This Sky Is Too Small, Barely Big Enough for Me Alone to Raise Hell In
Almost as soon as Pluto's shot ended and the halo dissipated in the sky, Hina's Den Den Ortolan Den Den Mushi) rang.
"Admiral, it's the Five Elders!" Hina shouted to Ortolan, holding up her Den Den Mushi.
The next moment, Ortolan transformed into Inazuma and appeared beside Hina. He took the Den Den Mushi but didn't answer it, instead checking his energy gauge.
Master Tom quickly said, "Our estimate was correct. Judging from the energy consumption of that attack, Pluto's main cannon can still fire two more attacks of the same scale."
"Alright." Ortolan replied, then answered the Den Den Mushi and greeted Yu with a smile, "What are your orders, sirs?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, then Saint Figarland's furious voice came through. "Ortolan, what the hell are you trying to do!?"
"Hmm?" Ortolan asked, slightly puzzled. "Haven't you guys been reading the newspapers lately? Isn't what I'm going to do clearly stated in the newspapers?"
Then, before the other side could respond, Ortolan grinned maliciously. "If you haven't seen it, then I'll repeat it again. My goal is very clear, which is to kill a few people, or... be killed by a few people. Oh, and I must also include that so-called King of the World, Imu, who sits on the Imu's throne."
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Saint Figarland's breathing became much heavier.
But he managed to suppress his anger, and after a moment, he asked Yu in a deep voice, "Was that rainbow beam of light you created just now?"
"That's right, how about it? Pluto's power is quite dazzling, isn't it? I never imagined that this power used to destroy everything could be so beautiful. I wonder how it compares to your Uranus Uranus?" Ortolan made no attempt to hide anything and spoke frankly.
"You even know the Uranus!?" Saint Figarland was shocked and gritted his teeth.
"I thought you'd be surprised that I knew about Imu's existence, but it turns out you're more interested in the Uranus?" Ortolan chuckled and casually replied.
Saint Figarland didn't respond to that. Seemingly prompted by the other Five Elders, he changed the subject, his tone becoming much more restrained, and said, "Ortolan, we haven't wronged you in any way over the years, nor have we mistreated you. We even hoped to recruit you as one of us, to become one of the most honored people in the world together. Especially me, I trusted you so much, yet you did such a thing. Don't you feel guilty? Don't you have even a trace of regret?"
"Sigh..." Ortolan sighed softly.
Come to think of it, this is the first time the Five Elders have contacted him since the battle with the Whitebeard Pirates last year.
For a moment, even Ortolan was somewhat moved.
"Indeed, in terms of treatment and other aspects, you five have not treated me unfairly in any way. I am very grateful for your trust, Saint Figarland." This time, Ortolan even used the honorific title 'you'.
His words gave Saint Figarland a glimmer of hope, but before he could speak...
Ortolan continued, "However, I am first and foremost a Marines, and only then myself. The reason I joined the Marines was to uphold justice. The World Government have trampled on the dignity and justice of our Marines. This is an irreconcilable contradiction, and I believe the world cannot forgive you... That is why I must carry out this justice to the end!"
"Justice is nothing but a fig leaf to cover up disgrace. The higher your position, the more you should understand this. No matter what you say, justice cannot be implemented on this vast ocean. In fact, what is justice? Who defines justice? These questions cannot be answered. Even if you search the entire ocean, you will not find the answers. Making such a choice for something so illusory is simply foolish!" Saint Figarland said indignantly.
"Perhaps it is precisely because justice is something ethereal and intangible to you that it is all the more precious and worthy of our Marines's search and upholding..." Ortolan responded softly.
How do you explain justice?
It is indeed illusory, indeed ethereal.
However, it is absolutely real!
Up to this point, Ortolan was neither like the Fleet Admiral Sengoku Justice That Reigns Supreme, nor did he have the unwavering will to justice of Sakazuki. In terms of his pursuit of justice, he was probably the most illusory among all the Marine Admiral in history.
However, it cannot be said that Ortolan lacked justice. As a member of the Royal Marines for so long, he forged the order and prosperity of the New World, benefiting millions of people in the New World and the North Blue, and bringing them peace and development. This in itself is a form of justice!
Because he had walked this path himself, Ortolan knew very well that justice truly existed on this sea, and was not something distant or untouchable.
It seemed that even the Saint V. Nusjuro was somewhat moved by what Ortolan had said.
His expression became more complicated, but he quickly regained his composure and whispered with a hint of helplessness, "Is there really no room for negotiation, Ortolan?"
"Yes," Ortolan said softly, "Although we are on opposing sides, I do highly regard your abilities and skill level. If Mary Geoise were to announce its unconditional surrender now, then out of consideration for our past relationship, I can grant you five a dignified ending..."
Ortolan still acknowledged the political abilities of the Five Elders. The World Government was a large ship with deep-seated problems, but if it weren't for the five of them being able to hold things together, the ship might have sunk long ago.
"Since you know of Im-sama's existence, you should understand that we cannot surrender, and you may not be able to win. You have Pluto, and we have the Uranus. You claim to stand at the so-called end of power, but let me tell you, Im-sama is a true powerhouse who has emerged from history. Even the most unparalleled power in this world, even time itself, has never defeated him in the past eight hundred years. You cannot win!" Saint V. Nusjuro voice.
"If I can't win, why are you telling me all this?" Ortolan chuckled.
"You..." Saint V. Nusjuro said indignantly, "Because of this struggle, even if we win, it will consume a great deal of our strength. In the end, those ambitious people will be the ones who benefit. If we can put aside our past grievances, then this world will still maintain stability and order. I know that your Marines wants more autonomy and wants to uphold justice. I can make that decision. After that, we will give the Marines the autonomy it wants. We can also hand over those...those... Celestial Dragons that can be sacrificed to your Marines for disposal. In this way, you can also give an explanation to the sea. After that, whether it is reform or restructuring, we can sit down and talk internally. Why did it have to come to this point?"
Upon hearing this, even Sakazuki, who was standing nearby, was somewhat tempted. He had originally thought that these problems could be solved through internal restructuring and other means.
This is essentially the path that Marines elites throughout history have pursued. If Ortolan had not appeared, Sengoku, or later Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, were all pursuing such a compromise, such a promise.
Ortolan glanced at Sakazuki also looked at Ortolan, but in the end, he closed his eyes and said nothing.
Ortolan then smiled and said to the Den Den Mushi, "This proposal is indeed quite attractive to our Marines..."
"Really? Then it seems we still have something in common..." Saint V. Nusjuro was delighted and wanted to say something more.
As a result, Ortolan interrupted him directly, saying calmly, "But this sky is too small, barely enough for me to mess around in. I'd like to sit on that throne in the sky too, Wochu..."
This time, he didn't even bother adding the word "saint".
There was a long silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi. When the voice came through again, it was Saint Saturn who took over.
He said coldly, "Since both of us possess the power of ancient weapons, there's no need for threats. Ortolan, if you won't use Pluton, we won't use Uranus. Two days later, on Mary Geoise, let's face off and decide who is the true king of this era. If you want that throne, then come and try!"
Then, without waiting for Ortolan to reply, Saint Saturn hung up the Den Den Den Mushi.