Oguro let out a cold laugh.
"Yeah. He hid it well, but your first reaction never lies."
The moment Perov saw Oguro, there had been a flash of surprise… and delight in his eyes.
That was not the look someone gave a complete stranger.
"But it's not that strange," Oguro said calmly.
"The Summit War was broadcast to the entire world. God knows how many people have seen my face. It's not weird that he recognizes me."
"What's interesting is that he deliberately pretended not to."
"So let's see what this so-called Minister of Agriculture is really up to."
Since the houses on the wasteland weren't finished yet, Oguro and the others found an inn inside the city and stayed there.
Nothing happened until nightfall.
Oguro had the girls stay alert before going to sleep himself.
Late that night, Oguro fell into a long, vivid dream.
After years of hard struggle, the world of pirates was finally close to complete unification.
His divine kingdom had become the supreme ruling nation, with countless people worshiping him as the Soul King.
Once the world stabilized, he brought the girls to a secluded paradise and lived in seclusion.
During the day, he tended flowers and went fishing.
At night, they discussed the deeper meanings of life… thoroughly and enthusiastically.
Life couldn't have been better.
Just as Oguro was about to expand his secluded estate a bit more in the dream—
He suddenly noticed a mass of gray energy slowly gathering toward him.
"You've got some nerve… trying to ambush me."
Oguro snapped awake.
Violent spiritual pressure mixed with Conqueror's Haki erupted outward like a roaring tsunami.
The invisible waves crushed the dreamscape like a massive millstone, grinding it into fragments.
The gray energy hiding behind the dream vanished instantly.
Oguro opened his eyes and sat up in the inn bed, his expression dark enough to freeze the air.
So that was it… he'd been hit without even realizing when.
"Soul King!"
Sensing something wrong, Soifon and the others rushed into the room.
Only after seeing Oguro unharmed did they finally relax.
Oguro waved a hand to show he was fine.
Then he walked to the window and looked outside.
In the streets below, gray energy spread like an enormous net, enveloping the entire city.
Under its shroud, the residents of the city had all fallen asleep.
"Looks like Jabra got caught too."
Oguro swept the area with Observation Haki.
Sure enough, Jabra and the others staying one floor below all had strands of gray energy connected to their heads.
Judging by their expressions, they were clearly having pleasant dreams.
Oguro was about to go wake them when Jabra and his men suddenly stood up, eyes vacant, and walked out of their rooms.
At the same time, doors across the city opened one after another.
The residents stepped outside, wearing the same hollow expressions.
Soifon frowned.
"Soul King, should we withdraw first?"
The scene was far too eerie.
For Oguro's safety, she suggested leaving immediately.
"No need. This gray energy clearly has limitations."
"Perfect chance to see what's really going on with these people."
Oguro followed behind Jabra and blended into the crowd.
Before long, everyone gathered at the city's central square.
The plaza was enormous, easily large enough to hold the entire population.
Once everyone had assembled, the gray energy scattered throughout the city converged into the square.
In the next moment, the crowd began holding hands and singing.
"Beautiful homeland, hand in hand we stand.
We welcome distant guests, who now become one of us.
We love one another, beneath the light of the Lord.
No longer divided, no longer apart."
The lyrics were so simple they almost felt ridiculous.
But it was obvious the song itself wasn't the point.
As the singing continued, the gray energy poured steadily into everyone's minds, their movements becoming more synchronized with every second.
"Now I get it… why this city felt wrong to me."
Oguro's gaze turned cold.
"This is effectively a slave state. The people should be desperate, angry, or numb."
"But there's no way they'd genuinely accept it."
"This isn't some bizarre caste system where even the lowest class believes it's natural."
"So there's only one explanation."
"These people have been controlled for a long time."
Without question, there was a Devil Fruit user manipulating everything from behind the scenes.
What was happening now was the method used to control the entire population.
And that bastard had even tried to use this opportunity to control Oguro as well.
"I'd like to see who's got the guts to make a move on me."
Oguro's Observation Haki exploded outward, rapidly covering the entire city.
He quickly locked onto the source of the gray energy.
Inside a massive mansion next to the royal palace, threads of gray energy were flowing out endlessly.
Inside the room, Perov wore a smug expression.
"In just a few more days, I'll have complete control over them."
"Once that happens, the throne will be mine."
"And with so many obedient workers, gathering enough Heavenly Tribute to join the World Government will be easy."
This had been Perov's plan all along, and now it was finally reaching the final step.
Then he suddenly chuckled.
"I didn't expect that Oguro would show up too."
"If I can control him as well, then even the Holy Spirit Empire will belong to me."
"What an unexpected bonus."
"With the power he displayed at the Summit War, he could conquer an enormous territory for me."
Just as Perov was basking in fantasies of his future—
The door was violently kicked open.
His smile froze on the spot.
Oguro walked in, a cold grin on his face.
"Ambitious, aren't you. You even want me to work for you."
"Let me guess… you set the trap when we shook hands earlier today, right?"
The gray energy affected him far more strongly than it did Soifon and the others.
Which meant he'd been deliberately targeted.
Perov stared in disbelief.
"That's impossible… you actually broke free from my ability?"
Oguro smiled with disdain.
"Devil Fruits are impressive."
"But they're not invincible."
"You dared to lay hands on me. Are you ready to die?"
Perov turned and tried to flee.
Oguro vanished from where he stood.
Bang!
Perov was sent flying, slamming hard into the wall and coughing up a mouthful of blood.
A Zanpakuto pressed against his throat.
Oguro's eyes were icy.
"Undo your ability. Release every single citizen."
"I just slaughtered a bunch of slave traders at the Sabaody Archipelago."
"And now you want to run a slave system inside a country?"
"Looks like even fate wants me to deal with you."
Suddenly—
A wave of chilling killing intent surged from behind Oguro.
***
Read 20 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666