Five Elders: Look, You're Getting Anxious Again!

Before Ortolan could even enjoy himself in his Admiral's office, Sengoku no Uchiha hurriedly took him to Mary Geoise for a report.

Holy Land, Mary Geoise, Panger Castle.

When Ortolan followed Sengoku into this place, his gaze fell on the direction of the Void Grand Hall, but he did not sense anyone inside. Perhaps Imu was not even in Mary Geoise?

However, Ortolan didn't think much of it and followed Sengoku to the door of the Five Elders' office.

Sengoku knocked on the door, and after a response came from inside, Sengoku pushed the door open and went in, with Ortolan following suit.

Upon entering, they saw the Five Elders and the others already seated on the sofa, waiting.

"Sengoku, Ortolan, no need to be so polite, please have a seat," Saint Figarland said first.

Now that Sengoku was the commander, he had some confidence and sat down calmly. Ortolan, on the other hand, pretended to be very excited and slightly apprehensive, and sat down next to Sengoku.

"Actually, to be honest, we already said it when you went back to Japan. The reason we called you here today is to congratulate you on becoming the new Admiral of the Marines," Saint Figarland Sengoku.

Sengoku immediately expressed his gratitude for the support of the Five Elders and repeatedly emphasized that under Mary Geoise's leadership, the Marines would develop better.

After a series of polite exchanges, Saint Figarland then said, "Steel Bone said they have something to discuss with you..."

Upon hearing this, Sengoku Guo knew that he had finished dealing with things on his side and there was nothing more for him to do, so he didn't delay and stood up immediately. "Then I'll go to the commander-in-chief to report on my work."

After saying that, he didn't explain anything to Ortolan and left very quickly.

After the Sengoku period ended, Saint Figarland smiled and said, "Ortolan, we've wanted to have a face-to-face chat with you like this for a long time. Last time, Mary Geoise was in chaos and you were injured, so we didn't keep you. This time, we really need to get to know you properly."

"Yes, thank you very much for your recognition, five lords. I, Ortolan, owe my existence to the cultivation of the Realm Government. I am truly grateful to have the honor of sitting and talking with you five lords..." Ortolan looked very excited.

"Hahaha, capable people can shine anywhere. Our Heavenly Realm government also warmly welcomes ambitious people like you to join us and contribute to the glory of this Heavenly Realm." Saint Figarland laughed heartily.

The other Five Elders also spoke up at the right time, offering a few words of encouragement to Ortolan. The atmosphere gradually eased with these words, and it was no longer as awkward and stiff as before.

After exchanging pleasantries, Saint Figarland asked, "Now that you've become a Marines Admiral, and I've heard from Sengoku that you'll be returning to the New World to New World Marines, we've heard about your achievements there. You've done an excellent job, transforming the relatively weak New World Marines into a powerful force in a short time. This has significantly restored our New World government's influence, and in the past two New World, we've seen several more allies applying to join our government..."

"This achievement is inseparable from the support of the Ministry and the care of the lords of Mary Geoise for our Marines," Ortolan replied humbly.

Saint Figarland nodded, then continued, "Then we are also curious, now that you have been promoted to Admiral, do you have any new ideas for the deployment and planning of the New World?"

"In the past few days, with the support of the New World government, our G-5 Marines has indeed made great strides in the New World, especially in terms of troop strength. We have now reached a scale of 50,000 elite combatants. This is the main reason why I have been able to maintain the front line in the New World and deter the Big Mom Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and the Whitebeard Pirates from being too arrogant..." Ortolan spoke eloquently.

G-5's nearly 60,000-strong army is out in the open and cannot be hidden. So, Ortolan spoke very frankly. The Five Elders obviously knew something about this as well. After all, if G-5 didn't have enough strength, how could it withstand the pressure on the front line and allow the influence of the Marines and the World Government to quickly revive in the New World?

"However, with our current Marines strength in the New World, it is still insufficient to completely suppress the entire New World. While the pirates certainly have their own internal struggles, judging from past New World wars, whenever our Marines is about to exert its strength, these Great Pirate who normally fight like madmen are able to quickly put aside their disputes and unite against us when faced with our pressure... Although the New World is developing well now, it is still beyond our capabilities to completely suppress these pirates," Ortolan continued.

