One Piece: The True Codex

As Reis spoke, he began walking toward Zeff, but his path was blocked midway by three of Zeff's subordinates.

William took the lead, followed closely by Hatcheson and another Red-Beard Pirate named Harden. The three of them stepped forward without hesitation, standing their ground against the Cook Pirates. Though neither side drew weapons, they stood chest to chest like roosters ready to fight.

Zeff lightly swirled the amber liquid in his glass, not even sparing a glance at the tense standoff before him. Only when Reis frowned and called out, "Captain Zeff?" did he put his glass down.

"Back off and sit down," Zeff commanded his men curtly. "We're here to do business, not to pick fights."

The three Cook Pirates obeyed without a word of hesitation, immediately returning to Zeff's side.

With the Cook Pirates stepping back, William and the others naturally retreated as well. Zeff's gaze landed on William, who had been the first to step forward, and a mocking smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Kid, do you know that people like you are usually the first to die at sea?"

William stopped in his tracks at those words, turning slightly as if ready to confront Zeff. But before he could act, Reis blocked him and led the Red-Beard Pirates to a corner of the meeting room to rest on a sofa.

The two groups of pirates kept their distance, eyeing each other warily. William, who had been putting on a show earlier, now feigned indignation and asked Reis, "First Mate, why didn't we fight just now?"

"Zeff was right. We're here to do business, not to fight," Reis replied, patting William on the shoulder. "Besides, pirate crews of our level usually have an understanding."

"What kind of understanding?" William asked.

Reis gave a meaningful smile. "We eat the small fish first."

If the East Blue were a vast grassland, then the Red-Beard Pirates and the Cook Pirates were undoubtedly its top predators. Both crews wanted to dominate the entire grassland or at least claim a larger territory. Neither side would hesitate to take a bite out of the other, weakening their rival whenever possible.

But both crews also understood that the grassland wasn't home to just the two of them. A direct confrontation would only result in mutual destruction, so they were cautious.

Both Barbarossa and Zeff knew that a reckless war would cost many lives among their crew members.

Thus, in most cases, both sides preferred to hunt weaker prey or deal with forces that posed a direct threat to their status, rather than engaging in pointless battles with strong enemies.

William's heart sank as he realized that, except in rare cases, pirates largely adhered to the Matthew Effect—the strong grew stronger, while the weak grew weaker. Dreaming of becoming invincible upon setting sail was nothing short of a fantasy. The old pirates who had roamed the seas for years weren't just stationary targets waiting to be overtaken.

For a while, the meeting room was shrouded in an eerie silence.

The stillness was finally broken when the burly man who had led William and the others into the room earlier opened the door again.

A young man, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, strode into the meeting room, dressed in a white lab coat. Several others followed behind him, each carrying a case.

The moment this man entered, both Reis and Zeff instinctively stood up and moved toward him. Seeing this, William couldn't help but take a closer look at the newcomer.

The man was quite handsome, though his pale complexion and slightly prominent cheekbones gave him a sharp, stern look. Like William and Zeff, he had blond hair, but unlike the two unkempt pirates, his hair was neatly combed back, slicked tightly to his scalp.

"Dampier, you're late. That's rare for you," Zeff said to the young man.

The arms dealer, Dampier, smiled faintly, his gray eyes glancing toward his subordinates. He gestured for them to place the cases on the long table in the center of the meeting room.

"The lab came up with some good stuff. I guarantee that once you see it, you won't care that I'm late today."

Dampier opened a long leather case and pulled out two flintlock rifles with a somewhat rough appearance. With the tone of a TV shopping channel host from William's previous life, he began his pitch: "Using technology sourced from the Marines, my team and I reverse-engineered and optimized the loading mechanism. These are three-shot repeaters. In the hands of the same shooter, their reloading speed is over five times that of the standard flintlock rifles popular in the East Blue, and their firing rate is three times faster."

He handed one rifle to Reis and the other to Zeff. Reis began examining his rifle, while Zeff passed his to a subordinate who seemed more knowledgeable about firearms.

Neither of the pirate leaders was new to the game. As leaders of their respective crews, they were well aware of the practicalities and wouldn't be easily swayed by Dampier's sales pitch. After asking a few key questions, they shifted their focus away from the rifles.

The weapon was heavier than the standard flintlock rifles used in the East Blue. Its internal components were more complex and prone to damage. Given the high humidity at sea, maintenance would be a hassle.

Most importantly, the rifles were expensive—seven to eight times the price of a single-shot flintlock. For the same cost, a pirate crew could equip their marksmen with multiple single-shot rifles, achieving comparable firepower in a short burst. After all, in naval battles, long-range engagements were dominated by cannons, and firearms were typically used for one or two volleys before boarding combat began.

Additionally, pirate crews already struggled with logistical challenges. The increased ammunition consumption of repeaters would strain their supplies further. The bullets for these rifles were custom-made, and it wasn't hard to guess that Dampier had designed them this way intentionally. If a crew adopted these rifles, they'd be forced to buy ammunition exclusively from him.

Both Reis and Zeff concluded that the rifles offered poor value for money. The seasoned pirates in the room shared little interest in the weapons. However, William, intrigued, borrowed one from Reis and began fiddling with it.

From the perspective of William's previous life, the rifle still seemed outdated. Its firing mechanism relied on flint for ignition, with only the loading and bolt-return mechanisms modified. Beyond that, William didn't know much about firearms; in his previous world, strict gun control meant most of his knowledge came from movies and TV shows.

Still, the repeater represented a step forward in weaponry.

While this world's individuals could reach astonishing levels of personal combat power, that didn't render firearms irrelevant. Take William himself as an example: before his transmigration, the original owner of his body had started learning swordsmanship as a child. Though not particularly diligent, he had built a foundation. After two years of serious training at the Isshin Dojo, William had finally achieved some proficiency in swordsmanship.

That process required time, effort, money, and talent. In comparison, firearms, though not as critical as in his previous world, remained significant. They were cheaper than training individuals, easier to mass-produce, and offered higher cost-effectiveness in low-level conflicts.

Dampier, who had largely ignored the subordinates Reis and Zeff had brought, now noticed William's keen interest in the rifle. Smiling faintly, he glanced at William with his gray eyes and, without hiding his disdain for the others in the room, said, "Among this group of pirates, you're the only one with an eye for quality. If you like that rifle, consider it yours."

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