Spring Cannot Be Contained

Early in the morning, Ortolan's biological clock woke him up on time. Opening his eyes and looking at the familiar ceiling, Ortolan took a moment to sit up in bed.

He quickly went to the bathroom to tidy himself up, got dressed, opened the bedroom door, and went out.

And as was his habit, he took out the Den Den Mushi from his pocket, preparing to call the cafeteria and ask them to send over a breakfast.

However, as soon as he took out the Den Den Mushi, Ortolan could already smell food in the house.

He then realized that he was no longer living alone here.

He shrugged, put away the Den Den Mushi, walked out of the corridor, and came to the living room. He saw Robin sitting on the sofa, holding Ace, and the two of them were playing some childish little games together, making Ace laugh and giggle non-stop.

A sumptuous breakfast was laid out on the table not far away, Rouge was cutting sushi next to her.

Upon seeing Ortolan, Rouge smiled and waved, "You still get up at this time, haven't changed at all."

Ortolan chuckled and scratched his head. "I'm used to it."

Soon, everyone was seated at the table. Even little Ace had his own plate. At just over three years old, he could already use utensils skillfully and eat by himself. This made Ortolan feel a little emotional; children really grow up so fast.

Robin sat in her seat, eating and showing off her achievements to Ortolan. Ortolan would occasionally praise her, making Robin feel very happy.

"Uncle Borsalino even took me to Punk Hazard once. I met Mom, the professor, and the academic uncles there. They were all very nice there. I told Mom that I want to be a Marines and join the Science Unit in the future, and Mom agreed!" Robin said happily.

"No problem. When our lovely Robin-chan grows up, I'll personally recommend you to join the Science Unit," Ortolan said with a smile.

As soon as Ortolan finished speaking, Rouge placed the sliced steak on his plate and gently reminded him, "You must eat a good breakfast so you can stay healthy."

Ortolan always felt that Rouge a little strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong. He just had a vague feeling that Rouge seemed to be more... daring than when she was in Marineford?

Is it just a misperception caused by not seeing each other for so long, or is there really a problem?

However, Ortolan didn't reject anything. Who would refuse a beautiful and gentle woman who is willing to clean your house, make you breakfast, and take care of your life?

I wonder if Roger is feeling alright? But I helped Roger so much, what's wrong with him enjoying himself a bit?

Having convinced himself with some strange logic, Ortolan no longer felt there was anything wrong with it. He smiled and nodded at Rouge before starting his breakfast.

After breakfast, without Ortolan having to clean up the dishes, Robin obediently made hot tea and placed it on the coffee table. Just as Ortolan sat down, Rouge came over with today's newspaper and asked, "When are you leaving?"

Taking the newspaper from Rouge's hand, Ortolan glanced at the clock on the wall. "Ten minutes from now, just in time to finish reading this newspaper."

Rouge nodded, then looked at Ortolan's chest and asked, "Why aren't you wearing a tie with your suit?"

That's right. Ortolan used to be quite unrestrained, often walking around shirtless with his muscular physique exposed. But now he's a high-ranking officer at headquarters, the base chief of G-5, so like the other Marines bigwigs, he's gotten used to wearing suits, which makes him look more dignified and imposing.

However, Ortolan is not good at tying ties, so he always neglects this step.

Upon hearing Rouge's question, Ortolan replied somewhat awkwardly, "Not really... I always end up playing haphazardly."

Rouge nodded upon hearing this, asked no further questions, and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Ortolan also started reading the newspaper.

There wasn't anything particularly important in the newspapers, but one noteworthy point was that on a hot spring island in the New World, Vice Admiral Garp of the Marines once again cornered Hawk Eyes Jora Mihawk and gave Mihawk a good beating. However, some unexpected things happened afterward. The Red Hair Pirates wandered onto the island and, in the chaos, rescued the unfortunate Mihawk, thus escaping Garp's pursuit.

"This is the third time, isn't it?" Ortolan pondered, stroking his chin.

As far as I can remember, this is the third time Garp has brutally defeated Mihawk since arriving in the New World. To be fair, Garp is quite efficient. Of course, this is also thanks to Mihawk Marines Intelligence Department provided by CP Agency good friends Spandine, Queen Stussy, and the Big Mom Pirates, who have the strongest intelligence network in the pirate industry.

