Borsalino's Invitation
Early the next morning, Ortolan visited Teacher Zephyr again before heading to the naval port to leave headquarters.
I came here aboard Doflamingo's Flamingo.
Although both were in the New World, they weren't on the same route. Doflamingo wanted to go to Dressrosa, so the two parted ways at headquarters, with Ortolan boarding a warship to return to the New World.
Actually, he originally wanted to meet Garp at headquarters.
However, before he arrived, the Momonga had already come to headquarters to report for duty and, as Ortolan had instructed, gave the sprouting straw Straw Hat to Garp.
For some unknown reason, Garp spent the night holding his Straw Hat and reminiscing about someone, then took leave to go to the East Blue.
As a result, Ortolan didn't even run into Garp this time.
Soon, the warship arrived at the Red Line and began to be pulled over the mountains by tow chains.
Ortolan was sitting in the cabin, holding a Den Den Den Mushi), communicating with Tesoro.
"How's the plan I asked you to prepare coming along?" Ortolan asked.
"It's all arranged, Admiral," Tesoro reported quickly.
"Then send it to Mary Geoise in my name so the Five Elders can take a look. We'll start preparing the procedures then. The Five Elders shouldn't hold us back. We don't need to wait for any approvals; let's start construction right away. Oh, and also, notify Yixiao and tell him to go to my command center and be on standby. I have a mission for him when I get there," Ortolan instructed.
"Yes, Admiral, I understand." Tesoro replied.
Without giving any further instructions, Ortolan quickly hung up the Den Den Mushi.
He was just about to take a break when the Den Den Mushi he had placed on the table rang.
Looking down at the table, Ortolan was slightly puzzled... Borsalino?
Speaking of his position as Governor of New World, theoretically, he was supposed to oversee all of New World's Marines. However, in reality, there was a special organization that was always independent of him as the Admiral of New World.
That was Borsalino's Marine Science Unit.
This unit, located in the New World, is directly under the Fleet Admiral and is also connected to the highest authority in Mary Geoise, as it is not under the jurisdiction of Ortolan.
Therefore, Borsalino usually didn't need to report to Ortolan, so the sudden appearance of Den Den Mushi puzzled Ortolan.
He quickly Den Den Mushi, greeting him with a cheerful smile, "Dr. Borsalino, what's up?"
"You bastard, I told you not to call me Doctor anymore. I had some good news to share with you, but now it seems I shouldn't have called you on that Den Den Mushi." Borsalino said, both annoyed and amused.
Ortolan naturally knew that he wasn't really angry; the two had a good relationship, and such teasing was harmless. So he smiled and said, "Sorry, sorry, I won't call you that next time. So, is there some good news?"
"I heard you've arrived at headquarters? Have you finished your work?" Borsalino asked.
"Just finished working. We're currently crossing the Red Line and heading back to the New World. What's up?" Ortolan replied.
"That's perfect. I'm also at the New World Port in Mary Geoise. After you come over, come with me to Punk Hazard." Borsalino said.
"Huh?" Ortolan paused for a moment, then asked, "What's wrong? Why are you beating around the bush?"
"Do you remember a long time ago, you asked our Science Unit to help you find Sleepy Ancient Town and the Devil Fruit that might be hidden there?" Borsalino asked.
Ortolan then realized what was happening and asked with some surprise, "Looking for the Devil Fruit?"
Ortolan couldn't quite remember the exact time, but it was when he arranged for the Momonga to consult the Kingdom of Drum about the Gulp-Gulp Fruit- Swallow Fruit. At the same time, Ortolan asked Borsalino to have the students check the literature and search for Sleepy Ancient Town. If there was any progress, he asked them to Sleepy Ancient Town to find the legendary Zoan type Bat- Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Vampire form Devil Fruit.
At the time, Ortolan only mentioned it briefly and didn't pay much attention to it afterward, so he didn't urge or inquire about it.
He almost forgot about it, Borsalino had already finished the work.
