Marine Headquarters, Intelligence Staff Office.
Dozens of intelligence officers were busy at their desks. They rarely went out on field missions, but combing through endless streams of information to extract something useful was exhausting work in its own right.
You could tell just by looking at their generally tragic hairlines.
Still, the work environment wasn't bad. After all, the office had Gion—hailed as the "flower of the Marines." Plenty of Marines would have killed to work in that kind of environment.
Right now, Gion was bent over her paperwork, occasionally frowning as she processed the files, yet even her serious expression carried its own kind of charm.
Just then, the door to the Intelligence Staff Office was pushed open. Ortoren stuck his head in, glanced around, and when he spotted Gion, he grinned and waved. "Gion, come on, I've got something good to show you."
Hearing his voice, Gion looked up. When she saw Ortoren, a smile tugged at her lips. She nodded, rose from her seat, and walked over.
As soon as she left the office, a few Marines inside began whispering among themselves.
"Who was that? He looks pretty close to Gion."
"You don't know? And you call yourself intelligence? That's Benn Ortoren. Logia-type Goro Goro no Mi user. Along with Rear Admirals Kuzan and Sakazuki, he's one of the 'Four Monster Recruits' of the Navy. His name's been all over the papers lately."
"Oh, so he's the one whose promotion speed is almost catching up to Admiral Zephyr?"
"Yeah. He's been in the Navy for not even two years, and already rose from recruit to Rear Admiral. That pace? Completely out of reach for the rest of us."
Zephyr himself held one of the Navy's most astonishing records: the fastest promotion in nearly a century.
He joined at seventeen, first saw the battlefield at eighteen, and spent a full decade as just an ordinary Marine before finally making Petty Officer at twenty-eight—the lowest rung of the officer corps, but still a real officer.
From there, he rocketed upward. In only ten years, he went from Petty Officer to Admiral, achieving the rank at thirty-eight.
A miracle, plain and simple.
It showed just how terrifyingly capable Zephyr had been at the height of his prime.
That record had stood unbroken for nearly a hundred years. But now, with Ortoren's rise, there was a real possibility of it being surpassed.
Of course, that was just gossip among the ranks. Ortoren himself didn't harbor any such expectations.
Around 1510, Borsalino had still been idling about as a Vice Admiral, tasked with pursuing Fisher Tiger and the like. He, Sakazuki, and Kuzan were all promoted to Admiral around the same time. In other words, before 1510, there was little chance for any younger generation officer to reach the rank of Admiral.
Unless someone utterly monstrous accomplished a world-shaking feat—like completely ending the Great Pirate Era—it was almost impossible to be promoted beyond the norm.
The chatter inside the office didn't reach the corridor, where Ortoren and Gion walked together.
Seeing Ortoren acting so mysteriously, Gion couldn't help but feel amused. Just a few days ago, when I told you my birthday was coming up, you looked like a block of wood, totally unmoved. And now, it seems you actually remembered? Did you prepare a gift for me?
She wasn't thinking about romance—not yet—but Ortoren was undeniably her type: rugged, reliable, and strong. Add to that his outstanding talent, potential, and a personality that meshed well with hers, and Gion thought... maybe she could give him the chance to try and pursue her.
Gion deliberately lifted her delicate chin, showing off the perfect line of her jaw, and asked Ortoren in a slow, almost haughty tone, "What is it? What do you want to show me?"
Ortoren grinned, pulled out a written order from his coat, and said, "As of today, by Admiral Sengoku's command, Rear Admiral Gion of Marine Headquarters is to coordinate all intelligence support with Rear Admiral Benn Ortoren on a classified mission. In other words, the two of us are now officially working together. How about that? Impressive, right? I even made sure to request you by name!"
Gion blinked, glanced at the order in his hand, then at his smug expression, and frowned slightly. "That's all you came to tell me?"
"Of course!" Ortoren nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He added excitedly, "This mission might be low-profile, but it concerns both the Marines' image and Admiral Sengoku's reputation. If we handle it well, the credit we earn internally will be substantial. And you're the first person I thought of for something this good!"
Gion took a long breath, trying to calm her irritation, but the more she looked at Ortoren's grinning face, the more her anger flared.
So this was where my heart went? Fed to the dogs. If I could beat this dog of a man, I'd slash him twice just to vent my frustration!
"I'm sorry, I still have important intelligence work that needs finishing. I can't immediately work with you. But there are plenty of capable people in the Intelligence Staff Office. I'll assign two of them to support you." Gion's voice was cool as she spoke.
"Ah?" Ortoren froze, genuinely surprised.
He thought his relationship with Gion was good. He hadn't expected her to refuse—let alone look annoyed. Was she just in a bad mood? Maybe it was... those days?
Seeing her unwilling expression, Ortoren didn't want to push further. With a sigh of regret, he said, "Alright then, we'll work together another time..."
After a brief pause, something seemed to come to mind. He reached out and stopped Gion just as she was about to turn back to her office. "Oh, right—something personal. Isn't today your birthday? I prepared a little gift for you, as a token of our friendship. Here..."
He pulled a small tassel-shaped ornament from his pocket and smiled. "I noticed your sword hilt was missing a charm. If you don't mind, please take this."
Gion looked at the tassel in her hand. It was shaped like a hyacinth, symbolizing "victory." It wasn't quite the flower language she had hoped for, but a sweetness still spread through her chest. Her annoyed, reluctant expression quickly melted away, replaced by the same gentle smile she'd worn earlier.
"Ahem... I didn't expect you to actually remember my birthday. Thank you," Gion said, her voice slightly unnatural.
"You only told me two days ago. How could I forget so soon?" Ortoren chuckled. "Anyway, happy birthday. Since you're busy, I'll get out of your way."
He turned to leave, but Gion suddenly caught his shoulder. "I thought about it. Since this is Admiral Sengoku's order, I can't really refuse. I'll hand off my current work to others and fully cooperate with you."
"Ah?" Ortoren blinked again, confused by her sudden change of heart.
"Alright, wait here for me. I'll go handle the handover." Gion patted his shoulder, her face glowing with satisfaction, then turned and headed back into the office.
...
At that very moment, at the corner of the corridor, Tokikake clutched his chest in anguish and shouted, "Noooo!"
He had arrived earlier than Ortoren, called Gion out, and planned to give her the gift he had carefully prepared, hoping to confess at the same time.
But Gion had told him she never accepted gifts on her birthday—and rejected him.
Still, Tokikake hadn't given up. He intended to wait until she got off work, then invite her out for dinner. But instead, he saw Ortoren arrive... and witnessed the entire scene just now.
A sudden scream broke out, startling Ortoren. He turned his head to see Tokikake kneeling on the floor, howling up at the ceiling. For a second, Ortoren almost thought it was a student wailing about not being able to solve a math problem.
"What the hell are you doing? Yelling like that out of nowhere—nearly gave me a heart attack," Ortoren snapped, glaring at him.
Tokikake glared back, gritting his teeth, before roaring, "Ortoren, I'll fight you!!"
Two minutes later, Tokikake was holding his swollen eye, speaking flatly. "Never mind. I'll be going now."
"Well, as someone with experience, I have to give you some advice, my good brother. If you notice any mental... irregularities, get them treated early. That way you can recover quickly, instead of letting them turn into something serious." Ortoren rubbed his wrist, then gave Tokikake a friendly pat on the shoulder.
Tokikake's mouth twitched, and he nodded. "Got it."