After the Admiral Sengoku finished speaking, there was nothing more to discuss regarding the Admiral, so Sakazuki and Kuzan left.
On the contrary, Ortolan was held captive by Sengoku, who said he had something to say to him in private.
Once Kuzan and Sakazuki closed the door, Ortolan's face broke into a bright smile, "Admiral, this birthday present may be a little early, but you should like it, right?"
The Admiral Sengoku glared fiercely at Ortolan, then lowered his voice and said, "You're taking too many risks. If even the slightest mistake occurs, who can bear the consequences?"
"Rest assured, Admiral, I have taken multiple layers of precautions. Even if a problem does occur, it won't be traced back to me," Ortolan said confidently.
The Admiral Sengoku nodded and sat down opposite Ortolan, then suddenly asked, "Was the commander-in-chief really killed by Shiki?"
Ortolan paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Of course it's real, more real than real gold, right in front of me!"
The fact that it's right in front of you further suggests that his death was suspicious. His silence before speaking was already an answer in itself.
Sengoku was fully aware of these matters and understood what Ortolan's answer was.
So he stopped asking about it and said with a touch of emotion, "That's good too, at least it gave him some dignity."
After a pause, Sengoku continued, "Saint Figarland is very interested in you. After you take over Admiral, I will need to go to Mary Geoise as Fleet Admiral to report on my duties. You will come with me to meet them then."
"Huh?" Ortolan looked miserable and said with obvious disdain, "I'm not really interested in him... Can I not go?"
"It's good to go and deal with it. Your identity and background are special, and perhaps he has something else to tell you. Anyway, this matter is settled." The Admiral Sengoku didn't give Ortolan a chance and finalized the matter directly.
Seeing this, Ortolan could only shrug helplessly. "Rank has its own way of putting people. You're the Fleet Admiral, so whatever you say goes."
Sengoku chuckled upon hearing this, but after a moment, his expression turned serious, and he said earnestly, "Ortolan, the Mary Geoise incident has caused quite a stir, and you're about to be promoted to Admiral again. I'm here to give you a few words of advice face-to-face. Once you return to the New World, don't do anything risky in the coming days. Proceed step by step and let the storm pass first, understand?"
After a moment's thought, Ortolan realized he didn't have any particularly 'rebellious' tasks to assign, so he readily nodded. "Understood... But fighting pirates shouldn't be a problem, right? I'm planning to take over Hachinosu Island when I get back..."
"Hachinosu Island?" The Admiral Sengoku looked at Ortolan with some surprise. "Ochoku has always been peaceful and doesn't cause trouble, why are you causing him trouble?"
"I need to use Hachinosu Island to open up more trade channels in the New World. After we get rid of Ochoku, our Italian market can expand a lot. This involves a wide range of interests..." Ortolan said frankly.
"I see..." The Admiral Sengoku pondered for a moment, "Ochoku is a heinous criminal. As the Marine Admiral, it is your duty to punish evil and uphold justice. Do not hesitate, just do it!"
Ortolan had become quite used to, even immune to, these high-sounding words from the Warring Admiral Sengoku.
Yes, yes, yes, when it doesn't involve our Marines's interests, he's safe and harmless. But once it involves our Marines's interests, he's a heinous criminal who deserves divine punishment. No doubt about it!
After recounting the events at Hachinosu Island, the Admiral Sengoku asked, "Before, when you were in G-5, I didn't ask you much about the situation there. But now that you're leaving G-5, there are many things you'll have to tell me. Also, who would be the most suitable person to take over G-5 after this?"
This is the office of the Admiral Sengoku, so Ortolan is not worried about being eavesdropped on.
He pondered for a moment, then spoke, "Currently, integrating all forces under G-5, I command nearly 100,000 troops, 60,000 of whom are elite soldiers who have experienced numerous brutal battles against New World pirates. Both recruitment and garrisoning are now on track, and we are intentionally controlling the rate of troop growth. There shouldn't be a significant increase in numbers within the next two years. After that, according to the original plan, G-5 will be undergoing a thorough internal restructuring..."
Sengoku was probably already aware of the situation, so when Ortolan said he had an army of 100,000, Sengoku was still somewhat surprised, but he didn't show it on his face.
