It seemed Sakazuki had caught part of the discussion about naval and land warfare.
A thoughtful glint flashed through his eyes. He tilted his head toward Ortoren and said,
"Even if we plan to annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates on an island, you still need to account for one thing. Whitebeard can summon tsunamis at any time and flood the entire island. Without the power and preparation to counter his Seaquake, defeating him is impossible. Have you thought about how to deal with that? Or will Kuzan be coming as well?"
Sakazuki and Kuzan didn't see eye to eye on many issues, but Sakazuki had never denied Kuzan's strength or capabilities.
Marine Headquarters had conducted numerous combat simulations against the Whitebeard Pirates, and in nearly all of them, Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit ability played a crucial role.
To a certain extent, Kuzan's freezing powers were a direct counter to Whitebeard's dominance in naval combat.
That was why, despite their differences, Sakazuki still instinctively thought of relying on Kuzan's abilities to deal with the tsunamis Whitebeard could unleash.
Ortoren nodded and replied calmly,
"I haven't discussed this with Kuzan yet. If he wants to come, he'll be more than welcome. If he isn't interested, we still have ways to handle it. From the very beginning, I planned to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates using only the New World Marines."
"And the Seaquake?" Sakazuki pressed.
"Isshō's ability is extremely powerful," Ortoren answered without hesitation. "His gravity can suppress tsunamis to a certain extent. We've already tested it."
"Isshō's gravity, huh?" Sakazuki rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment, then nodded. "That's not a bad approach."
It wasn't as straightforward or intuitive as Kuzan's freezing, but if Ortoren was confident, then the problem was clearly manageable.
Sakazuki didn't pursue the matter any further.
At the same time, the discussions among the Marine commanders were drawing to a close.
Everyone generally agreed that deploying around one hundred thousand troops was the most reasonable choice. It would clearly establish an overwhelming numerical advantage without making the Marines too bloated on the battlefield. More importantly, that level of commitment wouldn't interfere with the remaining forces' ability to suppress, patrol, and carry out daily operations across the New World.
Seeing that consensus had been reached, Ortoren tapped the table lightly.
"Good. Then it's settled. This operation will deploy one hundred thousand elite Marines. As for how those troops are assembled, after the meeting, you base commanders and vice admirals can coordinate among yourselves and decide how many each of you will contribute. Compile the totals and submit them to me. We won't be discussing that part further here."
Earlier, when troop deployment had been under debate, it was mostly the rear admirals who argued the most fiercely.
Veterans like Momonga and Yamakaji, the vice admirals, had remained largely silent.
The reason was simple. Even before the meeting began, they already had a clear idea of the plan. They knew that their admiral had intended from the start to deploy roughly one hundred thousand troops.
In truth, decisions like this were largely set before the meeting ever started. The discussion served several purposes.
First, it helped identify any blind spots, to see whether someone might spot an issue Ortoren and the others had overlooked.
Second, it was meant to cultivate the strategic and tactical thinking of the younger New World Marine commanders, allowing them to gain practical experience.
And finally, it demonstrated that this war was the product of collective deliberation, not the result of a few individuals acting unilaterally, reinforcing the sense of fairness within the New World Marines.
After confirming the total number of troops to be committed, Ortoren raised a hand in signal.
"Hina, move on to the next agenda item."
Hina immediately nodded and switched the slides. Aerial views of several islands appeared on the screen, along with detailed introductions.
"Before this meeting, we already carried out tiered assessments," Hina explained. "We screened potential battlefields suitable for deployments of fifty thousand, one hundred thousand, and one hundred fifty thousand Marines. The islands currently displayed are all suitable for operations at the one-hundred-thousand level. The main battlefield on each is estimated to accommodate combat involving up to two hundred thousand participants."
After briefly outlining the general conditions of the islands, Hina continued,
"Mr. Lucci, please distribute the materials I prepared to the commanders. They include detailed coordinates, surrounding sea conditions, reconnaissance intelligence, and overall evaluations of these islands."
As one of only two Captains present in the conference room, Lucci was naturally there to assist Hina. He stood at once and began handing out the prepared documents to the assembled Marine officers.
Once the files were distributed, the commanders lowered their heads and began reading, familiarizing themselves with the details of each island.
At the same time, Hina spoke again.
"The purpose of this agenda is to have everyone pool their insights and determine which island will serve as our battlefield."
As her voice fell, the conference room grew quiet. No one spoke. One after another, the officers flipped through their documents, the soft rustling of pages filling the room.
Sakazuki was also reading intently, his expression serious.
After all, choosing the battlefield was of extreme importance to the entire war. It could even be said to be decisive.
That said, the islands shortlisted as candidates for a one-hundred-thousand-troop engagement were not drastically different from one another. Any of them could work.
That was why Ortoren had deliberately refrained from expressing an opinion before the meeting. He genuinely intended for the decision to be made through discussion.
Momonga and the others were therefore giving the matter careful thought as well.
After reviewing the first few islands, Sakazuki found no obvious issues with any of them. However, when his gaze fell on the final island, Aquino Island, his eyes brightened.
The reason was simple. It was a volcanic island.
Although it had been dormant for a very long time, that alone was enough to greatly satisfy Sakazuki.
According to the information provided, Aquino Island once had passages connecting to an underwater magma layer. Those passages were now sealed, but traces of them still remained.
"If the battlefield is set here," Sakazuki said as he turned slightly and pointed to the image in the document for Ortoren to see, "my abilities could be amplified several times over. There's even a chance they might produce unexpected results."
"Aquino Volcano Island?" Ortoren rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It does resonate quite well with your abilities."
"If none of the other islands offer a particularly outstanding advantage," Sakazuki said without hesitation, "then my recommendation is to choose this one as the battlefield."
"And your reasoning?" Ortoren laughed. "Don't tell me it's just because you like volcanic islands, or because the environment suits you."
Sakazuki tugged his lips into a stiff smile. Then his expression hardened, and his voice dropped.
"The reason is this. If we choose this island, then even in the worst-case scenario, I can drag the Whitebeard Pirates' forces down with me."
He met Ortoren's gaze directly.
"That guarantees one thing. This war will not end with the Whitebeard Pirates victorious. Is that reason enough?"
Looking into Sakazuki's resolute eyes, Ortoren knew this ruthless man truly meant it. He was absolutely capable of carrying it out.
Ortoren believed they could win. At present, they held both the advantage and the initiative. But once a war began, the outcome was no longer fully within anyone's control. Any development was possible.
Whitebeard was no fool. History was full of wars where the weak overcame the strong. No one could guarantee absolute victory.
But Sakazuki would never allow Whitebeard to defeat the Marines, trample them underfoot, and then continue to run rampant.
And so, in Sakazuki's mind, the worst-case scenario was simple.
This war would have no winner.
If the Marines could not win, then the Whitebeard Pirates would not be allowed to survive either.
As for how many Marines would have to be sacrificed to reach that outcome, Sakazuki could bear that burden.
He was that kind of man.
At least when it came to matters like this, he was utterly cold-blooded, and absolutely capable of enforcing his own will.