Ortoren asked Charlotte Linlin for advice on how to join the Marines. She agreed to think it over, then told him to go rest for now.
Katakuri stayed behind to discuss other matters with her.
Once Ortoren had left, Charlotte Linlin turned to Katakuri and asked, "What do you think about his plan?"
"In terms of potential, it's a smart move," Katakuri replied immediately.
"Is that so?" Charlotte Linlin paused to think for a moment, then said, "Then let's help him."
"How do you want to go about it?" Katakuri didn't seem the least bit surprised, as if he had already anticipated her decision.
Charlotte Linlin thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you really think the Marines won't uncover his identity?"
Katakuri shook his head. "If he were average, sure, no one would dig too deep. But his talent is clear, and now he's the user of the Goro Goro no Mi. According to Marine protocol, someone like him would be quickly transferred to Marine Headquarters and treated as a key prospect. There's no way they wouldn't investigate his background thoroughly."
With the Marines' intelligence capabilities, there's no way they wouldn't uncover the truth—sooner or later, they'd know he was Charlotte Linlin's bloodline.
And that was the core issue. Ortoren had clearly thought of this too, which is why he came to see if she had a solution.
"There's no way they won't find out," Charlotte Linlin said softly.
"Then... what if we eliminate everyone who knows? Even go as far as wiping out everyone on Terian Island?" A flicker of cruelty flashed through Katakuri's eyes.
His gentleness was reserved for his family. The education and environment he was raised in had never allowed for kindness. Ruthlessness—especially toward outsiders—was second nature to him.
"That would be far too suspicious, and we still might not be able to keep it hidden. If it's bound to come out, then why leave so many loose ends? We'd be better off not hiding it at all," Charlotte Linlin said firmly.
"Then what do we do?" Katakuri asked, clearly unsure.
"Let the World Government come looking for Ortoren themselves," Charlotte Linlin said.
"The World Government? Come looking for him?" Katakuri was stunned. "How exactly do we pull that off?"
"Spread some news—no need to hide the connection between him and us. Let everyone out there know he's my son, that he's inherited my bloodline and talent." Charlotte Linlin paused, then added with a sly smile, "Luckily, we've never had any direct contact with him until now. The Marines will investigate that themselves and draw their own conclusions. That makes it all the more believable."
"Then we circulate more rumors—say that by sheer coincidence, you discovered he was the child I left behind, and tried to bring him into the Big Mom Pirates... but failed."
"And then?" Katakuri asked.
"Then let the world believe that Ortoren doesn't see eye to eye with us. Say he holds a grudge because of his father, because he was abandoned, and now he wants revenge," Charlotte Linlin said.
"That's such a tired plot. Will the Marines actually buy it?" Katakuri asked, skeptical.
A pirate's child, abandoned due to a broken family, grows up hating his mother and swears to become a righteous Marine to take revenge? That kind of story's been told a hundred times. The Marines aren't idiots.
"Whether they believe it or not doesn't matter," Charlotte Linlin said, her eyes briefly distant, as if recalling something. "What matters is whether Ortoren is talented—whether he has enough potential. And from what I've seen, he does."
She paused, then continued seriously, "As long as he's exceptional, even a cliché reason is enough. The World Government won't pass up someone like him. I know this from experience."
When Charlotte Linlin was young, she had nearly been sold to the World Government. If not for a few unexpected events, she might have ended up a top Marine Admiral or a CP agent.
And she wasn't alone. Later, when she met Kaidou on the Rocks Pirates' ship, she learned he'd been through something similar.
Once the strongest warrior of the Vodka Kingdom, Kaidou had been handed over to the World Government in a backroom deal—offered up by his own king as tribute, to serve as a living weapon.
Kaidou only managed to escape back then—if he hadn't, there's a good chance he'd be an outstanding Marine now.
That alone shows just how little the World Government actually cares about consent or background when it comes to acquiring combat power. As long as you're talented enough, with clear potential, none of that matters to them.
What does that say? It means the World Government is confident—bold, even. They firmly believe they have the means to control any promising candidate, even if they're unwilling.
Whether it's ideological brainwashing, manipulating weaknesses, or binding people through comradeship—every method they use can become a shackle.
So, in Charlotte Linlin's view, rather than hoping the Marines won't uncover Ortoren's true identity, it's better to go directly through the World Government.
They have organizations built precisely for this kind of recruitment. Feed them the intel, and let them handle the rest. Quietly slip Ortoren into their system.
It's direct, forceful, and simple—because the World Government doesn't care about origins. All they want is to know if you're good enough.
If Ortoren catches their attention, they'll fast-track him straight to Marine Headquarters. Mission accomplished, right?
But even if it's straightforward, it's still risky.
First, will Ortoren even end up in the Marines? The World Government's recruitment isn't limited to the Navy. If something goes sideways, he could just as easily end up in CP. That's not out of the question.
Still, that part's manageable. Worst case, he finds a chance to defect and returns to the sea as a pirate, inherits the family business. Forget about the Marines then.
The real risk lies in the second part—what kind of control methods does the World Government use on these forcibly recruited talents?
What if Ortoren falls victim to those methods?
If they brainwash him and turn him into a weapon, a loyal pawn of the World Government... that'd be a disaster. She'd lose a son and empower her enemies at the same time.
Still, Charlotte Linlin thought, when has anything worth doing ever been risk-free? The greater the reward, the greater the danger. That's a truth everyone sailing the seas understands.
You don't gain big without taking chances.
She'd explain the risks to Ortoren, lay it all out, and see if he had the guts to gamble on it.
In fact, now that she thought about it, her own concerns were starting to seem a little laughable. If Ortoren really did join the Marines, would he eventually turn on her?
Was he doing it out of genuine shared interest? Or was he just like those cliché stories—harboring deep hatred for his mother after years of abandonment, pretending to gain her trust, using her help to get into the Marines, and then turning on her for revenge?
Or maybe... maybe he really was just someone pure. Someone who grew up in hardship, stayed untainted, and now genuinely wanted to be a force for justice.
Any of these were possible.
Charlotte Linlin wanted to bring Ortoren to her side—she'd already taken concrete action—but she wasn't foolish enough to think that alone was a reason to fully trust him. That wasn't how a Great Pirate survived. In a world built on betrayal and schemes, she would never completely trust anyone.
"In the end, this is just giving me a chance—and giving him a chance," she thought. "Plant a seed and take a gamble. See what grows."
After all, she wasn't Ortoren's nanny. It wasn't her job to hand him whatever he wanted. What she could offer was an opportunity. What he did with it—that was up to him.
If he really achieved the future he envisioned, then great. If not, Charlotte Linlin was more than ready to deal with whatever came next. She wasn't afraid of changes or challenges.
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
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