After exchanging a few polite pleasantries, Ortoren shifted straight into business and personally escorted Stussy around the Golden City construction site.
He gave her a detailed overview of the situation while instructing Hina to hand over the Golden City project proposal.
It almost looked as if Ortoren truly intended to transfer authority here to Stussy.
Stussy accepted everything without hesitation. At least on the surface, she displayed the confidence expected of the World Government's designated overseer, showing no sign of yielding any authority.
At the same time, Ortoren introduced her to many of the people in charge on site.
For example, the Shichibukai Gecko Moria, who was responsible for labor management.
Tesoro, who oversaw logistics. Master Tom, who handled the island-to-ship reconstruction. And Fisher Tiger, along with other Fish-Man Island partners who would be working together in the future.
"In a couple of days, someone from Whole Cake Island will arrive. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be Perospero, Totto Land's Candy Minister. He's the one responsible for the Golden City project on their side," Ortoren explained as they walked through the site.
"This project was nominally proposed by Totto Land, so once he arrives, I'll need to coordinate with him, correct?" Stussy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I doubt Perospero will have much interest in this place. If I hadn't strongly insisted that Totto Land send someone over, even just for appearances, they probably wouldn't have bothered at all. So you don't need to worry about anyone causing trouble here. Everything is entirely under your control," Ortoren said with a relaxed smile.
Stussy immediately understood the meaning behind his words.
Totto Land would fully cooperate with the progress here and wouldn't interfere. As for her having "full control," it really meant she could perform her role without concern, with no one coming in to disrupt the stage.
"With the Admiral saying that, I can rest easy," Stussy nodded in understanding.
After a brief pause, she continued,
"Although I carry orders and responsibilities from Mariejois, I'm well aware that my abilities are limited. I may not be able to shoulder the full burden of Golden City on my own, so I hope the Admiral will offer me guidance."
The implication was clear. She might be here on Mariejois' orders, but she had no intention of meddling. Whatever arrangements Ortoren made, she would follow along.
Both sides had subtly expressed their sincerity, and the atmosphere grew noticeably more pleasant.
There really wasn't much worth lingering over at the construction site, and Queen Stussy wasn't truly interested in learning every detail anyway.
So after a brief walkaround, Ortoren invited her to lunch aboard his warship. Stussy accepted naturally.
The meal wasn't held in the ship's mess hall, but rather in Ortoren's reception room.
The two sat facing each other at the dining table, and Ortoren courteously poured Stussy a glass of red wine.
Hina had originally intended to stay behind and keep watch, but Ortoren assigned her another task and sent her away.
Once only Ortoren and Stussy remained in the room, Ortoren walked over to a nearby bookshelf, took out a black case, and glanced at her.
Stussy gave him a coquettish sideways glance and said softly,
"Admiral, do you really distrust me that much?"
Ortoren brought the case back to the table and sat down again, laughing.
"How could that be? It's just so both of us can feel at ease, isn't it?"
As he finished speaking, he pressed a button on the black case. A faint buzzing sound followed, as though something invisible spread outward.
As a top-tier operative, Stussy immediately recognized the device. It was the most advanced anti-eavesdropping and signal interference equipment available. Once activated, no signal waves could enter or leave within a fifty-meter radius, and all sound sources would be blurred, impossible to capture by any known recording method.
Just as Ortoren had said, once the device was active, both of them felt more at ease.
After all, while Ortoren did have a certain foundation of trust in Stussy—given how many times Queen Stussy had helped him clean up messes—their interactions hadn't been extensive. Ortoren was usually a rather rough man, but when it mattered, he was meticulous.
After the black case was activated, neither of them spoke.
It was as if the moment it turned on, their outward personas had been stripped away, leaving both of them feeling slightly unaccustomed to the silence.
The dishes on the table gave off an enticing aroma, yet neither of them had any real intention of eating.
After staring at each other in silence for quite some time, Ortoren finally smiled faintly and spoke.
