Almost the moment Pluto's blast ended and the halo scattered across the sky, the Den Den Mushi in Hina's hand began to ring.
"Admiral, it's the Five Elders!" Hina shouted, holding it up toward Ortoren.
In the next instant, Ortoren turned into a streak of lightning and appeared at her side. He took the Den Den Mushi but didn't answer immediately, instead glancing at the energy gauge.
Master Tom spoke quickly from nearby. "Our estimates were right. Based on the energy consumption of that shot, Pluto's main cannon can still fire two more attacks of the same scale."
"Good." Ortoren gave a short reply, then finally picked up the call, smiling as he greeted them. "Five Elders, what instructions do you have for me?"
There was a brief silence on the other end before Saint Warcury's furious voice burst through.
"Ortoren, what exactly do you think you're doing?!"
"Hm?" Ortoren sounded mildly puzzled. "Have you not been reading the newspapers lately? Isn't it written pretty clearly what I'm doing?"
Before the other side could respond, Ortoren let out a savage laugh.
"If you haven't seen it, then let me repeat myself. My goal is very simple. Either I kill all of you… or you kill me. Ah, of course, that also includes Imu, the so-called King of the World sitting on the Empty Throne."
On the other end of the line, Saint Warcury's breathing grew noticeably heavier.
In the end, he forced himself to rein in his anger. After a short pause, he asked in a low voice, "That rainbow pillar of light just now… was that your doing?"
"That's right. Well? Pluto's power is quite dazzling, isn't it?" Ortoren said openly, without the slightest intention of hiding anything. "Who would have thought that a force meant to destroy everything could be so beautiful? I do wonder how it compares to your Heavenly King, Uranus."
"You even know about the Heavenly King?!" Saint Warcury exclaimed, shocked, his teeth clenched with fury.
"I thought you'd be more surprised that I know about Imu," Ortoren said with a chuckle. "I didn't expect Uranus to be what bothered you."
Saint Warcury didn't follow up on that. Seemingly prompted by the other Five Elders, he shifted the topic, his tone far more restrained.
"Ortoren, over the years, we have never wronged you. We never treated you unfairly. On the contrary, we even hoped to bring you in as one of us, to stand together as the most exalted people in this world. Especially me. I trusted you so completely. And yet you chose to do this. Don't you feel even a little guilty? Not the slightest bit of regret?"
"Sigh…" Ortoren let out a soft breath.
Come to think of it, this was the first time the Five Elders had contacted him since the battle with the Whitebeard Pirates last year.
For a brief moment, a sense of reflection welled up inside him.
"It's true. When it came to benefits and treatment, the five of you never shortchanged me in any way. Saint Warcury, I truly do appreciate the trust you placed in me," Ortoren said, even using a respectful form of address this time.
Those words gave Saint Warcury a flicker of hope. But before he could speak, Ortoren continued.
"However, first and foremost, I am a Marine. Only after that am I myself. I joined the Marines to uphold justice. And yet the World Government tramples on the dignity and justice of the Marines. That is a contradiction that cannot be reconciled. I believe this world itself cannot forgive you either…"
"And precisely because of that, I must carry this justice through to the very end."
"Justice is nothing more than a fig leaf used to cover up disgrace," Saint Warcury retorted angrily. "The higher your position, the more you should understand that. On these seas, no matter how you look at it, so-called justice can never truly be upheld. What even is justice? Who gets to define it? No one can say. Even if you searched the entire ocean, you would never find an answer. To make a choice like this for something so vague and intangible… you are a fool."
"Perhaps it's exactly because justice is something so vague and intangible to you," Ortoren replied softly, "that it becomes all the more precious, and all the more worth seeking and upholding for us Marines…"
Justice, this thing…
It is indeed illusory. It is indeed elusive.
But it absolutely exists.
Up to now, Ortoren had never possessed the kind of justice that ruled over the world like Fleet Admiral Sengoku's, nor did he have Sakazuki's unshakable, ironclad will toward justice. If one had to describe his pursuit of justice, it might well be the most elusive among all the Admirals in history.
Yet it would be wrong to say that Ortoren lacked justice.
After so many years in the Marines, he had forged a new order and prosperity in the New World, benefiting countless people across both the New World and the North Blue, bringing them peace and development. That, in itself, was a form of justice.
Because he had personally walked this path, Ortoren understood better than anyone that justice truly existed on these seas. It was neither distant nor untouchable.
Saint Warcury seemed stirred by Ortoren's words.
His expression grew complicated, though he quickly regained control of himself and murmured with a hint of helplessness, "Is there really no room at all for negotiation, Ortoren?"
"There is," Ortoren replied softly. "Even though we stand on opposite sides, I genuinely respect the abilities and competence of you five. If Mary Geoise were to declare unconditional surrender right now, then for the sake of past ties, I could give the five of you a dignified ending…"
Ortoren truly acknowledged the Five Elders' political ability. The World Government was a massive ship burdened by its own accumulated weight, but if not for those five barely keeping it afloat, it might have sunk long ago.
"Since you know of Imu-sama's existence, you should understand that surrender is impossible," Saint Warcury said gravely. "And you are not guaranteed victory either. You have Pluto, and we have the Heavenly King. You claim to stand at the end of all power, but let me tell you this. Imu-sama is a true powerhouse who stepped out of history itself. Even the most unmatched power in this world, even time, has failed to defeat him over more than eight hundred years. You cannot win."
"If I really couldn't win," Ortoren chuckled lightly, "then why would you bother saying all this to me?"
"You…" Saint Warcury snapped angrily. "Because even if we win this struggle, the cost will be enormous. In the end, it will only benefit those with ulterior motives. If we could set aside past grievances, this world could still maintain stability and order. I know the Marines want greater autonomy and want to uphold justice. I can decide this myself. Afterward, we will grant the Marines the autonomy they desire. We can even hand over those… those Celestial Dragons who can be sacrificed to your Marines for judgment. That way, you can give the seas an explanation as well. After that, whether it's reform or restructuring, we can sit down and discuss it internally. Why did it have to reach this point?"
As those words fell, even Sakazuki, standing nearby, felt tempted. He had always believed that these problems could be resolved through internal reforms.
In fact, this was the very path pursued by generations of Marine elites. If Ortoren had never appeared, whether it was Sengoku or Sakazuki after becoming Fleet Admiral, both had sought precisely this kind of compromise, this kind of promise.
Ortoren glanced at Sakazuki. Sakazuki met his gaze, but in the end, he closed his eyes and said nothing.
Only then did Ortoren smile and speak into the Den Den Mushi.
"This proposal does have considerable appeal for the Marines…"
"Is that so? Then it seems we still have common—" Saint Warcury felt a surge of joy and was about to continue.
Ortoren cut him off calmly.
"But this sky is too small. It barely has room for even one person to move freely. As for that throne above the heavens, I want to sit on it too, Warcury."
This time, he did not even bother adding the honorific.
Silence lingered on the other end of the Den Den Mushi for a long while. When a voice finally came through again, it belonged to Saint Saturn.
His tone was icy. "Since both sides possess the power of ancient weapons, there's no need for empty threats. Ortoren, you refrain from using Pluto, and we will refrain from using the Heavenly King. Two days from now, atop Mary Geoise, we'll settle this head-on and decide who truly deserves to be the king of this era. If you want that throne in the heavens, then come and take it."
Without waiting for Ortoren's reply, Saint Saturn hung up the Den Den Mushi.