"Your Majesty! It's Perov. He's dead!"
One of Trisk's guards stepped forward to check the body and immediately cried out in shock.
"People of the Adalou Kingdom. Perov is dead. You no longer need to fear being controlled!"
A hearty voice rang out as several figures slowly descended from the sky.
"Ah! Is this… a god descending to the world?"
"It must be! Otherwise, who could kill Perov and save us?"
"Didn't you all watch the Marineford War broadcast? That's clearly His Majesty the Soul King of the Sacred Holy Spirit Empire!"
Even though many people recognized Oguro, quite a few still dropped to their knees in worship.
He might not truly be a god, but the fact that Oguro had saved them was undeniable.
At this moment, Oguro was their god.
"Your Majesty Oguro. Thank you for saving my country!"
Trisk took the initiative and bowed deeply.
Oguro smiled and waved his hand. "It was nothing more than a small effort. No need to take it to heart."
At that moment, Jabra and the others walked up to Oguro and dropped to their knees with a thud.
"We fell into the enemy's scheme and brought shame upon the Soul King. Please punish us!"
Oguro raised a hand, signaling for them to stand. "Perov's Devil Fruit ability was indeed extremely troublesome. Without intelligence, it was normal for you to get caught."
"But don't worry. As long as you're not dead, even if a Yonko takes action, I'll still bring you back."
Those words brought Jabra and the others to tears.
"Thank you, Soul King. We are willing to die for you!"
Hearing this, the citizens of the Adalou Kingdom gathered in the plaza were deeply moved as well.
A king who was powerful and cherished his subordinates like this was something everyone longed for.
They couldn't help but think.
If their own king were like Oguro, would they have suffered such a nightmare?
"I truly apologize, Your Majesty Oguro, for allowing your subordinates to be attacked here!"
Trisk immediately offered a solemn apology.
No matter what, Perov had been his Minister of Agriculture.
If Oguro wanted to pursue responsibility, the Adalou Kingdom wouldn't be able to escape it.
The strength of the Sacred Holy Spirit Empire went without saying.
If Oguro were angered, they would have no good outcome at all.
After all, they were just a small country not affiliated with the World Government, without strong experts or an army to speak of.
"There's no need to panic, Lord Trisk. I have no intention of holding you responsible."
Oguro's expression was calm.
Trisk addressed Oguro as "Your Majesty," yet Oguro called him "Lord."
That difference was the difference in strength.
"I've already personally executed the culprit. Let this matter end here."
"Lord Trisk, the reason I sent my subordinates here before was also to see whether there was room for cooperation between our countries."
"Now that your nation has been thrown into chaos by Perov, what are your plans?"
Trisk fell silent.
The national economy was in ruins, and his children were all gone.
To be honest, he even felt that the Adalou Kingdom was on the brink of destruction.
"I won't hide it from you, Your Majesty Oguro. I don't know what to do anymore."
Seeing Trisk's dejected state, Oguro smiled.
"Lord Trisk, I have a proposal. If you don't mind, how about forming an alliance with my Sacred Holy Spirit Empire?"
"I can arrange trade with Water 7, and even set up factories here."
"Truly?"
A sharp light burst from Trisk's eyes.
This was help in the middle of a blizzard.
"Of course. In return, I'll need to establish observation posts near your country. As you know, my relationship with the World Government isn't exactly friendly, so I need to set up a perimeter of vigilance."
Trisk hesitated for only a brief moment before agreeing.
After all, they weren't a World Government–affiliated country anyway. If something happened, the World Government wouldn't help.
In that case, it was better to side with Oguro.
"If that's the case, I thank you sincerely, Your Majesty Oguro."
Trisk bowed deeply.
When the residents nearby heard that cooperation had been reached, thunderous cheers erupted.
His Majesty Oguro was their god.
The one who had saved them from fire and water.
Seeing this, Oguro also smiled.
He truly did want to help the Adalou Kingdom.
But that didn't mean he had no plans of his own.
After all, the original reason Oguro sent Jabra here was to assess whether this place could be absorbed into the Sacred Holy Spirit Empire.
Once the two countries formed an alliance, and the Sacred Holy Spirit Empire started doing business and opening factories here, the Adalou Kingdom's economy and industry would be completely influenced by the Sacred Holy Spirit Empire.
And with observation posts established, the Sacred Holy Spirit Empire could station troops in the Adalou Kingdom openly and legitimately.
Under those circumstances, could this really still be the Adalou family's kingdom?
Not to mention that, in the hearts of the Adalou people, Oguro's prestige was likely already higher than that of their own king.
If Trisk was a sensible man, he might be able to pass away peacefully on the throne.
But if he had other ideas…
Then the name of this country might truly need to change.
Oguro contacted Iceburg via Den Den Mushi, asking him to send people over to sign agreements with Trisk and survey the market.
After that, Oguro set off on his return journey.
Since Jabra's identity had already been exposed, he could only withdraw for now.
Aboard the ship, Oguro had Soifon contact all the scouting teams that were currently operating outside, to prevent incidents like what happened in the Adalou Kingdom.
Fortunately, aside from Jabra's team, the other scouting groups were progressing smoothly.
In several countries, there was considerable room to operate. The Shadow Dragon Guard had already begun formulating plans.
Relieved, Oguro told them to act freely.
If something truly became impossible to handle, Oguro wouldn't mind marching an army straight in.
If you don't want to listen to reason, then I happen to know a bit about fists as well.
After eliminating all hidden dangers, Oguro took out a Devil Fruit.
Its gray skin was covered with deep black spiral patterns. Staring at it for too long made one feel mentally dazed.
"As expected of the Dream-Dream Fruit. It has an effect even without being eaten."
Oguro clicked his tongue in amazement.
Unfortunately, this somewhat bug-like Devil Fruit could only be exchanged for an Epic-tier lottery ticket.
Because of the many restrictions on using its ability, it looked powerful on the surface, but its actual quality was slightly inferior.
If it could completely hypnotize someone just by being seen once, like Kyōka Suigetsu, it could definitely be traded for a Legendary-tier lottery ticket.
Without much hesitation, Oguro used the Dream-Dream Fruit reward to enhance his Kido.
As expected, with the boost from the Devil Fruit reward, Oguro's Kido smoothly reached captain level.
"Come to think of it, my spiritual pressure has reached captain level too… does that mean I can also achieve Bankai now?"
Oguro's eyes lit up as he took out his Zanpakutō spirit, preparing to attempt Bankai.
***
Read 20 Chapters early on P-atreon.com/Redestro666