Chapter 355: Ortoren, Deep and Calculating.
Sengoku stared at the proclamation, his eyes fixed on Sakazuki's name, and remained silent for a long time.
After a while, Kuzan, standing off to the side, found Sengoku's stillness a bit strange and asked,
"Fleet Admiral, what's wrong? Did you notice another problem?"
Sengoku lifted his head and glanced at the clueless-looking Kuzan, a trace of frustration in his expression.
"If you had even half of Ortoren's devious mind, I wouldn't have to worry about you so much."
Kuzan froze.
"???"
He looked at Sengoku in complete confusion.
"What does that have to do with me? What devious mind?"
It wasn't just Kuzan. The fact that this proclamation had made its way into Sengoku's hands meant that over on Ortoren's side, even Sakazuki hadn't noticed anything wrong during the meeting.
Based on Sengoku's understanding of Sakazuki, the man was probably feeling pretty pleased with himself right now.
He might even be grateful to Ortoren.
There was no doubt about it. This proclamation contained a subtle ploy meant to drive a wedge between people. And Ortoren's touch was incredibly light, leaving almost no visible trace. It was genuinely skillful.
Sakazuki, the very person being maneuvered, was still completely in the dark, happily thanking Ortoren for it. The thought left Sengoku speechless.
This generation of Admirals was something else. One was lazy and didn't like to think, another had nothing but muscles and a fixation on killing pirates. Only Ortoren, who looked rough and straightforward on the surface, actually possessed a frighteningly deep and calculating mind. At times, even Sengoku, known as a master strategist, found him unsettling.
It wasn't that Sengoku was unaware of Ortoren's cunning. On the contrary, the reason he trusted Ortoren so much and entrusted him with matters of this scale was precisely because he understood him well.
But in the past, Ortoren's schemes were always aimed at pirates or at Mary Geoise. In Sengoku's memory, he had never once tripped up his fellow Marines.
And now, Ortoren had dug a pit for Sakazuki.
A single, seemingly ordinary move. But if someone later decided to make an issue out of this proclamation, Sakazuki's relationship with Mary Geoise would absolutely run into trouble.
Kuzan stood there, completely lost, while Sengoku thought about how to deal with the proclamation in his hands. After some consideration, Sengoku handed it to the small goat at his side, Mee-Mee.
Mee-Mee accepted it without hesitation, bit down on the proclamation, and then happily chewed it up, smack smack, until it was gone.
Watching this, Kuzan exclaimed in shock,
"Fleet Admiral, what are you doing? Weren't you going to send copies of these to Mary Geoise?"
"Get out, get out, get out," Sengoku snapped irritably. "I've got nothing to explain to you. Stop standing there and bothering me. Get lost."
Just like that, Kuzan was chased out of the office, his face full of confusion.
After dealing with the proclamation, Sengoku returned to reading the operation plan for the upcoming campaign. As he went through it, he continuously mulled things over, checking for gaps or oversights. In the end, he found nothing worth criticizing. The plan was indeed highly feasible, and Ortoren's side had likely already begun acting on it.
After thinking it over for a bit, Sengoku sent the plan to Mary Geoise via fax.
As for that so-called proclamation…
What proclamation?
He, Sengoku, hadn't seen any proclamation. Ortoren hadn't sent him anything like that, and he had no idea such a thing even existed.
He had only received the plan. Everything else was unseen. Either Ortoren never sent it, or the fax machine malfunctioned and missed it.
That was right. Sengoku's final stance on that proclamation was simple.
Didn't know. Didn't see it. No awareness.
In any case, that proclamation didn't really matter to the Five Elders at Mary Geoise right now. It was nothing more than a pre-war declaration meant to be published in newspapers later.
As long as the plan made it through, that was enough.
Once Ortoren actually published the proclamation and the Five Elders asked about it, Sengoku could simply say he'd never seen it. That way, if any problems arose afterward, they wouldn't be his responsibility.
Sengoku chose this course of action partly to protect himself and stay out of muddy waters, and partly for the bigger picture, leaving room for flexibility later on.
