Loyalty! The Marines' Greatest Warlord-Bane Ortolan!
Has Sakazuki given enough reasons?
That's enough!
Ortolan stared at Sakazuki in silence for a long time, then grinned and said, "Well then, let's make this the battlefield!"
After confirming with Sakazuki, he immediately tapped the table and said, "Yes, Admiral Sakazuki has made up his mind. This war will be fought on Archino Island. Does anyone have any objections?"
Ortolan said that Admiral Sakazuki had already made up his mind.
But since he said those words, the others weren't fools. How could they not understand what their Admiral was thinking?
The generals nodded in agreement to show their support.
"I also think that if Archino Island is a volcanic island, then Akainu 'Admiral strength can be fully utilized."
"There's nothing wrong with these islands, but since Mr. Sakazuki thinks this place is more suitable, then I have no objection."
"Archino Island is indeed suitable as a battlefield. Apart from the volcano, there is another island that lacks advantages, which you may not have noticed. That is, there are no Marines bases of ours around this island, so there is no need to worry about the aftermath of the war affecting anything..."
The Momonga, the Hoshigaki, and the others also put their hands together to show their support and had no objections.
Thus, the location of the war was determined.
After confirming the location, Ortolan looked at Tesoro and said, "Vice Admiral Tesoro, now that Archino Island has been chosen as the location for this operation, the preparation and construction work on the island will be entrusted to you. You will be responsible for cooperating with Moria. Within three months, I need the island to be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the battlefield. Any questions?"
Tesoro immediately stood up from his seat, saluted, and said in a firm and powerful tone, "No problem, I guarantee to complete the mission. Everything is for justice, and loyalty is paramount!"
As soon as he finished speaking, all the other Marines in the seats, except for Sakazuki, sat up straight and said, "Loyalty!"
This scene shocked Sakazuki. He could fully feel the fanaticism of these New World Marines commanders for Ortolan. These shouts of loyalty were not directed at the World Government or the Marine Headquarters, but at him Ortolan!
In Sakazuki's mind, it's perfectly reasonable for the Marines to have factions. He's felt this tradition ever since he joined the Marines. It would be strange if a political organization of the Marines's size didn't have factions!
And he himself, after years of climbing, is now the Supreme Leader of the Marines's hawkish Hawk Faction!
As for Ortolan, Sakazuki essentially felt that he was neither Hawk Faction, Dove Faction, nor Neutral Faction member. In his early years, Ortolan had Dove Faction tendencies, but he hadn't been with headquarters for very long, so he didn't officially become a member of the dove Dove Faction. However, since he left headquarters and went to G-5, he has formed his own faction.
This faction, initially known as the 'G-5 faction' within the Marines, consisted mostly of problem children. Later, as the G-5 grew and expanded, Ortolan continuously promoted G-5 personnel to various Marine Base and the Marine Headquarters. These Marines personnel took root and developed in those places, gradually spreading throughout the entire Marines.
Within this faction, there is no distinction between Hawk Faction, Dove Faction, or Neutral Faction; they don't look at stances, only background.
Anyone who leaves G-5 considers themselves a member of the G-5 faction!
This situation continued until Ortolan became Marine Admiral and Governor of the New World. He then unified the New World Marines and absorbed a large number of new recruits, bringing Elite Vice Admiral such as Hoshigaki, Strawberry, Kaisa, Stainless under his command and into the New World.
These Elite Vice Admiral are not isolated individuals; they have all developed within the Marines for many years, each with their own subordinates, loyal followers, relatives, and friends. These people gradually shifted their allegiance and subtly aligned themselves with Ortolan joining his command.
At this point, the G-5 Marines faction, within the Marines itself, underwent a new change, or rather, an advancement!
They no longer call themselves the G-5 faction, but instead call themselves the 'New World Marines'!
Thus, the G-5 faction became history and a thing of the past. The New World Marines began its powerful rise, and it was at this point that they officially began to regard Marine Admiral Ortolan as the faction's guiding principle and absolute leader.
Previously, Ortolan was only Vice Admiral, and he was not yet qualified to be called a 'leader'. Just like the current Aramaki, he could only be considered a figurehead for this group of generals who were loyal to the World Government.
However, the Admiral are the absolute top officers in the Marines. There are only three of them, which is extremely rare. They hold high positions and great power, and can become true leaders. They are also worthy of loyalty!
Therefore, it was only after Ortolan became Marine Admiral that the slogan 'loyalty' quickly spread within the New World Marines.
This slogan, though somewhat formalistic, is actually very effective in uniting the New World Marines. It's because everyone shares the same object of loyalty— the Admiral —and that's how unity naturally arises.
Moreover, the repeated use of slogans can subtly influence people's beliefs and make them more convincing. It can also have a certain impact on one's style when doing things.
Before this meeting, when Sakazuki heard this unanimous 'loyalty', he didn't really have much of an opinion on this newly emerging 'New World Marines faction'. He simply regarded it as a new Marines faction that had formed after Ortolan became Admiral.
But at this moment, he suddenly realized that the New World Marines might be completely different from the Marines factions he had previously known!
These are two different concepts!
Ortolan's personal prestige has led to extreme worship within this faction!
Sakazuki was also a leader of the Hawk Faction, Onigumo and others greatly admired and followed him, but that was just an exception. The vast majority of Hawk Faction Marines simply formed a circle around him.
And they, their New World Marines, are part of the Yang-Yi Community!
The linchpin and absolute key to maintaining this vast and powerful community is Ortolan himself!
This greatly shocked Sakazuki. He feared that even if the Fleet Admiral came to the New World, he might not have the same control over these Marines as Ortolan, nor Ortolan same prestige, nor the same loyalty!
This isn't a faction anymore, this is a warlord, a major warlord within the Marines!
A powerful Marines force that could become completely independent at any time!
When Sakazuki realized this problem, how could he not be shocked? Because he simply couldn't do it, and not only him, but also Kuzan, who was also Marine Admiral, absolutely couldn't do it.
In fact, that's how it was. In the original story, Kuzan fought a great battle with Sakazuki and, after being defeated, left the Marines alone.
But if we replace this character with Ortolan, let's assume he would be defeated by Sakazuki. However, if he were to leave the Marines, he would definitely not be alone... The entire New World Marines would probably have to go with him.
This is the essential difference between him and his two Admiral, Sakazuki and Kuzan.
The two Admiral may be faction leaders, or something else, but they are not warlords!
And Ortolan is the biggest warlord within the Marines!
Sakazuki was shocked by this situation.
Tesoro has already taken his place. The Admiral ordered him to transform Archino Island into a suitable battlefield within three months. This includes establishing a rest and resupply camp for 100,000 Marines, setting up a temporary medical system, and building a defensive system and a port as the main battlefield.
Normally, such a process would take at least three months, let alone three months.
But Tesoro still agreed without hesitation, because he had been in charge of the construction of the Golden City, the Admiral's Command Post in Ortolan, and the base construction of several Marine Base Commander, including the Hoshigaki. He was very experienced.
As long as we can bring in the equally experienced and frequently collaborated King Moria, completing this project within three months shouldn't be a problem. After all, this project is a one-time project, so there's no need to consider long-term limitations. As long as it can withstand one war, that's enough. Whether it gets scrapped or destroyed afterward is irrelevant.