Come to think of it, even when Roger was being chased all over the world by Garp, he never enjoyed this kind of intelligence treatment from the combined forces of the black and gray factions!

"Mihawk, you're really lucky," Ortolan remarked, then stopped paying attention to the news.

Aside from this interesting situation, after turning the page, Ortolan saw another interesting news item: Sand Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai Crocodile the Sea, was building the largest casino and Rain Country Entertainment City in the First Half of Grand Line in Alabasta, called "Rain Banquet," and was preparing to create a comprehensive entertainment center for Alabasta.

At that time, Crocodile was in the most prosperous port of Alabasta, Nanohana, and repelled six pirate attacks in a row, protecting Nanohana port's safety.

Recently, there has been a prevailing opinion that praises Crocodile, and his performance has led to a resurgence in Crocodile's reputation in Alabasta.

Judging from this trend, Crocodile will soon become a 'national Hero's of Alabasta and a 'positive figure' among the Shichibukai.

"I heard from Spandine that the Nefertari Family has always been at odds with the World Government, and now they're going to be dealt with..." Ortolan raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself.

Just as Ortolan was thinking about these things, Rouge came out of the house, holding a tie she had carefully chosen, and came to Ortolan, saying, "Get up."

Upon hearing this, Ortolan quickly stood up. Rouge was taken aback, as Ortolan's height of over three meters was indeed a lot of pressure for her.

However, Rouge actually quite tall. After all, Roger is over 2.7 meters tall and Garp is nearly 3 meters tall. When Rouge stands next to them, she doesn't look short.

"Lower your head slightly," Rouge reminded her.

Ortolan naturally lowered his body a little, and then Rouge moved closer without any hesitation, wrapped her arms around Ortolan's neck, put the tie around his neck, and very naturally helped Ortolan tie the tie.

At the same time, Rouge whispered a reminder: "As the base commander, you must pay attention to your image and demeanor. This way, you can better establish your authority in front of your subordinates. I will help you tie your tie from now on, understand?"

Because of their movements, Rouge and Ortolan's faces were very close at this moment. When she spoke, Ortolan could even feel Rouge's warm tone and the faint floral scent on her body.

To be honest, it really makes Ortolan a little itchy.

"Okay, I understand." Ortolan swallowed hard and replied softly.

He was a very masculine guy with a very magnetic voice. When he whispered those words close to Rouge's face, Rouge's movements stiffened for a moment, and her face turned slightly red.

But Rouge still managed to straighten her tie, then gently patted Ortolan on the shoulder and said, "All done."

Ortolan then stood up. He looked into Rouge's eyes, their gazes met briefly, and then they both looked away, somewhat embarrassed.

Ortolan sensed that something was off about the atmosphere; it was too ambiguous. Just then, Robin came out of the inner room carrying Ace, and the slightly confused atmosphere between the two quickly dissipated.

Ortolan tucked the newspaper under his arm, glanced awkwardly at the clock on the wall, and said, "Uh, well, I have to go to work."

"Okay, be careful on the road." Rouge quickly snapped out of her reverie and replied gently, then asked, "Are you coming back for dinner tonight?"

"Probably, if nothing unexpected happens," Ortolan replied.

Rouge smiled again and said, "What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you."

"I'm not picky, anything is fine," Ortolan replied with a smile, adjusting his mindset.

After exchanging a few more words with Robin, Ortolan finally left the house.

After Ortolan left, Rouge's originally calm face quickly Red-Hair. She raised her hand to cover her face and rubbed it a few times before she seemed to recover.

Then, she looked out the window and murmured to herself, "Gion, I don't have your strength, nor the help and power you can provide to Ortolan in our career, but... I also have my own unique advantages..."

However, at that moment, she still felt guilty. As a mother and a woman, she wanted to fight for her and her child's rights, which was not wrong. But at that moment, Gion was also her benefactor. This betrayal made Rouge very conflicted.

Soon, Rouge took a deep breath and muttered to herself with some uncertainty, "But she hasn't even confirmed her relationship with Ortolan yet. I... I... I'm not exactly a bad woman, am I?"

Today, at Marine Base G-5, the weather is sunny and mild, giving it a feeling of springtime beauty that can't be contained.