New World, Marines' frontline — G-5 Naval Base.
Ortoren was making his rounds as the newly appointed Base Commander.
G-5 really was reduced to scraps. A base this large now held barely two thousand men—two Commanders, one Lieutenant Commander, and not even a single Captain.
The moment Ortoren arrived, the two Commanders immediately filed transfer requests to leave G-5. It was obvious their morale had collapsed, their minds shaken. Ortoren didn't stop them; he approved their requests without hesitation.
This was nothing unusual. The Marines rarely rejected such applications—it was standard practice. Those traumatized or mentally unstable after heavy losses were reassigned to the rear, given counseling, and made to handle logistics for a couple of years. If they recovered, they could return to the front.
They could even apply for retirement directly, and such requests were almost always granted without resistance.
For example, Bell-mère, Nami and Nojiko's foster mother, had retired after her squad was wiped out.
Since the clash with Douglas Bullet had been an encounter battle, the base itself suffered no structural damage. Ortoren could put it straight to use.
Looking at the flashy collection of ships docked in the harbor, Ortoren turned to the G-5 Lieutenant Commander walking beside him. "These are our warships?"
"Yes, Vice Admiral Benn," the Lieutenant Commander replied matter-of-factly. "Most of them are pirate ships we seized. We originally had twenty standard warships from Headquarters, but during the last battle nearly all of them were sunk. Only two survived, but they're under repair and out of commission for now..."
"I see." Ortoren nodded. As expected of G-5—the Marines actually sailing into battle on pirate ships. If it weren't for the flags, you'd never guess they were Navy.
Without thinking further, Ortoren turned to Momonga. "Send a report to Headquarters. Tell them we don't have a single usable warship left. Have them allocate fifty to us immediately."
"Fifty?" Momonga blurted out in shock. "Isn't that a bit much?"
For a normal base, getting ten or so ships was already generous. Asking for fifty? Did he think he was Sengoku's own son?
"You're an idiot," Ortoren snapped, shooting him a look. "If you ask for ten, they'll give you ten. But if you demand fifty, they'll argue over it—and maybe hand you thirty."
The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
Momonga suddenly understood, looking at Ortoren with admiration. "No wonder you became a Vice Admiral..."
"And then there's manpower," Ortoren continued. "Right now, G-5 barely has two thousand men left, most of them logistics staff. Our frontline fighters are either mentally broken or physically unfit. Didn't you see those two Commanders bolt the moment we showed up? There'll definitely be more mass transfers. So have Headquarters replenish our troops immediately. Base it on fifty warships—demand fifty thousand men."
"You really dare to ask..." Momonga muttered as he jotted the numbers into his notebook. "If HQ sends you five thousand, you should thank the heavens. G-5's reputation is terrible."
"Five thousand won't cut it. G-5 has to be rebuilt quickly if it's to serve Marine interests. Which means the Admiral will definitely allow me to recruit independently. And for independent recruitment, I don't have the funds to start with. Headquarters will have to allocate military funding, won't they?" Ortoren said with a grin.
"You already have reserves! The base wasn't destroyed. All the treasure G-5 plundered before is in your hands now. The accounts haven't been finalized, but I just checked the warehouse—there's enough there to hire at least ten thousand men," Momonga said, sounding baffled.
"Are you an idiot? We only found out about this stash after we got here. Sengoku has no idea it even exists!" Ortoren shot Momonga another glare.
G-5's style was practically the same as pirates, and that included their attitude toward money. Living every day with their heads on the chopping block, who bothered saving? It was always live for today, drink for today!
Otherwise, your savings would just turn into an inheritance for someone else—someone like Ortoren, swooping in later to take over.
This time had been a freak accident. G-5's main force was out hunting, eating hotpot and singing songs, when Douglas Bullet struck out of nowhere. Almost none of them made it back alive. If not for that, Ortoren wouldn't have stumbled onto this fortune.
Issho gave Ortoren a look of disbelief. Was this really the way a Marine commander should behave? Should he report this guy to the Disciplinary Corps? Something was definitely off here...
But when he saw how quickly Momonga accepted Ortoren's words, Issho began to wonder if maybe his own experience as a Marine was still too shallow. Perhaps this really was just how things worked.
After finishing the base inspection, Ortoren and the others returned to the Base Commander's office.
Sitting behind the desk with a cigarette between his teeth, Ortoren said, "Right now we've got no men, no money, and no ships. Forget about fighting pirates for the moment—we'll wait until Headquarters meets our requests before making any moves. For now, conduct a full review of everything in this base. Do we have enough supplies? Are our weapons and ammunition sufficient? How many want to apply for transfers? Have them submit reports immediately. After one week, no more transfer requests will be approved."
He paused, then glanced at Issho and Momonga. "You two can handle the arrangements together."
Issho nodded earnestly. "Understood. I'll get it done quickly."
Momonga hesitated. "If we're doing all that... what about you?"
"That's not something a Rear Admiral should be worrying about!" Ortoren barked, chest out with confidence.
Then his tone softened. "Listen, Momonga, you don't have much field experience yet, but I see great potential in you. You're destined to be a Vice Admiral one day. Start familiarizing yourself with this work here. Later, when you're in charge of a base yourself, you won't run into problems. Understand that I'm assigning this for your own good, got it?"
Momonga gave him a serious nod. "Honestly, if I didn't already know what kind of person you are, I might've believed that speech."
But then he chuckled and added, "Alright, I get it. Issho and I will take care of everything."
Soon after, Issho and Momonga left the office. Ortoren sat alone, staring out at the sea through the window. After a long silence, he pulled a Den Den Mushi from his coat.
He studied it, thought things over, and finally made a decision. He dialed a number he hadn't called in a very long time.
...
On Whole Cake Island in Totto Land.
Charlotte Linlin was eating lunch in the castle, her massive belly showing she was close to giving birth yet again—it was impossible to keep count of which child this would be.
Katakuri and Perospero were with her, accompanying their mother at the meal.
As Katakuri bit into a doughnut, his Den Den Mushi suddenly rang. Annoyed at being interrupted while eating, he pulled it out with a flick of his hand.
But when he saw the face it mimicked, his expression instantly brightened. "It's Toren!" he said with delight.
Perospero's eyes widened in surprise, while Charlotte Linlin sneered, "So that brat finally decided to contact us?"
Katakuri smiled faintly. "He gets in touch now and then, just to talk about small things."
He answered the Den Den Mushi and greeted warmly, "Toren, it's me. What's going on?"
Ortoren steadied his emotions before replying, "It's been a while, so I thought I'd check in."
But before he could say more, Linlin's voice thundered from the background. "Cut the fake talk, brat. If you've got something to say, spit it out. Mama's listening."
Ortoren's lips tightened awkwardly before he finally said, "Well... I've been reassigned as Base Commander of G-5. Right on the front lines of the New World..."
Charlotte Linlin froze, surprise flashing across her face. "What? Did something happen with the Marines? Why would they dump you in that trash heap? I thought you were doing pretty well. Already sunk, have you? ...Forget it. Don't waste your life in that worthless Navy. Quit and come back to us!"