On Spandine's ship, Ortoren sat at the dining table, calmly enjoying his meal.
Before long, Spandine came in through the cabin door, shrugging off his suit jacket and hanging it on a rack. Grinning, he said, "Vice Admiral Benn, you really didn't hold back. The doctor said if we'd been any later, that guy might've actually died."
"That man was the one who brought all that trouble down on G-5. Why would I show him any mercy?" Ortoren replied smoothly, spearing a piece of steak with his fork and chewing it without hesitation.
He seemed to have completely forgotten his old principle of not eating beef.
Spandine stepped up to pour him a glass of red wine, then asked, "So, about the report—how should we write it?"
"Hahahaha..." Ortoren laughed heartily. "I say you should handle it. I'm no good with words. With you on it, I can rest easy."
Hearing that, Spandine's heart lifted. Smiling, he said, "If Vice Admiral Benn thinks I'm efficient, then leave it to me. I promise the report will be done to your satisfaction."
If he got to write the report, he'd also share in the credit. Benn Ortoren was truly a straightforward man—when he said he'd pull you up with him, he meant it.
Spandine wasn't one to forget his manners either. Sitting across from Ortoren, he pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed.
Soon, a young man's voice came from the other end, puzzled. "Father? What is it?"
"Where are you now?" Spandine asked.
"I'm on my way to Water 7. The verdict for the Pirate King Roger's shipwright case just came down. I..." Spandam began reporting honestly.
"Good, perfect timing. Once you reach Water 7, issue a death certificate for that Tom fellow. Say it's for arrest or whatever charge you like—just make sure, officially, he's dead. As for the man himself, deliver him to CP-9. Understood?" Spandine ordered.
"Huh?" Spandam asked, confused. "But why? If he..."
"Don't ask why! Just do it! Mess this up and you can forget about staying in CP-5, you idiot!" Spandine barked before slamming the line shut.
Turning back toward Ortoren with a slightly embarrassed look, he said, "Sorry about that. My son's a bit of an idiot. But don't worry, his stupidity isn't mine."
Ortoren knew all too well what kind of person Spandam was. He even felt a little sorry for Spandine—such a shrewd, capable man, cursed with such a useless son.
Still, he chuckled. "As I said before, I trust you to handle things."
"Heh, I'll get Tom sent to G-5 as quickly as possible. As for the other shipwrights, I've already arranged it. They'll all be delivered to G-5 together," Spandine said with a laugh.
Ortoren stayed aboard Spandine's ship for two more days before Momonga's warship finally arrived.
"I've still got plenty of work waiting back at G-5. Escorting him to Impel Down will be your responsibility, Commander Spandine," Ortoren said with an easy smile.
"Leave it to us, Vice Admiral Benn. You can rest assured," Spandine answered with righteous solemnity.
The two "good friends" didn't waste time on further pleasantries. Soon after, Ortoren boarded the warship and set sail, while Spandine and his men made their way swiftly toward the Red Line.
On the deck, Momonga let out a sigh. "You really move fast. I hadn't even arrived yet, and you'd already taken care of Bullet..."
"It wasn't much of a problem." Ortoren waved it off. "Big reputation, but in reality, nothing special."
"I'd say only someone like you would dare to put it that way. Vice Admiral Wolf suffered badly against him," Momonga replied with a faint sigh.
His own strength wasn't even on par with Wolf's. If he had been the one to face Bullet, he likely would've met the same fate.
After a pause, Momonga continued, "We've dug up more information on Kozuki Oden. The Whitebeard Pirates have already taken him in. He's been reinstated as captain of the Second Division..."
"So he really managed to escape from Kaidou?" Ortoren raised a brow.
He had once suspected that it might have been that Devil Fruit user from Wano with the Mane Mane no Mi, disguised as Kozuki Oden, plotting with Kaidou to play some trick on Whitebeard.
But a scheme like that would never last once Newgate actually saw Oden in person.
The Mane Mane no Mi was powerful, yes, but there was no way it could fool a top-tier powerhouse like Newgate for long.
A person's appearance could be copied, but their aura, their presence, their strength—that could never be mimicked.
Ortoren was convinced that while Kozuki Oden was a fool with little in the way of brains, he had certain unique traits and a personality that simply couldn't be imitated.
"No word from Wano itself?" Ortoren asked again.
"None. The Beast Pirates haven't even tried to pursue Oden, nor have we heard anything about Kaidou going after his family. Most likely, though nothing's leaked out, they've escaped as well..." Momonga replied.
"Kozuki Toki..." Ortoren rubbed his chin, then let out a small laugh, dropping the thought.
Chances were, the family had slipped away to some unknown time, leaving Oden to flee Wano on his own.
"How has G-5 been while I've been away?" Ortoren asked.
It was now April of Sea Circle Calendar 1500. On the surface, it might've seemed like all he had done was attend a pointless meeting at headquarters, then return to the New World and capture Bullet, as if barely any time had passed.
But in truth, Ortoren had been away from G-5 for several months.
"Everything's been good. Recruitment across different regions has gone really well. Our numbers are already up to twenty thousand. But if this keeps up, we won't have enough warships..." Momonga explained.
"I've already started working on that. Results will come soon, so don't worry." Ortoren smiled, then added, "This trip to headquarters wasn't just about Shichibukai business. I also had a long talk with Admiral Sengoku about our G-5."
"What did Admiral Sengoku say?" Momonga asked, curious but also a little worried.
"I laid some of our situation out to him. The Admiral agreed to understand and support us—but privately. Officially, as long as we don't report anything, he won't investigate. So, we keep things hidden as long as we can..." Ortoren explained.
"In other words, headquarters will turn a blind eye to G-5's more... irregular actions?" Momonga asked after some thought.
"Exactly. But we still have to keep a low profile. As discreet as possible. Don't make waves, or it'll make things hard for headquarters with Mary Geoise," Ortoren cautioned.
Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Oh, right. My original term as G-5 Base Commander was supposed to be two to three years. That's changed."
"What do you mean?" Momonga asked, puzzled.
"It means unless something major happens, I'll be staying on as G-5's Base Commander indefinitely!" Ortoren said with a hearty laugh.
At first, Ortoren had thought two or three years wouldn't be enough—just enough to lay a foundation, but nowhere near enough to grow G-5 into something truly formidable. He had even planned to eventually hand it over to Momonga or Issho for sustainable growth.
But after his candid talk with Sengoku, the Admiral realized that wouldn't work. Now, Ortoren was to hold G-5 for the long haul.
The only way he'd be recalled would be if something major happened—either a huge failure, like Ortoren suffering a crushing defeat in the New World, or a monumental event that required his presence, like the appointment of a new Admiral.
Before Momonga could fully digest the news, Ortoren continued, "So some of our earlier plans will need revising. We're going to be busy."
For example, while lower-ranking troops were easy to replenish, Ortoren lacked enough officers. At present, the only ones he could truly rely on were Momonga and Issho. Vergo was barely serviceable as a tool.
It wasn't nearly enough. He needed more hands.
On that front, Sengoku had quietly loosened restrictions. Ortoren had originally been capped at two Rear Admirals under his command. Now, that limit was lifted.
The message was clear: as long as no one reported it, G-5 could have dozens of generals if need be, and headquarters wouldn't interfere.
With Sengoku giving him the green light, many things had suddenly become much easier.
Once back at G-5, Ortoren intended to draft a five-year development plan—and then push it forward, step by step.