The Kronos Kingdom's arsenal

Arms flowed into the underworld and inevitably fell into the hands of pirates, especially the Rocks Pirates. Whether a gun was any good became clear once they used it.

As a result, the Vulcan Company's weapons were also very popular among pirates.

The growing strength of pirates and outlaw forces posed a grave threat to the World Government's rule.

Even if the World Government wanted to block the trade, it would struggle to do so.

That was because the Vulcan Company primarily dumped its weapons into countries across the Four Seas that had trade relations with the Kronos Kingdom.

The rule prohibiting the World Government from interfering in its affiliated nations' internal affairs alone left it with no choice but to watch.

Besides, under the laws established by the World Government, weapons, like slaves, had never been considered contraband.

Under these circumstances, its only option was to target the source of those weapons: the Vulcan Company.

But the Vulcan Company's headquarters were in the Kronos Kingdom, and the kingdom itself stood behind it. That brought everything back to square one.

The Navy was not among its customers, and other forces that wanted to buy its weapons could only go through underworld channels.

This inevitably put the Navy at a disadvantage in weapons and equipment.

In particular, beyond the weapons already circulating at sea, the new weapons developed by the Vulcan Company were also widely sought after, such as land mines and the flintlocks that had already appeared on the seas.

However, flintlocks were more difficult to manufacture and were often specially made, making them exclusive to the nobility.

Now, the Vulcan Company could mass-produce them.

Meanwhile, its latest rotating-cylinder handgun, called the revolver, had undoubtedly become the new favorite of many nobles.

Compared with a flintlock, it offered greater reliability and advantages in every respect.

To emphasize the revolver's exclusivity, the Vulcan Company sold it in limited quantities and accepted custom orders, making it as ornate as possible. Gold and silver trim were essential.

By now, even an ordinary revolver could fetch the steep price of a hundred thousand Beli on the black market. For a noble's custom model, multiplying that price ten or twenty times was no problem.

At the time, Beli still had considerable purchasing power.

For nobles, a new-style handgun like the revolver undoubtedly held more appeal than famous swords that could only be put on display.

As for copying them, the World Government had naturally considered it. But the costs were too high, and its output could not match the Kronos Kingdom's. It was not worth the effort; buying from the Vulcan Company would be better.

Yet making that request would be tantamount to compromising with the Kronos Kingdom, forcing the World Government to abandon its investment there. It could hardly bring itself to ask.

It could only purchase them at higher prices through the underworld, or use other forces and affiliated nations as fronts.

The World Government had other considerations, too. Updating the entire Navy's weapons and equipment would certainly not be a good thing, as it would require enormous funding.

The World Government had already invested no small amount over the years.

To ensure the Vulcan Company's orderly development.

Hades had also ordered a dedicated weapons upgrade plan to be drawn up, allowing the Vulcan Company's arms to be improved at appropriate intervals, with their performance gradually increasing.

He had also established the Fengshen Company to compete with the Vulcan Company, releasing different models of the same types of weapons and equipment, with changes to their appearance and other features.

A single type of weapon had to come in dozens, even hundreds of models. Only then could profits be maximized.

The Kronos Kingdom's development also needed the enormous profits from the arms trade to replenish its funds.

Domestic construction, research funding for the Royal Academy of Sciences, and investment in the military and the Underworld Prison all required staggering sums.

Hades disliked letting one company dominate, even if he controlled it himself. People were complicated, and competition allowed for better development.

Hades would never openly produce truly advanced weapons such as submarines, missiles, and electromagnetic cannons, nor would he let the Vulcan Company or the Fengshen Company sell them.

Sniper rifles, semiautomatic rifles, and eventually automatic rifles, machine guns, submachine guns, and pistols would be improved bit by bit throughout this process, with each generation replacing the last.

Until outsiders developed them independently, the Kronos Kingdom would keep the technology tightly sealed.

Once others developed it, the Kronos Kingdom would seize the relevant markets with superior products.

Of course, the Kronos Kingdom hoped that would happen as late as possible. Keeping them secret forever was impossible, unless it never intended to use them.

Within a few years, the Vulcan Company and the Fengshen Company would likely be able to capture the vast majority of the world's arms market.

The most advanced weapons at present were cannons, which were also the flagship products of both the Vulcan Company and the Fengshen Company. They outperformed even the Navy's standard cannons and were favored by many kingdoms.

More accurate cannons made naval battles more dangerous, pirates more aggressive, and kingdoms' defenses stronger.

After another two generations of upgrades, the cannons' accuracy and range would improve further.

At that point, a brand-new profession would step onto the stage of history on the seas: the gunner.

At present, pirates had no gunners, and even the Navy had only a small number.

Superior cannons paired with skilled gunners would become a formidable weapon in naval warfare.

They would no longer miss everything and depend entirely on luck as they did now, sometimes proving less accurate than powerful fighters simply throwing cannonballs by hand.

Likewise, the number of gunslingers at sea would increase. As firearms became more accurate, the demands placed on gunslingers would drop considerably.

After all, an outstanding gunslinger needed sufficient natural talent.

This was foreseeable.

Throughout this process, every effort would be made to ensure the Kronos Kingdom's absolute lead in weapons and equipment. Once missiles were developed, however, that would no longer matter quite as much.

Still, like the World Government, the Kronos Kingdom hoped to slow the pace at which other forces caught up and preserve its advantage.

Guns and cannon shells were the main weapons of war in this world.

Even powerful fighters, apart from the few monsters with unusual physiques, could be injured without the protection of Armament Haki.

Only Haki could reign above everything!

Even the future Pirate King Roger had his body pierced by two long blades when he had no Haki protecting him.

The demand from individual kingdoms alone ran into the tens or hundreds of thousands, to say nothing of all the other forces combined.

Whether waging war or resisting pirates and other invaders, having better weapons was always a good thing.

The widespread availability of powerful weapons and equipment would inevitably affect the World Government's rule and stir the ambitions of certain affiliated nations and forces.

This was also a way to put pressure on the World Government. Advances in weapons and equipment would make the world more chaotic, especially the North Blue, where wars were frequent.

After all, even the Navy could not interfere in wars between kingdoms.

The World Government's latest attempt to foment rebellion had arisen from a combination of factors.