite the shock, Lucci did not doubt Sean's words. Over time, Lucci had grown accustomed to the fact that no matter how ridiculous Sean's claims sounded, they always turned out to be true.
But if that were the case, a massive problem emerged.
Having a top executive of the Donquixote Family monitor the Donquixote Family... was that even useful?
"In that case, should we..."
"No. Without evidence, speaking up is useless. Even if Headquarters believed me and launched an investigation, it would take months to uncover anything. Never underestimate a man who can infiltrate the Marines for over a decade without being detected, eventually climbing all the way to the rank of Vice Admiral."
"But if we leave it like this, the Branch will be in extreme danger if the Donquixote Family decides to attack."
Lucci was arrogant, but he was not stupid. Dealing with Gladius might be simple, but the Donquixote Family were pirates who operated in the New World; many of their executives mastered Haki. Some of the top executives, in particular, would be troublesome even for Lucci.
After all, he was not yet the Lucci from three or five years into the future.
Looking back at the situation at the 16th Branch...
Aside from Instructor Sanders, Lucci was the only other person showing signs of awakening his Haki. As for the rest...
Furthermore, while the branch currently boasted over three hundred Marines, most were still recruits in training. Only the original hundred were truly capable of facing pirates from the New World. Clearly, this put them at a significant disadvantage.
"Rest assured, the Donquixote Family won't commit their entire force," Sean explained. "Vergo has been their mole for over a decade. For Vergo to intentionally slip up just to sneak the whole family into the East Blue without the Marine noticing..."
"Even if Vergo managed to keep his cover, such a blunder would be a massive dereliction of duty. It would make it nearly impossible for him to ever reach the upper echelons of the Marine."
"Doflamingo isn't foolish enough to pay that kind of price just to deal with us."
"Therefore, my guess is that he'll have Vergo create a few minor lapses in deployment. This would allow a handful of officers to bypass Marine surveillance and slip into the East Blue. There will likely be one high-ranking executive among them."
"The most likely candidates would be those from the Diamond Division—the so-called fighting group. Take these files and go over them carefully with Kaku and the others!"
As he spoke, Sean pushed a stack of documents across the desk. He had compiled these based on his own memories.
The files detailed everything about the Diamond Division's top executive, Diamante, and the other officers under his command—their personalities, habits, combat styles, and weaknesses. It even included strategic recommendations on optimal matchups and the specific methods required to defeat each individual. The level of detail was staggering.
Lucci stared at the documents, completely stunned.
'I'm the one in charge of intelligence, yet the Commodore's intel is far more terrifying than anything I've produced. If he keeps this up, it's going to make the intelligence department look completely redundant.'