The New World, G-1 Marine Base. Ortoren's warship had just completed a brief stop here and was now leaving the harbor, heading deeper into the New World.
On the deck, Ortoren sat on the edge, holding the top-tier fishing rod he'd bought from the underworld for two hundred million Belly, quietly fishing.
Of course, to this day, he still maintained his flawless "air force" record. Not a single bite.
Even so, he remained thoroughly entertained, as if fishing up nothing but air was still something worth celebrating.
From a distance, Hina watched Ortoren cast and miss yet again and couldn't help whispering to Lucci beside her, "Why don't you jump into the sea and secretly hook a fish onto the Admiral's line? He's just too pitiful."
Lucci???
"Me?" Lucci pointed at his own nose. "I'm a Devil Fruit user. I'd be afraid the Admiral's fishing skills might end up catching me instead."
Hina raised her hand helplessly when she heard that. "What a shame I ate my fruit so early. Otherwise, I could help the Admiral out right now…"
As her words fell, blue flames ignited at her fingertips.
That ability was unmistakable. It was none other than the Mythical Zoan Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix, once possessed by Marco.
After the war, Ortoren hadn't made any special arrangements for the Phoenix Devil Fruit. He'd simply asked whether anyone around him wanted to eat it and become a Devil Fruit user.
But no one had an urgent need for a Mythical Zoan. In the end, after giving it some thought, Hina chose to eat it.
She knew her own strength wasn't outstanding, and her talent wasn't particularly exceptional either. Reaching the rank of Vice Admiral had already taken tremendous effort. And yet, as Ortoren's personal secretary, she was practically by his side at all times.
As a Marine Admiral, Ortoren lived in two extremes. Either he was completely safe, with no danger at all.
Or he was in extreme danger, with no safety whatsoever.
Because of that, Hina sometimes felt she might become a weak link, someone who held him back. But after eating the Phoenix Devil Fruit, at the very least, she wouldn't be easily killed. That alone made her qualified to stay by an Admiral's side.
Looking at the blue flames on Hina's fingertips, Lucci said with feeling, "Mythical Zoan abilities are incredibly powerful. The Phoenix ability will give you a huge boost. Don't waste the Admiral's goodwill. Speaking as someone with experience, I can give you some advice. For Zoan users, stamina is the most important thing. And with the Phoenix ability, as long as you build up your stamina, there won't be many people on this sea who can actually kill you."
Lucci wasn't exaggerating. Aside from healing nearly any injury, the ability also allowed direct flight. That alone was already exceptional.
There were plenty of abilities that allowed flight over the sea, but very few that could sustain it for long periods.
Even Borsalino, traveling in a beam of light, wasn't entirely safe. But as a bird-type Mythical Zoan user, the risk was much lower. Paired with the blue flames, even if she couldn't win a fight, escaping wouldn't be a problem.
After chatting briefly with Hina about Mythical Zoan abilities, Lucci spoke with clear anticipation. "This time back in the New World, I'll finally get to see Robin and the others. Ever since they moved away from Headquarters back then, we've stayed in touch, but we haven't actually met again. I wonder how she's doing now."
In the original story, Lucci and Robin were bitter enemies. But now, the two of them were as close as siblings.
When Robin was mentioned, Hina sounded very familiar with her. She was always with the Admiral, after all, so she naturally knew his family well. Smiling, she said, "Robin-chan will officially join the Marines next year. The Admiral plans to have her spend two years getting familiar with things in my secretariat first. That's what she wants as well. After two years, she'll use connections to transfer to the Science Division."
When she said "next year," it really meant just over two months away. It was already the end of 1506. Robin's birthday was February 6th, and in two months, she would turn fifteen. Technically, she still didn't meet the Marines' recruitment age requirement on paper.
But who could argue with her connections?
She was the Admiral's adopted daughter. Joining the Marines early was hardly a problem at all.
Look at Hina, Lucci, Smoker, and the others. Did a single one of them join the Marines through the normal process, at the proper age? Not one.
Even in the original story, the so-called deserter king, Koby, was only sixteen when he joined the Marines. As long as you have connections and the right channels, and your age isn't outrageously off, no one really cares.
"Hahaha…" Lucci laughed happily. "Then she's about to have her wish come true."
