Originally, after falling from such a height, the warship had suffered severe damage. Under normal circumstances, it would have needed external rescue and a major overhaul before it could be put back into service.
But now that they had run into Kuzan midway, that was no longer necessary.
Using his freezing powers, Kuzan sealed off the ship's waterline and all the damaged areas in solid ice. The entire warship became encased in ice and continued sailing across the sea as if nothing had happened.
On the deck, Ortoren and Kuzan lay back on sun loungers, both looking completely at ease.
"How did you end up in this part of the sea?" Kuzan asked lazily while basking in the sun. "I didn't hear anything about you leaving the New World."
"As you can see, I went up to the Sky Islands to broaden my horizons," Ortoren replied casually.
That was all he said, offering no further details.
Kuzan could tell Ortoren had no intention of elaborating, so he didn't press the matter.
Changing the subject, he continued,
"The Reverie is coming up soon. Have things been arranged on your end for the New World's member nations?"
"Do I really need to handle that personally?" Ortoren said with a laugh. "Momonga and Tokikake will take care of those minor details. It's nothing more than escorting a few royal families."
"Then who from the New World is attending this time?" Kuzan asked.
"Doflamingo, I guess," Ortoren replied. "He's the king of Dressrosa, so he should be there. But I'm not completely sure."
"You're not sure?" Kuzan said in surprise. "Wait, don't tell me you're not planning to go to Mary Geoise for the Reverie?"
"I'm not," Ortoren said without hesitation, shaking his head. "The Reverie is too boring. It's always the same old topics. Going would just be a waste of time."
"But you're an Admiral," Kuzan said helplessly.
Under normal circumstances, Admirals were expected to attend the Reverie. Not just Admirals either. The Chief of Staff and the Fleet Admiral were required to be there as well.
"I've already talked to them," Ortoren said, raising an eyebrow with a grin. "The Five Elders contacted me earlier about this year's Reverie. I told them I needed to handle matters related to Totto Land in the New World. They said I should focus on that first and not worry about Mary Geoise."
"I see…" Kuzan glanced at Ortoren with a hint of envy.
He wasn't particularly eager to attend the Reverie either. But unlike Ortoren, he was stationed in Paradise. There was nothing in his jurisdiction that could compare to Totto Land, something important enough to make the Five Elders so accommodating.
"So are you heading back to the New World now?" Kuzan asked.
"I'm going to Fish-Man Island," Ortoren replied frankly. "I have an appointment with King Neptune."
"Fish-Man Island?" Kuzan's eyes lit up. "If you're going there anyway, could you do me a favor while you're at it?"
"What kind of favor?" Ortoren asked, picking up a glass of juice nearby and taking a couple of sips.
"For this Reverie, over forty of the fifty participating nations have already been confirmed," Kuzan explained. "There are only a few left, and Fish-Man Island is one of them. Mary Geoise hopes Fish-Man Island will attend, but they've never given a response. I was planning to go there myself to ask, since it falls under my jurisdiction. Since you're heading there now, I'd like you to invite King Neptune on my behalf and see whether he intends to participate in this Reverie."
Fish-Man Island was indeed a member nation of the World Government, and they paid the Heavenly Tribute every year without fail.
But in reality, their contact with the World Government was minimal. More than two hundred years ago, Fish-Man Island joined the system and attended a Reverie once. Since then, they had never gone to Mary Geoise again.
The Reverie was held once every four years, with fifty member nations rotating participation each time. By all logic, Fish-Man Island should have been included long ago.
Yet, time and time again, they chose not to attend.
Now that Poseidon had emerged and Fish-Man Island even had one of its own Shichibukai, the World Government had spent the past two years trying to ease relations and strengthen ties with Fish-Man Island. Because of that, they still intended to include it in this year's Reverie.
The problem was that Fish-Man Island never responded.
Which left the World Government thoroughly irritated.
Ortoren could more or less understand why the World Government felt such a love-hate relationship toward Fish-Man Island.
They loved it because of Poseidon.
They hated it because Fish-Man Island gave them absolutely no face.
After all, they were the World Government. Invitations had been sent openly and discreetly time and time again, yet Fish-Man Island stayed completely motionless, like a dead fish, without so much as a reaction. Of course the World Government would feel disrespected.
Since it was only a casual request, Ortoren agreed without much thought.
"No problem. I'll ask for you when I get there. Honestly, my relationship with Fish-Man Island isn't bad. They might be willing to give me some face."
