Ortolan: One of My Soldiers Went Missing Here!
New World, Hachinosu Island. The weather is nice today; the sea is calm and the sun is shining warmly on us.
In the harbor, numerous pirate ships were crowded together. On the dock, two groups of pirates were fighting, while a large group of thugs surrounded them, cheering and shouting as if they were afraid the fight wouldn't be exciting enough.
This is everyday life on Hachinosu Island, a lawless land, a chaotic Pirate Paradise.
On the rooftop of a small two-story building not far from the pier, a bonfire was burning, and a group of people were having a barbecue party.
Red-Hair Shanks, holding a half-empty bottle of West Blue sake, sat on the edge of the rooftop, watching the pirates fighting below. A grin spread across his face. "This place is really lively..."
That's right, the Red Hair Pirates.
Ben Beckman, with a cigarette dangling from his lips and a skewer of freshly grilled beef in his hand, strolled over to Shanks, plopped down on the edge of the rooftop, and asked, "After this meal, shall we get started?"
"Yeah!" Shanks nodded enthusiastically, "After this meal, we'll give that Ochoku guy a good beating!"
"Looks like you're getting a little anxious..." Beckman said with a sigh, chewing on the roasted meat in his mouth.
Shanks took a swig of his drink, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "There's no other way. These days, if I want to make a name for myself in the New World, I can only mess with these guys. I can't afford to offend Ortolan, and the same goes for the Big Mom Pirates. Only the Beasts Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, and Ochoku's crew are viable targets. Kaido is too difficult, and I can't beat Whitebeard. So, all things considered, I guess I can only go after Ochoku..."
In the entire New World, only a few people have enough influence, and among them, Ochoku and his Hachinosu Island group are arguably the weakest. Shanks wanted to make a name for himself in one fell swoop and truly establish himself in the New World, so he set his sights on this guy.
However, just as Shanks and Beckman were discussing how to make their move and what arrangements to make, Yasopp, who was drinking not far away, suddenly froze. He immediately threw the bottle on the table next to him, took out his binoculars, and looked at the sea with a somewhat nervous expression.
Noticing the change in this guy, Shanks frowned. "Yasopp? What?"
"Looks like the Marines!?" Yasopp responded somewhat uncertainly at first, but after observing carefully for a few seconds, his expression changed drastically. "Damn, it's real, the G-5 fleet!!!"
"What!?" Shanks was startled and immediately stood up. "Coming this way? How many warships?"
"Looks like they're heading this way. Let me count... one, two, three... Holy crap, ten warships, it's definitely a large fleet..." Yasopp quickly replied.
Shanks was initially tense, but after a moment, he suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, "I almost forgot, that guy Ortolan is Marine Admiral now, not the base commander of G-5 anymore, he shouldn't be here, right?"
After observing for a while, Yasopp said uncertainly, "We can't see the Marines commanders on the warships, so we can't be sure if Ortolan is there... But they're definitely here to cause trouble for Hachinosu Island. What should we say?"
Shanks looked at Beckman, seemingly seeking Beckman opinion. Beckman pondered for a moment and said, "The first option is to leave now. This aligns with our usual approach when dealing with the G-5 Marines —avoiding direct confrontation and observing from a distance. The second option is to take a risk. Who knows, Ochoku and the G-5 Marines might clash. Although it might not actually fight, both sides will inevitably suffer losses if they do, and we might be able to pick up some scraps... However, in that case, we might run into that monster, Ortolan."
Shanks listened to these suggestions with a hesitant expression, but he was not one to dwell on things. After a brief hesitation, his expression hardened. "Let alone whether that guy Ortolan is here or not, even if he is, things are different now. If we want to establish ourselves in the New World, we can't keep running away from his shadow forever. I don't believe that with my current strength, he can easily break my hand."
Shanks felt he had been avoiding Ortolan for too long, and now he had finally developed enough strength to be formidable. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to Hachinosu Island, wanting to take on Ochoku.
If things continue like this, and he still thinks about running away at the mere sound of Ortolan, then Ortolan might really become a psychological trauma for him in the future!
