A few days later, at the G-5 Marine Base, in the office of the Ortolan.
At this moment, Ortolan was hunched over his desk, busy working amidst a pile of documents.
Just as Ortolan was feeling a bit thirsty, a few slender, fair fingers placed a cup filled with tea on Ortolan's table.
Ortolan looked up, then smiled and asked, "You're awake?"
It was Gion. She had nothing to do all day, so she just stayed in the office in Ortolan. This was her usual routine. Ever since Rouge came to G-5, Gion would just stay in Ortolan whenever she had nothing to do.
Because Ortolan was quite busy before, Gion didn't disturb him after arriving and just took a nap on the sofa by herself.
Gion yawned slightly, then asked with a hint of surprise, "Why have you been so busy lately? It's completely different from your usual self..."
"Isn't this just about getting rid of the backlog of things on hand as soon as possible, and the things that need to be dealt with later?" Ortolan said casually, taking a sip of tea.
"What's the rush?" Gion asked casually.
"I might have to go on a long trip later to Kaido..." Ortolan replied first, then tentatively asked, "Speaking of which, you haven't been very busy lately?"
"Ahem..." Gion cleared her throat slightly, a little embarrassed, and leaned against the bookshelf, saying somewhat awkwardly, "I haven't been too busy lately. That Momonga guy wanted to get some exercise, right? So I did some things for him..."
Like Issho, Gion was originally in charge of field operations in G-5, which meant hunting pirates.
As the base commander, Ortolan couldn't just go out like that. Gion felt that this would give Rouge an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. So, she secretly switched roles with Momonga. Now, Momonga leads the raids, while Gion stays at the base, acting as a secretary.
Of course, she wasn't nearly as dedicated as the Momonga, to the point that Ortolan had recently felt his workload was inexplicably increasing.
Ortolan didn't care about any of that. After seeing that Gion had given his answer, he hesitated for a moment before asking, "After I'm done with this busy period, shall we go out for a walk together?"
"Take a stroll?" Gion's eyes lit up, but she pretended to be casual and asked, "What do you mean?"
"Well, I was thinking, it seems like we haven't had a proper vacation in a long time. I'll be done with my work soon, and you've been free lately... so... let's go out for a bit, like we did in the South Blue..." Ortolan said, a little shyly.
He felt that Gion's last words to him about being bold and having more courage were probably a subtle hint.
During this time, Ortolan also pondered his feelings about relationships. He felt that in terms of pure romance, he preferred Gion, because the two of them had more contact, understanding, and communication, and were more compatible in all aspects.
On the other hand, he wasn't a complete idiot. Rouge had been inexplicably enthusiastic lately, so how could Ortolan not understand the situation now?
Therefore, he also had some ulterior motives. If he could have it all, why make a choice?
He admitted that initially, he didn't pay much attention to Rouge. Compared to Rouge, he was more concerned about Ace. As a descendant of Roger, Ace's talent was beyond doubt. In the original story, Ace was intended to be groomed as his Whitebeard.
So the reason why Garp agreed to Garp's outrageous arrangement was mainly because he cared about Ace, wanted to keep Ace by his side, train Ace well, put aside the Mera Mera no Mi, and lay a solid foundation for him. He also wanted to cultivate Ace's personality and style so that he wouldn't be as reckless and impulsive as in the original story.
If all of these are trained properly, with Ace's talent, he will definitely be a great player in the future. Roger left him with an ace, which will become an ace in Ortolan's hands. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Of course, this is not about Ace; it's a complementary thing.
Therefore, from a purely pragmatic perspective, Ortolan believes that continuing to develop this relationship with Rouge and Ace is very beneficial.
Putting aside his feelings about these things, Ortolan honestly quite enjoyed Rouge's care. Now, when he came home, he was like a king, with someone taking care of his food and drink, and arranging all his daily needs. He could lie down on the sofa and Rouge would come over and massage his shoulders and such. The feeling was simply wonderful.
Therefore, Ortolan has decided that he will carry on the traditions of the Charlotte Family bloodline and learn from his mother to be less rigid in his moral principles regarding marriage and romantic relationships, and to be more flexible and willing to try new things!
Upon hearing Ortolan's words, Gion initially wanted to maintain her composure, but then she realized that if she pretended to be reserved now Rouge the opportunity. Therefore Gion immediately abandoned those thoughts.
