For the next two days, Ortoren was the most sought-after man in Marineford. People—friends and strangers alike—kept dropping by his home. And Ortoren, always generous with his colleagues, welcomed every visitor in for a chat, showing impeccable hospitality. Of course, anyone bold enough to visit Ortoren's home had to be at least a Rear Admiral. Anyone below that rank wouldn't dare show up.
On the third day, the Marines held a full commanders' meeting in the main conference hall. Every officer with a general-grade rank who happened to be at Headquarters that day was required to attend. At the meeting, following the principles of fairness, justice, and transparency, Admiral Sengoku—the sole candidate for Fleet Admiral—was unanimously elected and officially promoted, becoming the new leader of the Marines.
Then, at Fleet Admiral Sengoku's proposal, Vice Admirals Benn Ortoren, Sakazuki, and Kuzan were appointed as the new Admirals. The entire Marine force erupted into celebration as the meeting concluded.
Afterward, media outlets quickly amplified the news. Across the oceans, everyone soon learned of the Navy's major reshuffling. The World News Agency called it "a sign that the Marines have entered a new era." Some outlets claimed this shift marked "the beginning of the end of the Great Pirate Era." Many more hailed it as "a victory for justice." In short, with the Marines restoring the full three-Admiral system for the first time in years, optimism for justice swept across the seas. Fortunately, there wasn't a stock market for this—otherwise everyone would've cashed out in a frenzy.
Although Ortoren would soon govern the New World and wouldn't be staying at Headquarters often, the Admiral's office was still reserved for him—the very same one Sengoku used before. As for Sengoku, he naturally moved into the Fleet Admiral's office to enjoy his well-earned comforts.
Now, wearing the cloak of justice and bearing the Admiral insignia at the height of his momentum, Ortoren sat in his new office, signing documents.
"Order: Rear Admiral Momonga of G-5 Base is hereby promoted to Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters and appointed as Admiral's Assistant."
"Order: Rear Admiral Issho of G-5 Base is hereby promoted to Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters and appointed as Commander of G-5 Base."
"Order: Rear Admiral Tokikake, aide to Vice Admiral Garp, is hereby reassigned under Admiral Benn and promoted to Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters."
"Order: Commodore Gild Tesoro of G-5 Base is hereby promoted to Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters."
"Order: Commodore Smoker of G-5 Base is hereby promoted to Rear Admiral of Marine Headquarters."
After finishing these documents, Ortoren looked up at Gion.
"What about you? Need me to issue a transfer order for you?"
"No need," Gion said, shaking her head. "I'm fine where I am under the Intelligence Division. Sister Tsuru said that once Yamakaji and the others arrive in a few days, she'll recommend me as an Admiral Candidate. More allowance for me."
"Admiral Candidate, huh…" Ortoren rubbed his chin, thinking.
The title of Admiral Candidate only existed when all three Admiral seats were filled. It signified that the Navy had a strong reserve of elite power and high-end combat capability. Back when he was a Vice Admiral all those years, Ortoren had never seen anyone made an Admiral Candidate, simply because Headquarters never had a full roster of Admirals.
Legally, an Admiral Candidate was the first to fill an Admiral vacancy if one arose unexpectedly—unless a special arrangement was made. But now that Ortoren and the other two Admirals had taken office, Borsalino had immediately become the first Admiral Candidate of the new generation. Naturally, others could also compete for the position.
With that in mind, Ortoren glanced at the transfer orders for Issho and Tokikake. Should he nominate the two of them as Admiral Candidates? After thinking it over, he set the idea aside. If he promoted them now, how would he reward them for future achievements?
"I talked to that Yamakaji guy through a Den Den Mushi yesterday," Ortoren said. "Once he gets back to Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku will personally give them promotions and raises, making them Vice Admirals. I won't need to interfere. After that, though, I plan to transfer them to the New World."
"You're planning to develop a few new Marine bases in the New World, right?" Gion asked with a smile.
