The World Government Is the Greatest Plundering Syndicate!
In the reception hall of the castle on Totto Land, Cake Island.
At this moment, Doflamingo was sitting next to Ortolan, looking at Gecko Moria, who was sitting beside him with a strange gaze, appearing slightly uneasy and embarrassed.
Doflamingo still held Ortolan in high regard. How long had it been since their last meeting? And he'd already convinced another unlucky fellow to Shichibukai?
Just as Doflamingo was thinking about these things, Ortolan asked with a smile, "Doflamingo, how's the situation on Flevance's side?"
"It's getting worse. I heard that the royal family of Flevance has applied for asylum, and Mary Geoise has approved it. Their nobles have already begun migrating to Mary Geoise," Doflamingo remarked.
If it is the year 1502 of the Marine Era, the time of the destruction of Flevance would be around 1504. That is to say, Flevance would be finished in about one or two years.
This process of annihilation is clearly not an instantaneous event, but rather a slow and gradual process of death.
First, the country's rulers completely abandoned the country, taking with them the wealth they had extracted through years of exploitation, and went to live in Mary Geoise.
Abandoned citizens, amidst this chaos, began to mob up, eventually leading to a large-scale riot in Flevance. This affected the security and stability of neighboring countries, who, fearing the spread of Lead-Platinum Disease, closed their borders to Flevance.
Due to various factors, this most prosperous country in the North Blue was completely destroyed in 1504.
"Then we should get started on the arrangements. As for Lao, I've already prepared the import of pirates from Impel Down. Now we've even brought in a new partner. Let me introduce you. This is the hero of the West Blue, Gecko Moria, who is now Shichibukai. His Shadow-Shadow Fruit allows him to control shadows and drive corpses. He'd be perfect for mining in Flevance..." Ortolan patted Moria on the shoulder and introduced him to Doflamingo with a smile.
Doflamingo didn't really understand Moria's abilities, so he asked curiously, "Is it like the Homies here in Totto Land? The Homies are driven by their souls, but he can be driven by his shadow?"
Moria wasn't sure about the relationship between Doflamingo and Ortolan, but no matter how you looked at it, Doflamingo seemed much closer to Moria than Moria himself was to Ortolan. Therefore, Moria had no intention of offending Doflamingo and enthusiastically explained his abilities to him.
The three chatted about their mining business until Charlotte Linlin and Katakuri entered the banquet hall.
Upon seeing this, Doflamingo immediately stood up politely. Moria didn't dare to delay either. After being brutally beaten by Kaido, he still had a great deal of respect for the Great Pirate of the New World. In particular, on the way here, he had already heard Ortolan explain that Charlotte Linlin was actually his biological mother!
How can he not be respectful? You don't care about the relationship between the mother and son, they are not people he can afford to offend!
Charlotte Linlin was very respectful to Ortolan, not putting on any airs of Great Pirate. She laughed heartily and said, "Hahaha, seeing you all makes me feel like my son's good friends are visiting. Don't be too reserved. Since you are all Ortolan's good friends, just make yourself at home!"
After greeting Doflamingo and Moria, Charlotte Linlin turned to Ortolan, rolled her eyes, and said, "G-5 isn't too far from Cake Island, is it? You haven't come to visit me in all this time!"
Ortolan said somewhat embarrassedly, "I've been busy, but I'll come more often when I have time..."
He hadn't seen Charlotte Linlin for a long time, and when he saw her again today, he was quite surprised. What kind of black technology did his mother use to lock in her looks and figure? She hadn't even started to show any signs of aging yet?
At the same time, Charlotte Linlin was also carefully observing Ortolan's situation. Even without making a move, she could still see some changes from the details. This guy seemed stronger and more confident than before. His strength had probably improved a lot. Now, it would be a bit difficult for her to take him down.
Therefore, I can't relax at all. I have to work hard and cultivate myself to maintain my condition, lest this kid use me as a stepping stone to become Marine Admiral in the future!
Indeed, the relationship between Ortolan and Charlotte Linlin remains as complicated as ever. Ortolan still remembers Charlotte Linlin's care and kindness towards him, and he has not let his guard down against her.
Charlotte Linlin is the same; although she considers Ortolan her proudest son, she doesn't completely trust Ortolan because he's Marines.