The Five Elders did not interrupt him; instead, they nodded in approval, signaling Ortolan to continue.

Ortolan didn't mince words, continuing, "My first step is to establish several new Marine Base within the New World..."

"Adding new Marine Base is possible, but our budget may not be as sufficient as you think. I wonder if Sengoku has discussed the allocation of military funds for this year and next? Although military funds will increase in both years, it may not be able to meet your needs, especially if we move the New World Marines bases closer to the G-5 model..." Saint Figarland interrupted Ortolan on the spot.

Upon hearing this, Ortolan also looked troubled and hesitated, saying, "You mean you want my new base to develop in the same self-sufficient model as G-5? That's probably unlikely. G-5 has already reached its limit of growth... Even if I wanted to continue developing the new Marine Base in this way, there aren't enough pirates to create enough resources..."

Of course, Ortolan said this on purpose. If he really wanted to do something, he had the resources, but of course, he couldn't let the Five Elders know about those resources.

Upon hearing this, Saint Figarland waved his hand and said, "We wouldn't be so demanding. The fact that G-5 has developed to its current state within the New World has already exceeded our expectations. Of course, we can't force you to build several more Marine Base in the G-5 model. What we mean is, you can build new Marines bases, but if you want to use funds from the military budget, the scale certainly can't be as large as G-5..."

Upon hearing this, Ortolan feigned a somewhat anxious expression and said, "But if we don't guarantee sufficient scale and combat strength, it will be difficult for us to exert pressure on the other Great Pirate crews in the New World!"

"See, you're in a hurry again." Saint Figarland seemed quite satisfied with Ortolan's slightly impatient attitude. He smiled and reassured Ortolan before saying, "We know very well that you've just taken office Admiral, so you're eager to achieve something and prove your abilities, right?"

After a moment of hesitation, Ortolan gritted his teeth and nodded, saying, "That's right. To be honest, although I am now Marine Admiral, I have always dreamed of becoming a Commander-in-Chief. Therefore, I really want to prove myself. If I can conquer the New World, that would be a great asset for me to run for Commander-in-Chief in the future, wouldn't it?"

Ortolan knew very well that if he wanted to put the Five Elders at ease, he had to show that he still had something to ask of them, something to need. And the dream of becoming a hero was a very good reason.

This way, the Five Elders will feel that Ortolan still has some leverage over him, especially regarding the matter of becoming the next Commander-in-Chief. They have a lot of say in this, which makes it seem like Ortolan will have to serve them well in order to have a chance of becoming the next Commander-in-Chief.

If Ortolan is acting like he doesn't care at all, then the Five Elders should be worried. This guy doesn't care about anything, so how can they control him? If they can't control him, how can they give him so much power?

"It's good that you have such dreams and goals to strive for, but you can't be too impatient. Sengoku has only just been promoted to commander, and you're already thinking about taking over his position? Hahaha..." Saint Figarland laughed first, his tone slightly teasing.

Upon hearing this, Ortolan touched his nose somewhat awkwardly, looking a little embarrassed.

Then, Saint Figarland continued, "The affairs of the New World are not something that can be accomplished overnight. We are already very satisfied with your current achievements. So, in the next step, don't be too hasty in this regard. Be steady and methodical, and reopen a few bases like a regular base. Once our development has progressed further and we have solidified this foundation, it will be more appropriate for you to seek to conquer the entire New World and eliminate those Great Pirate. What do you think?"

After a moment of silence, Ortolan nodded as if in resignation, saying, "You're right, I was a little too hasty. But don't worry, I'm not usually like this. I'm usually very composed..."

"Of course we believe in your abilities..." Saint Figarland reassured Ortolan again, then changed the subject, "Speaking of which, you have quite a history with the Big Mom Pirates. I wonder how your relationship with Charlotte Linlin is?"

Upon hearing this, Ortolan straightened up, guessing that this was probably the main topic of the conversation.