The excitement faded, and Oguro quickly calmed himself.
No matter how tempting the blue-tier summoning pool looked, the most important thing right now was figuring out how to establish his Divine Kingdom.
A one-square-kilometer territory and three subordinates...
It didn't sound like much on paper.
But in reality, he was just a sixteen-year-old kid!
Who would willingly serve under him?
At that moment, his gaze fell on the street—on a few children crying beside the corpses of their parents—and a thought struck him.
Who said subordinates had to be adults?
Narrowing his eyes, Oguro put away the magnificent robe into his system's storage and stepped out of the house. That outfit looked far too expensive; it would only draw unwanted attention if a child like him wore it.
That day, with the help of a few neighbors, Oguro buried the bodies of his host's parents.
"Even though I'm not truly your son, I borrowed your body after all. Let me at least do this much to honor you."
He bowed deeply before the grave, fulfilling that final debt of gratitude.
Afterward, he began his grand undertaking to build his Divine Kingdom—by recruiting children.
His primary targets were the orphans who had lost their families in the pirate raid.
He promised them shelter and food, in exchange for one condition—they had to obey his commands.
The boy's family had once been fairly well-off. Though the pirates had looted them, one house and a small amount of money remained—enough to support seven or eight kids.
As for food? In the world of One Piece, if there's one thing that's never lacking, it's fish and wild animals.
Using the knowledge from his past life, Oguro crafted simple traps to catch rabbits and birds—easy work.
By the end of the day, he had gathered five loyal little followers, all between the ages of six and ten.
Any older and they might've been harder to convince.
Sure enough, when he checked the system's mission list again, the "subordinate" requirement had vanished!
But the territory requirement... that was a real headache.
Paparo Island already had a lord.
Not a mayor or a chief, but an actual noble. Which meant every inch of land on this island already had an owner.
If Oguro wanted territory, he'd have to deal with that noble somehow.
And as much as he knew how arrogant nobles could be in this world, there was no way one would hand over land easily.
Oguro braced himself for a long struggle.
But unexpectedly, opportunity arrived sooner than he thought.
Two days after the pirates left, a Marine warship finally appeared on the horizon.
Stepping down from the ship was a man with a sleazy face, six thin mustache strands, and a rodent-like hat—Marine Captain Nezumi from the 16th Branch.
Oguro recognized him instantly.
That corrupt officer who colluded with Arlong to exploit Nami's village!
Paparo Island happened to fall under his jurisdiction.
"Sir Marine! We were attacked by pirates! Please, you must deliver justice for us!"
An elderly man rushed forward, weeping bitterly at Nezumi's feet.
Oguro silently shook his head.
A man like Nezumi, who in the original story had conspired with a fish-man pirate, would never stand up for commoners.
If anything, his late arrival probably wasn't incompetence—it was intentional.
Sure enough, Nezumi's face twisted with impatience.
He didn't even look at the old man and shouted, "Where's the lord of this island? I remember there being one!"
"Ah! Captain Nezumi! I'm right here!"
A plump man, dressed in fine clothes and round as a ball, waddled over in a hurry.
Oguro saw clearly as the fat lord, with a dexterity that defied his body type, slipped a thick wad of Berries into Nezumi's hand.
Damn! That kind of hand speed had to be trained for years!
Nezumi rubbed his whiskers and smiled. "My dear Lord, which way did the pirates go? As a Marine officer, I must pursue them immediately!"
"Of course, Captain! They went that way!" the fat noble pointed eagerly.
And just like that, Nezumi marched back onto his ship and left in a hurry, spending less than five minutes on the island.
Oguro rubbed his chin, recalling how Nezumi and Arlong had once worked together to rob civilians, and a bold thought crossed his mind.
Could this bastard be working with the lord too—pretending to be pirates to rob people?
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
Logically, the island's wealthiest person should've been the noble himself.
So why had the pirates ignored him and instead plundered the poor townsfolk?
Don't tell him they were afraid of a noble. Please. Pirates don't fear anyone but Marines—and even that's rare.
After the Marines left, the fat noble's fawning smile vanished. He puffed up proudly and barked at the crowd,
"This year's taxes—you'd better pay them on time!"
The crowd erupted.
"My Lord! We were just looted by pirates! Could you perhaps reduce our taxes?"
The noble's eyes bulged. "What? You think your misfortune is my fault? Do you have any idea how much I paid the Marines to chase those pirates?"
"I'll tell you right now—not a single Berry will be reduced! Anyone who dares short me will be banished from the island!"
At his vicious glare, the villagers fell silent.
Being exiled meant certain death on the open sea.
Watching this farce, an idea suddenly sparked in Oguro's mind. He stepped forward.
"My Lord, I have a request!"
"If you're going to beg for tax relief, save your breath!" the noble snapped.
"No, no!" Oguro waved his hands quickly. "You've already sacrificed so much for us. How could I be so ungrateful?"
"I was thinking... if you wouldn't mind, could you grant me the forest outside town? I could take my friends there to hunt, using the meat and hides to help support the town—and lighten your burden, my Lord!"
"Hm? Now that's a sensible boy!" The noble's expression instantly softened. He pointed at the surrounding adults. "Look at you lot! Even a child has more sense than you!"
"Thank you, my Lord!" Oguro bowed deeply.
After the noble left, several adults gathered around Oguro, worried.
"Oguro, you're just children. Let us handle the taxes. You shouldn't be out there hunting!"
Oguro smiled gently. "You've all been taking care of us orphans. We want to repay your kindness. Don't worry—we won't do anything reckless."
The adults sighed in admiration. Such a sensible child...
Once everyone left, Oguro returned home, heart pounding.
Because at that very moment, the system's voice chimed in his ears.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully establishing a Divine Kingdom! Reward: 100 Achievement Points!"
"Current Divine Kingdom Level: 1. Daily Income: 2 Achievement Points."
He did it!
He had officially founded his kingdom!
Everyone thought his earlier speech was just about paying taxes? Not a chance!
That "granting" of the forest had been a trap, cleverly worded.
The noble might've thought he was simply giving them hunting rights, but in reality, he had handed over the land itself.
Since the noble held dominion over the territory, his verbal approval counted as a legitimate grant of land.
Humans tend to interpret things in self-serving ways—but the system only recognized literal meaning.
By its definition, Oguro had just become a vassal lord!
Of course, this only worked because the forest was unused land under the noble's ownership. If it had been actively managed, Oguro would've needed a formal transfer of rights.
And then—
"Ding! Divine Kingdom Quests Unlocked!"
Daily Quest 1: Patrol the Divine Kingdom and maintain order. Reward: 1 Achievement Point.
Daily Quest 2: Recruit subordinates. Reward: Varies by subordinate strength.
Daily Quest 3: Expand your kingdom's territory. Reward: Varies by land value.