Shanks, that broke fool, could never pull together two hundred billion Belly. So he turned to his connections, planning to introduce Mihawk to the King of Loan Sharks.
As for the crushing interest rates? That was just payback for Mihawk, that ungrateful bastard. Serves him right to shoulder the debt.
...
At the G-5 Naval Base, inside Ortoren's office.
After hanging up Mihawk's call, Ortoren still felt a lingering irritation. How dare that guy question me?
He picked up the Den Den Mushi again and quickly dialed CP-9.
"Hello? Spandine? Put more manpower on Mihawk. Keep him under tight surveillance. Report any developments to Vice Admiral Garp. Mobilize everyone. For justice's sake, make sure Mihawk feels our 'concern'!" Ortoren's voice carried a sharp edge.
Just then, a knock came at the door. Ortoren ended the call with Spandine and said, "Come in."
Vergo stepped in, gave a crisp salute, and reported, "Vice Admiral Benn, Moria-sama has arrived."
Though Ortoren usually showed Moria little courtesy, the man was still a Shichibukai. In terms of administrative rank, that put him on par with a Marine Vice Admiral. Vergo calling him "sama" was only proper.
Ortoren's eyes lit up. "So you didn't run off after all, you bastard!"
Sure enough, as Vergo finished speaking, Moria's towering figure filled the doorway.
Hearing this, Moria scratched his nose a bit awkwardly. "How could I? I did declare I'd serve as a righteous Shichibukai, fully cooperating with the Marines..."
In truth, Moria had considered fleeing. But lately, he'd been reading the papers, seeing report after report of Mihawk getting pummeled by Garp. Knowing the inside story, he understood exactly what it meant.
To avoid ending up like Mihawk, Moria hesitated several times before finally deciding to face Ortoren.
Ortoren was just about to ask how things were going when Moria stepped aside and introduced, "This is Dr. Hogback. He has joined my ranks and will be working fully with our plan..."
Only then did Ortoren notice the two figures behind Moria.
One was Hogback himself, with his crooked features and sly look, a man who practically radiated dishonesty. The other was a little girl, no more than five or six years old, with pink hair and a stuffed toy clutched in her arms. The toy was patched and frayed, giving it a strangely eerie air, and two ghostly apparitions floated around her.
Ortoren immediately recognized her. This little girl was none other than the future Ghost Princess, Perona.
Noticing Ortoren's surprised gaze, Moria explained, "When I met with Dr. Hogback, I happened to run into this girl on that island. She was wandering alone. Her abilities seemed interesting, so I brought her along..."
In the original tale, Perona had indeed been adopted by Moria at a young age. Now, it seemed, this was where that bond began.
Ortoren waved his hand, and Vergo wisely withdrew. Moria then stepped inside with the reserved Hogback and the curious Perona, who was busy looking around the office.
"Doflamingo's side has nearly finished the preparations for Flevance," Ortoren began. "It's chaos over there—riots breaking out everywhere, plenty of people already dead. At first, I thought we couldn't possibly just slaughter the first wave of pirates and use their corpses for operations. That would've been wasteful. But now, the timing is perfect. With so many casualties already, you'll have plenty of material to work with..."
He paused briefly, then turned his attention to Hogback. "Mr. Hogback—"
"Please, Vice Admiral Benn, just call me Hogback," the man said quickly.
Ortoren nodded and smiled. "Very well, Hogback. How long would it take to assemble around fifty thousand zombie laborers?"
"F-fifty thousand..." Hogback seemed stunned by the number. After a moment's thought, he answered, "That's far more than I expected. Under these conditions, it would take about half a year. After all, creating zombies requires certain basics—such as the integrity of the corpses, and—"
Seeing where he was headed, Ortoren cut him off. "Half a year? Perfect. The journey to the North Blue will take three or four months. Once you reach Flevance, you can begin preparations immediately. By the time you're ready, it'll be around the year 1504. I doubt Flevance will last past then. At that point, our G-5 will send in fifty thousand pirate laborers to reinforce you..."
Turning to Moria, Ortoren continued, "Your task will be to extract the shadows from those fifty thousand pirates and implant them into the zombies, putting both the laborers and the undead to work. That way, we'll maximize efficiency in mining Flevance's Amber Lead. Rest assured, my earlier promise stands. Once Flevance is up and running, the profits will surpass anything we imagined. Not only will you not have to pay that two hundred billion, but we'll even give you dividends every year."
Moria raised no objections, nor did he bother asking how much Ortoren would actually give him.
After all, that would've been a stupid question. Whatever they offered, he'd take it. What right did he have to be dissatisfied?
But Moria quickly pressed on. "And after that? Will I need to stay stationed at Flevance in the North Blue?"
Ortoren didn't answer right away. Instead, he asked, "Does your zombie ability require you to be present in person?"
"No," Moria shook his head. "Dr. Hogback and I have already run some tests. Once the zombies are complete, they don't need any further oversight from me."
"Then you won't need to remain at Flevance. The North Blue is the Donquixote Family's territory. They'll handle things there." Ortoren waved his hand, showing no intention of making things difficult for him.
Moria let out a breath of relief and smiled. "That's good."
"So, what are your plans after that?" Ortoren asked again.
"Originally, I was planning to return to the first half of the Grand Line," Moria said with a touch of melancholy. "Recruiting new crew members, rebuilding my pirate crew, gathering strength... all in search of an opportunity to return to the New World and get my revenge on Kaidou."
Ortoren only took half of what he said seriously. The rest he brushed off as bragging.
"For now, I think it's best to find a foothold in the New World," Moria continued. "That way we can look out for each other. What do you think?"
Ortoren saw no issue with this and nodded. "That's fine. Even Doflamingo has already started laying out plans in Dressrosa, making it the Donquixote Family's base in the New World. If you also settle there, we'll be able to support each other. Whenever something comes up, it'll be easier to deal with."
Still, Ortoren wasn't entirely confident in Moria's strength, so he added a reminder. "But you'd better choose somewhere closer to G-5. That way, if anything happens, I can still step in to pull you out."
Moria was too important to the Amber Lead project, directly tied to its production. If he were suddenly killed in the New World, Ortoren would suffer greatly.
"No problem. I'd feel safer staying closer to you anyway," Moria agreed without hesitation.
When Ortoren had been his enemy, just standing near him had made Moria's scalp tingle. But as an ally, the man suddenly seemed safe and reliable.
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi in Ortoren's hand rang again. He glanced down, his face tightening with irritation. "What now, Mihawk? Is he never finished?"
He picked it up with a sour tone. "What is it this time?"
On the other end, Mihawk's voice was calm. "I've gathered the two hundred billion Belly."
Ortoren's face instantly brightened, breaking into a wide smile. His tone shifted to warmth as he said, "We Marines have an old saying: 'He who knows the times is a wise man.' I knew from the start you were a wise man, Mihawk. Bring the two hundred billion to G-5, and I'll immediately grant you the title of Shichibukai. From then on, no Marine will ever trouble you again!"
Inside the office, Moria listened to the exchange with a heavy heart. Yet another pirate colleague, unable to endure Ortoren's relentless pressure, had chosen to compromise.