Lucci knew very well that Robin was the daughter of the scholars in the Science Division. Her mother was currently the leader of that group and held the rank of Rear Admiral. Even with all the restrictions placed on her, that still made Robin a kind of second-generation Marine officer. And that was without even mentioning her identity as an Admiral's adopted daughter.
Robin's dream since childhood had been to join the Marines, reunite with her mother, and never be separated again.
Now it seemed that dream wouldn't take much longer to come true.
While Hina and Lucci were talking about Robin, the handbag Hina was holding suddenly rang. It was the sound of a Den Den Mushi.
Without any hesitation, Hina quickly took it out. After checking that the call was within her clearance, she answered, "Katakuri-san, what is it?"
"The Admiral?" she listened to the question on the other end and replied, "The Admiral is fishing…"
Soon after, Hina walked over to Ortoren with the Den Den Mushi and said softly, "Admiral…"
"Shh… Hina, keep your voice down," Ortoren said seriously, his eyes fixed on the sea. "I can feel a big fish watching my bait. Don't scare it away."
He hadn't even looked this focused when he fought Whitebeard.
Hina glanced at the clear blue water. The weather was great today, and visibility was excellent. One look was enough to tell there was no big fish in sight. The hook was just dangling there, lonely, sliding through the water along with the ship's movement.
Seeing this, Hina said helplessly, "Katakuri-san says he has something important he needs to discuss with you."
"Second brother?" Ortoren was a little surprised. But he knew Katakuri wasn't the type to make a fuss over nothing. So he reluctantly gave up on the big fish that was supposedly about to bite, shook his head, and sighed. "One Den Den Mushi just ruined my fishing dream."
He didn't delay any further. Taking the Den Den Mushi from Hina, he asked, "Second brother? What's so important? Don't tell me it's actually started already?"
Although both sides had officially declared war, the truth was that during Ortoren's two-month journey to Marine Headquarters, many things had already been discussed with the Big Mom Pirates.
The rumors spreading across the seas about Kaidou and Charlotte Linlin forming an alliance weren't rumors at all. Ortoren had known that from the start.
There was going to be a fight, yes, but not in the form of a full-scale war. This time, Ortoren's return to the New World was to "go to war" at Whole Cake Island.
"Ahem," Katakuri cleared his throat, his tone slightly awkward. "Mama and Kaidou-san have jointly decided to arrange a betrothal between Ace and Yamato. Considering that you are, after all, Ace's father, we thought it was necessary to inform you."
Ortoren???
What do you mean, considering I'm Ace's father, you're informing me?
Shouldn't I be the one making this decision?
"Wait a second," Ortoren said, completely dumbfounded. "I haven't even gotten home yet, and my son's already getting married?"
Of course, Ortoren wasn't truly shocked by the news. Back when Ace and Yamato first met, he'd already sensed something. And personally, he had no objections at all. You could even say he supported it.
It was just… a little sudden.
"The actual marriage is still a long way off," Katakuri said with a smile. "It's only a betrothal for now, and it won't be announced publicly."
After a brief pause, Ortoren quickly asked, "What does Rouge think?"
"Your sister-in-law is, of course, very happy," Katakuri replied with a smile.
Ace wasn't Ortoren's biological son, but Ortoren was Charlotte Linlin's biological son. Now that Charlotte Linlin had arranged this marriage for Ace, how could Rouge possibly object? Once the betrothal was set, Ace's importance would only rise further.
"If Rouge doesn't object, then that's fine," Ortoren said casually.
Katakuri was quiet for a moment, then spoke again. "There's even better news. Congratulations in advance."
This time, the joy in his voice was impossible to hide.
Ortoren hesitated. "What is it?"
"Both Gion and Rouge are pregnant," Katakuri said with a smile.
Ortoren???
I've only been away on a work trip, and both my wives got pregnant back home?
"It's been over two months now," Katakuri added. "Judging by the timing, it should have happened right around when you set off for Marine Headquarters."
Ortoren did the math in his head.
That checked out. Good news.
Before leaving the New World, he'd gone to Whole Cake Island with Gion to visit Rouge and Ace. He'd departed for Marine Headquarters from there.
Everything lined up perfectly.
...
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