After roughly a month, Carlos had essentially replaced the John Family and taken the position of godfather. Golden Lion then sent over a massive pile of goods through the black-market connections under his control, expressing his gratitude to Carlos.
First came a batch of fine weapons, mainly swords, pistols, rifles, and rocket launchers, along with countless bullets and shells.
This shipment alone was enough to equip two thousand people. It was already an immensely generous gift.
Weapons were expensive, especially those on the black market. Even the most ordinary sword cost over a hundred thousand Berries, a pistol cost two hundred thousand Berries, and a rifle cost more than two hundred and fifty thousand Berries.
Mafia members could use firearms because they had deep pockets and operated through a combination of criminal, business, and political interests. Even so, they did not purchase all their weapons through the black market, nor could every member be equipped with guns.
Take the Mike Family, which Carlos had replaced. Only one-third of their firearms had been acquired through the black market, while the other two-thirds had been purchased through an intricate network of connections. The Mike Family itself was also an arms dealer, albeit a tiny one, and they still had to strengthen their own financial foundation.
So while the One Piece world had all sorts of swordsmen, Body Techniques, and Devil Fruit users, firearms were not cheap. Many forces, including some kingdoms, could not turn all their troops into firearm units. They were simply too expensive to afford.
Most Mafia families secretly dealt in weapons. The Five Great Families were the main arms dealers in the West Sea, but compared with the Grand Line and the New World, they could only be considered medium arms dealers at best.
The weapons and ammunition Golden