The Old Fox Sengoku and the Young Fox Ortolan
The Admiral Sengoku, with a calm expression, asked, "What do you think of this time-consuming and laborious method?"
"That depends on whether you want to ask how to resolve the current situation of the Shichibukai, or... how our Marines can obtain the Lord of Mary Geoise?" Ortolan sat on the sofa, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said in a pretentious manner, looking like he had a 'master's touch.
The Admiral Sengoku looked at the impeccably dressed Ortolan with amusement, then said, "You two, tell me. I'd like to see what good ideas a young man as unconventional as you has."
In fact, regarding the Shichibukai, the strategist Admiral Sengoku had already devised a plan on how to deal with Mary Geoise and minimize the harm the Shichibukai would cause to the sea.
The reason I called Ortolan here this time was actually because of some special reason. I wanted to give Ortolan a little pointer, but seeing that Ortolan had ideas, the Admiral Sengoku also decided to listen.
"Let's talk about the Shichibukai first." Ortolan sat up straight and said, "Currently, it seems that neither you nor the Fleet Admiral intend to confront Mary Geoise head-on, so we can only accept the Shichibukai system and then engage in some fine-tuning, right?"
"Yes, about right," the Admiral Sengoku replied.
"The best solution is to mix in some sand. Anyway, the higher-ups want our Marines to assist in selecting suitable personnel and recruiting them into the Shichibukai. Since we have this power, let's just use it. Select some people who are qualified to be the Shichibukai, but who don't actually pose that much of a threat. Wouldn't that be fine?" Ortolan said without hesitation.
The Admiral Sengoku paused for a moment, then looked at Ortolan with a hint of satisfaction in his eyes, nodding and praising, "You're quite quick-witted, kid."
Because that's what he thinks too!
"For example, that guy known as Hawk Eyes Jora Mihawk, I saw in the weekly report sent by headquarters that he's been classified as a pirate because he attacked several of our Marines commanders, right? But actually, that guy is just a swordsmanship fanatic. As far as I know, the reason he attacked the Marines commanders was to challenge them. Every single Marines commander he hunted was a master swordsman, right?" Ortolan asked.
"That's right." Admiral Sengoku nodded and said, "The Intelligence Department also gave a similar conclusion. However, that guy's actions were indeed somewhat unscrupulous. He often started battles directly in the city center, causing many innocent civilian casualties. So, although he doesn't plunder like a pirate, considering his behavior and the attacks on our Marines, we ultimately classified him as a 'pirate'."
Ortolan had little contact with Mihawk, but that one encounter left a deep impression on him. This guy was indeed unscrupulous; when he got excited, he would start a war without considering whether the situation was appropriate.
"But he still falls into the category of 'low threat level' because he is alone, has no intention of forming a pirate force, is free-spirited, and has no thoughts of overthrowing the government or causing massacres or other such nonsense. This kind of person is suitable to be one of the Shichibukai!" Ortolan suggested.
In the original story, the Shichibukai had an absurdly large structure and an extremely prestigious title. They were known as the three major powers of the sea, alongside the Marine Headquarters and the Four Emperors, which was incredibly intimidating.
Aside from Mihawk and Bartholomew Kuma, who were truly top-notch fighters, the rest were basically unqualified!
Sand Crocodile Crocodile, after being defeated by Whitebeard in the New World, went to Alabasta to eat sand in order to Shichibukai. He stayed in that Alabasta place for nearly ten years, which turned Crocodile, a ruthless man who was comparable to Douglas Bullet, into an awkward character who was neither here nor there. It was only Summit War that he regained some of his prestige.
As for Moonlight Moria, needless to say, he was a tough guy who dared to go head-to-head with Kaido at first. After that battle, he was immediately recruited by the Marines and became one of the Shichibukai of the Devil's Triangle for many years and eventually became a complete shut-in.
Boa Hancock is a fairly capable character, but she's not a big threat. She mainly stays around Amazon Lily and doesn't show up much, so there's not much to say about her.
Jinbe of Fish-Man Island, it is completely controlled by the World Government and poses no threat whatsoever.
