Sengoku: Don't Overthink It, I Just Want to Look Out for You
On Phoenix Island, Ortolan's figure appeared at the port dock accompanied by lightning; Gion had been waiting there for a long time.
Upon arriving, Gion immediately led Ortolan onto the merchant ship.
The ship's owner stood on the deck, looking at Ortolan with trepidation, and asked, "Marines, may we set sail?"
"Open." Ortolan waved his hand. "Don't worry, the Whitebeard Pirates won't stop us."
Only after receiving a definite answer from Ortolan did the boat owner breathe a sigh of relief, swallow hard, and quickly signal for the boat to set sail.
At this moment, Gion looked at the Moby Dick not too far away and the intact port, and said incredulously, "You two were fighting with all your might, at least you were, but it didn't affect us at all... This is really unexpected. I thought you would fight a cataclysmic battle."
"It's not a large-scale war, so it doesn't have to be like this. It's precisely because we're going all out that we don't need to use any extra probing or momentum-based confrontations. That's why we can focus all our power on the single enemy. If we can't even do that, how can we call ourselves the strongest?" Ortolan's words were perfectly natural.
Even in that state, the Moby Dick wasn't greatly affected. Even in a town, at most one street would be unable to withstand it. Whitebeard could indeed do it with ease, sinking an island into the sea with a wave of his hand. If he were to get serious, he could definitely ensure that he wouldn't affect the outside world at all during a battle.
The ability to control and release at will is the true mark of a master.
The merchant ships circled the Moby Dick, so there was no longer any situation where Ortolan and Newgate were watching each other as they drifted further apart.
Once the merchant ship had completely left Phoenix Island, it began to accelerate rapidly. The ship owner seemed to wish the ship could grow two more masts so it could run on four legs at sea.
At this moment, Ortolan was also sitting on the deck guest seat. Gion was holding a bandage and bandaging the wound on his fist, while cleaning away the rotten flesh and blood between his knuckles.
Ortolan is neither a Zoan type Awakening user nor someone with a particularly powerful self-healing ability. However, putting all that aside, his injuries are not serious, and he can recover completely after a few days of rest.
It could even be said that the injuries Kozuki Oden inflicted on him were more severe than those Whitebeard caused.
After bandaging the wound on her hand, Gion gestured for Ortolan to remove his torn clothes, revealing his muscular chest, and began cleaning the cut.
A normal person would probably scream in pain from this cleaning, since he wasn't given any anesthesia. Ortolan sat there upright, letting Gion open up his wound and clean the filth and residue without even frowning.
He even calmly took out a Den Den Mushi (Den Den Mushi) and called the Admiral Sengoku.
The Admiral Sengoku was clearly also watching the Den Den Mushi; before it even Den Den Mushi twice, he answered immediately and asked, "Ortolan!?"
"It is I, Admiral," Ortolan replied quickly.
Upon hearing Ortolan's resounding response, the Admiral Sengoku immediately breathed a sigh of relief and asked with a sigh of relief, "It seems the situation has been resolved?"
"Yes, I exchanged three blows with Whitebeard, and he didn't try to stop me. That must have been too much; they won't retaliate against our Marines." Ortolan smiled.
Since Ortolan had said so, the Admiral Sengoku did not doubt his words. Instead, he asked, "How do you feel?"
"Strong!" Ortolan gave an affirmative answer without hesitation.
"Hehehe..." The Admiral Sengoku chuckled twice upon hearing this, "Our Marines is known as the Overlord of the Sea, and we have countless experts. However, the title of the strongest has always been in the hands of that guy Whitebeard. Now, do you understand the value of his title?"
Ortolan could understand this perfectly well. He fought Kozuki Oden and even beat up Jozu in the process. Although he didn't fight Marco, he estimated that Marco was probably no stronger than Kozuki Oden.
Through these battles, he realized that the overall strength of the Whitebeard Pirates was indeed not bad, and that Oden was only considered not bad. Among the others, only Kozuki Oden had not yet fully matured and might have the potential to become a truly top-tier fighter in the future. The others, however, had little chance of that.
