As it turns out, being able to obtain Marco's Phoenix unexpectedly under these circumstances was already considered extremely lucky.
For the next five days, Ortolan spent most of his time leading the Marines officers to clean up the battlefield, but he did not make any unexpected gains regarding Devil Fruit.
September 26, 1506 (Marine Era)
The camp ruins had been mostly cleared away, and at that moment, Ortolan was sitting on a pile of volcanic rocks, reading a briefing on the war.
His expression was somewhat sorrowful; he pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time.
Because what he was holding was the casualty report of the New World Marines.
At the Vice Admiral level, there were no losses. Even the weakest Stainless, was unharmed. On the contrary, the strongest, besides the Hoshigaki Momonga, was badly injured. His intestines were even ripped out. Fortunately, the Marines arranged for a medical-type Devil Fruit User to save him. However, he will be unable to use force for at least six months and can only wait to leave his base and obediently become a civilian version of the base commander.
The losses among Rear Admiral were significant. In this New World, a total of sixteen Marine Admiral were mobilized under Ortolan's command, of whom nine were killed in action, and the rest were all wounded. Two of them almost did not survive and it is estimated that they will have to be transferred to civilian positions or arranged to retire.
After all, it was a disabling injury; a Rear Admiral had both legs severed and they couldn't be found.
"What are Rear Admiral Stralt's personal wishes?" Ortolan asked Hina beside him.
Rear Admiral Stralt was the one whose legs were severed and Rear Admiral nearly bled to death.
Hina's expression was also somewhat sorrowful. She spoke in a low voice, "He didn't want to retire, nor did he want to be transferred to an administrative position. Rear Admiral Stralt was among the first G-5 Marines personnel to join your command when you established G-5. He was from Mina Clooney Island in the New World. His entire family, including his six-year-old daughter, was murdered by pirates. After joining the G-5 Marines, he stayed by Ichisho's side and eventually avenged his family by wiping out that group of pirates... He hoped to die in the fight against the pirates, rather than..."
"Then so be it!" Ortolan didn't listen to Hina's follow-up words and said in a deep voice, "Contact Borsalino and ask their Science Unit to immediately send technicians specializing in mechanical prosthetics and bio-engineering!"
"Admiral!?" Hina exclaimed in surprise, "This technology was only promoted by headquarters a few years ago. Do you know the cost?"
"Of course I know!" Ortolan said without hesitation, "Since my men have fought so hard for me, how could I, as their Admiral, let them down?"
After a brief pause, Ortolan instructed Yu: "Give me the Den Den Mushi."
Hina quickly took out Ortolan's Den Den Mushi from her handbag. Ortolan picked it up and immediately contacted Tesoro.
Tesoro is also on this island, currently dealing with logistical matters. After the battle, there are various other miscellaneous tasks to consider, such as calculating logistical losses and making assessments.
Tesoro answered his Den Den Mushi very quickly, replying swiftly, "Admiral? What are your orders?"
"Your Logistics Department and joint medical department, please quickly compile statistics on the number of Marines personnel with physical disabilities during this war, which has severely impacted the number of patients recovering," Ortolan said in a very calm tone.
"Ah? Yes, I understand. I have the relevant reports here and can find them soon." Tesoro was a little puzzled, but he still agreed first, and then asked, "Admiral, what do you need this for?"
"It's time to install mechanical prosthetics and bio-suits on them!" Ortolan ordered in a deep voice, "Pass on my Admiral's order: after the headcount is tallied, report to Hina. Hina will be responsible for contacting the Science Unit and asking them to send technicians to measure the data and order mechanical prosthetics or bio-suits according to their personal wishes!"
"Wait a minute, Admiral, are there no ranks?" Tesoro exclaimed in surprise.
"No distinction, arrange them all, from menial soldiers to Admiral. Even if Kuzan's leg is broken, give him a set!" Ortolan said righteously.
Of course, Kuzan's leg was not broken, and the troops transferred this time were mostly elites, with no real menial soldiers among them.
But Tesoro, of course, followed the instructions of Ortolan, which was that everyone should have it!
After a moment of silence, he spoke, "Admiral, even the cheapest set costs over two hundred million Belly. Headquarters implemented this technology for officers of Commodore general rank and above a few years ago, and I've had the opportunity to learn a bit about it. According to the Science Unit development plan, it will take about three years before the cost of this technology comes down... In this war alone, we've suffered nearly 30,000 wounded, with a high rate of disability among frontline soldiers—roughly estimated at around 1,000. All things considered, that's at least a trillion Belly in expenditure, Admiral..."
"Can't we afford it?" Ortolan frowned, somewhat annoyed.
"I can afford to pay..." Tesoro quickly replied.
Just kidding, the New World's Marines are rolling in money these days, okay? A mere trillion Belly is nothing to them.
However, as the chief of the Logistics Department for the New World Marines, Tesoro still needed to clearly explain the pros and cons to Ortolan.
Therefore, even though he heard that Ortolan's tone was somewhat unpleasant, Tesoro continued under pressure, saying, "Admiral, the arrangement you just mentioned is not included in our New World Marines's pension and welfare program. While a trillion Belly isn't a significant burden, it does set a precedent. If we give it this time, what if we compensate wounded soldiers in other battles? They all shed blood for the Marines; we can't differentiate between major and minor battles, can we? If we don't give it next time, won't the soldiers resent it? If we do give it, and it becomes a precedent, it will greatly increase our financial burden in the long run. So this isn't something that can be easily resolved with a trillion Belly, Admiral!"
Hina quickly chimed in, "Yes, Admiral. Now that we've given them compensation, shouldn't we also provide subsidies for the wounded and disabled Marines from the various battles we've fought? We can't overlook those!"
Ortolan fell silent upon hearing this. After a moment, he recounted the incident involving Rear Admiral Stralt to Tesoro and asked Tesoro if he had any good solutions to the problem.
Tesoro was quite helpful, quickly coming up with a plan. "Admiral, why don't we conduct some research among these disabled wounded, and see how many of them, like Rear Admiral Stralt, are unwilling to retire due to injury, but instead hope to continue fighting on the front lines until their glorious sacrifice..."
In fact, within the Marines, especially among the New World Marines under Ortolan's command, there are quite a few like Rear Admiral Stralt who hope to fight pirates to the end and continue fighting on the front lines until they die.
Most of these people had a deep-seated hatred for pirates, or were fanatical militants. There were many such fanatics in the military.
Seeing that Ortolan did not object, Tesoro continued, "Then I'll provide these wounded with the treatment you just mentioned, and have Rear Admiral Stralt form a special frontline assault unit with them, a suicide squad, what do you think? As for the rest, considering the danger and nature of this unit, those who are unwilling to participate shouldn't be resentful. So we should follow the compensation and benefits regulations, just do it that way. At most, we'll find a suitable excuse, like the intensity of the war, to issue a one-time compensation payment. It won't become a precedent, so everyone can benefit, and it will minimize the possibility of conflict. What do you think?"
After a moment's thought, Ortolan sighed softly and said, "Alas, all of them are soldiers who shed their blood for me... Tesoro, handle these matters properly."
A kind heart cannot command an army, and righteousness cannot manage finances. In fact, Ortolan is not particularly outstanding in either of these aspects.
He was more loyal Tesoro, and more benevolent than Sakazuki.
However, Ortolan himself acknowledged that he was not good enough.
But after Tesoro hung up the Den Den Mushi, he looked at the medical area not far away and murmured softly, "Perhaps you, Admiral, are sometimes impulsive, sometimes reckless, sometimes... even childish, but it is precisely because of this that everyone is willing to die for you!"