Even Oguro himself hadn't expected to awaken Conqueror's Haki at that moment.
Thinking back, it was probably triggered by the crushing pressure of Garp's presence—a stimulus strong enough to ignite that dormant power.
As the saying goes: the harder you're suppressed, the fiercer you rebound.
"Tsk, tsk…" Garp smacked his lips. "Young folks these days are really something else!"
Uh… are you sure you're not starting to sound like a certain lazy admiral?
To be honest, the moment Oguro's Conqueror's Haki flared to life, Garp had considered striking him down.
A man with that kind of potential, commanding subordinates of such power… if he ever turned hostile, he'd be a terrifying enemy of the Marines.
But that thought passed as quickly as it came.
Killing someone just because they might cause trouble one day? That'd make him no different from the pirates he fought.
"Forget it! Let Sengoku worry about that mess. I'm going to see my grandson!"
Laughing heartily, Garp waved his hand. "You've refused? Fine by me! The old man's heading off!"
Without another word, he kicked off into the air with Geppo, landing back on his warship.
"Move it! Back to East Blue! I'm going to see my grandson!"
At his command, the warship turned sharply and began sailing eastward.
Once Garp left, Oguro finally relaxed.
Only then did he realize that his back was completely soaked in cold sweat.
He was, after all, facing a living legend. That kind of pressure wasn't something an ordinary person could even imagine.
"Soi Fon."
Oguro turned to her, his expression serious.
"You've fought him. How strong is Garp, really?"
Soi Fon thought for a moment before replying carefully, "He didn't use his full strength… but I still have my trump cards.
If it were a fight to the death, it would probably end in mutual destruction."
What she didn't say was that "mutual destruction" meant her dragging Garp down with her—not both falling together in an even fight.
Oguro, of course, understood.
Soi Fon's strongest techniques—her Bankai and Infinite Shunkō—were not suited for drawn-out battles.
And in the world of One Piece, where endurance was everything, long battles were the norm.
A monster like Garp—one of the few living legends—stood among the absolute peak even within the top tiers.
After a brief pause, Soi Fon said solemnly, "If we wanted a guaranteed victory, only the Captain-Commander could do it."
Of course, there were two others who could likely pull it off—Aizen Sōsuke of the Fifth Division and Unohana Retsu of the Fourth.
Those three were in a league of their own.
No matter how outrageous Garp was, he couldn't ignore those three.
If they ever worked together, the Gotei 13 wouldn't even need the rest of the captains.
However, aside from the Captain-Commander, the true strength of the other two hadn't yet been revealed to the rest of the Shinigami.
"When the Soul King's Palace opens," Oguro mused, "I'll have Soi Fon undergo enhancement there."
The Royal Guard's spiritual pressure cuisine and hot springs were known to draw out a Shinigami's hidden potential.
If Soi Fon completed the process, her strength would at least double.
But for now, neither the Royal Guard nor the Soul King's Palace was something Oguro could summon yet.
He would have to take things step by step.
After witnessing firsthand the might of one of the world's strongest, the mood aboard the Desert Rose grew noticeably heavy.
Soi Fon soon approached Oguro on her own.
"Before, I was arrogant," she admitted. "I thought the strong of this world weren't worth my attention. But for your sake, Soul King-sama, I'll be fully prepared."
Rukia and Rangiku, unwilling to fall behind, immediately joined in.
Oguro, of course, agreed, patiently explaining everything he knew about Armament Haki and how to train it.
When the lesson ended, Nico Robin finally emerged from the cabin.
As a wanted fugitive—"the Devil's Child"—she hadn't dared to show herself while the Marines were around.
"You refused the Navy's offer," she said softly. "They'll probably come after you harder than ever now."
The Seven Warlords of the Sea might be derided as the World Government's dogs, but they were powerful enough to be recognized as dangerous entities worth recruiting.
By refusing the offer, Oguro had just painted a massive target on his back.
Oguro shook his head. "Accepting it would've been the real trouble."
He pointed toward the Desert Rose's mast. "We've never flown a pirate flag. No matter what others call us, we can always deny being pirates.
But if I accepted the Warlord position, that would officially brand us as pirates."
He smiled faintly. "I'm the Soul King of the Holy Spirit Empire. I'm going to build a nation unlike any other. But tell me, would the people ever trust a pirate king?"
Robin froze for a moment, surprised at how much thought he'd given it.
"I see… so that's your real reasoning."
"By the way," Oguro added, "you should start learning Haki as well. Some of the Poneglyphs are in the New World. Without Haki, you won't be able to protect yourself there."
Robin, being sharp as ever, had already planned to study it, but she nodded earnestly.
Before long, the entire crew was swept up in the Haki-training craze.
Even Nami and Hanatarō Yamada couldn't escape it.
...
Water 7.
The Desert Rose finally arrived at the famous city of water.
"It's so beautiful!" Nami's eyes sparkled as she took in the view.
A massive fountain stood at the city's center, its cascading streams forming the main waterways that connected the outer and inner districts.
Inclined canals stretched across various levels, perfectly crafted like an intricate toy city.
Over ninety percent of Water 7 was made up of waterways.
Robin smiled. "Water 7 isn't just the shipbuilding capital of the world—it's also a tourist paradise. Millions of visitors come here every year."
Oguro nodded. "Once the ship's at the dock for maintenance, let's take a stroll through the city."
The most renowned shipbuilding company in Water 7 was, of course, the Galley-La Company.
Since the best craftsmen worked at Dock One, Oguro sailed the Desert Rose straight there for servicing.
Barry, one of the five foremen of Dock One, slapped his chest proudly. "Don't worry! In our hands, your ship'll be as good as new!"
Oguro nodded. "I'll leave it to you, then."
"Oguro-sama! Let's go try Aqua-Meat! I heard even the top chefs from Gourmet City come here to buy it!" Nami said, clinging to his arm with a playful grin.
Ever since Rangiku's recent exploits, Nami had been stepping up her charm offensive.
"Haha, alright. Let's go."
Oguro ruffled her hair affectionately, leading the group toward the water taxi—a sea creature called a Bull.
Each Bull could carry two people, with a rental fee of a thousand Berries.
"What an interesting creature," Robin said, poking the Bull's neck. It didn't seem to mind—just let out a soft, friendly snort.
Just then, a shipwright wearing a black top hat entered the dock, carrying a massive log over his shoulder.
The moment his eyes landed on Robin, his expression turned cold and sharp.
"That's… the Devil's Child—Nico Robin!"
***
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