Why are they considered overkill?
First, compared to the standard single-shot flintlock pistols of this world, the design of these two guns is completely different.
Second, despite being labeled as "handguns," their sizes are absolutely absurd.
Even the shorter white one is clearly over 30 centimeters long, while the black one is close to 40 centimeters.
Then there are the bullets in the case.
They come in two sizes—one large, one slightly smaller. Even the smaller rounds are noticeably bigger than the 7.92mm rifle bullets used earlier.
As for the larger ones... they look nearly twice the size of typical rifle rounds.
"Colonel, these two guns weren't easy to make..."
"To fully meet your requirements, the lab spent five full days developing them. There's absolutely no possibility for mass production!"
"The white one is 35 centimeters in length, uses 9mm rounds, holds 20 bullets, and has an effective range of 200 meters. Its strength lies in its rapid-fire capability."
"The black one is 39 centimeters long, uses 13mm rounds, but holds only 6 bullets. It has a slightly shorter effective range of 150 meters, but its power…"
"We estimate that within its effective range, not even a warrior with a Dao force above 500 could block a shot with mere iron."
"In addition, we produced a batch of special seastone bullets. Due to the limited material and difficulty in manufacturing, please use them sparingly!"
As he spoke, Seras took out a pitch-black 13mm bullet from the case and handed it to Loran.
Just as he said, the manufacturing process was extremely difficult.
Of course, complexity isn't the real issue—the key problem is sourcing the raw material.
Seastone is a strategic-level resource in this world. Most of the yearly output is taken by the World Government, and any that hits the black market is quickly bought at sky-high prices.
In fact, the bullets currently in use were only possible because Luo Lan had previously obtained a seastone weapon from HQ. Without it, Seras wouldn't even have had the materials to begin crafting them.
Then again… sparing or not, it really doesn't matter.
At this stage, there won't be many situations where he needs to use them.
Luo Lan pulled out both guns—black and white—from the case, loaded the magazines, flicked off the safeties, and—
Walked toward Ian.
---
Click.
Bang!
Click.
Bang!
Click.
Bang!
"Hell yeah!"
One bolt pull, one shot.
Every round landed dead center on a target 800 meters away.
Ian was ecstatic!
Compared to this, the rifles he used before were absolute trash.
Of course—only true marksmen like them could wield such greatness!
Back at HQ, Luo Lan had been the number-one sharpshooter, and Ian...
While maybe not exactly second to Luo Lan, he was definitely in the top ten among all marksmen at headquarters.
And now, with a precision weapon that could consistently hit targets 800 meters away, how could he not be thrilled?
He felt as if, even if one of the Four Emperors stood before him, he'd dare raise the gun and fire.
Just then—
"Ian, quiet down..."
BOOM!
Not far away, Luo Lan raised the black pistol with his left hand and pulled the trigger.
The sound was deeper and heavier than Ian's rifle.
And the target—150 meters away—was obliterated instantly.
Ian was stunned.
He glanced at Luo Lan's sleek handgun, then looked down at his own rifle...
Suddenly, it didn't feel impressive anymore.
His entire face practically spelled out one word:
WANT.
Even as they were leaving the shooting range, that longing, resentful look in Ian's eyes still hadn't faded.
---
"Only ten units per day, huh…"
"Well, it's enough for now. After all, the frontline force of the 157th Marine Division only has 150 soldiers. In just half a month, we can complete the full equipment upgrade."
"As for the future... once I level up to a Grade C Builder, I can construct a more advanced factory to boost production efficiency."
Looking over the latest report from the research institute, Luo Lan muttered to himself.
Then...
He quietly signed his name.
Although Ian had brought back 17 million Berries—enough to fund another factory—Luo Lan ultimately decided against it.
There was no need.
Right now, his focus was on accumulating points to upgrade his Builder level. It wasn't worth losing sight of the bigger goal for short-term gains.
Besides, like he said—at the current stage, production is already sufficient.
What's the point of making more guns if there aren't enough trained soldiers to wield them?
---
[City Lord: Luo Lan]
[Level: D]
[Points: 4,980]
[Population: 477]
Displayed in the field of his right eye was Luo Lan's basic status panel.
4,980 points—equivalent to 49.8 million Berries.
This already included the 17 million brought by Ian. To upgrade from Grade D to Grade C Builder, he would need exactly 30,000 points.
Next, he expected 60 million more from Nami.
As for the Arlong Pirates' loot, that should be worth at least 100 million.
Altogether, that would be around 200 million Berries—or 20,000 points.
So where would the remaining 10,000 points come from?
Luo Lan already had a plan.
First, there was Nezumi (the corrupt Marine). This guy collects bribes from several pirate crews every year. Even if a lot of it is squandered or used to grease palms, he's still holding onto tens of millions.
Next was Dory...
As one of Krieg's pirate commanders, his ship was bound to hold a decent stash. The Krieg Pirates were filthy rich—two years later, they even assembled 50 warships to storm the Grand Line.
And Ace...
Well, that guy's still floating around on a makeshift raft. A broke adventurer—definitely not worth counting on.
So with a bit of luck, Luo Lan could probably scrape together the 30,000 points.
And if he still fell short?
He still had Arlong and other high-bounty fishman corpses to cash in with Smoker. That should earn him some decent Berries.
Of course, Luo Lan couldn't go personally.
But that wasn't a problem—he had ways.
It might be a bit troublesome, and some of the money might get lost in the process, but at least it was safe.
---
After finishing all the paperwork, Luo Lan glanced at the gun case beside him.
A mischievous grin crept onto his face.
He picked up the transponder snail on his desk.
Brrr... Brrr...
"This is Sers!"
"It's me. Luo Lan."
"Colonel! Is something wrong?"
"I need someone to come by and collect the two guns."
"Colonel, is there a problem?!"
Seras sounded panicked. If something had gone wrong with the guns, it would be a major failure on his part.
"Relax. Nothing's wrong—I just want you to engrave some names on the gun frames."
"Whew… you scared me for a second, Colonel. No problem—what names do you want?"
"I've named the white one Casull, and the black one Jackal. Just engrave the names, that's all."
"Yes, sir! I'll have someone pick them up immediately!"