New World, Totto Land seas.
As a pirate nation within the territory of a Yonkō, the waters near the core of Whole Cake Island were firmly under Big Mom's control. Yet at this moment, a Marine warship sailed there openly, completely unfazed by the Big Mom Pirates' looming presence.
Because this warship bore the flag of the G-5 Marines.
On its deck, Benn Ortoren and Moria sat side by side, fishing rods in hand. Ortoren wore a dark scowl, while Moria looked uneasy.
The reason was simple. Moria, thanks to his luck, had already reeled in four or five big fish in a row, while Ortoren still hadn't caught a single one.
Just then, Moria's line went taut again. His face crumpled in despair as he glanced nervously at Ortoren.
"Vice Admiral Benn, I swear I didn't mean to..."
Ortoren, though visibly seething with jealousy, forced a smile and said,
"Meant to or not, what does it matter? Isn't this a good thing? Quick, pull it up, let's see what kind of fish it is!"
Good thing? Keep this up and I'll end up hanging from your rod as bait!
Moria even thought about putting on a helmet, terrified Ortoren might snap and smash him with a blow.
As he reeled in cautiously, Ortoren's Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
That shifted Ortoren's focus. He reached into his coat, pulled it out, glanced at it, then answered with a grin.
"Admiral? What are your orders?"
"How's the task I gave you coming along?" Sengoku asked casually from his office, sipping tea.
"It's all settled. After a friendly talk with Mr. Gecko Moria, he's agreed to become a Shichibukai and join our great World Government family. He's even promised to restrain his pirate activities and strive to be a righteous Shichibukai. In fact, he's also reached a cooperative arrangement with our G-5 Marines—he's practically a close partner of ours now. He's right beside me, and I plan to take him to Whole Cake Island to broaden his horizons and meet the rest of our partners..." Ortoren said cheerfully.
"Huh?" Sengoku blinked. "What kind of cooperation are you talking about?"
"The Amber Lead mining project in the North Blue. Didn't I mention it to you last time?" Ortoren explained.
After a bit more small talk, Ortoren gestured for Moria to take the call.
Moria, unable to refuse, respectfully took the Den Den Mushi.
"Admiral Sengoku, I must apologize for my past arrogance and poor attitude. After a sincere conversation with Vice Admiral Benn, I've realized the error of my ways. I deeply regret the trouble my past actions as a pirate have caused the people of the seas and the Marines.
Though I now hold the title of Shichibukai, I understand just how foolish and wrong I was. From here on, I will actively cooperate with Marine operations and strive to become a righteous Shichibukai, just as Vice Admiral Benn said!"
Sengoku never imagined he'd hear such words from a Shichibukai. A righteous Shichibukai—what kind of absurd concept was that?
And yet, despite the nonsense in his words, Sengoku could feel Moria's remorse and see that Ortoren had carried out his orders to the letter.
No doubt about it—Ortoren was his most reliable subordinate. Someone who knew how to ease his superior's burdens.
"If all the Shichibukai had your awareness, our work would be so much easier. Your crimes have already been pardoned by the World Government, so I won't dwell on them. To admit your faults and correct them is the greatest virtue. I hope you remember what you've said today and live up to it," Sengoku said earnestly.
Moria truly had been a menace in the past—pillaging, slaughtering, leaving ruin in his wake. But since the World Government had granted him amnesty, what could Sengoku do? As a Marine Admiral, all he could do was counsel him and hope he wouldn't cause trouble again.
Through Moria, Sengoku even saw a new way of handling the Shichibukai. They should be properly educated. Look at this—once a ruthless criminal, now spouting talk of justice at every turn.
What was this? The transformation of spiritual civilization!
Ortoren had handled the matter brilliantly. From now on, whenever a new candidate joined the Shichibukai, they should send the Marines' very own "political commissar," Ortoren, to talk with them and reform them.
If things kept going this way, perhaps the Shichibukai wouldn't seem so detestable after all.
