Sengoku felt his mind go blank for a moment. Hearing the firm resolve in Ortoren's voice, he hurriedly spoke up.
"Wait, wait a second. Did the Whitebeard Pirates do something recently? Did they provoke you in any way?"
"No," Ortoren replied calmly. "They've been behaving themselves lately. Actually, they've been well-behaved for a long time now. They haven't opposed me at all."
"If Whitebeard hasn't provoked you," Sengoku asked helplessly, "then why are you going after them?"
"Huh?" Ortoren sounded genuinely surprised. "Fleet Admiral, your stance is a bit off, isn't it? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were part of the Whitebeard Pirates. As the Navy, as the force of justice, when circumstances allow and the conditions are right, isn't it only natural that we eliminate pirates?"
Ortoren's words were so upright and righteous that Sengoku was left speechless for a moment.
Damn it. This kid makes too much sense. How am I supposed to argue with that?
Wait… why am I even trying to argue?
I'm the Fleet Admiral!
Ah—right. It's because after so many years of peaceful coexistence with the Whitebeard Pirates, this sudden change instinctively makes me uneasy.
Sengoku's concern wasn't without reason.
"Ortoren, you've spent many years developing in the New World, and you've built up quite a foundation," Sengoku said, choosing his words carefully. "But don't forget why we've done all this there in the first place. Before you make a move, you need to think it through. Is it really worth it? Is it really appropriate?"
Though Sengoku didn't spell it out, Ortoren understood exactly what he meant.
All the questionable and outright illegal actions they had taken in the New World ultimately served one purpose: to accumulate strength and leverage to one day stand against the World Government.
Sengoku was warning him not to let temporary arrogance or overconfidence drive him into using that hard-earned foundation to clash head-on with Whitebeard. Even if he managed to wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates, ending in mutual destruction would strip him of the capital needed to confront the World Government later. From any angle, that would be a terrible trade.
In Sengoku's view, the Whitebeard Pirates stood on the losing side of time itself. As long as they were left alone, the gap between Whitebeard and the New World Marines—and between Whitebeard and Ortoren—would only continue to widen.
That was why, as long as Whitebeard didn't take the initiative to start a conflict, the best course was to ignore him. Let age take its toll, let his condition deteriorate, let the Whitebeard Pirates grow weaker with time. Only then should they move to dismantle them.
From the most cautious and stable perspective, this approach made perfect sense.
The opponent that truly demanded their full strength was in the Holy Land.
That was Sengoku's belief.
Judged by his position and his logic, there was nothing wrong with it. It was, in fact, a remarkably steady and reasonable choice. That was precisely why Sengoku was trying to persuade Ortoren now.
After a brief silence from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Ortoren finally spoke, his voice low and heavy.
"Fleet Admiral, there are many things you might not have felt yet, but the pressure coming from the Holy Land is already becoming obvious. I have to speed things up. As our scale continues to grow, what we're doing can't be completely hidden forever. The reason they haven't noticed us yet isn't because we've done an exceptional job concealing ourselves, but because we've been lucky…"
He paused briefly.
"If one day those five suddenly take an interest, peel away this layer of fog, and decide to look our way, then nothing will be able to stay hidden."
Listening to those words, Sengoku felt the weight of the pressure settle heavily on his shoulders.
There was one thing Ortoren hadn't gotten wrong. The reason those five up in Holy Land still hadn't noticed anything unusual wasn't because nothing was wrong, but because they hadn't truly put in the effort to investigate. They hadn't seriously dug into it or analyzed it in depth. With Tsuru, Stussy, Spandine, and even the Fleet Admiral helping to cover things up and blur the details, their attention had never truly been focused here.
But if one day they decided to investigate, to really take a close look, there would be no hiding it from them.
Just as Ortoren had said, back when their scale was small, it didn't matter. Now that they'd grown so large, the reason they hadn't been exposed wasn't because everything had been done flawlessly, but simply because they'd been lucky.
"That's exactly why I need to fully stabilize our rear before confronting Holy Land head-on. Whitebeard is the most unstable variable in my plan, with the New World as our base. Even though I know he'd never join forces with the World Government at a critical moment. He wouldn't stoop that low, and he wouldn't abandon his pride. Even so, I can't gamble on that possibility."
