"Sith Oguro, huh?"
Garp looked down at the file in his hand, muttering to himself, "Seems like a decent guy."
This intel had been gathered by the Marines themselves—no smear jobs or propaganda from the World Government.
He'd saved Cocoyasi Village and Alabasta, and he'd never once flown a pirate flag.
"A man like that… would he even accept a position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
Garp hadn't met Oguro in person, but something told him that kind of man wouldn't agree so easily.
"Ah, forget it." Garp tossed the file aside with a shrug. "I'm just the messenger anyway. Once I deliver the message, I'm taking leave back to East Blue. Whether he accepts or not, that's Sengoku's headache."
"Alright, brats! Full speed ahead!"
At his command, the warship surged toward the direction of Water 7.
---
On the Desert Rose.
Oguro lay stretched out on a beach chair while Rukia massaged his shoulders.
How to put it… ever since Byakuya had given her that long lecture, Rukia's behavior had gone through quite the transformation.
She'd taken the initiative to handle the meals on board, manage the ship's upkeep, and even started giving Oguro massages in her free time.
With the strict discipline of the Kuchiki household, her care was nothing short of flawless.
Noticing Rukia's sudden change, Rangiku immediately grew cautious.
The Kuchiki family really doesn't hold back, huh…
Who could possibly resist a beautiful, gentle, and elegant woman like her?
Byakuya truly lived up to the name of family head—what a brilliant move.
But Rangiku wasn't about to lose that easily.
That night, after a swim, she appeared before Oguro in a light swimsuit, holding two bottles of wine.
After several rounds, her cheeks were flushed as she leaned softly against him.
Her damp hair clung to her smooth, pale skin, exuding a lazy, intoxicating allure.
"Soul King-sama, let me feed you a drink…"
Using the boldness that came with alcohol, Rangiku took a sip of red wine, then pressed her lips against Oguro's.
The sweet, tangy taste of wine flowed between them.
The entire scene was seen clearly by the others on deck.
Robin smiled faintly and turned back into her cabin.
Nami's eyes burned with jealousy; she almost stormed up to pull them apart, but then remembered she might not win that fight and slumped her shoulders in frustration.
Rukia fumed silently. Rangiku, you shameless woman!
But she couldn't intervene.
First—she had no standing.
As Shinigami, everything they were could be offered to the Soul King. On what grounds could she interfere?
Second—her current image was that of a composed, refined noble lady.
If she broke that now, the persona she'd worked so hard to build would shatter instantly.
That woman's moves are brutal! Rukia thought angrily.
Even Soi Fon felt a pang of jealousy, but as a captain, her pride wouldn't let her act out in front of everyone.
Oguro, however, was calm as ever.
After these few days, even he could tell what the women were thinking.
There wasn't a Shinigami alive who could reject the Soul King.
Even the mighty Kuchiki clan—one of the Four Noble Houses—would gladly rise higher if Rukia were to marry him.
So Oguro neither rejected nor discouraged their advances.
The wine soon ran out, but the distance between the two kept shrinking.
Oguro could feel his arm sinking into something impossibly soft, unable to pull away.
The fragrance of her body was enough to make anyone lose control.
He stood up, picked Rangiku up in his arms, and carried her back into the cabin.
The moon rose high above the sea.
The night was filled with heat, movement, and the faintly sweet scent of pleasure.
---
By morning, Rangiku yawned as she stepped onto the deck, stretching languidly.
A glow of satisfaction softened her features, giving her a charm she'd never shown before.
"Morning~" she greeted cheerfully, waving at Rukia, who sat at the table.
Rukia silently rolled her eyes. "Eat your breakfast."
She wasn't happy about it, but she wasn't going to start a fight either.
Truth be told, all of them had been mentally prepared for something like this.
Rangiku grinned, slinging an arm over Rukia's shoulder. "Don't be so tense~ It'll be your turn soon enough."
"With how possessive Soul King-sama is, there's no way he'd hand us over to anyone else. You can relax."
Rukia sighed, gesturing that she understood.
Still, she made up her mind—this time, Rangiku got ahead of her by surprise. Next time, she wouldn't let anyone beat her to it.
---
Two more days passed.
They were now less than half a day away from Water 7.
Rangiku had only grown more radiant, which made the others increasingly envious.
Suddenly, from the lookout post, Hanataro's voice rang out.
"Soul King-sama! The Marines are approaching!"
Everyone looked up to see a massive warship heading straight toward the Desert Rose—it was clearly after Oguro!
"Wait… a dog-head warship?"
Seeing the ship's figurehead—shaped like a dog biting a bone—Oguro broke into a cold sweat.
Vice Admiral Garp… that's a real legend.
He'd once cornered Roger himself and, even at seventy-eight years old, could still flatten an entire town with a single punch.
No Devil Fruit powers—just pure strength that could crush even the three Admirals, the strongest of the Logia users.
It was that same punch that made his threat to kill Akainu something no one dared doubt.
"This is bad," Oguro muttered, face tightening. He assumed Garp was here to capture him.
Soi Fon's expression hardened. "Soul King-sama, there's someone incredibly strong on that ship."
"Yeah… extremely strong," Oguro replied with a wry smile. "Soi Fon, you're probably the only one here who can go a few rounds with him. I'm counting on you."
"Yes, Soul King-sama!"
Soi Fon clenched her fists and took her stance.
The next second, a figure suddenly shot off from the Marine ship.
"He's coming," Oguro said, his eyes narrowing.
Dark lightning flickered around the man's body.
The peak of Armament Haki!
Its power rivaled a natural disaster.
"Soi Fon!"
With a thunderous crack, her spiritual pressure burst forth, wrapping around her like flowing ribbons.
Shunkō!
The overwhelming force of Garp's presence made her unleash her full power from the start.
Combining Hakuda and Kidō into a combat technique of pure destruction, each strike she threw could split mountains and rivers.
"Oh? You've got some power after all!" Garp exclaimed midair, surprised.
His mission wasn't just to invite Oguro to become a Warlord, but also to test the mysterious woman whose strength, according to reports, rivaled an Admiral's.
That was why Garp opened with a heavy strike—to see what she was capable of.
And Soi Fon's fierce response instantly fired him up.
"Show me, then! Let's see if that Admiral-level strength of yours is the real deal!"
***
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