The Navy does have a base on the Sabaody Archipelago, but since the islands are directly under the Celestial Dragons' jurisdiction, the Marines here are practically invisible—useless, with almost no authority to intervene.
Normally, a Marine base commander holds the rank of Vice Admiral, but the commander here is only a Rear Admiral, which already shows how little importance the Navy places on this location.
Otherwise, would the Sabaody Archipelago really be allowed to fester with lawless zones? If the Marines had firm control, could pirates so openly coat their ships here and dive down to Fish-Man Island?
The Rear Admiral stationed on the Sabaody Archipelago happened to be an acquaintance of Ortoren.
A fellow student from Zephyr's class, and someone who had once suffered Ortoren's schoolyard bullying—Strawberry.
After receiving Ortoren's call through the Den Den Mushi, Strawberry leapt off the sofa in his office and immediately gathered his men. In less than five minutes, he arrived at Ortoren's location with five hundred Marines.
Looking at the gaping hole in the slave shop's wall, Strawberry sighed, ordered the Marines to surround the place, and walked inside helplessly.
There, Ortoren was lounging on a sofa, cigarette in hand, with a green-haired young man standing nearby and a stunning blonde woman beside him.
But Strawberry paid them little attention. Striding straight to Ortoren, he asked, "What wind blew you here, you bastard? And what's going on this time?"
"I'm just here on vacation. But you—haven't seen you in ages. How'd you end up posted in a dump like this?" Ortoren asked with a grin.
Strawberry curled his lip. "Dump? Please. This place is close to headquarters, easy work, and good for building up my record. I pulled strings to get this post. Two years here, and I might even make Vice Admiral when I'm back."
It was clear that, despite Ortoren's history of tormenting him in school, the bond between classmates still ran deep.
After some small talk, Ortoren finally said, "We Marines are supposed to represent justice. And in your jurisdiction, people are openly trading slaves, yet you're just letting it slide?"
"Cut the official talk," Strawberry shot back, rolling his eyes. "You know damn well what this place is like. The Sabaody Archipelago is under direct Celestial Dragon rule. We Marines don't have any real authority here. These shops? They're just fronts. Behind every one of them are the noble lords of Mary Geoise."
The "noble lords" he spoke of weren't only Celestial Dragons. In truth, Mary Geoise wasn't inhabited solely by those world nobles. Many wealthy aristocrats from across the globe chose to settle there, since Mary Geoise is the very heart of the World Government.
It's called the Holy Land not only because it's the political center but also because it's the economic and cultural core.
With connections to every sea, Mary Geoise enjoys access to goods from all corners of the world. As long as you have money, you can buy anything there—a privilege no other member nation can match. Its living standards and economy are both top-tier, attracting nobles eager to purchase mansions and live in luxury.
From time to time, "inspiring" rumors spread too—about some aristocrat making a splash in Mary Geoise or currying favor with a Celestial Dragon.
Indeed, here one had far more chances to mingle with the highest rungs of nobility. For bored, idle aristocrats, that was the greatest pursuit of all.
Of course, life in Mary Geoise came with staggering expenses, so these nobles sought every possible way to amass more wealth to sustain their indulgent lifestyles.
The Sabaody Archipelago was one such byproduct. From the Bubble Park to the luxury restaurants, the shopping districts, and even the slave trade—all of it was ultimately run by the great nobles of Mary Geoise.
Ortoren only shrugged. He had no intention of giving Strawberry a hard time. After all, what could a Rear Admiral do against something on that scale?
Therefore, Ortoren said, "If it's too much trouble, I won't waste words. Old rot can't be cut away with one stroke anyway. Here's how it'll go: every slave shop on this street shuts down. Their funds are all dirty money—confiscate everything."
"What you say, I'll do. You're a Vice Admiral, I'm just a Rear Admiral—how could I object? But let me be clear, Ortoren: I won't be able to cover this. Are you sure you can?" Strawberry replied bluntly, agreeing while still giving a warning.
"I'm G-5's mad dog. Of course I can cover it. But if you won't take responsibility, don't expect me to share the profits," Ortoren shot back without hesitation.
"I don't need to rebuild a base. What would I even do with all that money? When you leave, I'll load it all on your ship," Strawberry laughed.
"Good. Shut down every slave shop here. Execute all the shopkeepers on the spot. Bundle up every coin of their illegal profits for me to take. As for the charges—say they openly violated World Government law by trafficking humans. That bastard boss even threatened me to my face, said he had people above him. So add another charge: threatening a senior Marine officer, slandering Mary Geoise by claiming nobles collude with him in corruption, and plotting to overthrow the World Government. And tell those nobles this charge comes from me. If they've got a problem, let them complain to Headquarters—or come find me at G-5. I'll explain it to them myself, face-to-face!" Ortoren declared with unshakable dominance.
Strawberry gave a sly grin. "Complaining to Headquarters won't happen. This is illegal anyway—when no one cares, no one cares, but when someone does, they can't say a damn thing. But if some of those nobles are stubborn enough to come after you at G-5, what then? You gonna wipe them out?"
"Of course not." Ortoren thumped his chest. "I'm a law-abiding Marine. But let's be honest—with all the pirates in the New World, if their ships 'just happen' to get hijacked, that's not on me. At that point, I'd uphold justice, rescue the hostages, and negotiate with the pirates. See if they'll pay ransom for release. I think I've still got enough pull to manage that..."
Strawberry gave him a long look. "You really are driven mad by money. Is G-5 in that bad a state?"
"It's worse than bad..." Ortoren sighed with a bitter face, but didn't elaborate.
Seeing he didn't want to say more, Strawberry let it drop. He waved his adjutant over, gave orders, and the Marines outside scattered to action.
Before long, Ortoren heard the sharp, synchronized gunfire outside. No doubt the executions were carried out.
Only then did he glance at Tesoro. "Anything else troubling you? Speak now, I'll settle it all."
Tesoro's eyes shone with admiration. This time, Ortoren hadn't shown raw strength, but the power of authority itself.
To Tesoro, this was true greatness.
He quickly shook his head. "No, nothing more."
"If that's the case, go pack your things. Time to leave." Ortoren stretched as he rose.
Tesoro looked at Stella. She shook her head gently. He turned back and said, "Benn-sama, I've got nothing to pack. Let's go."
Ortoren nodded, then slung an arm around Strawberry's shoulder. "I'll head to the docks to find a ship. Don't you dare skim off my funds."
"I can't even be bothered with you." Strawberry rolled his eyes, then added, "Swing by Headquarters sometime. I'm close enough. Been too long since we shared a drink."
"Got it. Next time for sure," Ortoren replied with mock seriousness.
Then, with Tesoro and Stella in tow, he swaggered out.
...
Once outside, Tesoro glanced back at the street. The once high-and-mighty merchants now lay sprawled on the ground like dead dogs, their skulls burst open by bullets.
In that instant, he realized something: wealth built by the economy always needed the barrel of a gun to protect it. None of the books he'd read had ever said that.
"What's on your mind? You look like you just figured something out," Ortoren asked casually.
"While my neighbors hoard grain, I hoard guns. That makes my neighbors my granary," Tesoro replied, looking at him.
Ortoren froze for a beat, then burst out laughing. "Good kid! Perfect for G-5. You're just my kind of guy!"