"What do you mean by adjusting the internal structure?" the Admiral Sengoku asked again.
"With the current G-5 structure, this force is basically at its 'limit.' Any more and I won't be able to keep up the pretense," Ortolan said, somewhat embarrassed.
A normal Marine Base, even if it's developed to a great extent, would have at most 20,000 troops. Now, with G-5 coordinating 100,000 troops, this is already the limit of what a base can masquerade as.
The original plan for Ortolan was to adjust the internal structure and postpone the reinforcement of troops after this, and to make arrangements after he became Admiral. Unexpectedly, the opportunity came suddenly, and he became Admiral directly.
"Then how are you going to adjust the structure?" Sengoku was also very curious. He wanted to know what new tricks Ortolan could come up with under these circumstances.
"That's right. Regarding this situation, we at G-5 have already come up with a complete plan. The original plan is still to use the various countries within our jurisdiction as the core to cover up the true situation..." Ortolan said.
"So, you mean your 'reserve Marines training camp' is going to continue expanding?" Sengoku asked, somewhat puzzled.
Does this need to be replanned?
"No, no, I plan to establish a joint Sea Police Force in the name of the royal families of the various countries within my jurisdiction!" Ortolan shook his head and said with a smile.
"Coast Guard!?" Sengoku was a little confused when he heard this. What kind of concept was this?
"It's like a common maritime security officer, something similar. This unit's responsibilities are defined. On the surface, I plan to use 'handling maritime disputes' as an excuse. When ships sail on the high seas, conflicts often arise. Sometimes, two merchant fleets that don't get along will even fire a couple of shots at each other for fun. Isn't that a conflict? Isn't that a problem? In my jurisdiction, I want to establish a system that allows everyone to sail safely and develop the maritime environment. But for these trivial personal disputes, it would be a waste of our Marines to resolve them. So I plan to establish Sea Police Force ... specifically to handle these issues. Is that reasonable?" Ortolan said confidently.
Although this was the first time the Admiral Sengoku had heard of this concept, as an Ortolan, he already understood its meaning.
It's just a change of skin, isn't it? They call it the Coast Guard, but that's the law during peacetime. When Ortolan really wants to take over, he can just wave his hand and the Coast Guard will instantly become the Marines, right?
"Not enough." The Admiral Sengoku shook his head and said, "If such a violent organization suddenly appeared, Mary Geoise would definitely not pay attention. Your reason and excuse are too superficial. If we really want to be serious, your request won't get anything done, and it might even cause other trouble..."
Upon hearing this, Ortolan nodded earnestly and asked humbly, "Then, Admiral, what are your thoughts?"
Of course, he had other ideas, but at this moment, he could let the leader give his opinion first. If the leader had a brilliant idea, then everyone would be happy. If not, he could say that he was following the thought process of the Admiral Sengoku and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He could then explain his prepared ideas, which could be considered as coming up with a new idea under the leader's guidance. In any case, the leader had to get some credit.
He can't just stop respecting his old leader because he's about to be promoted to Admiral. That won't do. His old leader is going to be Fleet Admiral. Without the Fleet Admiral's support, how can he, as Admiral, make his mark in the New World?
Sengoku glanced meaningfully at Ortolan, then said, "With such a major incident in Mary Geoise, and the Revolutionary Army running rampant, even daring to carry out terrorist attacks on the Holy Land, if the royal families of the other allied nations are so afraid of the Revolutionary Army that they spontaneously formed a 'coast guard' force like the one you mentioned, specifically for daily patrols and defense, and to combat Revolutionary Army infiltration, Mary Geoise would be very pleased to know this now, wouldn't they?"
Ortolan hadn't genuinely considered this aspect. A glint suddenly appeared in his eyes. Yes, in this situation, this was the perfect excuse and reason! Following his original plan, if he did these things himself, Mary Geoise might find something amiss, but if he arranged things according to the Admiral's suggestion, Mary Geoise might even praise him. In the current climate, anything aimed at attacking the Revolutionary Army was undoubtedly politically correct, and any force opposing the Revolutionary Army was a righteous force!
"Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure," said Ortolan after pondering for a moment, giving a thumbs-up and exclaiming, "Your Excellency is truly insightful!"
Look at that Admiral Sengoku, his political awareness was just damn high!