Ortoren ate lunch at home, then grabbed his suitcase and headed for the naval port.
When he arrived, many Marines were already boarding ships. Garp's dog-headed warship was docked at the harbor, and unless something unexpected had happened, Roger was aboard it. As for Garp himself, he was nowhere to be seen—most likely in the cell, having his final talk with Roger.
From a distance, Ortoren spotted two familiar figures: Kuzan and Sakazuki.
The two of them stood far apart on opposite sides of the pier, stiff and silent, neither acknowledging the other. Their relationship was clearly tense, but Ortoren knew it wasn't born of personal grudges—just a clash of ideals. The two hadn't yet reached the point of true hostility.
Ortoren and Sakazuki had little personal connection. Sakazuki spent most of his time stationed in the New World, while Ortoren remained at Headquarters, so their paths rarely crossed.
Still, as he passed, Ortoren gave him face and called out, "Long time no see, Vice Admiral Sakazuki."
Sakazuki looked a little surprised that Ortoren would greet him first. He knew from Onigumo and others that Ortoren had no interest in the Navy's hawkish faction and was far closer to the dovish officers like Garp.
But Sakazuki wasn't one to spurn a courtesy. He quickly pulled back his usual coldness and gave a brief nod. "Long time no see, Vice Admiral Benn."
Ortoren took out a cigarette and offered it. Sakazuki accepted without hesitation.
"Just returned from the New World?" Ortoren asked.
"Yes. Finished handling things there and came back to report. Admiral Sengoku ordered me to head to East Blue as well." Sakazuki nodded slightly. "Roger's capture... you've worked hard."
"Just part of my duty," Ortoren said, waving it off.
"I'll be based at Headquarters for a while," Sakazuki added after a pause. "We should keep in touch when possible."
"No problem," Ortoren replied with a smile.
After a bit more small talk, Ortoren could tell Sakazuki's stiff manner wasn't suited for long conversations. He gave him a polite farewell and walked off.
Soon, he found his way to Kuzan.
"Well, well, Rear Admiral Kuzan! Been a while," Ortoren greeted much more casually, slinging his shoulders in an exaggerated way. "Hey, my shoulder feels itchy. Mind checking if there's something on it?"
Kuzan shot him a sideways glance. "So you came here just to show off, huh, Vice Admiral?"
"Ahahaha!" Ortoren laughed heartily, then asked, "Why didn't you go with Garp-san to the South Blue? If you had, you'd probably already be a Vice Admiral by now."
At that, Kuzan's expression soured with regret. "Don't remind me. It's not about rank or salary—it's the regret of missing such a major operation. Catching Roger, no less. I happened to be on leave at the time, so I went with Saul to Carnival City for a little fun. Then suddenly, I heard about you. Damn it—your mission was to deal with the scholar incident in the South Blue, and somehow you also managed to capture Roger on the side..."
Saul—Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, commander of the Giant Division. A man held in great esteem among giant-blooded Marines, kind-hearted, and one of Kuzan's closest friends.
In the original course of things, Saul had been the one assigned to handle the scholar incident. That ordeal had shaken his belief in Marine justice, eventually driving him to aid Olvia's escape and betray the Navy. During the Ohara Incident, he and Kuzan had been forced to face each other, and Kuzan's devastating attack left Saul grievously wounded. He escaped to Elbaf and was never seen again.
After chatting a little more, Kuzan suddenly hooked an arm around Ortoren's shoulder and leaned in with a mischievous look. "I heard you went to the South Blue and came back married. What's the deal?"
"Ahem..." Ortoren coughed awkwardly, then muttered, "It just... happened, I guess."
"Heh. Others might not think twice, but I know something's off. You went to the South Blue with Gion, and yet you came back married to someone else—and she's already pregnant! And every time Gion brings it up, she laughs her head off... That's not normal. Absolutely not normal!" Kuzan said suspiciously.
"What's so unusual about that?" Ortoren brushed it off.
Kuzan raised an eyebrow at his evasive look, which only deepened his suspicions. He had long since noticed that the usually cold and aloof Gion was unusually warm toward Ortoren—clearly, she had feelings for him. Yet when Ortoren got married, instead of being angry, Gion found it amusing. That was definitely strange.
Still, seeing Ortoren unwilling to say more, Kuzan knew better than to pry. He let the matter drop, and the two shifted their talk elsewhere.
"You were just chatting with Sakazuki. Did you catch what he said? He's pulling out of the New World. Looks like he'll be stationed at Headquarters from now on," Kuzan remarked.
"Yeah, he mentioned it. Why?" Ortoren asked.
"Headquarters still needs someone strong enough to hold the line in the New World. Sakazuki filled that role before. Now that he's back, chances are you'll be sent there instead," Kuzan reminded him.
Normally, an Admiral should be stationed in the New World, serving as the Navy's 'face' to handle the constant major crises there. But the current situation in the Marines was awkward. There were only two Admirals left. Garp was just coasting, while Zephyr was practically retired, focused entirely on teaching.
That left only Sengoku, and he had to remain at Headquarters. Which meant the New World could only be entrusted to a Vice Admiral with enough power and ability to serve as the Navy's representative.
Kuzan's words made Ortoren pause. Among the current Vice Admirals at Headquarters, the only ones capable of bearing that weight were himself, Sakazuki, Garp, and Tsuru.
But Garp had no intention of going. Tsuru already held an irreplaceable staff position. Sakazuki had just returned, and neither Kuzan nor Borsalino had been promoted yet. Which left only him.
"Sengoku mentioned before that once I reached Vice Admiral, I'd have to be sent out for some field training. Now that I think about it, looks like it's finally my turn?" Ortoren said, a spark of interest in his voice.
It was the kind of assignment he welcomed. Serving as a Base Commander meant holding real power—practically a local king. He'd already been thinking about applying for such a post. But now it seemed he wouldn't even need to ask. By the time he returned from East Blue, the decision might already be made.
Seeing his interest, Kuzan chuckled. "I thought you were the type who'd want to stick around Headquarters. Didn't expect you to be so eager."
"Headquarters is nice, but I've never served as a Base Commander. Without that kind of ground-level management experience, it's hard to move up. So yes, I'm actually looking forward to it," Ortoren replied without hesitation.
For Vice Admirals and those below, such experience wasn't required. But if you aimed to become an Admiral candidate—or even an Admiral—you couldn't advance without comprehensive leadership and organizational experience. The Navy wasn't just a fighting force; it was a political institution as well.
"You've only been a Vice Admiral for a few days, and you're already thinking about becoming an Admiral? Planning to challenge Zephyr-sensei's record?" Kuzan laughed, teasing him.
Ortoren shook his head and waved his hand. "I'm not delusional. Admiral? That's still far off. I lack the age, the seniority—everything. And besides, Headquarters won't be opening that opportunity anytime soon. Sengoku would be in an impossible position if they did. This period is just right for me to build up my foundation. My promotions so far have been too fast. I haven't even had the chance to solidify my team or lay down proper roots."
...
While Kuzan and Ortoren were still chatting, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru arrived with her group. Seeing this, Kuzan and Ortoren exchanged a quick look of understanding and boarded Garp's dog-headed warship together. Before long, the fleet slowly sailed out of Marineford's naval port, heading toward Mary Geoise.