That night.
Nami thought for a long, long time.
It wasn't until deep into the night that she finally took out a special Den Den Mushi—one that had cost her over a million Berries.
Brrrr...
Brrrrrr...
Brrrrrrr...
The line rang for almost a full minute before someone finally picked up.
"What is it now, Nami? Don't you sleep? Do you know what time it is?"
The voice that came through was full of grumbling annoyance, and the Den Den Mushi even mimicked Luo Lan's irritated expression perfectly.
Nami, who had been rather tense, almost burst out laughing at the sight.
"I just want to confirm one thing," she said. "If I join your organization… you're not going to make me do anything bad, right?"
"Relax. Our organization stands for justice. If you ever dare do anything bad, I'll spank you myself!"
"Be serious!"
"I am serious! Is there anything else you want to ask? If not, I'm hanging up. Seriously, I just fell asleep ten minutes ago..."
"Wait!"
Panicked, Nami quickly called out—afraid that this person would actually hang up on her the next second.
"My dear lady, what else?"
"When can your people move?"
"A month from now."
"A whole month?"
"Nami, what do you think? That I live next door or something?!"
Luo Lan's voice was full of exasperation.
Where was Rhodes Island located?
Right at the far edge of the East Blue, practically nestled against the Calm Belt.
And Cocoyasi Village?
That was on the other side entirely, close to the center of the East Blue's prosperous zone near the Conomi Islands.
The distance between the two? Easily over a thousand nautical miles.
Now let's talk about transportation.
This was the Age of Sail. The average ship moved at a speed of 7 to 8 knots. Even running at full speed for a full day, you wouldn't even cover 200 nautical miles.
Traveling from Rhodes Island to Cocoyasi Village? No way you'd make it in less than ten days.
And that's not even counting the fact that Luo Lan had to wrap up his business with Dory and Ace first before he could even consider heading to Cocoyasi.
So—yeah. A month was actually a pretty reasonable estimate.
"But... don't you have people stationed in the East Blue?"
"We do. But they're only good for handling small-fry pirates. When it comes to something like the Arlong Pirates... if I don't bring in specialists, do you think it's going to work?"
"Fine, one month it is!"
Nami bit her lip and nodded.
If she had a choice, she wouldn't wait even a single day. But what Luo Lan said made sense—taking down Arlong wasn't something just anyone could do.
Because of Arlong and his crew's constant propaganda—that fishmen were ten times stronger than humans, that fishmen were a superior species, and so on—combined with the East Blue's limited access to reliable information (especially in a place like Cocoyasi Village), people had essentially been brainwashed into believing fishmen were untouchable monsters. Even the Marines supposedly couldn't handle them.
So, in Nami's mind, Luo Lan's words translated to something like:
"The people stationed here can't handle it. We need to bring in real power from the Grand Line."
Well, that wasn't entirely wrong either.
After all, the only thing between Rhodes Island and the Grand Line was the Calm Belt—crossing it wouldn't even take a full day.
So, really, getting to Cocoyasi from Rhodes Island took just about the same amount of time as coming from the Grand Line.
---
The next day.
After receiving a call from Seras, Luo Lan headed to the underground research facility with his adjutant, Ian, in tow.
When the elevator doors opened, Seras was already there waiting.
"Let's go. Straight to testing."
"Yes, Colonel. This way, please."
Without wasting words, Luo Lan strode forward, and Seras quickly led the way.
Soon, the three of them arrived at a testing range on the third level of the Hive—a massive, high-ceilinged chamber that was surprisingly deep underground.
Several lab coat-clad researchers were already waiting inside. Beside them sat a long rectangular case and a smaller, more compact carrying case.
"Colonel, which one would you like to test first?"
"The rifle."
"Understood."
Seras nodded and gestured.
Two researchers immediately opened the long case, revealing a rifle along with two boxes of ammunition.
Luo Lan stepped forward, but instead of reaching for the rifle, he picked up one of the ammunition boxes. He opened it, pulled out a single golden bullet...
And smiled.
Perfect. Just what he was expecting.
The bullet in his hand wasn't one of those round lead balls commonly used in this world. No—this was a modern cartridge, just like the ones from his past life.
Ian, standing off to the side, stared at the bullet in open amazement.
To him, the shape was completely alien. Weren't bullets supposed to be round? What was this?
"Seras, go ahead and explain. Look at Ian—he's practically dying of curiosity."
"Yes, Colonel."
Seras nodded, picked up the rifle, and began.
"This is the Rhodes Model 1518 Rifle. It's 1,107 millimeters long, with a 600-millimeter barrel. It weighs 3.9 kilograms."
"It uses a new 7.92x57mm cartridge. Thanks to our innovative rifled barrel design, it has an effective range of 800 meters. A skilled operator can fire up to 15 rounds per minute."
"In terms of power, fire rate, and accuracy, it far surpasses all currently available firearms in this world."
"According to our calculations, at a range of 100 meters, it can even injure an opponent with a power level under 300—even if they're using 'Tekkai.'"
Ian gasped.
Eight hundred meters—effective range?!
He knew exactly what kind of weapons the Marines currently used.
Flintlock muskets that fired round lead bullets—effective range of maybe 50 or 60 meters. Anything past 100 meters was just up to the gods.
And if someone could fire two or three shots per minute? That was a skilled marksman.
Now this? Fifteen rounds per minute? At 800 meters?
And it could injure someone using Tekkai under 300 power level? Was that even possible?
If this was real... if the Marines switched to this kind of firepower...
Forget the big-name pirates—every other pirate crew in the East Blue would be utterly outclassed. Even the average Marine soldier could suppress them with ease.
"Ian, go try it out!"
"Huh? Me? I can?"
"Of course! Go on!"
Overwhelmed with excitement, Ian practically snatched the Rhodes 1518 out of Seras's hands and sprinted to the firing lane.
This kid...
He forgot the ammo.
"You—go give him the bullets, and show him how to operate it properly. Make sure he knows all the safety protocols."
"Yes, Colonel!"
One of the researchers quickly grabbed the ammo boxes and hurried after Ian.
Luo Lan could only shake his head and chuckle bitterly.
Understandable, really. The Rhodes 1518 was leagues ahead of what this world had ever seen when it came to firearms.
Of course, that applied only in terms of gun tech...
Also, Ian was a gun nut. That's why he had followed Luo Lan so loyally in the first place.
After all, even though Luo Lan lacked raw physical strength...
Back in the day, he had been the Navy's top sharpshooter.
Not just accurate—he could even pull off curved shots. Wicked skills...
"Seras. That case over there—does it have what I asked for?"
"Yes, Colonel."
Seras stepped over and opened the compact case.
Inside, two high-spec handguns gleamed under the light—finally revealed to the world.