"Yeah. Right now, the New World only has three properly functioning Marine bases. Back when I was G-5 Base Commander, it wasn't my responsibility, so it didn't matter. But now that I'm governing the New World, how can we manage with just three bases? What kind of joke would that be?" Ortoren said without hesitation.
The number of Marine bases in the New World had always fluctuated. When Marine strength was at its peak, their control over the region was solid and pirate activity was weak. At its highest, the New World once had twelve fully operational Marine bases. But due to later downsizing and various upheavals, the number of functioning Marine bases in the New World had dwindled to only three.
They are G-1 Naval Base, G-5 Naval Frontline, and G-12 Naval Base.
In Ortoren's memory, more Marine bases would appear in the New World over the next decade or two—Vice Admiral Dorou's G-14 Base, for example, would eventually open as well.
For Ortoren, the current three bases in the New World were nowhere near enough. Issho would be serving as the commander of G-5, and that Momonga fellow, though acting as his admiral's aide for now, would definitely need to be assigned a base of his own in the future, with G-12 being one of the options under consideration.
Tokikake had been promoted to Vice Admiral, and Ortoren had already transferred him from Garp's subordinates into his own command. Naturally, he had to arrange a base commander position for this fiery young man—you couldn't let someone that eager feel overlooked.
As for people like Yamakaji, Strawberry, Stainless, and Cancer, Ortoren fully intended to transfer them all to the New World eventually. Under such circumstances, giving each of them a base to oversee was only proper.
However, compared with the strength of Issho and Tokikake, Yamakaji and Strawberry were solid choices, while Stainless was slightly weaker. Cancer, the charming one, was actually the strongest among the four. Because of that, the functions and security levels of each naval base had to be divided with care.
Someone like Stainless could be stationed closer to the Gateway Sea, rather than being sent too deep into the New World.
But no matter how he looked at it, Ortoren needed more naval bases to firmly establish Marine presence across the New World.
This plan also aligned perfectly with the Navy's broader interests and strategic direction. Unlike in the original storyline, where Fleet Admiral Sengoku's administration focused on stability and gradual progress, his strategy wasn't centered on the New World. As a result, that era saw almost no large-scale conflicts there.
Back then, Sengoku's main strategic push was likely directed at Holy Land. He hoped that, as Fleet Admiral, he could mediate some of the longstanding issues between Holy Land and the Marines. But clearly, even by the time he stepped down, he hadn't made any truly effective breakthroughs.
It wasn't until Sakazuki took charge that someone fully understood how pointless that approach was. Ignoring Sengoku's previous strategy entirely, Sakazuki moved the Marine Headquarters straight into the New World. His intentions were unmistakable: under his leadership, conquering the New World became the Marines' top priority.
...
But now, everything had changed. Sengoku no longer placed his hopes on Holy Land. Instead, he chose to support Ortoren's quiet internal reforms.
And the overall situation was completely different as well. In the original storyline, the Marines were quite weak in the New World.
But now, the Marines had become a powerful force in the region—one no weaker than any other major power.
Under Ortoren's leadership over the past few years, the G-5 Marines had grown explosively, building immense influence and terrifying combat strength within the New World.
When viewed from the perspective of the so-called "Yonkō structure," the New World had long since formed a four-emperor balance.
On the pirate side stood three emperors: Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaidou. The G-5 Marines filled the final emperor's seat.
This was one of the key reasons the Red-Haired Pirates still had not risen to prominence. The pie was only so big, and the four major powers had already carved out their territories. What right did Shanks—a former apprentice on Roger's ship—have to sit at the table?
Only after one honed their strength enough to go head-to-head with a major power and still stand tall afterward could they claim any influence in the New World. Otherwise, they were just a nobody who couldn't even get on the stage.
In short, because Marine development in the New World had been so successful, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's strategic focus naturally shifted toward supporting Ortoren's efforts here and planning to stabilize and unify the entire region.
And this strategy also aligned perfectly with the wishes of Holy Land.
The World Government had long wanted to reestablish its power and prestige in the New World. They simply had never been able to make it happen—until now.