After reaching a cooperation agreement with Ortoren, Doflamingo didn't linger in the hot spring pool and soon departed.
Ortoren, however, stayed behind, continuing to soak in the warm waters.
It was another half hour before he finally rose, dressed, and left the hot spring hotel.
The moment he stepped outside the entrance, a dark figure suddenly appeared in front of him. Before Ortoren could even react, the man had already grabbed his hand.
"Vice Admiral Benn, long time no see! Congratulations on becoming the G-5 Base Commander—you hold real power now. By the way, what business do you have with me?" Spandine asked with exaggerated warmth.
After his hand was shaken twice, Ortoren seemed to snap back to himself from the forced courtesy. He looked at his own hand in surprise, then turned his gaze on Spandine.
I'm a Goro Goro no Mi user, damn it. Can't you at least respect my reflexes?
Who shakes hands this fast?
But Ortoren didn't voice his complaint. When he had left headquarters earlier, he had contacted Spandine. His original plan was to settle the Douglas Bullet matter in the New World first, then arrange a time to meet Spandine at Enies Lobby.
As it turned out, Spandine's CP-9 unit was also investigating Douglas Bullet. As their commander, he happened to be stationed in the New World.
So Ortoren had invited him directly to Frania Island for the meeting.
"Long time no see, Commander Spandine," Ortoren greeted him with a bright smile.
The two exchanged a round of polite flattery before Spandine, brimming with enthusiasm, led Ortoren to a restaurant where a full meal had already been laid out.
Clearly, the place had been cleared in advance. Only Spandine and Ortoren sat at the table as guests.
"I've come here a few times on missions. These natural hot spring eggs are excellent. You should try one, Vice Admiral Benn..." Spandine said as he peeled one and handed it to him.
Ortoren accepted the egg, took a bite with a smile, and praised, "The taste really is quite good..."
After a bit more small talk, Ortoren finally shifted to the real reason for their meeting. "The reason I asked you here is that I have something I need your help with..."
"No need for such formality, Vice Admiral Benn. You don't have to call me that. Just call me Spandine." He quickly brushed off the honorific, then added, "We're old friends. You know I'm a man of loyalty. If there's something I can help with, I'll certainly do it. Just say the word."
"Well then, I heard your CP-9 is handling a case related to Water Seven. Specifically, the matter of Fishman Tom, the one who built the ship for Pirate King Roger..." Ortoren asked.
Spandine hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Ah, that's a misunderstanding. Recently, CP-9 has only been tasked with the Douglas Bullet case. The Water Seven matter isn't under us. But what you said is true—there really is a case involving Fishman Tom building a ship for the Pirate King. That's actually being handled by CP-5. Still, I do have a say in the matter, since my useless son happens to be the officer in charge of that case."
Ortoren couldn't quite recall the details himself, but hearing Spandine's explanation jogged his memory. It did sound about right.
He gave an embarrassed chuckle. "My mistake, I got it mixed up. Sorry about that."
After a short pause, Ortoren asked, "About that fishman Tom... is there any room to maneuver?"
Spandine raised an eyebrow, lowering his voice. "You're looking to protect him?"
"Ah..." Ortoren sighed, feigning helplessness before continuing, "Since you're investigating Douglas Bullet, you must already know what G-5 has been through. To be honest, I inherited a wreck when I came over from headquarters. Yet HQ is pushing me to rebuild G-5 as quickly as possible. I'm short on people—lacking talent in every area... I've heard fishman Tom is an outstanding shipwright. At G-5, we've got a bunch of damaged warships lying idle. Right now, I don't have the resources or the technical staff to fix them. So I thought—why not bring Tom over to repair them? That way we could boost G-5's combat strength!"
He paused briefly before adding, "And it's not just Tom. Isn't Water 7 in a slump right now? If possible, I'd like to recruit a batch of shipwrights too. Look at the situation in the New World—once G-5 strengthens its forces, we'll definitely be sent into battle. Without enough shipwrights for support, even a fleet of warships won't be enough to keep fighting."
"I see..." Spandine stroked his chin, his expression showing some difficulty. "As for the other shipwrights, that's no problem. If you need them, I'll have people send some over. I'm sure those jobless workers in Water 7 would be more than willing to join the Marines' system. But Tom... tch..."
Ortoren didn't push. Smiling, he said, "If it works, great. If not, don't trouble yourself. He's not exactly indispensable."
If Spandine couldn't handle it, Ortoren could always leave the matter to Doflamingo.
For now, Tom hadn't been given special attention by the CP Organization. His so-called crime was simply building a ship for Pirate King Roger. That offense could be made heavy or light depending on perspective. Call it a grave crime, and it certainly was. Call it minor, and it was just building a ship. Everything depended on how the higher-ups chose to treat it—and whether anyone was willing to cover for him.
Clearly, in the original tale, Tom had no connections within the World Government. With no one to protect him, the CP Organization had every intention of disposing of him, turning it into a stepping stone for promotions and merit.
But later, his concept for the Sea Train technology moved the Grand Judge of Enies Lobby, earning him more than ten years to complete it instead of immediate execution.
It was during that time that Tom's importance rose sharply. In the final years, CP discovered information about the ancient weapon Pluton that implicated him, suspecting he possessed the blueprints. His significance soared overnight.
But for now, none of that had come to light. That was why Spandine only hesitated, without outright denying the possibility.
After a brief pause, Spandine asked, "When you reached out to me earlier, you mentioned this trip was also about Douglas Bullet?"
He didn't say it outright, but Ortoren caught the meaning in his words. With a smile, he replied, "That bastard has dragged the Marines' name through the mud. As the current G-5 Base Commander, there's no way I can let scum like him go free. Besides, we worked together smoothly on the scholar case before, didn't we? I'm confident this time we can team up again and take him down!"
Spandine's sudden mention of Douglas Bullet was clearly a probe, asking whether Ortoren was willing to share some of the benefits. After all, he was handling this case as well.
Though he didn't use the word "deal," the connection to Tom was obvious.
Ortoren wasn't the type to take favors without offering something in return. If he kept expecting Spandine to handle things without giving him any benefits, he'd be treating him like a fool.
And Spandine wasn't a fool.
That was why Ortoren deliberately used the word "team up," and referenced their past cooperation on the scholar incident—giving Spandine both his answer and his signal.
Sure enough, after hearing him, Spandine's face lit up with a broad smile. "I knew you wouldn't forget your good friend, Vice Admiral Benn! We're both under the World Government. CP and the Marines should work hand in hand to wipe out these criminals. As for Bullet's case, whatever instructions you give, I'll fully cooperate!"
Then he lowered his voice again. "As for that fishman Tom... I'll have my useless son arrange a death certificate for him. We'll say he resisted arrest and was executed on the spot. I'll secretly send him to you at G-5..."
Ortoren grinned as he poured Spandine a cup of tea. "I trust you to handle it. I'll leave it to you."
"Don't put it that way. We're just helping each other. That's what friends are for," Spandine replied, hurriedly taking the cup with both hands.
...
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