"You people have only two choices right now. Either we coexist in peace, and from now on when the World Government orders ships from Water 7 I'll give you a twenty percent discount…
Or we go down together. But if you can't wipe us out in a single strike, those Celestial Dragons had better never leave Mary Geoise again. The thing my subordinate Soi Fon excels at has never been frontal combat. It's assassination."
Once he started threatening them, he made sure the threat landed properly.
There was no real benefit in attacking Water 7. It would only cause trouble without gaining anything.
The Five Elders definitely weren't foolish enough to do something so pointless.
Of course, if they really refused to listen, Oguro didn't mind letting them taste the strength of two Captains fighting together.
If this had been in the past, Oguro still needed to be cautious.
But now, with Soi Fon and Kuchiki Byakuya at his side, he had no reason to back down.
"Heh… Sith Oguro. I hope you can bear the consequences of angering the World Government."
One of the Five Elders sneered. Then they hung up the Den Den Mushi.
In Water 7, Oguro laughed as he put the Den Den Mushi away.
Beside him, Iceburg wore a worried expression.
"Lord Soul King… the negotiation failed?"
Judging by the Five Elders' attitude, they clearly weren't moved by Oguro's threats.
Unexpectedly, Oguro simply shook his head with a grin.
"No. They agreed."
Iceburg blinked in confusion.
Oguro explained, "They're the Five Elders. Of course they need face. They can't just openly agree to my threat.
What he meant was, this matter ends here… but if they ever get a chance in the future, they won't go easy on us."
"That's all it takes for them to agree?"
Iceburg felt it made no sense at all.
"The World Government can't afford another God Valley incident."
"God Valley incident?"
Not only Iceburg, even Lucci and the others looked puzzled.
Oguro raised an eyebrow.
"You CP9 don't know?"
Lucci shook his head.
Their authority wasn't low, but the God Valley incident was far beyond their clearance.
Oguro thought for a moment, then gave them a brief explanation of the once-glorious Rocks Pirates and the incident they triggered at God Valley.
"Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and even Shiki were all in the same crew?"
Lucci felt his worldview shattering.
Every one of those pirates was a legendary figure on the Grand Line.
And they had all been someone else's subordinates?
How strong must that someone have been?
Kalifa adjusted her glasses.
"In the end, it still took Garp teaming up with Pirate King Gol D. Roger to drive back the Rocks Pirates. No wonder the World Government hid this incident.
Whether it's Celestial Dragons being massacred, or cooperating with the Pirate King, either would be a massive scandal."
In that moment, no one said it out loud, but deep inside each of them… a seed was planted.
The World Government was not invincible.
Oguro coldly continued, "After that, the Celestial Dragons rarely gather together. If they do, the Marines escort them in overwhelming numbers. They're terrified of a repeat of that event."
"Those bloated parasites disgust me, but the World Government treats them like treasures," Soi Fon said with clear disdain.
"A bunch of vermin daring to call themselves gods. In this world, only the Shinigami created by Lord Soul King have the right to be called gods.
If I meet them, I'll show them what happens to those who overstep."
Oguro and his subordinates held absolute contempt for the Celestial Dragons.
With the discussion settled, Oguro assigned Lucci and the others to serve under Soi Fon.
He had enough mid and high-level personnel, but still lacked basic operatives.
At this moment, the system notification rang.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the hidden quest: Display the Might of the Nation. You greatly elevated the prestige of the Divine Kingdom before the World Government. Reward: Hundred-Man Guard Unit."
Perfect.
The system really knew when to offer help.
Oguro waved his hand and gave half of the new personnel to Soi Fon so she could form an intelligence network as soon as possible.
The remaining half stayed to protect Water 7.
After this event, Oguro's daily bonus achievement points rose to three hundred.
It wasn't just because he made a strong impression before the Five Elders.
Water 7's massive reputation played a huge role too.
The best shipyard on the Grand Line wasn't a title earned by words.
There was still a huge list of Marine orders waiting to be built.
After arranging everything, Oguro handed Lucci and the others the methods for training Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
He then gave them full freedom to act.
Oguro didn't care what means Lucci used. Within one year he wanted to see a functional intelligence network.
To make that happen, they could use as many people or as much money as they wanted.
One year… because the main storyline would begin in a year.
The seas would fall into chaos.
Without intelligence, they would miss countless major events.
Oguro even contacted Vivi and established a formal cooperation between their two sides, jointly building a global intelligence network.
With Water 7's matters settled, Oguro finally had time to fulfill his promise to Laboon.
Thanks to the Senkaimon gate, he had absolute confidence in leaving Water 7.
Even if something happened, he could return instantly.
Byakuya on Sky Island would also arrive immediately.
If the enemy couldn't finish things in the opening minutes, they would face two Captains hunting them down.
Besides… he wanted to see whether anyone dared try something while he wasn't around.
A few days later, Oguro and his group arrived at the Florian Triangle.
This region was shrouded in dense fog year-round, and more than a hundred ships sank here annually.
It was a true graveyard of the sea.
"What an unpleasant place…" Nami hugged herself, clearly uncomfortable with the sunless atmosphere.
Oguro activated his Observation Haki and scanned for a long while. Then he smiled.
He pointed forward.
"That way."
As the Desert Rose advanced, the group began hearing something.
"What is that sound? Don't tell me this place is haunted…"
Nami shivered and clung tightly to Oguro's arm.
Robin listened carefully, unsure.
"It sounds like someone humming… a pirate song. It seems like Bink's Sake."
Oguro gave her a thumbs-up.
"Correct. Bink's Sake. And the person we're looking for is right there… Brook."
Soon, the voice grew very clear.
Through the fog, a gigantic pirate ship approached.
On the deck, a blurry figure swayed lightly.
The next moment, an afro-headed skeleton appeared before them.
***
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