Ortoren's voice was deep and steady.
"Eliminate him. Settle the Whitebeard Pirates once and for all. And it's not just Whitebeard. Kaidou, Big Mom, all of them are the same. I need to lock in this outcome before I can devote everything to dealing with Holy Land. What do you think?"
After a long silence, Sengoku finally spoke.
"Is that all? Are there any other reasons?"
"Of course," Ortoren replied with a light laugh. "There's one more reason. One that's absolutely crucial to me personally."
"What reason?" Sengoku asked. His expression had already eased considerably, as if he knew the answer before it was spoken.
"Whitebeard won't be able to hold onto his peak for much longer. I want to defeat him fair and square while he's still at his strongest. I want to sit on that throne myself, as the 'World's Strongest'!"
Ortoren didn't hesitate for even a second.
His tone was firm, resolute, and unwavering.
From a purely strategic and tactical standpoint, letting Whitebeard age, waiting for the right moment, and then striking would have been the optimal choice.
But for Ortoren, that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to face Whitebeard at his absolute peak.
And that peak wouldn't last much longer, which meant Ortoren didn't have much time left.
"So that's how it is…" Sengoku murmured softly, letting out a quiet sigh. "I had a feeling long ago that you would take this step, Ortoren. It seems my intuition wasn't wrong after all."
Ortoren didn't respond to that. Instead, he spoke with absolute confidence.
"I'll win, Fleet Admiral. The title of the strongest should belong to us, the Navy, the true rulers of the seas. Letting pirates sit on that throne is an insult to justice."
Sengoku no longer tried to dissuade him. After a brief pause, he asked,
"Then what kind of support will you need from Marine Headquarters after this?"
As he spoke, there was a knock on the office door.
"Fleet Admiral, it's me," Sakazuki's voice came from outside.
Sengoku had initially thought about sending Sakazuki away, but then reconsidered. An operation against Whitebeard wasn't something that could be hidden anyway, and there was no need to hide it. Sakazuki was someone he could absolutely trust in matters like this.
"Come in," Sengoku said.
Sakazuki pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Fleet Admiral, it's about time to head to Holy Land. We… hmm? Are you busy?"
He froze for a moment after hearing the situation, then his eyes lit up sharply.
"So that's why he's skipping the World Summit? Then I'm afraid I won't be going to Holy Land either."
What was the point of a damn World Summit anyway? Was it more important than taking down Whitebeard?
Before Sengoku could say anything, Ortoren's voice came through the Den Den Mushi again.
"No. I'm not planning to borrow any forces from headquarters this time. The New World Navy alone is more than enough to take down Whitebeard."
Only after saying that did Ortoren pause, sounding puzzled.
"I thought I heard Sakazuki's voice just now?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sakazuki suddenly lunged forward, grabbing the Den Den Mushi from Sengoku's hand.
"Take me with you, Ortoren!" Sakazuki said urgently. "I won't compete for command or interfere with anything. Just take me to the New World to fight Whitebeard. We can negotiate anything!"
Ortoren???
Who volunteers for something like this?
Not being Sakazuki, Ortoren couldn't understand that level of excitement. The Whitebeard Pirates were the benchmark of modern piracy. For Sakazuki, a Navy Admiral, missing the chance to wipe out Whitebeard would be a lifelong regret.
Sakazuki had always believed that anyone attempting something like this would need to mobilize the Navy's elite forces. But from Ortoren's words, it sounded like he planned to bypass headquarters entirely and do it himself.
That was what truly made Sakazuki anxious. He genuinely believed Ortoren might succeed in taking down the Whitebeard Pirates with the New World Navy alone.
If that happened, wouldn't he miss out on witnessing this historic event?
Just thinking about it made his chest ache with regret. He knew he'd end up beating himself up over it for the rest of his life. That was why Sakazuki completely threw aside his dignity as an Admiral and begged Ortoren to take him along.
He didn't need supplies. He didn't need anything else.
As long as he could fight Whitebeard and beat down those damn pirates, that was enough.
Please. Just let me join the Whitebeard raid.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (50 Chapters Ahead).