After spending a few days at Marine Headquarters, Admiral Ortoren watched as the recalled commanders from across the seas finally arrived one after another.
Today was the day of the Marines' high-level meeting, and Ortoren was on his way to Fortress Justice.
At the fortress gate, he spotted Gion and Kuzan chatting.
Gion had been recalled as well, and Kuzan, too—he now wore a Vice Admiral's insignia.
Shortly after Ortoren left Headquarters back then, Kuzan had been promoted straight to Vice Admiral and assigned as the base commander of the G-8 Naval Base in the first half of the Grand Line.
By the usual process, he should have been sent down, like Ortoren, to build up a few years of grassroots experience before being recalled to Headquarters.
The two hadn't met during that period, though they occasionally kept in touch via Den Den Mushi.
"What are you two doing loitering at the gate?" Ortoren greeted them with a grin.
"We happened to arrive at Headquarters on the same day," Kuzan said, curious. "I heard you got back a few days earlier. Any word? Why the sudden recall? Did something big happen?"
"Mary Geoise just trashed the Marines' face and dignity," Ortoren said offhandedly. "They're setting up a new body called the Shichibukai. Mary Geoise plans to recruit seven powerful, influential pirates from across the seas and put them to work, and they want Marine Headquarters to cooperate. What's more, Admiral Sengoku told me this so-called Shichibukai will be an organization on par with Headquarters itself. Those recruited will receive Vice Admiral–level treatment within the World Government system. Hah! Tell me that isn't ridiculous."
Ortoren wasn't exaggerating. That was indeed the Shichibukai's level of privilege. In the original account, when the Shichibukai attended meetings at Marine Headquarters, the public announcements addressed them as "-sama."
And that form of address was basically reserved for Vice Admiral–level figures at Headquarters.
"What!?" Kuzan stared in disbelief, as if he'd heard something impossible.
Gion's face darkened. "If we go through with this, how will the Marines have any right to call ourselves justice?"
"Exactly. That's why I said Mary Geoise wiped out both our face and our substance. Those noble lords don't care one bit how the Marines feel," Ortoren sneered.
After a pause, he added with a wry smile, "But it's not the first time. You put up with it long enough, you get used to it. If even the Fleet Admiral and Admirals can't stop it, what can people like us do?"
Kuzan and Gion fell silent, their expressions clouded. Under that heavy mood, the three of them walked into Fortress Justice.
It wasn't just them. The moment they entered the grand conference hall, the sour faces of the commanders seated inside made it clear just how deeply the Marine leadership opposed this matter.
Ortoren, truth be told, enjoyed the spectacle. He even figured that if the World Government kept pulling stunts like this, it would work out in his favor.
Let them keep at it. Once they scattered the Navy's morale, it would only make things fit better with Ortoren's future plans and arrangements.
Before long, once everyone had arrived, Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong entered together. Their expressions were clearly far from pleased.
After they took their seats, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru quickly handed out copies of the Shichibukai proposal to the assembled Marines.
Ortoren skimmed a few lines, tossed the packet onto the table, and studied everyone else's reactions instead.
First up was Sakazuki. You could see his face go from pale to pitch-black, like the bottom of a pot—he looked ready to set the papers on fire right there.
The other commanders weren't much different. Only Borsalino, like Ortoren, gave it a cursory glance and stopped reading, utterly indifferent as he pulled out a nail clipper and started trimming his nails.
"The details of the bylaws we're discussing today are already outlined in the documents. If anyone has opinions, bring them up here..." Fleet Admiral Kong said weakly.
Ortoren thought to himself, That's it then—he's given up resisting.
No sooner had the Fleet Admiral's words fallen than Sakazuki slammed the table and roared, "This disgraces justice! I will never accept this Shichibukai!!"
With Sakazuki leading the outburst, the hawkish Marines erupted, venting their anger. But it wasn't just the hawks—Mary Geoise had trampled on the honor of the entire Marines. Even the neutrals and doves joined the chorus of denunciations.
