After Saint Warcury raised the subject, Ortoren stayed silent for a moment.
Then he finally spoke. "It's neither good nor bad. I was raised entirely by my father. Charlotte Linlin may be my biological mother, but she never raised me. Early on, I had no real concept of her—no resentment, no desire to meet her. It wasn't until after my father passed away that we had any contact at all… At that time, she was likely hoping I'd return to the Charlotte Family and become a member of the Big Mom Pirates."
Ortoren spoke steadily, recounting how Charlotte Linlin later sought out the Goro Goro no Mi for him and made further attempts to draw him in.
The Five Elders remained silent, simply listening to his account.
Everything he said aligned closely with the intelligence they already possessed, confirming that Ortoren was being forthright and had nothing to hide.
And in truth, Ortoren really had nothing to hide.
After summarizing his complicated history with Charlotte Linlin, Ortoren continued, "On a personal level, I've never held any particular hatred toward the Big Mom Pirates or Charlotte Linlin. If anything, I'm somewhat inclined to feel a bit of goodwill. But of course, please rest assured—personal feelings are personal feelings. As a Marine Admiral, I naturally place my justice above all else, and the priorities of the Marines and our World Government always come first. So even if a full-scale conflict with the Big Mom Pirates breaks out in the future, I will not show mercy."
Upon hearing this, the Five Elders didn't look the least bit concerned. Instead, their eyes brightened.
Saint Warcury cleared his throat theatrically and said, "From this perspective, Charlotte Linlin may owe you something, but she has also spent these past years trying to make amends and win your allegiance. Your feelings and attitude toward her are natural—there's no need to question whether such sentiments conflict with your position. We trust you, Ortoren."
Only then did Ortoren seem to exhale in relief, a faint smile emerging. "Thank you very much for your understanding and support, Your Excellencies."
At that moment, Saint Warcury suddenly spoke again. "In fact, in recent years we've begun to feel that Charlotte Linlin may not be as vicious, savage, and irredeemably evil as the world believes her to be—or even as we once believed."
"Ah?" Ortoren feigned surprise, looking at Saint Warcury with confusion. "But she's a Great Pirate of the New World…"
"Pirate or otherwise, it's merely a label. The higher one stands, the more we must avoid being bound by labels," Saint Warcury said gently. "We must look beyond them—beyond appearances—to understand the essence. Tell me, Ortoren: in recent years, haven't the Big Mom Pirates essentially ceased all pirate-style activities?"
"Pirate activities…" Ortoren echoed softly, as though sinking into thought.
As far as pirate activities went, the Big Mom Pirates had indeed nearly stopped. Traditionally, pirate behavior fell into several categories. First was plunder—that goes without saying. Second was attacking Marines or provoking the World Government. Third was chaotic impulsiveness—slaughtering people in a fit of emotion, committing atrocities on a whim.
Nowadays, the Big Mom Pirates were too vast. Plunder alone could no longer sustain them. Unless someone delivered themselves to her doorstep, Charlotte Linlin's crew rarely engaged in such acts anymore.
In fact, only low-tier pirates behaved that way. High-tier groups like the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates had long outgrown such crude methods.
The core reason was simple: plundering no longer met their economic needs.
The second category—attacking Marines or provoking the World Government—was something the Big Mom Pirates often did in the original story. Yet now, with Ortoren overseeing G-5, the entire New World Marine presence effectively rested in his hands. Charlotte Linlin would have to be truly bored to go out of her way to attack the Marines or provoke the World Government.
Thus, during Ortoren's tenure as G-5 Base Commander, the Big Mom Pirates had hardly engaged in such actions.
The third category—acting on pure whim, unleashing terror when she was in a bad mood—still occurred occasionally. At times, when islands or nations under her protection failed to deliver sweets to her satisfaction, she'd make them pay for it. Over the years, she even wiped out two islands completely.
But fundamentally, such acts were methods of maintaining rule and authority—forms of "order"—not random chaos.
And since Charlotte Linlin had shifted her focus to developing Totto Land, such expansion demanded stability and structure. As a result, her pirate "chaos" had been gradually giving way to a more orderly nature.
At this point, the Big Mom Pirates merely wore the cloak of pirates. In essence, they no longer fit the traditional definition of what pirates actually were.
"Indeed…" Ortoren pretended to think it over for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Figures like her have appeared many times throughout history," Saint Warcury said. "People who gradually shed their old labels and positions. We believe Charlotte Linlin is showing the same trend. What she lacks now may simply be a greater cause, a legitimate status. And that is something our World Government can give her—can formalize for her. Do you understand?"
Though acting clueless, Ortoren couldn't afford to look genuinely foolish. At a moment like this, he needed the Five Elders to see that he understood certain implications. So he quickly put on a startled expression.
"You mean… you want Totto Land to join the World Government?" he asked. "But… wouldn't that violate established rules? And wouldn't it damage our reputation?"
"Reputation?" Saint Warcury gave a quiet laugh. "Reputation is nothing more than a momentary contest—just a sheet of paper. Whoever has the greater strength gets to write what that 'reputation' is. In the end, it all comes down to interests. And if this succeeds, everyone benefits. The New World loses a notorious pirate and gains a prosperous Member Nation. Meanwhile, our World Government eliminates a major threat without shedding a drop of blood and gains a powerful ally in the New World. Don't you agree?"
He didn't mention "rules" even once.
Why would he? They invented things like the Shichibukai program whenever they pleased. Compared to that, this was nothing.
In truth, at their level, it really was a case of "my rules are the rules."
Seeing Ortoren fall silent, Saint Warcury continued at just the right moment. "Conquering the New World doesn't necessarily require killing. A major reason we support you becoming its governor is precisely because of your unique background and identity. In a place as complex as the New World, you can leverage advantages no one else can. Defeating the Big Mom Pirates would be a great accomplishment, yes—but winning them over would be an even greater one. If you can truly accomplish that, pacifying the entire New World would no longer seem remote. And with those achievements, when Admiral Sengoku eventually grows older and you seek to compete for Fleet Admiral, we'd have every reason to support you. Wouldn't we?"
"So what you're hoping, then," Ortoren asked, "is that I mediate—establish a line of communication—and try to bring Totto Land into our fold?"
"Exactly. We have never been able to open a proper communication channel with the Big Mom Pirates. We've tried before, but Charlotte Linlin is extremely guarded. Yet you are her child, and now you hold real authority—an Admiral of the Navy and a senior figure within the World Government. With you vouching for us, she may lower her guard and engage in meaningful negotiations…" Saint Warcury explained.
He paused briefly before continuing, "In this matter, you have flexibility. We will support you fully. And if you can bring Totto Land in as a powerful Member Nation, that will greatly strengthen your position within the World Government system in the future. Wouldn't you agree?"
The Five Elders phrased it masterfully. And their reasoning was solid. If Totto Land joined the World Government, it would never be treated like a minor Member Nation—one the Government could wipe out on a whim or force to host Celestial Dragons without concern.
With Totto Land's immense power, it would absolutely hold real weight. For Ortoren, maneuvering within the system, it would become a tremendous source of support. With that kind of backing, becoming Fleet Admiral was not only realistic—even the role of Supreme Commander wouldn't be out of reach.
Seeing Ortoren appear convinced, Saint Warcury straightened and spoke with satisfaction.
"Good. I understand. I will begin working toward this immediately."
"Excellent. We await your results," Saint Warcury said with a pleased nod. "If you truly secure Totto Land, then when the time comes, I will personally support your bid for Fleet Admiral."
...
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