Vergo was a little flustered. He had been doing a good job at G-5 today when he was suddenly notified that Lieutenant Vice Admiral Bann Ortolan, the base commander of G-5, wanted to see him and asked him to go to the office to report.
Honestly, Vergo felt that after joining the Marines, he should keep a low profile and not do anything to attract attention. His plan was to lie low for a few years and wait for the right time before making his move towards the middle and upper ranks of the Marines.
How did he suddenly catch the attention of that guy, Ortolan? He was only transferred here from the Second Division a couple of days ago, and he had never even met that guy before.
Although he was a little flustered, Vergo quickly arrived at Ortolan's side.
Standing in front of the office door, he took a deep breath, adjusted his mental state, and then knocked on the door.
A moment later, Ortolan's voice came from inside, and Vergo then pushed open the door and went in.
There was no one else in the base commander's office. When Vergo entered, he saw Ortolan reclining in his chair with his legs propped up on the desk, reading a newspaper. He looked quite relaxed.
"Vice Admiral Bane, you wanted to see me?" Vergo asked abruptly.
Ortolan continued reading the newspaper, which conveniently obscured his face, preventing Vergo from seeing his expression.
"Okay, make yourself at home first, I'll finish reading this newspaper first," Ortolan said casually.
Seeing this, Vergo could only sit obediently on the sofa, feeling a little uneasy, wondering what this guy was up to.
Meanwhile, Ortolan was using his Observation Haki to try and hear Vergo's thoughts.
Ortolan had never fully mastered this ability, and this time he could only hear bits and pieces of superficial thoughts from others, such as Vergo's current unease, wondering how to deal with his kind later.
The rest of the secrets about the Donquixote Family are either things Vergo isn't thinking about right now, or things he can't hear.
"You haven't been in the Marines for very long, have you?" Ortolan suddenly asked.
Vergo reacted quickly, replying immediately, "Yes, it's only been a short time since I joined. I was originally in North Blue, but I was later transferred to the Ministry of War. I just came to our G-5 a few days ago."
"I see..." Ortolan sat up, closed the newspaper in his hand, placed it on the table, and looked at Vergo with a smile, asking, "Why are you considering joining our Marines? Was the offer from Doflamingo not good enough for you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Vergo's expression suddenly changed, and he stood up from the sofa, looking at Ortolan with a surprised and suspicious gaze.
He didn't refute or argue, because when Ortolan accurately uttered the name 'Doflamingo,' it already carried too much meaning. His attempts to argue or refute would only appear foolish and ridiculous, and would be completely meaningless.
"Why are you looking at me with such surprise? Does your Donquixote Family really think it's easy to infiltrate our Marines?" Ortolan asked, feigning some doubt.
"It seems we underestimated the Marines's intelligence and self-investigation capabilities," Vergo sighed.
He felt he was doomed today. Although he considered himself to be fairly strong and talented, he was clearly no match for the renowned Bane Ortolan in the Marines.
If this guy's record is too outstanding, with Red Count, Golden Lion, and the Pirate King, one after another, famous Great Pirate have fallen to his hands. Just showing off this record is enough to be frightening!
"Sit down, why are you standing? Don't be so tense," Ortolan said with a smile, waving his hand.
It was only then that Vergo realized that Ortolan's attitude was a bit off. Normally, after discovering his identity, he should have arrested and interrogated him immediately. There was no need to waste too much time with a 'small fry' like him.
"Regarding your identity, for now only I in the Marines know. As for how I know, that's none of your concern. I happen to have a place that suits your young master. Our G-5 is in dire need of rebuilding, and you know the situation. Our G-5 operational model needs an Underworld 'distributor' to handle our war spoils and spoils. Your Donquixote Family is just right. I heard you're now preparing to develop in the direction of pirates and New World pirates. So after you go down there, contact your young master and ask him if he's willing to cooperate with me. Is that alright?" Ortolan lit a cigarette and asked softly.
His tone and attitude were gentle, but in Vergo's eyes, they were terrifying!
"Ai Bai, no problem." Vergo immediately nodded in agreement.
"Well, that's all I wanted to tell you. If your young master is willing to cooperate with me, then you can stay by my side and be my assistant." Ortolan waved his hand, indicating that Vergo could leave.
Vergo swallowed hard, stepped back to the door, placed his hand on the doorknob, hesitated for a moment, then looked at Ortolan and asked, "Vice Admiral Bane, aren't you afraid that I'll flee G-5 as soon as I leave?"
"What do I have to be afraid of?" Ortolan grinned, a slightly menacing smile playing on his lips. "Right now, I have no grudge against Doflamingo, and we even have some intention to cooperate. If you agree to my terms here and then choose to run away, you're just playing me, taking advantage of my honesty... Well then, this Ortolan will be set in stone, and don't blame me for showing no mercy to the Donquixote Family in the future!"
To be honest, if Vergo runs away, it's not a big deal. But if he dares to run away, it's like he's messing with Ortolan. Then Ortolan will have to teach Doflamingo a lesson and show him what honesty is!
Vergo's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. So that's how it is. Is this the confidence of a strong person? Confident that the Donquixote Family and he himself wouldn't dare offend him?
Thinking it over carefully, our young master is probably no match for this guy. If we really offend him to death, we can forget about coming to the New World. We should just stay in the North Blue and behave ourselves. Otherwise, wouldn't it be like handing him over to someone else?
"I will convey your wishes to my young master, Vice Admiral Bane, in full." Vergo replied earnestly before turning and leaving the office.
After Vergo left, Ortolan looked at the data sheets sent from headquarters.
The above is a summary of intelligence data from various sea areas this quarter. To be honest, it is quite alarming. The frequency of battles at various Marine Base has increased dramatically, and the number of pirates has also increased significantly. The casualties and sacrifices are putting immense pressure on us.
Moreover, it can be seen that these data are rising linearly, first in the four seas, then in the First Half of Grand Line, and this wave is also moving towards the New World. More and more pirates, after going through these brutal elimination rounds, are beginning to converge on the New World, the final battlefield.
"The madness of this era is truly terrifying..." Ortolan sighed.
Meanwhile, in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
On the top floor of Panger Castle, in the office of one of the Five Elders, Fleet Admiral Marines Steel Bone having a conversation with the Five Elders.
"My lords, to be honest, the policy outlined in this document will likely have a very... negative impact on our Marines." Sweat beaded on Fleet Admiral Kong's forehead, showing the immense pressure he was under.
"This document has already clearly described it; it's merely a temporary measure. Once your Marines can stabilize the situation, you will naturally abolish this policy," Saint Saturn said with a serious expression.
Before Fleet Admiral Kong could speak, another of the Five Elders, Saint V. Nusjuro, said, "Besides, this is already our decision. We are telling you this not to discuss anything with your Marines, but to inform you in advance so that you have enough time to adjust your mindset and be prepared to cooperate in implementing this policy!"
Fleet Admiral Kong opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but seeing the resolute and scrutinizing gazes of the Five Elders, he finally sighed and swallowed back all his words, saying, "Yes, I understand."
He knew that once these five had made their decision, there was no way he could change their minds. Saying more would only escalate the conflict and have no other effect. Such escalation of the conflict would bring unnecessary trouble to the Marines.
Now that things have come to this, even as the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, he can only endure it.
Stepping out of the office, Fleet Admiral Kong looked at the documents in his hand, shook his head helplessly, and said softly, "I've served in the Marines my whole life, and after this, I'm afraid my reputation will be ruined..."
The document in his hand was titled "The Seven Warlords of the Sea Plan"!