Meanwhile, the real heavyweights—Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, and Chief Staff Officer Tsuru—remained silent. Sitting still in their chairs, they let the Marine commanders rage without saying a word.
The conference hall descended into chaos, but neither Fleet Admiral Kong nor Admiral Sengoku made the slightest move to restore order.
The shouting went on for more than half an hour. Once the officers lost their tempers, there was no holding back. They cursed everything about Mary Geoise from top to bottom, stopping just short of directly naming the Five Elders.
"Enough, enough. Continuing today's meeting is pointless. Take the documents with you, calm yourselves down, and stop wasting your breath on insults. What good does shouting do?
Instead, think about how we should deal with this. Find ways to minimize the damage. Take the time to reflect, and we'll reconvene tomorrow," Fleet Admiral Kong finally said, slamming the table before rising and walking out.
The abrupt dismissal didn't surprise Ortoren. Sengoku had already warned him the first meeting would likely end quickly, just to give everyone time to cool off.
"Drink later?" Ortoren tucked the file into his coat and casually asked Kuzan and Gion.
They were just about to agree when Sengoku called out, "Ortoren, with me."
"Eh?" Ortoren was puzzled but nodded. "Got it."
He turned to Kuzan and Gion. "You two go ahead and set something up. I'll catch up after I finish with the Admiral."
Soon, Ortoren followed Sengoku into his office. Only the Admiral was inside.
Sensing this would be a private matter, Ortoren locked the door before asking, "Admiral, what's this about?"
"Sit," Sengoku sighed, motioning for him to take a seat. After a pause, he asked, "The Marines are the strongest force on the seas, known as the 'Overlords of the Sea.' So tell me, why does Mary Geoise never respect us?"
"Ahem..." Ortoren cleared his throat. "Admiral, this might sound... offensive."
"What's offensive about talking behind closed doors?" Sengoku pressed, looking at him.
"Then I'll say it straight." Once he gauged Sengoku's intent, Ortoren didn't hold back. "It's because they've got us in too tight a grip. We've got no autonomy at all. On the surface, we look strong, but in truth, we can't operate without Mary Geoise. Funding, supplies, logistics—not a single thing is in our hands. Don't we have to beg them for everything? That's why they don't care about us. They don't have to. Whatever they decide, we have to comply. And if we don't? They cut the budget. Then what—how do we pay salaries next year? How do we feed our men?"
Sengoku listened with a heavy heart and asked, "So what do you think is the way out of this?"
"Of course there's a way!" Ortoren said without hesitation. "In truth, the initiative should always have been ours. But whether it's the Fleet Admiral or you, you're all too cautious. Always worrying about the so-called big picture, always thinking of every angle, always clinging to lofty morals. And that's exactly why they've got us pinned down. Think about it—if funding was cut for a year or two and the Marines started to crumble, who'd panic more? Us, or those nobles in Mary Geoise?"
Sengoku paused, then frowned. "But that would be irresponsible to the people across the seas who rely on us."
"See? That's exactly what I meant—you set your moral bar too high." Ortoren rolled his eyes. "Take this Shichibukai mess. Right now the Marines are furious. With just a bit of guidance, they could be united as one. If we all take a firm stand and declare that the Marines won't accept the Shichibukai, and if they push it through we walk away—do you really think Mary Geoise would dare go ahead?"
Watching Sengoku hesitate, Ortoren pressed, "Stop draining yourselves with all this self-restraint. Instead of making things hard on us, make it hard on them. Stand tall! Why not face the Five Elders head-on, Admiral Sengoku?"
But Sengoku was not the type to be swayed into rashness by fiery words. Habits of thought and behavior are hard to break, and after years under Mary Geoise's heavy hand, that inertia was deeply ingrained.
Before long, Sengoku shook his head. "Too extreme. Do you have any other ideas?"
Seeing this, Ortoren sighed inwardly. "That's the most direct and effective way. The other methods take time and effort—and we don't have that luxury with the Shichibukai issue."
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