According to the original storyline, neither the World Government nor the Marines intended for Doflamingo to become Shichibukai. He was the kind of person who was good at causing trouble and had a bit of his own personality. He managed to get the position of Shichibukai by robbing the Celestial Gold Tribute and threatening the World Government.
He is also the most threatening and has brought the most trouble among these Shichibukai, no doubt about it.
Overall, these Shichibukai have not achieved the substantial progress that the World Government hoped for, such as becoming one of the 'Three Great Powers'. Their reputation far exceeds their actual capabilities!
The Marines deserves a lot of credit for this. When selecting the Shichibukai, they crammed in as many people as possible who were already famous but were no longer a threat to the sea!
Ortolan's current advice to Sengoku is this: considering both threat level and reputation, find those who meet the standards required by the World Government, are qualified to serve Shichibukai, but who actually don't play a significant role, and appoint them!
After discussing it for a while, the two reached a consensus on this matter, which made the Admiral Sengoku think that Ortolan was indeed a smart guy.
Stroking his braided beard, Admiral Sengoku looked at Ortolan and asked, "Putting aside the issue of the Shichibukai, what was your previous statement about Mary Geoise's respect for our Marines?"
In fact, the Admiral Sengoku had specifically summoned Ortolan today because he had some ideas in mind and was preparing to arrange for Ortolan to become a minister. Now, he wanted to hear Ortolan's thoughts first.
"Ultimately, it all comes down to the word 'autonomy.' Our Marines has achieved nothing in this regard, which is why we've been so easily manipulated by Mary Geoise. If we had any power, the Five Elders would probably have to be much more polite to you and the Fleet Admiral," Ortolan said softly.
Upon hearing this, the Admiral Sengoku nodded, then sighed and said, "During my years Admiral, it's not like I haven't tried in this direction. The previous plan to establish Neo Marine Headquarters actually involved many institutional changes, but it was ultimately rejected by Mary Geoise. As for the Science Unit, my original plan was to obtain the right to produce military equipment through this scheme, but in the end, it could only involve research and development, and it was also rejected..."
To be honest, Sengoku had already given Mary Geoise a lot of face in order to fight for these powers for the Marines. He diligently did any dirty or hard work that fell into his hands.
Whether it was Ohara or something else, how could he not know the political considerations and tests involved? He accepted it all, hoping that the World Government could see that their Marines was very reliable, and that the World Government could loosen their grip on other matters.
Contrary to his wishes, he did all the dirty and hard work, but in the end, he didn't miss out on any of the benefits!
It was only after these many attempts that the Admiral Sengoku finally understood that Mary Geoise would not compromise with the Marines in the slightest on the issue of Marines autonomy, and that he should not have had any expectations of this matter from the beginning!
Normally, at this point, Sengoku would have basically given up. Before Ortolan appeared and rose to power, he was considering taking a break and waiting until he could use the Marines's power to push Fleet Admiral Kong to the position of Fleet Admiral before he took over as Fleet Admiral. The two of them could then work together to see if they could challenge Mary Geoise again.
In the original story, this was supposed to be how Sengoku was supposed to proceed. As for the specific outcome, no answer was given. However, judging from Mary Geoise's rejection of his recommendation for Kuzan as Fleet Admiral and the selection of Sakazuki as the new Fleet Admiral, it is estimated that Sengoku ultimately failed because of this and did not get what he wanted.
Now, the Sengoku has new ideas.
"This is a matter of core interests. Mary Geoise will certainly not concede to our Marines. Those five are certainly well aware that giving up power is easy, but taking it back is incredibly difficult. Once they give up some power, don't even think about taking it back. Therefore, they will never easily concede unless absolutely necessary," Ortolan said.
After a slight pause, Ortolan looked at the Admiral Sengoku and tentatively said, "Therefore, I think the possibility of resolving this situation through formal channels is almost nonexistent. The best approach is to take an unconventional one..."
Upon hearing this, the Admiral Sengoku raised an eyebrow. These words coincided with his own thoughts, so he looked at Ortolan meaningfully and asked, "How do you mean by taking a risky approach?"
"I'm the one who's unconventional!" Ortolan answered without hesitation!