Ortolan explained the situation with a mix of amusement and exasperation. Charlotte Linlin was surprised to learn that it wasn't her own precious son who had been marginalized by the Marines.
"So what do you want by contacting us?" Charlotte Linlin asked, taking the Den Den Den Mushi from Katakuri's hand.
"G-5 operating mode, I don't know if you're familiar with it?" Ortolan asked first.
Obviously, Charlotte Linlin and others were not very clear about these internal affairs of the Marines. At most, they knew that G-5's atmosphere was different from that of the Marines and that it was called the Marine trash can.
Ortolan then spent time explaining the G-5's operating mode to them.
Then he got to the point. "So our main task is to hunt pirates and reduce the number of pirates in the New World as much as possible. We don't have any specific missions to lead, so we have a lot of freedom. I was thinking, since that's the case, could we cooperate in this area?"
Charlotte Linlin pondered for a moment, then grinned and said, "You mean, we give you relevant intelligence and targets, and you send in troops to eliminate those targets?"
"That's pretty much the idea. We can complete the mission and at the same time strike at your pirate rivals. It's a win-win situation for both sides," Ortolan immediately affirmed.
This might sound a bit illegal—making deals with pirates—but for the government and the Marines, it's not a particularly serious issue, because everyone does it. As I said before, although the Marines and pirates are opposing camps, their relationship is quite complex.
Admiral Sengoku had repeatedly warned Ortolan not to sever ties with the Big Mom Pirates, and now he had arranged for him to come to G-5. Given his Admiral Sengoku not to suspect that Ortolan might be up to such a shady tactic, yet he didn't warn Ortolan against it, which already implied tacit approval.
Because of this incident, from the perspective of the outcome, if the operation continues, it will indeed be a blow to pirates, only the Big Mom Pirates. But this is entirely in line with the overall interests of the Marines.
As for the Big Mom Pirates, according to the Admiral Sengoku, there's no need to force Ortolan to target them. The Marines isn't short of personnel; the task of attacking the Big Mom Pirates can be delegated to others!
Can't Sakazuki do it? Can't Borsalino do it? Can't Kuzan do it?
This is in line with internal unity; let's not make the relationships so tense and leave room for everyone.
When it's necessary to strike at the Big Mom Pirates, send other people to do it. When it's necessary to cooperate with the Big Mom Pirates in a certain unspeakable way, you can send Ortolan to do it. Maximizing the advantages of everyone is the right approach.
Forcing Ortolan to fight the Big Mom Pirates yielded no benefit other than the so-called "proof of loyalty," which is truly foolish.
"Well, hahaha, what you said makes some sense." Charlotte Linlin thought for a moment and then affirmed Ortolan's statement.
However, she quickly added, "But given the current situation in the New World, stability is more in our best interest as the Big Mom Pirates. Do you agree?"
Pirates aren't always fighting and killing. The larger the pirate crew, the more so. Ortolan pondered these words, his mind constantly flashing through images of the Big Mom Pirates' current situation and the intelligence provided by the Marines, as he analyzed them.
Overall, Charlotte Linlin truly deserves the title of 'ambitious and talented,' because her Pirate Crew is no longer just a simple pirate crew, but has become a national entity.
In comparison, among the various pirate forces, the Whitebeard Pirates are the least disciplined, undisciplined, and carefree. Their overall operation relies mainly on plunder and protection fees.
It is the most traditional pirate force, which is formed around Captain Newgate. It does not have a particularly clear direction for development or formalization, which has led to the fact that the entire Whitebeard Pirates cannot achieve orderly succession.
Just like in the Marineford War, once the Whitebeard fell, the entire pirate crew would immediately be rendered useless.
In contrast, the Big Mom Pirates are far more advanced in these aspects. They have elevated the concept of piracy to the level of a nation-state, expanding into the New World with Cake Island as the center, and continuously spreading their territory to the surrounding seas, forming a pirate nation with a concrete concept of territory.
Furthermore, this country possesses a system mode that, while currently appearing rather crude and simple, can operate stably even when Charlotte Linlin leaves it to her own devices, which is already quite impressive!
Because if you disregard the pirate identity, Totto Land perfectly fits all the concepts of New World nation!
As a result, Charlotte Linlin's pirate crew no longer relies solely on plunder and protection fees for their livelihood. National productivity, trade, taxes, and other funding channels can all be transformed into their lifeblood.
Ortolan even thought that if this model continued to develop, the Big Mom Pirates could eventually form their own army like other countries, without having to find 'savages' to become pirates.
This concept also absolutely represents their evolution from the chaos of pirates towards order.
Back at headquarters, the Chief Staff Officer repeatedly believed that if no intervention was made against Totto Land Totto Land, in a few years, they would no longer need to be regarded as pirates. You could regard them as the regular army of New World nation with powerful armed forces, and that would be perfectly acceptable.
If you think about it more deeply, if Charlotte Linlin were willing to shed her pirate persona and declare herself solely as the Queen of Totto Land Totto Land in a few years, and even be willing to pay Celestial Gold to the World Government to become a powerful ally of the World Affiliated Nation in the New World, would Mary Geoise really refuse?
No noble family is born with a completely noble lineage. If you keep going back and looking through their family tree, you can always find some details.
They might embellish the ancestors who established their noble status to some extent, and if you look closely, you'll find that they came from all sorts of backgrounds, such as bandits, rebels, and pirates!
If the Charlotte Family wants to take this path in the future, it is entirely possible for them to succeed!
The reason she's still a pirate is because she wants to be one. If Charlotte Linlin were willing to make a deal with the World Government and become a member of Affiliated Nation, and stop opposing the World Government, then the World Government would definitely welcome her to Mary Geoise to participate in the World Conference!
Getting back to the main point, it's reasonable for Charlotte Linlin to say that stability is currently in their best interest in Totto Land Totto Land. Given their current system, they are already far ahead of other pirates of similar caliber, at least in terms of their organizational structure. Time is on their side.
If Charlotte Linlin hadn't stubbornly insisted on fighting alone in Wano Country in the original story, and had instead stayed in Totto Land Totto Land, protected by the entire Totto Land's power, would she have lost so easily?
Let alone the Straw Hat, as long as she proceeds steadily and doesn't take risks, even the Marines and the World Government can't do anything to her!
As Ortolan silently pondered these things, Charlotte Linlin laughed again and said, "But since it's your need, I'm not unable to fulfill it. Contact me again when you need it."
The two sides quickly ended the call, which did not yield much practical progress.
On Cake Island, Perospero asked, somewhat puzzled, "Mom, why don't you just agree to him?"
"Perospero, you can't just treat Ortolan as my child. You have to treat him as an independent individual or even a force. If you agree to his requests too easily, it will seem as if I need him. Right now, it's him who needs me." Charlotte Linlin said with a smile in her eyes.
She paused slightly before continuing, "However, judging from the situation, this child is still worth looking forward to..."
"G-5..." Charlotte Linlin murmured as she ate her lunch, a glint of light flashing in her eyes from time to time, as if she were interested in this special Marines.
She and Ortolan had many things Ortolan could work on together, but at the same time, they also had many conflicts in these collaborations.
For example, she was unwilling to bow down to her son regarding leadership and authority, but her son seemed stubborn and always wanted to be the boss!
For example, right now, Charlotte Linlin is thinking, since G-5 is so special, could she try to use money and weapons to try to restrain or even control this power in Ortolan's hands?
However, she also felt that Ortolan probably wouldn't give her that opportunity.