Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the yard of Zephyr-sensei's home, Ortoren was helping water the flowers and plants.
Not far away, Zephyr-sensei, dressed in simple coarse clothes like an old farmer, was tilling the soil. Master and apprentice worked side by side, both absorbed in their tasks.
"We made all those plans, only for the Roger Pirates to disband in the end. Just like that, all those meetings were for nothing," Ortoren chuckled as he watered the plants.
"No one could have seen that coming. Something must have changed," Zephyr said with a sigh as he planted a small sapling.
"They were hard enough to catch as it was. Now that they've scattered, it'll be even harder to track them down. As for what changed—who knows?" Ortoren shook his head as he lifted another bucket of water.
"Forget them. It has nothing to do with you," Zephyr said with a small smile.
And it really didn't. None of the missions involving Roger had been assigned to Ortoren.
After a short laugh, Zephyr asked, "I hear you'll be heading to the South Blue soon?"
"Yeah. It's about the scholars. Intelligence suggests they may show up there," Ortoren replied.
"I trust your ability, and the South Blue isn't particularly dangerous, but you still need to be careful. Before you act, make sure there aren't any gaps in your plan. Matters involving scholars aren't easy to handle, but if you succeed, it'll be a solid accomplishment," Zephyr said patiently.
"Understood," Ortoren answered with a grin.
He poured the water under a flowering tea tree and remarked, "This tree is growing beautifully. You must take great care of it, sensei."
Zephyr glanced at the tree, his expression darkening slightly. He said softly, "Mick was two years old when we planted it together. I had hoped he would grow strong and healthy, like this tree. If those things hadn't happened back then, he should be here helping me water it now."
Ortoren froze for a moment, his own eyes tinged with sadness. Mick was Zephyr-sensei's son, who had tragically died.
He had known about it long ago, but back then he hadn't been close to Zephyr, so he'd felt nothing. Now, hearing these words from his teacher, he felt a pang of grief in his chest.
"I'm sorry, sensei..." Ortoren said, a trace of guilt in his voice.
"What are you apologizing for? It has nothing to do with you. I already dealt with those pirates," Zephyr said softly, shaking his head.
But after a short pause, his eyes still carried a shadow. "But maybe..."
He didn't finish the thought, and Ortoren didn't press.
In truth, the whole affair surrounding Zephyr's family was riddled with oddities. Pirates attacking the living quarters of Marine Headquarters—it was absurd. Even Shiki had fallen there, Newgate had died in that fortress, yet somehow a ragtag group of pirates had slipped in and killed Zephyr's family with precision. How could that not be suspicious?
No one believed there wasn't more to it.
Yet after years of investigation by Sengoku, Garp, and others, nothing had ever been uncovered. That strangeness lingered.
Though hard to say aloud, Ortoren also suspected the hand of the World Government.
Zephyr-sensei surely harbored the same doubts. But with no proof, and fearing he might be the target of a setup, openly opposing the Government would only play into the conspirators' hands.
Perhaps this was why, ever since then, Zephyr had begun holding back in his service to the Marines—not fully trusting the World Government, but not openly rebelling either, choosing instead a middle path.
Ortoren thought quietly to himself that when the chance came, he would help Zephyr-sensei uncover the truth and see if any real clues could be found.
Firstly, it was to repay Zephyr-sensei for his teachings and care. Secondly, if there really was something suspicious about the World Government, then this could serve as the perfect excuse to break away and, at the right moment, establish their own faction together with Zephyr-sensei.
Not wanting to dwell on such a heavy topic, the two quickly shifted their attention and began talking about other matters concerning the Marines.
"How are the new recruits this year?" Ortoren asked with a cheerful smile.
Zephyr-sensei waved his hand. "They're not bad, but they can't compare to your class. I'd say it'll take another three to five years before we see elites like you again..."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "But that's fine. I expected this. This is how it should be. It would be strange if we had several geniuses like you, Gion, and Tokikake every year. Even having a whole batch of elites on Momonga's level would be unusual... The reason we keep running more sessions is to build up experience. Eventually, this training camp can be formally established as a military academy."
"I think the Fleet Admiral fully supports that plan," Ortoren nodded.
Zephyr-sensei had indeed accumulated plenty of experience. Before the camp was founded, he had already been running a smaller program, training Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan. Now, with Ortoren, Gion, Tokikake, Momonga, and other elites under his guidance, just two or three more sessions would be enough to lay the foundation for a proper Marine Academy.
By then, Zephyr-sensei's prestige within the Marines would gradually reach its peak—something that could only benefit Ortoren as well.
Before long, after helping Zephyr-sensei with a few things in the courtyard, Ortoren took his leave. Zephyr-sensei didn't try to stop him; he just gave him a pat on the shoulder and saw him out.
...
Leaving the residential area and returning to the Fortress of Justice, Ortoren soon arrived at Borsalino's office.
He pushed open the door and saw Borsalino packing his belongings, clearly preparing to move.
And indeed, he was. From now on, Borsalino would be stationed at Punk Hazard, overseeing the formation of the Marine Science Corps. Unless something major came up, he'd be staying there for quite a long time.
From the look of eager anticipation on his face, it was obvious he had been waiting for the chance to slack off there.
"Why are you grinning like that?" Ortoren teased as he stepped inside.
"Once I leave headquarters, I'll be the boss of the Science Corps. No more running errands for others all day. And with someone as capable as you taking over my position under Admiral Sengoku, I doubt he'll come after me with more work. My life's about to get a lot easier—of course I'm happy," Borsalino said openly, not bothering to hide his laid-back nature.
"Tsk..." Ortoren clicked his tongue, shooting him an annoyed glance before saying, "I need you to check on something for me."
"Go ahead," Borsalino agreed without hesitation.
"Remember when we were on that mission? I mentioned how Dr. Vegapunk and his team were working on that... life design blueprint, lineage factor technology, whatever it was," Ortoren said.
"That's right. But let me make this clear—don't ask me to get involved in anything dangerous," Borsalino quickly interjected.
"No, that's not it. You already know about my condition. What I mean is, when you have time, ask Dr. Vegapunk if his research can fix my problem. If he can, that would be incredible, wouldn't it?" Ortoren shot him a look.
"That's no problem." Borsalino chuckled. "Alright, I'll ask him when I get the chance and see if there's a solution."
"Appreciate it. When you've got time, I'll treat you to a meal," Ortoren said with a smile.
"Don't wait for that. Come help me pack first, I need to get to my ship," Borsalino said, promptly roping Ortoren into labor duty.
Ortoren didn't refuse. He stepped forward, helping pack documents into boxes while joking, "Looks to me like you're in a hurry to start your new carefree life."
Both of them burst out laughing as they worked, chatting idly until the packing was done. Soon after, Ortoren saw Borsalino off on his way.