Kuzan: Can Anything in the Marines Really Be Hidden from an Admiral's Eyes?
After listening to Kuzan's words, Ortolan remained silent and pondered for a while.
After a moment, he looked at Kuzan and said with a smile, "So what if we're sticking together? Why are you telling me all this?"
Kuzan Ortolan a meaningful look and said, "I'm also Marine Admiral... As Admiral, you should know very well that once you're in this position, it's very difficult for anything within the Marines to be hidden from our eyes, right?"
Kuzan has always maintained a non-competitive attitude. Although he's not as lazy as Borsalino, who simply gives up, he does have a somewhat passive, laid-back vibe.
Moreover, as he said, now that he's in the position of Marine Admiral, there's nothing in the Marines that can be hidden from his eyes. If he wants to know, he always has the channels and methods.
Kuzan may not have shown much, but don't really think he's a clueless fool.
Not just him, Sakazuki is the same!
This can be considered a somewhat unfavorable effect on Ortolan after Sengoku became the commander.
Back when Sengoku Admiral, Steel Bone didn't interfere much in Sengoku's affairs. At that time, Ortolan, Kuzan, Sakazuki, and others were all Marine Admiral. Although they were highly anticipated, their ranks were what they were. Sengoku and Ortolan cooperated to cover up some things. Perhaps Steel Bone knew, but he didn't say anything, so it was difficult for others to notice anything wrong.
Only Chief Staff Officer Tsuru noticed something was wrong early on, but chose to help.
Now, Kuzan and Sakazuki are both Admiral, their ranks and power are undeniable. Even if Sengoku is a commander, as long as he is within the Marines, any underhanded dealings with Ortolan will inevitably leave traces.
If Kuzan were willing to learn more, he would definitely be able to discover these things!
Hearing Kuzan's words, Ortolan sighed softly and said, "Well... how should I put it... these things..."
"You don't need to tell me, and I have no intention of getting involved in your affairs." Kuzan's previously somber expression vanished, replaced by a smile. "I just wanted to remind you not to overlook these situations and cause any serious problems..."
Ortolan paused for a moment, looked into Kuzan's eyes, and then smiled and said, "Thank you."
As expected, the Five Elders could not possibly show the complete and absolute trust they had in Sengoku, the commander, and Ortolan, the Admiral, as they appeared on the surface.
Nowadays, they are also starting to build a Marines hub, bypassing Sengoku and Ortolan.
Upon closer examination, it's not so much because they actually discovered the treacherous deeds of Sengoku and Ortolan, but rather because of a balancing act to maintain control over the Marines, an instinctive consideration for governance.
As I said before, the World Government never loosens its control over the Marines. Even if Ortolan and Sengoku did nothing and obediently acted as lackeys of the World Government, given the current situation, Mary Geoise would definitely make the same arrangements.
Trust is trust, and methods are methods.
Unconditional trust is the beginning of disaster. The Five Elders have been in power for so many years, they can't possibly be unaware of this simple principle.
After becoming commanders-in-chief during the Sengoku period, the Marines power dynamics began. It was reasonable for them to make certain arrangements for the current Marines leadership and thus begin to exert influence over the Marines.
It could even be said that Aramaki's arrival in the Marines from Mary Geoise was not only to bypass Sengoku and Ortolan, but also to bypass the bigwigs who were originally part of the Marines.
Kuzan, Sakazuki, Borsalino, Garp, Zephyr, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru —all of them are like this.
Prior to this, they had no connection with Aramaki.
From this perspective, Ortolan doesn't need to worry too much, because it's not wrong for the World Government to 'distrust' all the Marines high command.
However, whether the others have any ulterior motives is another matter, but he and Sengoku really do have something going on, which is why Kuzan privately reminded Ortolan not to be too careless at this time.
Of course, this is only the beginning. Although Aramaki was parachuted in by Mary Geoise with a background, he also received the support of many Marines who were absolutely loyal to the Mary Geoise faction.
However, he was, after all, just a Marine Admiral, and an airborne one at that. To the current Sengoku Ortolan and Sengoku, he was a minor figure, not enough to put them in a passive position immediately.
Otherwise, wouldn't all their years of hard work in the Marines be a joke?
Compared to Aramaki, after Kuzan revealed some things to him, Ortolan was more interested in figuring out Sakazuki.
As Marine Admiral, if Kuzan could discover a problem, Sakazuki couldn't possibly miss it, especially since Kuzan was Admiral stationed at headquarters; it was even less likely that he could be kept in the dark.
However, until now, Sakazuki has never interfered in or shown any interest in the affairs of Ortolan and Sengoku. He has not expressed any dissatisfaction or any other emotion, as if he were completely unaware of these matters.
But Ortolan must not assume that he truly does not know.
Previously, when he brought Doflamingo back to headquarters and revealed Doflamingo's identity to Sakazuki, it was actually a kind of test. However, why did Sengoku, the Sengoku, let Sakazuki also enter the office? If he needed to avoid suspicion, as the commander, he could have easily sent Sakazuki away.
Ortolan also took Doflamingo to Sakazuki's place to "play" on several occasions, which also had the meaning of testing.
The result of this attempt was very quiet.
After that, Sakazuki still didn't show any performance.
This made Ortolan somewhat unsure about Sakazuki's situation. Any move he made, regardless of his attitude—whether it was opposition or something else—would give Ortolan some information.
But he remained completely silent, which left Ortolan utterly uncertain about him.
From this perspective, Sakazuki is indeed a man with a lot of tricks up his sleeve.
As a Marine Admiral, Sakazuki is by no means a minor figure like Aramaki, and his influence within the Marines should not be underestimated.
Kuzan has finally lost his temper and revealed his true colors. Although he said something like "there's no need to explain to him, and I don't intend to get involved," this attitude already shows that he is somewhat biased towards Kuzan and Sengoku.
Only Sakazuki remained steadfast and unmoved, leaving people wondering what he was thinking, whether he was an enemy or a friend.
First, according to Ortolan, Sakazuki does indeed have many connections with Mary Geoise. For example, he used to be stationed at the G-1 Marine Base in the New World for many years. G-1 itself has a strong political character and is very close to Mary Geoise. High-ranking officials from Mary Geoise often come to G-1 to cause trouble, such as to inspect the area one day and have a party the next.
Therefore, Sakazuki and Mary Geoise must have established a stable relationship during this period.
In this situation, Sakazuki will inevitably be influenced by Mary Geoise to some extent. This is why, among the many bigwigs in the Marines, Sakazuki is indeed more inclined towards the interests of the World Government. Under appropriate circumstances, he will take the initiative to protect the interests of the World Government and Mary Geoise.
However, Ortolan did not believe that Sakazuki was a supporter of the World Government!
As Kuzan just said, Sakazuki is a 'Marines chauvinist'. To a certain extent, he will support the World Government, but only to a degree that does not affect the interests of the Marines.
For so many years, Ortolan and Sakazuki have been members of the Marines, that much is certain, and Sakazuki's stance is firmly rooted in the Marines!
However, Sakazuki's definition of 'Marines interests' may not align with Sengoku's and Ortolan's, which is what Ortolan is worried about.
After pondering for a while, Ortolan chuckled again. Since Sakazuki wasn't moving, Ortolan didn't need to be nervous.
It would be foolish to let Sakazuki lead you by the nose because of this. Since he is not moving, Ortolan should just do his own thing step by step.
That's the correct answer!
However, apart from that, although the actions of the World Government do not pose any real threat at the moment, they still make Ortolan feel somewhat uncomfortable... or rather, pressured.
He's already moving as fast as he can, but perhaps he needs to go even faster!