After all, if he truly hadn't known about this matter, then later on, as long as Ortoren firmly claimed it was simply his own oversight, that it was his first time handling something like this, that he lacked experience and hadn't considered everything thoroughly, the Five Elders likely wouldn't pursue it too aggressively.
But Sengoku was the Fleet Admiral, a veteran who had been immersed in political struggles for decades. If he had personally reviewed it, would the Five Elders really believe that Sengoku failed to notice such an obvious issue?
Of course not.
You noticed the problem, yet you didn't point it out to Ortoren or have him rewrite it. Then what exactly were your intentions?
That was precisely why Sengoku could only pretend he knew nothing. He absolutely could not send this proclamation to the Five Elders. Otherwise, if something went wrong later, it would be him, the Fleet Admiral, stepping out to take the blame for Ortoren.
After all, Ortoren was young and inexperienced. That excuse could pass. But Sengoku? Could he seriously claim inexperience?
If Ortoren bore the responsibility himself, there was still room to smooth things over. But if Sengoku got dragged into it, there would be no way to explain himself.
"That bastard Ortoren… did he even factor me into his calculations?" Sengoku muttered, stroking his chin, feeling both amused and exasperated at the same time.
...
Meanwhile, back at the G-3 Marine Base.
The conference room had already emptied out. Sakazuki had left as well, leaving only Ortoren, Hina, and Lucci behind.
Lucci placed a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of Ortoren. Seeing the Admiral deep in thought, he asked curiously,
"Admiral, what are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about what the Fleet Admiral will do after reading that proclamation," Ortoren said as he accepted the tea, a faint smile lifting the corner of his mouth.
Lucci was still relatively simple-minded in these matters. Having followed Zephyr for many years, all his focus had been on strength and combat. When it came to political maneuvering, he was a complete blank slate.
So he smiled rather innocently and said,
"Of course he'll support you."
"Hahaha…" Ortoren laughed heartily and didn't bother explaining anything.
Hina, on the other hand, had already finished packing up. Hearing Ortoren's laughter, she spoke with a hint of concern,
"Admiral, what if the Fleet Admiral doesn't notice…"
"He won't miss it. Don't underestimate our Fleet Admiral," Ortoren said, waving his hand. "Once the plan reaches Mary Geoise, if the Five Elders don't react and don't come questioning me, that means Fleet Admiral Sengoku has already concealed the proclamation and never sent it up. That alone speaks volumes."
"What kind of attitude does that represent?" Hina asked, puzzled.
"It means he has tacitly approved of me… setting Sakazuki up once in this matter," Ortoren said softly. After a brief pause, he added with a sigh, "Maybe the Fleet Admiral also wants me to handle these dirty jobs."
After all, a talent like Sakazuki was far better off being drawn to their side than being left entirely in the hands of Mary Geoise.
Hina seemed to half understand, half not, while Lucci was completely lost.
After a moment, Hina asked again,
"Then… what do we do next about this?"
"If the Fleet Admiral doesn't send the proclamation up, we'll publish it directly in the newspapers and make it a done deal," Ortoren replied.
"And after that?" Hina continued.
"Then we wait to see whether Mary Geoise notices the proclamation. If they do, we won't need to do anything else," Ortoren said calmly after taking a sip of tea.
"And if they don't notice?" Hina thought for a moment before asking.
"If they don't, then we'll have Queen Stussy, or Spandine, bring it up themselves. Give it a little push, make some noise, and force Mary Geoise to pay attention," Ortoren said with a light chuckle.
Hina fell silent for a moment, then said helplessly,
"Admiral, scheming against Sakazuki like this… if he finds out, won't he turn against you?"
"Why would he?" Ortoren said dismissively, waving his hand. "This proclamation was unanimously approved at the meeting. Sakazuki himself raised his hand in favor of it. How could that be called scheming? It's nothing more than a small oversight born from our youth and lack of experience. Sakazuki won't turn against me. Look how happy he was today. He'll probably thank me instead."
This move wouldn't truly cause Sakazuki to fall out with Mary Geoise. But as long as it planted a seed, that was more than enough for Ortoren.
It was nothing more than a small, casual maneuver. If it worked, everyone would be happy. If it didn't, he lost nothing.
...
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