However, Admiral Sengoku had no intention of continuing his conversation with Moria. Soon, the Den Den Mushi was back in Ortoren's hands, and Sengoku asked,
"I saw the memorandum you sent a couple of days ago. What exactly did this Dracule Mihawk do to provoke you?"
"Provoke me?" Ortoren replied with a cheerful chuckle.
"He hasn't provoked you, yet you're suggesting we raise his bounty and even proposing to send that Garp fellow to hunt him down... What exactly do you mean by this?" Sengoku asked, puzzled.
"Ah, well, it's like this. Didn't we discuss before that Mihawk would be suitable for the Shichibukai? Do you remember?" Ortoren explained.
"Hmm, yes, I recall..." Sengoku responded.
"Earlier, on Polispian Island, I ran into Mihawk and brought up the idea of the Shichibukai. He wasn't interested, and even claimed he wasn't afraid of being hunted. I thought, isn't that a slap in your face? Looking down on our Marines, isn't he? So I figured we should give him some pressure. Garp-san has been idle lately anyway—better to get him moving instead of sitting at headquarters eating senbei. If he finds Mihawk and gives him a few solid beatings, Mihawk will quickly learn that the authority of the Marines isn't something to be defied. At that point, he'll likely accept becoming a Shichibukai. Don't you think so?" Ortoren asked respectfully.
Sengoku fell silent on the other end of the Den Den Mushi for a long moment before finally asking,
"Is it that he doesn't want to be a Shichibukai, or that he doesn't want to hand over that twenty billion guarantee fee?"
Ortoren played dumb. "Aren't they the same thing? Refusing to pay me means refusing to become a Shichibukai, doesn't it? Isn't that refusing to give our Marines face? Isn't that challenging the authority of the Marines? Isn't that opposing the World Government? Isn't that a heinous crime?"
Moria, listening nearby, was stunned. What the hell? Refusing to pay Ortoren is now a heinous crime? An act of defiance against the World Government?
What shocked him even more was that Sengoku, after thinking for a moment, actually agreed.
"You have a point. I've been annoyed with that old fool Garp lately. He keeps asking for leave while I'm run ragged. Why should he get time off? I'll assign him to hunt Mihawk in the New World immediately!"
"Then I'll leave it in your hands. Mihawk must properly experience the Marines' righteous punishment. Don't worry—when I head to Whole Cake Island, I'll also coordinate with the Big Mom Pirates. We'll make sure they ramp up the pressure on Mihawk too. Let him understand that whether or not he becomes a Shichibukai isn't his choice—it's for the Marines to decide. All he needs to do is follow orders and pay the fee. Otherwise, he'll cry out to heaven and earth for help and no one will answer. Let him experience firsthand what it means to face the darkness of society!" Ortoren said happily.
"Mind your wording. How can you call it the darkness of society? This is military-civilian cooperation—uniting local forces to strike down the pirates' arrogance!" Sengoku admonished earnestly once again.
As for the Big Mom Pirates—what kind of civilians were they? Troublesome citizens were still citizens!
"Yes, yes, yes! I'll definitely learn more from you in this regard!" Ortoren quickly agreed.
He had used phrases like "darkness of society" on purpose. If you don't say such things, how will the leader correct you? How else will his superior wisdom and vision shine through?
Flattery was an art, and Ortoren was clearly a master of it.
After a short while, Ortoren hung up the Den Den Mushi. Turning to Moria, he gave him a puzzled look.
"What's with that expression? Something you want to say?"
Moria slowly shook his head. "No... I just realized, after being a pirate for so long, it feels like only today have I truly understood the... how should I put it... might of your Marines..."
When the strongest force at sea threw away all sense of shame, Moria thought, that was when they became truly formidable—unimaginably so.
"Ah, it's just what society forces us into," Ortoren sighed. "We all want to be pure Marines, but the circumstances don't allow it..."
This path, he and Admiral Sengoku walked while enduring humiliation and bearing burdens. If they didn't, the Navy would have no future.
Sacrificing the small self for the greater good—that was the spirit of devotion.
...
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