"There have been quite a few oversights on our side recently. I truly must thank Your Majesty for helping me deal with those loose ends. I've wanted to thank you in person for a long time, and today I finally have the chance."
"Everyone says Admiral Benn is a pillar of the World Government. Loyal and valiant, personally praised by the Five Elders as a 'man of loyalty and righteousness.' Many people sigh in admiration, saying the World Government is truly fortunate to have you…" Stussy praised him lightly before smoothly changing her tone. "But in my view, the Admiral doesn't seem to be exactly as others describe."
"Oh?" Ortoren raised an eyebrow. "Then what kind of person am I in Your Majesty's eyes?"
"In my eyes, the Admiral is a very frightening man," Stussy said softly. "Most people who don't truly understand you believe you're a rough, straightforward fighter. Brave and fierce, but lacking in subtlety. Those who know you a little better understand that you're someone with a tiger in your heart who can still stop to smell the roses. In how you deal with people, you're adept on all sides. You have friends across the seas, a strong interest in power, wealth, and status, and you make no effort to hide your pursuit of them. You're generous and bold, and countless people want to call you their friend…"
Clearly, she wasn't finished.
After a brief pause, Stussy looked directly into Ortoren's eyes and continued seriously.
"But in my opinion, even that still isn't enough to fully describe you. Although we haven't had many chances to truly interact face to face, perhaps I'm the one who has actually studied you the most and analyzed you the most carefully."
"Is that so?" Ortoren lifted his wineglass and took a small sip, neither agreeing nor denying it.
"Ambitious, deeply calculating, even willing to use any means necessary. That is your true core," Stussy said with a faint smile. "Power, status, wealth, fame. You want all of them. You pursue all of them. And you've already obtained far more than most people ever could. Yet even that still doesn't satisfy your appetite."
Ortoren didn't speak. He simply held the glass to his lips and watched Queen Stussy quietly.
Then Stussy spoke again, her tone steady.
"What you truly want is the thing that comes from blending all of that together. Power, status, wealth, fame. When they are fused into one…"
"And what would that be?" Ortoren asked softly.
"The world," Stussy answered without the slightest hesitation.
Ortoren paused for a moment, then laughed.
Before he could say anything else, Stussy shrugged lightly.
"But all of that is just my speculation. I claim to understand you in great detail, yet who can say for certain that this isn't simply the image you want me to see? Fortunately, none of that really matters. Whether you remain a Navy Admiral, become a New World overlord, or even rise as some so-called king of the world, what you desire ultimately has no real meaning to me. I simply… very, very much believe in you. That's why I want to offer some help while you've yet to fully rise, to earn your goodwill and obtain what I want. That's all."
"And what do you want?" Ortoren asked, looking straight at her.
This wasn't the first time he had asked Stussy that question.
Back when they first met on Whole Cake Island, at the Big Mom Pirates' tea party, Ortoren had asked her the same thing.
At the time, Stussy had said she wanted to be his friend.
Now, they could already be considered friends.
So Ortoren asked again.
"Freedom," Stussy replied, no longer vague or evasive, her answer precise and forceful.
"How am I supposed to give you this so-called freedom?" Ortoren asked calmly, without the slightest trace of surprise or doubt in his eyes.
"The first step," Stussy said evenly. "Help me kill Buckingham Stussy. From now on, I want to be the one and only Stussy."
Ortoren nodded.
"No problem."
Although Stussy had used the phrase "first step," she made no move to explain a second one after Ortoren agreed.
Seeing this, Ortoren smiled.
"It seems Your Majesty still has some reservations. Then once I've killed her, we can continue to deepen our friendship."
Stussy smiled faintly.
"Many thanks, Admiral. Although Whitebeard has never acknowledged anything, doing this might still offend him."
Ortoren burst out laughing, his voice full of dominance.
"No matter. Then I'll just take the title of the strongest along the way."