After securing the doors and windows, Oguro summoned the system.
"System, draw from the Purple Epic Lottery!"
A purple lottery ticket transformed into a streak of light and shot into the prize pool.
Unfortunately, this time the purple star didn't have the faint golden glimmers that Rukia's had.
"Hah! One shouldn't be too greedy! Very few shinigami have the potential to become captains like Rukia," Oguro muttered, consoling himself.
Buzz!
The void trembled violently.
A moment later, a brilliant purple star appeared before Oguro, then transformed into a card.
On it, a striking and alluring face appeared:
Name: Matsumoto Rangiku
Rank: Vice-Captain Level
Position: 10th Division Vice-Captain
Ability: Zanpakutō Haineko
Oguro's eyes widened.
A vice-captain!
This was an unexpected but very welcome surprise.
With his territory greatly expanded, he now needed someone to maintain order.
As the 10th Division's Vice-Captain in the patrol and security unit, Rangiku was the perfect solution.
"Summon!"
The purple card exploded into light, converging into human form.
Long waves of blonde hair cascaded down her back, a beauty mark near her lips made her unforgettable, and the open Shihakushō revealed an impressively deep cleavage.
Oguro couldn't help but marvel at her figure. Even in the exaggerated proportions of this One Piece world, Rangiku's natural assets were extraordinary.
"10th Division Vice-Captain Matsumoto Rangiku, reporting to the Soul King!"
She knelt gracefully on one knee, radiating a charm that made Oguro's eyes involuntarily flicker.
"Soul King?"
Noticing Oguro's gaze, Rangiku didn't look offended or shy. Instead, she winked playfully.
Oguro awkwardly averted his eyes. "Ahem! Rise!"
He then brought up the system interface:
Host: Sith Oguro
Identity: Soul King
Divine Kingdom Template: Soul Society
Divine Kingdom Level: 2
Territories: Paparoko Island, Cocoyashi Village
Population: 6,271
Abilities: Spiritual Pressure (Normal), Swordsmanship (Normal), Hakuda (Normal), Shunpo (Normal), Kido (Elite)
Zanpakutō: Gen (Awakened: Hozukimaru, Sode no Shirayuki, Haineko)
Subordinates: Matsumoto Rangiku (Epic), Rukia Kuchiki (Epic), Yamada Hanataro (Epic), Nami (Epic), Ohura (Rare)… (36 Normal)
Achievement Points: 1,275
Though Rangiku's feedback wasn't as strong as Rukia's, it was still significant.
From the stats, only Hakuda and Kido had been upgraded a level.
In practice, Oguro's strength had more than doubled.
If before he had barely reached the threshold of a normal Shinigami, now he was only a step away from elite status.
Even at the Marine Headquarters, he would be at least a Captain, and with the special abilities of his Zanpakutō, defeating higher officers wasn't impossible.
As his strength grew, Oguro realized he would only gain feedback points from subordinates stronger than himself in the future.
Afterward, he summoned the Ten-Man Guard Unit and anchored Cocoyashi Village's coordinates using the Gate of Crossing.
The main gate would remain at Paparoko Island, ensuring rapid support if anything happened in Cocoyashi.
Soon after, Nami and the villagers returned, carrying a huge treasure haul.
Oguro scanned the collection and saw it totaled far over 100 million Berries.
Nami spoke up, "My lord, this includes all treasures Arlong stole from other villages. In total, over 300 million Berries!"
Oguro realized: the original story only covered Cocoyashi Village, but Arlong had controlled at least ten villages.
"How should we handle it?" Oguro asked.
Nami hesitated, then said, "We want to return the treasures. Like us, the others survived—it wasn't easy for them."
Indeed, Nami remained the same kind-hearted girl.
In the original story, she had given 200 million Berries to save Camie without hesitation.
Even a greedy person would never part with such wealth—but she did.
Oguro nodded. "Then let's do just that."
Nami's face lit up, and she immediately began organizing the treasure with her people.
Oguro's mind raced.
Villages like Cocoyashi were essentially ready-made territories.
"Nami, when you return the treasure, take Rukia with you," Oguro said excitedly.
"Tell the others: anyone willing to join me will receive my protection."
Even if only half of the ten or so villages pledged loyalty, his Divine Kingdom would double in size.
Rukia frowned slightly. "Soul King, if I leave, who will protect you?"
"You don't need to worry. Soul King's safety is my responsibility,"
Before Rukia could respond, a playful and gentle voice rang out.
It was the curvaceous Matsumoto Rangiku, leading Yamada Hanataro and the Ten-Man Guard Unit, pretending to have just arrived as reinforcements.
Rukia's expression relaxed. "Vice-Captain Rangiku! With your support, I can focus elsewhere!"
With so many new subordinates under Oguro, and a leader who seemed nearly as capable as Rukia, Cocoyashi Village's respect for him grew even further.
Rukia could now safely visit the other villages, with Ajian volunteering to guide her.
Without Arlong's oppression, Cocoyashi Village blossomed over the next few days.
Oguro couldn't stop grinning.
The system constantly pinged him with notifications:
"Congratulations, host! New territory conquered: Robbert Village. Achievement Points +200."
"Congratulations, host! New territory conquered: Bolk Town. Achievement Points +400."
All of these were villages persuaded by Rukia to join Oguro.
By the time Rukia returned, nine villages had pledged loyalty, granting nearly 4,000 achievement points.
"Clearly, expanding territory is far more rewarding than daily fixed points!" Oguro thought, studying the system interface.
"Is this why the system encourages me to upgrade my Divine Kingdom?"
With his expanded territories, his daily fixed points were just 20, plus 10 extra points—a mere 30 total.
Compared to territorial conquest, it was nothing.
"Soul King, three villages still refuse to pledge. Two are undecided," Rukia reported, kneeling respectfully.
***
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