Around the same time, Luffy also arrived at Water 7.
What surprised Oguro was that Brook was actually on Luffy's ship as well.
The pull of this world's original timeline was truly terrifying.
Originally, with Oguro's interference, Luffy's journey should have been much smoother than before.
But according to the Shadow Dragon Guard's investigations, the hardships Luffy encountered along the way were not reduced at all.
Since nothing else distracted him, Luffy's lifelong "lover" Smoker had been chasing right behind him the entire time.
Facing a Logia user, Luffy's crew who had not learned Armament Haki could only get beaten again and again.
In the end, because of all that, Luffy was somehow even stronger than he was in the original timeline.
However, with preparations for the War of the Best underway, Smoker was recalled to Marineford by Marine Headquarters.
Luffy and the others finally got a chance to breathe and arrived at Water Seven to rest.
"Luffy still doesn't know Ace has been captured. But the news should spread soon."
Hidden in the crowd, Oguro watched Luffy arguing with the shipwrights and calculated the timeline of the upcoming war.
Marine elites had already been called back. The next step would be summoning the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
At that point, there was no need for secrecy anymore and it was impossible to hide it anyway.
Those pirates definitely would not help the Marines conceal such information.
"I just don't know how Luffy plans to enter Impel Down this time."
Oguro was curious.
In the original timeline, Luffy punched a Celestial Dragon at the Sabaody Archipelago and was slapped away by Bartholomew Kuma.
He only reached Impel Down by using Boa Hancock's identity.
But now the Sabaody Archipelago had been thoroughly cleaned up by Oguro. Celestial Dragons were banned from leaving Mary Geoise entirely.
Luffy probably had no chance to get slapped to Amazon Lily anymore.
"If worst comes to worst, I might have to give him a hand." Oguro stroked his chin.
Such a massive event without the child of destiny participating would feel wrong.
Sending him into Impel Down might not work. But getting him to Whitebeard… that was something he could think about.
At that moment, inside the dock, Luffy was shouting at Barry.
"What do you mean there's no point fixing it! The Going Merry is our precious friend!"
Barry scratched his head helplessly. "I mean we can repair it… but this ship has suffered heavy damage. Even if we fix it, it will still be full of flaws."
"You said yourselves you want to go to the New World. With the ship in this condition, it will fall apart within a month."
"And when that happens, the ones suffering will be you."
Hearing Barry's explanation, the entire Straw Hat crew fell silent.
Only Usopp still stubbornly insisted on protecting the Merry.
This ship meant too much to him.
Luffy's new navigator spoke up and tried persuading him. "Usopp, the shipwright big bro is right. If we're going to the New World, this ship just can't handle it."
"Our best option right now is to change to a new ship."
This new navigator was a very familiar face.
Long wavy purple hair and a black dress.
It was Karina, the thief as famous as Nami.
Truly worthy of being the child of destiny. Miss one top-tier teammate and another would immediately appear to fill the gap.
Usopp almost collapsed as he shouted, "Then what about the Merry! Are we really going to abandon our friend!"
Just then, a voice sounded from behind them.
"If you really can't bear to part with it, why not rent a warehouse here and store the ship?"
Everyone turned around and saw Oguro walking toward them with an unhurried pace.
"Your Majesty!"
Barry and the other shipwrights immediately bowed.
Brook laughed joyfully. "Yohohoho! Lord Oguro, we meet again!"
Oguro smiled. "Brook, have you seen Laboon?"
Brook nodded over and over. "I have! Laboon was shocked at first, but once he recognized me he was overjoyed. Thank you so much for freeing me from Moria's control!"
"It was a small effort, no need to be polite."
Oguro waved his hand and looked toward Luffy.
This was his first time observing the child of destiny up close. Oguro did not feel anything particularly special.
"So, what do you think of my suggestion?"
Water 7 rarely stored ships like this.
Oguro made this offer because he was extremely curious about the Merry.
This was the only ship in the world that had birthed a ship spirit. He very much wanted to see what a ship spirit truly looked like.
"Let us discuss it first."
Luffy did not make the decision alone. He gathered his crew and they discussed it for a long time.
As expected, Luffy and Usopp ended up fighting.
But in the end, they still decided to change ships.
No matter how hard it was to accept, the truth was that the Merry could not accompany them into the New World. They could not avoid this reality.
Luffy asked Barry, "How much does it cost to build a new ship?"
"Depends on what you want. If you want a ship like Roger's made from Treasure Tree Adam, just the wood alone costs at least two hundred million Berries." Barry shrugged.
"That expensive?"
Before Luffy could speak, Karina's jaw dropped.
She handled the Straw Hats' finances. All their treasure combined barely reached three hundred million Berries. They definitely could not afford a top-tier pirate ship.
"Come on! Can't it be cheaper?" Luffy scratched his head with a goofy grin.
Barry's mouth twitched.
There was no way to make something like this cheap.
The cost was what it was.
"No problem. I can give you a discount."
Barry froze as Oguro actually nodded.
"Really? But you're not part of the shipyard, right? Can what you say really count?" Luffy eyed Oguro suspiciously.
"Hey! You brat! Watch your attitude!"
Barry glared and roared at him.
"This is His Majesty the Spirit King of our Holy Spirit Empire! The entire Galley-La Company belongs to him. Of course what he says counts!"
"Woooah! A king? That's awesome!" Luffy's eyes sparkled. "So how big of a discount can you give us?"
Karina quickly clung to Oguro's arm and whined sweetly.
"Your Majesty! We really don't have much money left. Please give us a big discount!"
Oguro smiled. "Everything else is negotiable. But you will have to buy the Treasure Tree Adam yourselves. We don't have that kind of top-grade material."
"No problem!"
Luffy might be dense, but he knew what mattered. He agreed immediately.
Oguro nodded. "For the rest, we can reduce some of your cost."
"But in exchange, the ship will be designed and built entirely by our people. The ship will include some experimental structures."
"I believe these improvements will make it better, but there is some risk. If you accept that, we will build the ship for you."