Therefore, after much deliberation, Shanks decided to stay on Hachinosu Island to see if there was an opportunity to take a risk and confront his past shadows.
Seeing that their captain had made a decision, Beckman and the others quickly prepared for battle. However, this matter was not their place to take the lead, so they did not intend to launch an attack. Instead, they lay in wait to see what would happen next.
At the same time, the alert on Hachinosu Island seemed to have been triggered. On the port dock, the pirate crews who were still fighting and the onlookers suddenly heard someone shout in terror that the Marines was coming. They then quickly scattered and formed their own groups.
Some of the more timid ones didn't even intend to stay; they boarded the boat immediately and started trying to escape.
However, soon everyone saw that the Marines's large fleet had spread out and blockaded the port area. Several pirate ships that wanted to escape had not gone far before they were directly covered by dense cannon fire. After the smoke cleared, only a pile of wreckage remained floating on the sea.
"Those mad dogs from G-5 are still as arrogant as ever!"
"What's the point of you cursing here? Go sail your boat and curse them in front of them!"
"You son of a bitch, if it weren't for those Marines bastards coming, I would have killed you first!"
"Don't be afraid, don't panic. This is Hachinosu Island. Ochoku and Lord Silver Axe are not to be trifled with. Those people from G-5 might not dare to really make a move!"
"Exactly, what's there to be afraid of? At worst, we'll fight those bastard Marines bastards!"
The pirates at the port seemed to be stirred up by these comments, yelling and shouting as if they were just waiting for the Marines to arrive so they could have a fierce battle and show off their ferocity.
Of course, there were also some smarter guys who had already sensed that something was wrong and quietly retreated to the back, protecting the pirates on the dock in front of them.
Meanwhile, inside the skull-shaped building, Ochoku naturally received the news and was standing at the window, watching the G-5 Marines fleet that had already blockaded the port.
"Damn it, they really came. Is that Marine Admiral the illegitimate son of some big shot in the Marines?" Ochoku cursed angrily as he looked at the fleet in the distance.
Silver Axe stood beside Ochoku with a grim expression. After a moment, he slung his battle axe over his shoulder and said, "Damn it, a mere Marine Admiral has attracted all these bastards. He's really underestimating us. A mere G-5, let's go and give him a run for his money!"
"Boss!" A pirate underling rushed into the room, anxiously asking, "Boss, the Marines's warships are about to enter the area. Should we make a move?"
Hearing this, Ochoku said with a very ugly expression, "Those guys have stopped. It seems they know very well how far our coastal defense artillery can fire!"
How could they not know? G-5 knew exactly how many cannons Ochoku and his men had bought in the Dark Realm, and how many they had fired. Naturally, they were quite clear about it, since the equipment was all outdated equipment from their side.
Unfortunately, this distance was outside the range of their coastal defense artillery; even more unfortunately, Ochoku knew very well that this distance was within the range of Marines firepower.
The reason is that the Marine warship are far more advanced in weaponry and equipment than these ragtag troops!
After a moment's thought, Ochoku grabbed the Den Den Mushi from nearby, turned it on, and said in a deep voice, "Marines, what are you trying to do? Do you want to start a war?"
After Ochoku, there was no response from the Marines. The fleet continued to move slowly and methodically, and soon came to a complete stop.
Then, the cabin on the flagship's deck opened, and Ortolan, wearing the Justice Cloak, came to the front of the deck from the cabin, surrounded by Yixiao and others.
Upon seeing Ortolan's figure, Ochoku broke out in a cold sweat, swallowed hard, and said, "Hey, Silver Axe, that Marine Admiral, could he be Ortolan's illegitimate son?"
"How is that possible? That guy looks older than Ortolan!" Silver Axe immediately retorted, then cursed, "Are you crazy? A Marine Admiral, how dare he drag out Marine Admiral?"
Just then, Ortolan, also holding Den Den Mushi, spoke up, "Ochoku, I know you're on the island. I won't waste any more words with you. I have a Marine Admiral under my command who's been roaming around here. Now, tell your men to lay down their weapons, give up resistance, open the port, and let my men search!"