In the year 1503 of the Marine Era, Garp took a long leave to rest in the East Blue, actually to take care of his newborn grandson.
That's right, just like in the original story, Luffy's destiny was still to be born in the East Blue. Dragon named him 'Luffy' and left him in his hometown Windmill Village, where Garp took care of him.
After learning about this, Ortolan didn't pay much attention. Although he would always joke that the kid would become a prodigy in the future, Ortolan didn't actually take it seriously at all.
If fate is really that powerful, then everyone should just stop working, lie down and wait for time to pass and for fate to take its course. What's the point of striving?
Ultimately, Ortolan still only believed in himself, firmly adhering to the idea that "one must rely on oneself."
In June of 1503 (Marine Era), Ortolan and Gion, along with Ace, left the G-5 Marines.
This was because his adoptive mother, Charlotte Linlin, had finally set up a scheme to meet Kaido. The meeting place was deep in the New World, on the edge of Kaido's territory, Kaido an island called Flotter.
Upon learning the location, Ortolan was not surprised. Kaido may seem carefree, but he is actually quite cautious.
Charlotte Linlin will be present for this gathering, as will Ortolan himself. Their relationship is quite complicated, Kaido will definitely have to be wary of them. He doesn't want them to pretend to be just having a gathering to discuss business, but in reality, they might conspire to defeat him. That would put Kaido in a Kaido difficult position.
Therefore, when it came time to finalize the meeting location, Kaido insisted on meeting on his territory, as this would give him more security.
Compared to Kaido, Charlotte Linlin and Ortolan seem quite casual. If the two of them were to appear together, there's probably nowhere in this vast world that could hold them back; at least Kaido doesn't have that ability.
So when Kaido made his request, the two of them quickly agreed.
Meanwhile, on the route to Flotter, a sun lounger was placed on the deck of the warship, and Ortolan was lying on it, reading a Marine internal bulletin.
This thing is still the same as before; it just releases internal Marines information to inform the Marines at various bases, just to let them know.
Basically, all of this was something Ortolan had already heard about beforehand. For example, the former Marine Base Commander, Kuzan, has now stepped down from his position as Marine Base Commander of G-8 Marine Base Commander, and Jonathan Vice Admiral Jonathan has taken over the position.
Jonathan Altorren also knew him; they had met a few times at headquarters. He was mature and steady, and in terms of ideology, Altorren felt that he was the kind of person who was a dove. But in reality, he was a member of the neutral faction. What was even more bizarre was that he had a very close relationship with Sakazuki. The two were good friends, and it was often said that he and Sakazuki were hanging out together with their arms around each other.
If nothing unexpected happens, Jonathan's appointment as base commander this time is not a trial like Kuzan's, but a formal appointment. He should be the boss of G-8 Marine Base for a very long time.
This is actually what many Marine Admiral aspire to. At headquarters, although they have more access to the core of the military's power, the competition is also fiercer. Compared to the military, people like Ortolan and Jonathan can find a base and work steadily, which is like being a warlord. Apart from the routine inspections by headquarters personnel every now and then, they are the boss all the time.
Kuzan returned to headquarters. Ortolan estimated that he would not leave headquarters much in the future except for rotating duties. He had already accumulated seniority and grassroots work experience. His strength was probably not yet at its peak, but he still had time. He could stay at headquarters for the time being and wait to be promoted to Admiral in the future.
Whether it was intentional arrangement by headquarters or not, as soon as Kuzan left headquarters, Sakazuki once again took over the duties of G-1 base commander and was promptly sent to the New World.
If Ortolan remembers correctly, this is Sakazuki's third time serving as the commander of G-1. From this perspective, Sakazuki's qualifications are indeed more impressive than Kuzan's. It's not without reason that he was able to compete with Kuzan for the position of commander when Sengoku strongly supported Kuzan.
Compared to Kuzan and Sakazuki, Borsalino has been practically invisible lately, making no sound at all, quietly stationed in Punk Hazard as the commander of his Science Unit.
However, Ortolan thought that this might be the life Borsalino wanted: clocking in at work, drinking tea and reading newspapers, nothing to do.
Borsalino is probably not even sure if he will become a general in the Admiral.
Aside from some personnel changes, there were other things in the internal publication, two of which caught some of Ortolan's attention.
Firstly, the relatively wealthy Oykot Kingdom in the East Blue encountered a large-scale pirate invasion, a rare occurrence in the East Blue. This pirate invasion was not launched by a single pirate crew, but rather by dozens of pirate crews of all sizes in the East Blue working together to carry out a major operation.
The end result was that the most prosperous port in the Oykot Kingdom was completely destroyed, pirates plundered a large amount of wealth, and even the two organized combat squadrons of the Marine Branch 16 the East Blue Navy were disbanded.
This can be considered a victory for the pirates.
From a realistic perspective, the fact that a kingdom in the East Blue was invaded by pirates shouldn't even be on the Marines's internal publication. However, because the East Blue hasn't experienced anything this egregious in many years, it was included in this publication, which also noted that the East Blue Admiral was mobilizing the forces of all the East Blue's branch Marines to wipe out these united pirate crews.
Whether or not they were wiped out, Ortolan didn't care. However, he did have some impression of the Oykot Kingdom, and with the addition of a certain Marines force whose organization had been broken up... Ortolan was basically certain that Nami, Nojiko, and their adopted son Bellemere were likely among the background figures in this major East Blue incident.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Bellemere will retire from the Marines, choose to adopt Nami and Nojiko, and return to Cocoyasi Village to grow oranges.
However, these facts had nothing to do with Ortolan, and he didn't intend to verify them. Apart from this matter, another piece of news that interested Ortolan was that Commodore Dias Barrels of the Marine Headquarters had defected to the Marines after failing in a certain mission, and his whereabouts were currently unknown. He hoped that all Marines members would keep an eye on him.
The internal publication is simply a way to keep track of someone's situation and find out what's going on.
Such news is actually quite frequent. Every month, a large number of personnel in the Marines desert, betray, or fall into depravity. In the same way, the Marines also absorbs a large number of pirates who surrender every month.
Therefore, many people's positions and identities are constantly changing. Today they are Marines, tomorrow they might become pirates. Pirates are the same. For example, in the original story, Jango was directly recruited into the Marines by Hina.
Given the sheer size of the Marines, it's perfectly reasonable for someone to betray justice.
The internal publication also frequently carried news of Marines officers and colonels defecting, which Ortolan usually didn't take seriously. However, this Dias Barrels looked somewhat familiar to him.
After thinking about it carefully, it dawned on him that this guy was Drake's father, the one who obtained the Op-Op Fruit. He originally planned to sell the Op-Op Fruit through the Dark World, but ended up being tricked and killed by Rosinante.
"Barrels..." Ortolan murmured softly, then smiled and said, "The task of finding the Op-Op Fruit is now yours..."
He didn't intend to interfere; perhaps in this way, the Op-Op Fruit could still fall into this guy's hands as originally intended.
At first, Ortolan didn't really need the Op-Op Fruit. Immortality was too illusory and unrealistic. Instead of pursuing the immortality that the Op-Op Fruit could bring, he would rather try to make Pure Gold or something.
However, Trafalgar Law is a talented individual, and G-5's medical logistics also greatly need the fruits of the medical department, as well as... Ortolan is considering how to strengthen the 'trust relationship' with jackals like Luke Field, and other factors.
He still has high expectations and a strong need for the Op-Op Fruit.
After all... what trust could demonstrate loyalty more than offering your heart to me?