The Marines had not assigned Ortolan any dormitory yet because he had not officially enlisted. Fortunately, Garp showed him the way, so he could stay directly in the courtyard residence Garp enjoyed as a Marine Hero and Vice Admiral. It would be sitting empty otherwise. Even Garp, who had always slept in his office, unprecedentedly moved back in because of this.
When Momonga learned of this, his teeth itched with envy!
"Damn Logia types!" Momonga grumbled jealously.
Ortolan's understanding of the Marines had been rather superficial to begin with, mostly based on his original impressions. He knew little about the inner workings, so after meeting Momonga and Hoshigaki, he deliberately tried to befriend them and build a good relationship.
Momonga and Hoshigaki likewise wanted to get along with a monster who had been specially recruited. After all, barring any surprises, Ortolan would definitely reach a higher level than them in the future!
With one side willing and the other interested, their relationship had rapidly progressed to the point of seeming quite close after just one morning of training. At least, that was how it looked on the surface.
It was also through that morning's interactions that Momonga and Hoshigaki learned that Ortolan was the user of the supposedly invincible Logia-type Goro Goro no Mi!
If his special recruitment had merely made Momonga somewhat jealous before, then this ability nearly made him crack apart on the spot!
What did a Logia-type ability mean? Among the absolute strongest, Logia types were not considered especially formidable. In comparison, many powerful users of Paramecia and Zoan-type abilities had emerged, some no weaker than—or even stronger than—Logia users. But according to the common values of the seas, a Logia type generally represented one of the strongest Devil Fruits.
Especially within the Marines in recent years, this worship of Logia types had become even more pronounced. Why?
Because the Marines had produced three Logia-type monsters in recent years—the future three Admirals: Kuzan of the Ice-Ice Fruit, Borsalino of the Glint-Glint Fruit, and Sakazuki of the Magu Magu no Mi!
Although everyone in the Marines agreed that the three were not monsters because they had become Logia-type Devil Fruit users. Rather, they were monsters to begin with, and becoming Logia users had only made them even more overwhelmingly powerful!
The cause-and-effect relationship should not be confused. Even so, the worship of Logia types remained extremely widespread. Everyone imagined whether they too could become as powerful as those three if they, rather than them, had eaten those mighty Logia-type abilities.
In short, Logia types were highly revered within the Marines at present. Under such circumstances, the sudden emergence of a Goro Goro no Mi user—hailed as the pinnacle of Logia types—made it easy to imagine how Momonga and the others felt upon learning what Ortolan's Devil Fruit was!
Ortolan was essentially freeloading in the Marines right now. He had no official post and had to wait another half month before "enrolling," so he had little to do every day. Momonga and Hoshigaki had originally been quite busy, since they were both Marine Commodores.
Based on what he had learned from chatting with them that morning, Marine Commodores could be said to be the primary force maintaining stability across the seas. Rear Admirals and the true flag officers above them had no time to handle the countless trivial and demanding assignments, while Captains and lower-ranking field officers lacked sufficient experience and qualifications in various respects.
Thus, Commodores, stuck awkwardly between flag officer and field officer ranks, became the primary people handling such matters. Momonga often complained that most of his assignments involved patrolling a fixed stretch of sea. During those patrols, any trivial issues encountered by scattered fleets were usually sent to him for sorting. He would report the more important ones to the Rear Admiral above him. If the Rear Admiral could not handle them, they would be reported higher up; if the Vice Admiral could not handle them, only then would they finally reach an Admiral.
It was through Momonga and Hoshigaki that Ortolan gradually came to understand the Marines' entire operational structure. Fortunately, the two had already been confirmed to join the Officer Training Camp in half a month, which freed them from their hectic daily work. They were essentially on paid leave for half a month before enrolling directly.
That was why they had time to chat nonsense with Ortolan all morning. Normally, they sometimes could not even make it to the four-in-the-morning training, leaving directly to handle business instead.
Because they had risen early, the cafeteria had not been open at the time. But after their morning workout, it was just about time to go there and eat.
Before long, Momonga and Hoshigaki brought Ortolan to the cafeteria. There were many public Marine cafeterias around Marineford, basically one in every building, but the daily meals were more or less the same. So Momonga and the others simply went into whichever one happened to be closest.
"You sit here and save us a spot. Hoshigaki and I will get the food." Momonga shoved Ortolan into a chair at a table, making the arrangements crystal clear.
It had to be said that he really was enthusiastic. Ortolan did not reject his goodwill. Besides, he did not have a meal card. Garp, that careless fellow, apparently had not considered such trivial details at all. As one of the Marines' big shots, he usually had exquisite meals brought straight to him. Unless he occasionally felt like it, why would he come to the cafeteria to compete with everyone else for food?
As Ortolan sat there waiting for Momonga and Hoshigaki, a voice carrying a hint of friendly teasing came from behind him.
"Ah la la, young man, would you mind if I sat here?"
Ortolan turned around and saw a man with a fluffy afro standing behind him, carrying a tray of food. Ortolan recognized him at once. It was clearly the young Kuzan!
Ortolan grinned and said, "Rear Admiral Kuzan, please, have a seat."
"Ah, thank you~" Kuzan set down his tray, then said with a chuckle, "Has my name become this well-known already? To think someone I am meeting for the first time could call me by name right away. I am feeling a little proud, ahahaha."
Within the Marines, especially among the elite of Marine Headquarters, Kuzan and the others were very famous. But across the whole sea, though they were promising talents, they were currently only Marine Rear Admirals—not particularly dazzling figures.
So Kuzan was not merely joking. He genuinely felt that way.
"Mr. Garp always mentioned you to me on the way here. Whenever he spoke of you, his face was full of pride," Ortolan flattered him.
Kuzan was slightly taken aback. When he looked at Ortolan again, his eyes softened further. Smiling, he said, "I met Mr. Garp last night, and he told me a lot about you too. A Logia-type Goro Goro no Mi user, formidable physical qualities, and..."
At that, Kuzan leaned a little closer to Ortolan and said quietly, "Conqueror's Haki. In short, he said you were the most gifted person he had seen in all these years. Just hearing it made me a little jealous."
After a brief pause, Kuzan continued, "I originally thought that with so many remarkable traits combined, you would be quite arrogant. After all, Mr. Garp said you were only eighteen. I did not expect you to be rather friendly."
Ortolan calculated the time, then said, "I can probably stay friendly for about another month."
Kuzan???
No, what was that supposed to mean?
Was this some kind of affection-rating mission?
Under Kuzan's baffled gaze, Ortolan continued, "I have some mental issues, so in a month or so, I will probably enter an irritable period. My temper and personality will become very... unpleasant. Please take care of me when that happens."
Kuzan's cheek twitched before he said, "Mr. Garp really did not mention that. I will watch out for that period and avoid provoking you."
Kuzan was panicking inside. What should he do? One of his colleagues seemed to have intermittent mental illness? The key was that Ortolan had tremendous potential. What if he became powerful in the future and then had an episode? Wouldn't weak colleagues like them have to tremble beneath his violence?
But Kuzan quickly thought of an even more serious issue. In half a month, Ortolan would enter the Officer Training Camp. A month later, when he started going crazy, wouldn't that mean he would jump straight into campus violence!?
Moreover, according to Mr. Garp, although this guy had not yet received systematic training, he was already fairly capable. Once he entered the Officer Training Camp, the more outstanding and stronger people around him would be Momonga and the others. Could they really keep Ortolan under control?
Before you continue