Kuzan nodded.
"Your reputation, Ortoren, is something everyone knows."
After a brief pause, Kuzan continued,
"By the way, did you hear about that Vice Admiral who was transferred directly to Headquarters from Mary Geoise late last year?"
"A Vice Admiral?" Ortoren looked at Kuzan, puzzled. "We have plenty of Vice Admirals in the Navy. How would I notice something like that? What about it?"
"A guy named Aramaki," Kuzan said, taking a sip of juice. "He's pretty strong, and he's a Logia user. The Mera Mera no Mi. I don't know if it's because our abilities counter each other or something else, but for some reason, I just don't like him."
"Wait a second," Ortoren suddenly sat up. "What fruit did you say?"
"The Mera Mera no Mi," Kuzan replied, looking at him oddly. "It's a powerful Logia, sure, but you don't need to be that shocked."
Ortoren wasn't just shocked. He was completely stunned.
Late last year was barely two months ago. At the time, he had been flying around in the sky and hadn't received any news from Headquarters at all.
He definitely hadn't been paying attention to whether a new Vice Admiral had shown up.
When Kuzan first mentioned Aramaki, Ortoren had already found it a bit strange. He had wondered if that guy had joined the Navy earlier than expected, and judging by Kuzan's tone, it sounded like Aramaki had latched onto the World Government first and then entered the Navy through connections in Mary Geoise.
That alone was unexpected, but not unbelievable. Aramaki's mindset had always leaned strongly toward the World Government, so Ortoren wasn't surprised he would take that path.
But hearing that Aramaki had eaten the Mera Mera no Mi truly caught him off guard.
There were jokes about how the Mera Mera no Mi was "so bad even dogs wouldn't eat it," but in reality, its tier was anything but low. As a fire-based Logia, it was extremely valuable on the seas.
In the original story, Ace hadn't particularly shined after eating it, but part of that was due to how awkward his role became later on. When Sabo inherited it, the fruit proved it could still shine brilliantly.
Ortoren had never planned for Ace to eat it in the first place, intending instead to cultivate him as a Mori Mori no Mi user. Still, knowing that Aramaki now wielded the Mera Mera no Mi left Ortoren feeling distinctly uncomfortable.
"The Mera Mera no Mi…" Ortoren clicked his tongue. "It does counter your abilities to some extent, but it's nowhere near your level. Purely in terms of Devil Fruit power, your ice is on the same tier as Sakazuki's. As for the Mera Mera no Mi, it's closer to the Yuki Yuki no Mi."
Kuzan didn't outright agree, but his expression showed he was pleased by the comparison.
And truthfully, Ortoren meant every word.
"So?" Ortoren asked. "Why bring him up all of a sudden?"
Only then did Kuzan's expression turn serious.
"You've had a run-in with Aramaki before, haven't you?"
Ortoren thought for a moment.
"If I remember right, I might've beaten him up once in passing… but that doesn't really count as a grudge, does it?"
"Either way, he's clearly not happy with you," Kuzan said. "He complains about you behind your back from time to time. And he seems to have strong backing from Mary Geoise. Within Headquarters, he's been gathering officers who want to align themselves more closely with Mary Geoise. On top of that… lately, he's been getting very close to Sakazuki. How should I put it? It feels like he genuinely admires him."
Within the Navy, there were officers like Kuzan and Garp who harbored a natural distrust toward Mary Geoise and had little goodwill toward it.
Then there were people like Sengoku and Ortoren, who appeared loyal on the surface while harboring their own intentions underneath.
Naturally, there was also a large group of officers like Aramaki, who deeply admired Mary Geoise and were fiercely loyal to the World Government.
And to be honest, they weren't a small group either.
Sakazuki wasn't the type to bow and scrape before Mary Geoise, but compared to Kuzan, he did place greater emphasis on protecting the interests of the World Government and Mary Geoise.
"So what you're saying," Ortoren raised an eyebrow, "is that these people are starting to band together?"
"Yeah," Kuzan nodded. "They wanted to unite before, but they lacked a true leader. Sakazuki, despite being close to Mary Geoise, stands firmly on Marine principles, so he wasn't suitable. Aramaki, on the other hand, came directly from Mary Geoise. That alone earns him their admiration. Add in his strength and the fact that he's a Mera Mera no Mi user, and he's already starting to look like the leader they've been waiting for."