"Good. Well done. You worked hard this time." Oguro nodded with approval.
Rukia hadn't just brought Arlong's head. She'd also shown a little of her Zanpakutō's power to several arrogant men. One First Dance: Tsukishiro had frozen an entire mountain in an instant. In the tiny East Blue, that was godlike power. That was why so many villages swore fealty.
As for the holdouts, Oguro didn't mind. Once his Divine Kingdom was strong enough, they'd come begging to join.
"Hm… it's probably about time to set up a council and finish the system task." After thinking it through, Oguro decided not to proclaim a nation yet. That would put him in the World Government's sights, and he didn't yet have the strength to face them directly.
"Tch. If only I had a Legendary ticket to draw a captain, I wouldn't be so cautious." The thought of getting only an Epic ticket for recruiting Nami still ate at him. He muttered about missed opportunities and riches.
Just then Genzo came running in, out of breath. "My lord, the Navy has arrived!"
The news was unsurprising. The fall of the Arlong Pirates would be heard, and Captain Nezumi wouldn't sit still. He'd come to check things out.
At the village square Oguro hadn't yet reached, a sharp voice barked orders in an arrogant tone. "I heard the man who killed Arlong is here. Call him to me immediately!"
Captain Nezumi stood in the center with a squad of armed Marines behind him. Their arrival clearly meant trouble.
"What do you want?" Oguro asked, approaching slowly with Rukia and Rangiku behind him.
Nezumi looked Oguro over with a mixture of contempt and greed. "I hear you beat Arlong and took his treasure. All that loot is stolen property. It must be handed over to the Navy."
Oguro was speechless for a beat. So that was their angle. They were eyeing Arlong's money.
To Nezumi, Arlong was nothing but a tool for profit. If the Marines wanted a cut, they'd take it. If he truly wanted Arlong gone, a single request to Smoker in Loguetown would bring real reinforcements. That was the Navy's confidence.
Oguro refused without hesitation. "No. I already returned the treasure to the victims. You don't need to handle it."
"Return it? Who authorized you to act on your own?" Nezumi snapped. "That treasure must be thoroughly audited. The Navy will review and then compensate the victims properly. Hand the money over now."
Oguro sneered. "Audited, huh? That just means padding the rolls and embezzling a cut. With your rank, one tweak of the list and a third of it ends up missing. I won't play that game."
Nezumi's face darkened. He was the branch commander—he did not like being talked down to. "Refuse to hand it over, and you must be trying to keep the loot. Looks like you're a pirate too. Men, prepare to fight!"
At his command the Marines raised their rifles. Facing the muzzles, some villagers rushed forward to defend Oguro.
"Captain, Mr. Oguro did return the treasure to those Arlong harmed. We can testify to that," several people called out and nodded vigorously.
Nezumi wasn't moved. He scanned the crowd coldly and said, "And you who vouch for him—are you accomplices?"
The accusation enraged the crowd. Voices flared. "How dare you slander us!" "Where was the Navy when Arlong terrorized us? Now you show up wanting our money?" "You call yourself Marines and act like pirates!"
BANG! Nezumi fired his pistol into the air, then leveled it at the villagers. "Are you trying to attack the Navy? Do you want your entire village declared pirates? Do you think our guns are toys?"
That command cowed most of them. For common folk, the Navy was a leviathan you did not challenge.
"Enough!" Nami broke from the crowd, pointing and shouting. "You weren't here when Arlong was doing this! Now that we're free you call us pirates. Are you the Navy or Arlong's lackeys?"
Her words pierced Nezumi's pretense. He blinked, then noticed the Arlong tattoo still on Nami's arm. A predatory smile crept across his face.
"Hmph. So you still have the pirate mark." Then he barked, "Marines, eliminate the remaining scum of the Arlong Pirates!"
He pointed his pistol at Nami. The squad silently aimed their rifles at the villagers.
Nami's face went white. She'd overlooked that detail. They had just won freedom, and because of her mistake the whole village was in danger. She closed her eyes, bracing for the worst.
Hadō #4, Byakurai.
A flash of lightning streaked past Nami. A sharp scream tore from Nezumi's throat. The right hand that had tightly gripped the pistol was suddenly gone. Charred flesh and little arcs of electricity leapt from the jagged stump.
"Who gave you the nerve to kill my men?" Nezumi howled, voice cracked with rage. Oguro's gaze was ice. Blue-white lightning danced at his fingertip like a living thing.
"Open fire! Kill him!" Nezumi screamed hoarsely.
The Marines did not hesitate. Dozens of rifles swung and leveled at Oguro.
***
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