As Fellow Logia Users, I Just Wanted to Get Close to Crocodile
"Chief, I feel I might not be able to..." Spandine said hesitantly.
"Alright, this matter is settled. Let's produce results as soon as possible; those people are all waiting to see how we perform." The Commander-in-Chief didn't give Spandine a chance to refuse, directly finalizing the matter and hanging up the Den Den Mushi.
Spandine looked at the Den Den Den Mushi in his hand that had been disconnected, feeling extremely helpless and conflicted!
What the hell is this?
Could I betray Admiral Ben? Impossible! He's my biggest backer, and my last resort should anything go wrong in the future!
After a moment's thought, Spandine immediately decided to discuss the matter with Ortolan!
He dialed the Den Den Mushi, but it was busy and the call didn't go through. Spandine wasn't surprised, thinking that Dragon was probably talking to the Admiral right now.
Actually, that's not the case.
At this moment, in a certain sea area of the mortal New World, a warship is sailing.
Ortolan lay on a sun lounger, eating fruit while responding with a surprised tone to the Den Den Mushi on the table.
"What? Crocodile actually dares to say he's coming to the New World to find me? Does he have a death wish?" Ortolan exclaimed in surprise.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Tokikake replied, "I don't know what his purpose is, but he did send us a meeting request through the internal communication channels of the Shichibukai. He said he will be returning to the New World soon and hopes to meet with you to discuss some matters."
"What utter nonsense about what he wants! What could he possibly want? He probably wants to invite me to Alabasta to play in the sand with him, right?" Ortolan scoffed dismissively, then added, "This Admiral general is incredibly busy. After a short rest, I'm heading to Cake Island to decide the future of the New World. Where would I find the time to see such a nobody? Tell him I'm too busy!"
Kakei Tokikake to this and said softly, "Crocodile said that there was a misunderstanding between you and him back then. To clear up that misunderstanding, he prepared gold bars worth 100 million Belly, and also brought a special gift from Alabasta..."
"Well, he is, after all Shichibukai. Crocodile is a decent guy. Look at him, he came all the way from Alabasta to the New World to see me. His sincerity is evident. As Marine Admiral, I can't be too arrogant, or I'll be too unsociable. You can't put yourself on too high a pedestal. When is he coming to the New World? Let's arrange a time to meet. As Logia-type Devil Fruit users, we should get to know each other better. I'm not doing this for that billion. You know my net worth. Do you think I'd be short of that little bit of money? I just want to get to know him better..." Ortolan's tone changed from disdainful to meaningful as he spoke Tokikake Kakei.
Are you kidding me? His Ortolan worth is more than trillions, why would he care about a measly 100 million Belly?
He simply wanted to meet Crocodile and get to know him; he had no other intentions!
Tokikake he had already anticipated Ortolan's true colors, he showed no surprise whatsoever and said in a very calm tone, "He has already left Alabasta and is heading to the New World. He gave a timeframe, probably three months from now."
"Traversing the First Half of Grand Line in three months to reach the depths of the New World to see me, that's pretty fast..." Ortolan remarked, but then added with some regret, "It seems he won't be able to arrive until I've dealt with the situation regarding Cake Island."
Having confirmed this, Tokikake had nothing more to say to Ortolan, and the two quickly hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Just as Ortolan was about to peel an orange to eat, the Den Den Mushi) on the table started ringing again, even though it hadn't quieted down yet.
"Dragon?" Ortolan raised an eyebrow, as if he had thought of something, and casually answered the Den Den Mushi: "What is it?"
"Ahem..." Dragon seemed a little embarrassed, clearing his throat lightly before speaking to Ortolan in a tone he had never used before, one that carried a hint of ingratiation. "Admiral, there's something I'd like to ask for your help with..."
Ortolan listened to Dragon's somewhat obsequious voice, goosebumps rose all over his body, and a chill ran down his spine.
"Disgusting, absolutely disgusting!" Ortolan cursed into the Den Den Mushi, "Can't you talk to me normally? Stop with this nonsense, okay?"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Dragon's face twitched a few times, and his tone returned to normal. "Ortolan, our Revolutionary Army East Army has suffered a major setback in the East Blue. Army Commander Ginny has been captured by the CP Agency and is probably being taken to Mary Geoise. I need your help to get her out. Name your conditions."
Upon hearing Dragon's words, Ortolan's expression became complicated, and he murmured softly, "Ginny...?"
Ortolan quickly adjusted his mindset. "I'm facing some scheduling conflicts right now, and my relationship with Mary Geoise has deteriorated rapidly. Trying to get someone out through connections is unlikely. Besides, given Ginny's status, the World Government wouldn't allow me to easily bail out a key member of the Revolutionary Army..."
"Your relationship with Mary Geoise has deteriorated?" Dragon's attention was instantly drawn to Ortolan's words.
"Yes, my influence in the New World is too great. The Mary Geoise thinks I might cause problems, like having ulterior motives or something... So they want to find a way to transfer me out of the New World. I tried to sabotage their plans, and now they're even more wary of me. The five highest authorities might be meeting right now to discuss how to deal with me." Ortolan didn't bother to hide anything and said it casually.
"It seems those five have finally realized something's wrong with you. To be honest, sometimes I get worried for them," Dragon said with a sigh.
That despicable Ortolan burned Mary Geoise, and those five blind old men actually thought he was incredibly loyal and promoted him to Marine Admiral. It's absolutely unbelievable.
Now they've finally realized something's wrong with Ortolan, but Dragon thinks it's too late.
After a sigh, Dragon asked in a deep voice, "So how do you plan to handle your relationship with them and the aftermath?"
"It's not convenient for me to talk to you about these things," Ortolan replied casually, then continued, "Regarding Ginny's situation, I can't help with it for the time being, and I'm too busy to do anything about it. I'll contact you again after I've resolved the issues in the New World."
Dragon knew that this matter couldn't be rushed. It was impossible for Ortolan to immediately drop his original plan and rush to meet him as soon as he opened his mouth to discuss how to rescue Ginny.
How could Dragon possibly have that much influence?
It's already a very good result that Ortolan didn't refuse the offer.
Of course, Dragon couldn't put all his hopes on Ortolan; their Revolutionary Army also needed to make some preparations and plans.
"Well then, I won't bother you any longer," Dragon replied softly, then hung up the Den Den Mushi.
On the warship, Ortolan peeled an orange, his gaze fixed on the undulating sea, a mixture of melancholy, hesitation, and complex emotions on his face.
For him, trying to save Ginny now would mean the demise of Bonnie.
If Ginny isn't saved now, Ginny will face some very tragic circumstances.
Putting all that aside, he really doesn't have a suitable solution right now. He can't exactly burn Mary Geoise down again, can he? Do they really think the Five Elders are fools?
"The safest way is to wait until I've pacified the New World, turned my guns on Mary Geoise, and then rescue Ginny ..." Ortolan murmured softly, then sighed, "Whether Bonnie or something will come along... we'll just have to wait and see."
Just as Ortolan was thinking about these random thoughts, his Den Den Mushi rang again.
Ortolan looked at the Den Den Mushi with some confusion, muttering to himself, "Why does it seem like everything's coming at once?"
Without further ado, he Den Den Mushi: "Spandam? What is it?"
"Admiral, something terrible has happened! The Martyrs of Mary Geoise have a lot of complaints about you, and they're even sending people to sow discord among your key Marines personnel in the New World!" Spandam, his tone slightly exaggerated.
Ortolan paused, surprised. "Sowing discord among my people? That's quite an idea, isn't it? Are they that confident? Who did they send to do this?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, then Spandam said somewhat awkwardly, "Um... send me."