"Now that you mention it, I realize I've been feeling a bit irritable lately... Going out for a walk with you isn't a bad idea... Just the two of us?" Gion asked casually, her fingers twirling slightly uneasy around the end of her hair.
"It can be two people, or three people, depending on your choice and acceptance..." Ortolan said with a smile.
Gion?
Are you even speaking human language?
Her previously cheerful expression instantly darkened, Gion's eyes hardened as she asked, "Three people? What kind of three-person situation do you intend to have?"
Before Ortolan could even react, he casually said, "If you want us to get out of here sooner and travel around more, then you'll come with me this time. I'll take you and Ace with me, so it'll be the three of us. We'll first visit my mother and talk to Kaido about Seastone. After that, we'll set off on our journey..."
As Ortolan said this, Gion's originally gloomy gaze quickly dissipated... Ah, it's a misunderstanding, it's with that little guy Ace, it's alright now, I thought it was with that shameless woman Rouge!
To be honest, although Gion Gensuke hates Rouge to Rouge core, she doesn't have any prejudice against Ace. Perhaps she feels that if she were to argue with Ace, it would make her seem too narrow-minded and childish, since Ace has nothing to do with it.
"If it's just the two of us, then we'll wait a bit longer. Once Kaido and I are done with our business, I'll bring Ace back, and then we'll go out together..." Ortolan continued explaining to himself.
However, for Gion, going out with Ortolan a day earlier meant Ortolan wouldn't see Rouge a day earlier. Therefore, after a moment's thought, before Ortolan could finish speaking, she interrupted, "Let's go together, the three of us should go out for a walk. I'm tired of staying here..."
Seeing this, Ortolan nodded and said, "Ah, then you should prepare in the meantime. After I meet with Lu Field and Uton, I should be leaving around that time."
Gion was also in a very good mood at this moment, and nodded, saying, "I understand, I understand."
Just then, the Den Den Mushi on Ortolan's desk suddenly rang. Both of them looked over, Gion, not recognizing the Den Den Mushi, casually asked, "Who is it?"
"That one from the Pleasure District ..." Ortolan replied without much thought, then answered the Den Den Mushi and asked with a chuckle, "Queen Stussy, it's been a long time..."
At the same time, Stussy's charming voice, tinged with laughter, came through. "Hehehe~ Has Vice Admiral Bane missed me lately?"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, a question mark gradually appeared on Gion's brow... Where did this fox spirit come from?!
However, Ortolan didn't notice Gion's situation and casually teased, "Who wouldn't want a beauty like Your Majesty?"
It wasn't that he wanted to give Gion a hard time, but rather that Stussy's communication style was just so frivolous; if you spoke to her seriously, she would think there was something wrong with you.
Upon hearing this, Gion's face twitched, and she glared fiercely at Ortolan. Ortolan then noticed and quickly waved his hand to signal Gion not to rush.
However, the next second, Stussy's tone became serious as he said, "Vice Admiral Bane, regarding the martial arts deal we discussed earlier, it has been approved. The partner is none other than the Big Mom Pirates..."
Upon hearing this, Ortolan finally breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Thank you for your help, Your Majesty. If there is anything I can do to help you in the future, please don't hesitate to ask. I am always generous and loyal to my friends."
"Hehehe~~~" Stussy chuckled twice more, then reminded her meaningfully, "What you're doing is very dangerous, I wouldn't dare ask you for help~ Whether it's shipbuilding or anything else, make sure it's done cleanly. If I clean it up for you this time, but if others find out next time, it might very well get back to Mary Geoise..."
If you keep your actions to yourself, no one will know, and the other party won't appreciate it. Stussy understands this very well. She helped Ortolan keep some things from him, so she must let Ortolan know what she did, otherwise it would be a waste of time.
Upon hearing this, Ortolan's expression turned serious. He had no intention of denying or lying, as that would be too tactless. He said with a serious look in his eyes, "It was I who overlooked something... Thank you, Your Majesty, for covering for me."
"It's nothing, just treat me to a meal if you have time~" Stussy said with a smile, teasingly.
"Definitely, definitely," Ortolan replied.
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Ortolan said to Gion, "Raise the security level on Shipbuilding Island to a whole new level. Have someone do a thorough search of everything, from beginning to end, and check if there are any problems within our organization!!!"
Gion's expression was also serious at this moment. She didn't ask about Stussy, but nodded seriously and said, "Aibai, I'll go and make the arrangements right away."