Of the entire pirate crew, only Whitebeard was above average. In contrast, the Marine Headquarters was filled with top-tier fighters. Zephyr, Admiral Sengoku Teacher Zephyr, and Fleet Admiral Kong were all formidable opponents. There were also big shots like Garp and Chief Staff Officer Tsuru Otsuru. In terms of overall strength, the Whitebeard Pirates.
Even under these circumstances, Admiral Sengoku and others were still unwilling to provoke the Whitebeard Pirates. At the same time, the title of the strongest pirate was in the hands of the Whitebeard Pirates, which shows how terrifying Whitebeard's power was.
"I understand its value very well. Now, I've already caught a glimpse of its silhouette. I've already seen the outline of the throne that represents the strongest, Admiral," Ortolan replied softly.
His words surprised the Admiral Sengoku on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, but soon that surprise turned into delight and relief.
"You were only eighteen when you joined our Marines, weren't you?" Admiral Sengoku couldn't help but ask.
"Well, at the end of 1495 in the Marine Era, I was taken to Marineford by Mr. Garp. In early 1996, I was a student of Teacher Zephyr..." Ortolan replied with a slight sense of emotion.
"It's almost 1504 now. Time flies. In the blink of an eye, you've been in our Marines for almost ten years..." the Admiral Sengoku exclaimed.
In 1495, Ortolan was eighteen years old. Now, almost in 1504, Ortolan was approaching thirty and was twenty-seven years old.
"It's very fast..." Ortolan said with a smile.
"I remember when you first came here, although you were exceptionally talented, you weren't exactly someone who could stand on your own. Garp found you because you couldn't even withstand the aftershocks of his battle with Roger and were knocked unconscious, right?" Admiral Sengoku said with a smile as he recalled.
Recalling this, Ortolan found it somewhat amusing and nodded with a smile, saying, "Yes, back then, I was quite excited and thrilled to be able to witness the duel between two of the world's top masters up close..."
"Now, you are qualified to stand before the Strongest Man, Whitebeard Edward Newgate, and challenge him, Ortolan," the Admiral Sengoku murmured softly.
In less than ten years, the unknown Ortolan has become one of the strongest individuals at the very top of this vast ocean!
This incredible growth rate truly surprised and delighted the Admiral Sengoku.
Most importantly, Ortolan is still in his prime. He is only twenty-seven years old. With his physical condition, he should not experience any decline before the age of sixty, and it is hard to say even after sixty.
After all, his physique was too monstrous, so the Admiral Sengoku was willing to believe that in the next twenty years, perhaps in terms of personal strength, this sea would belong to Ortolan!
Now, it's just the last few years of the transition between the strongest of the Old Era and the strongest of the New Era.
Before Ortolan could respond, Admiral Sengoku asked in a serious tone, "Then how long do you think it will take before you can face Whitebeard head-on and be confident of victory?"
"At most five years?" Ortolan pondered for a moment and said, "If things go quickly, I might be able to do it by the time I'm thirty. Don't you think my mental state has been extremely stable lately? During the last full moon, I was even able to control my violence with a clear and rational mind for more than an hour. I think I can completely cure my illness within five years at most. Once I can freely control the Sulong state, Whitebeard's title of strongest will change hands!"
"You, G-5, are all-powerful. Even Gion and Issho can't compete with your strength. The progress is a bit slow. Why don't you come to headquarters a few more times? I'll invite Garp, Zephyr, and even the Fleet Admiral to beat you up. If we beat you up a few more times, maybe your illness will be cured before you turn thirty?" Admiral Sengoku suggested with some anticipation and earnestness.
Ortolan frowned and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Admiral, I have a strong suspicion that you don't think you'll be able to beat me if you don't seize the opportunity in the next two years, so you're looking for this excuse to beat me up?"
Hearing this, the Admiral Sengoku's face flashed with an embarrassed look of having been seen through, but he still stubbornly said, "How could that be? I'm just showing my concern for an outstanding junior, don't overthink it..."