"Yes, Orbia personally led the team and found the Devil Fruit in an ancient ruin. It does match the information you provided; it's a Mythical Zoan type -Mythical Zoan. She returned to Punk Hazard this morning, so I was just asking about the situation here," Borsalino explained with a smile.
"That's wonderful." Ortolan responded with a smile, then asked curiously, "Speaking of which, are the students allowed to leave Punk Hazard now?"
"Occasionally, after all, this kind of academic work can't really be done behind closed doors. They've performed very well in recent years, and the higher-ups have gradually relaxed some restrictions," Borsalino said.
Soon, after crossing the Red Line, the warship arrived at the port, and Ortolan saw Borsalino was ready to set sail.
The two quickly reunited, and led by Borsalino, they headed towards Punk Hazard.
In the cabin, Borsalino poured Ortolan a cup of tea, then said, "I met with that Momonga guy a few days ago. He went to Punk Hazard and stole a lot of stuff from our Science Unit..."
"What is it? You're not trying to ask me to reimburse you, are you? I'm a real tightwad." Ortolan shrank his neck, pretending to be stingy, and teased Yu.
"Some of the original experimental samples don't really have much use to us, so don't worry, we don't intend to ask you for reimbursement." Borsalino took a sip of tea.
Afterwards Borsalino told Ortolan about the Momonga's ingenious idea. Ortolan was also extremely surprised. Indeed, in this way, the development of the Gulp-Gulp Fruit and its combat power were simply beyond expectations. Theoretically speaking, as long as the Momonga had enough strange Devil Fruit creations, he could even deal with all kinds of bizarre situations.
There is absolutely no such thing as an ability to overcome!
After discussing the Momonga, Ortolan then inquired about the progress of some of Punk Hazard's research findings.
As the commander of G-5 base, Borsalino shouldn't have been able to say too much to him.
But now he is Admiral in the Marines, and at this point, there is basically nothing within the Marines system that he is not authorized to interfere with.
Even with the mysterious Science Unit, it's the same; he can't control them, but asking about the situation is still fine.
Borsalino, naturally, wouldn't avoid these things with him like before.
"Back in Mary Geoise, the secret service sent a batch of ancient documents. Although much of the information was erased, leaving only a portion that could be read, the scholars and Dr. Vegapunk believe that these documents came from the Void Century. Through the remaining information, they have compiled a terrifying ancient technology. The task Mary Geoise has given us now is to revive this technology," Borsalino said casually.
"How terrifying? Could it be Ancient Weapon?" Ortolan raised an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure if it's Ancient Weapon, but according to the text analyzed by scholars and Dr. Vegapunk's estimates, once this technology is successfully replicated, it may be no less powerful than Ancient Weapon and also have the power to destroy a world..." Borsalino put down his teacup and then said, "This technology is currently codenamed 'Mother Flame'."
Upon hearing the code name, Ortolan's expression quickly changed, but Borsalino was busy refilling his cup and didn't notice.
The Mother Flame, the thing that Ortolan knows, was originally used by Imu in the story. It completely wiped out the Rulusia Kingdom with a single blow and created a bottomless abyss in the sea, causing the world's sea level to rise by one meter.
Borsalino claims that it possesses the power to 'destroy a thing,' which, in this respect, is not an exaggeration.
After refilling his teacup, Borsalino said with a hint of anticipation, "Although it will take a long time to revive this technology, at least ten or eight years, perhaps this technology will become our ultimate power to make a decisive impact on the high seas in the future!"
It is true that the World Government is decaying and degenerating, and the old stars are certainly not blind to the demons and monsters on this great ship. As the ruling class, they naturally want to continue this rule.
The Mother Flame is a powerful weapon used to prolong rule. If the World Government can truly master it and use it continuously, it can indeed suppress the world for countless more years.
By using overwhelming force to give this large ship a temporary reprieve, and then freeing up resources to gradually remove the ship's burdens and repair its holes, perhaps this is Mary Geoise's current strategic direction.