While maintaining a cooperative relationship, both sides are also wary of each other.
Seeing that they seemed to have more to talk about, and not wanting to be an eyesore, Doflamingo and Moria suggested going to Whole Cake Island to observe the power of the Big Mom Pirates.
Katakuri then took the two of them away, and soon only Ortolan and Charlotte Linlin remained in the place.
Charlotte Linlin sat down on the sofa casually, then asked Yu, "How have you been lately? Were you still acting crazy during the full moon?"
"Hello..." Ortolan sat down opposite Charlotte Linlin, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a sip. "But it's much better than before. The method you told me is still effective. By the way, how are you? Is your Food Addiction still acting up?"
"The same as always." Charlotte Linlin sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in her voice, as she brought up the matter.
Seeing this, Ortolan opened his mouth, but hesitated for a moment and then remained silent.
Charlotte Linlin looked at him with some confusion. "What are you trying to say, kid?"
"Ahem..." Ortolan said somewhat awkwardly, "What I was trying to say was, since G-5 isn't too far from Cake Island, if you ever feel yourself getting a little irritable or about to have a breakdown, you can let me know in advance, and I can come and treat you when I have some free time... It's not impossible..."
"You little brat, I think you're just looking for an opportunity to test my strength, aren't you?!" Charlotte Linlin cursed.
To be honest, seeing Charlotte Linlin in such a state, Ortolan had reason to suspect that Charlotte Linlin's strength level was much stronger than he had imagined at the same time in the original story!
My own mother is arguably the most talented person in the entire pirate world. When she was young, she relied on her talent to act recklessly. In middle age, due to Food Addiction and other random reasons, she started to let herself go and eat and drink excessively. In addition, she has been committed to having children for many years, so she probably hasn't fully developed her talent.
Ortolan even thought that if his mother had truly combined his talent with his hard work, Whitebeard might not have been the strongest in the world.
Charlotte Linlin changed the subject, saying, "We've already settled a large sum of money for those business deals we did together before. You can take it with you when you leave..."
The G-5 Marines's raids on pirates... no, their crackdowns are ongoing, and the profits are quite good. Doflamingo and Whole Totto Land Totto Land are both distributors of G-5 products, and Charlotte Linlin seems to be preparing to settle accounts with Ortolan.
"I understand. Just load it onto the warship. I'll take it with me when I leave. Did Katakuri tell you last time? Doflamingo and I plan to open a route from the Calm Belt directly into the New World from the North Blue. I've already taken care of the relevant technical preparations, and it's ready to start at any time. Once it's operational, it will be able to continuously transport large quantities of various goods and supplies needed by your Whole Totto Land Totto Land from the North Blue ..." Ortolan said.
"He told me about it, and I've also discussed it with our financial advisor. He thinks it's definitely worthwhile, so I'm happy to cooperate." Charlotte Linlin smiled expectantly.
After a slight pause, Charlotte Linlin looked at Ortolan with a meaningful gaze. "However, a single G-5 wouldn't require such a massive amount of funds and a steady stream of income. Why do you insist on doing this? Torun, what are your plans?"
When it comes to these deep collaborations, many things cannot be kept from Charlotte Linlin. Ortolan understood this at the time, but at the same time, he didn't feel there was anything to hide.
Therefore, he calmly said, "The power of the army is not determined by who has the highest rank, who is the Fleet Admiral, or who is the Admiral. Rather, it depends on who has enough food to sustain the army, enough logistical support, and enough funds to pay everyone's salaries. For example, all of these things in our Marines are in the hands of Mary Geoise. Isn't it obvious what I want to do?"
"Heh..." Charlotte Linlin chuckled wickedly, "His ambitions are grand, but only someone with such aspirations deserves to be my most prized son..."
In Charlotte Linlin's view, pirates and the government of the world are essentially the same. In fact, the government of the world is the largest plundering group in this world, and the Marines is the henchman of this group. Putting aside the glorious and righteous appearance and public opinion, is there really any essential difference between the Marines and pirates?
If in the future, Ortolan really does seize control of the Marines, then why can't Totto Land Totto Land become the new so-called 'Reign of the World'?
As for his past identity as a pirate, ha... history has always been written by the victors!
However, judging from Charlotte Linlin's thoughts, she still wants to be the boss of Ortolan! This has never changed.