Ortolan finally won over his loyal Marine Headquarters.
Having been busy in Mary Geoise for so long without a proper rest, Ortolan immediately settled into the headquarters courtyard upon arriving at headquarters.
To be honest, although he hasn't lived here much in recent years, and has been embroiled in numerous controversies over the past year or so.
But the deterrent power and influence are undeniable; even when no one else is around, the house is still kept spotless by someone every day.
Therefore, Ortolan can move in immediately without any tidying up.
I slept soundly at home until the next day.
What he didn't know was that, despite his loyalty to the Marine Headquarters, they had already 'betrayed' him while he was sleeping yesterday.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku and other Marines leaders rushed to Marineford overnight and quickly assembled a large number of Marines, setting up the platform in Justice Plaza in just one night.
As for what we'll be rehearsing?
Do we even need to rehearse? The Marines's neat ranks will stand in the square, and once Ortolan takes the stage, everyone will shout "Justice and Loyalty!" and that'll be it!
When the time comes, he'll have to accept the Fleet Admiral whether he wants to or not!
Early in the morning, Ortolan woke up in his bedroom, tidied himself up, put on his black suit, fixed his hair, draped his Justice Cloak over his shoulders, and hummed a little tune as he prepared to go out for a stroll.
It had been a long time since the headquarters had had such a leisurely rest, and he wanted to see what changes had occurred over the years.
As soon as Jie stepped into the courtyard, Ortolan sensed something was amiss, as if some gaze was subtly watching him.
He looked around the courtyard, but there was no one there.
He wanted to use his Observation Haki to investigate, but then thought he might be being too suspicious. This was his loyal Marine Headquarters Marineford; who could possibly want to harm him?
"Perhaps some pretty girl is secretly watching me?" Ortolan comforted himself with a smug smile, then stepped out of the courtyard.
Meanwhile, on the Marine Family Area Bell Tower, Borsalino leaned against the wall, hiding and waiting for a moment. Not noticing anything unusual, he took out Den Den Mushi and said, "Rat, Rat, this is Monkey. Please answer."
"Received, Rat. How's it going?" came the voice of Momonga from the Den Den Den Mushi.
"Bull has left home and is wandering around the city. Judging from his route, he should be heading from Second Avenue in the city to the plaza. How are your preparations going?" Borsalino quickly replied.
He looks much more energetic than when he's at work!
"All ready, we can start the operation at any time!" The Momonga responded on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, then switched to another channel and quickly said, "Big Dog, Big Dog, please reply."
In a noodle shop on Second Avenue in the Tokyo district, Sakazuki heard Den Den Mushi. His face twitched, but he still gritted his teeth and replied, "This is Big Dog. Please speak."
"The bull is approaching you. Keep a close eye on his movements and report back immediately!" the Momonga instructed.
A Marine Admiral was giving orders to Admiral, and Sakazuki had no choice but to accept it. He took a deep breath and said, "Understood, Big Dog."
Sakazuki sat in the noodle shop and waited for two minutes before he saw Ortolan strolling over. He immediately picked up the Den Den Mushi and said, "Clown, Clown, please answer."
"Sakazuki, I told you to call me A-Tun- Tun! If you call me Clown again, I'll fight you to the death!" Kake, who had already arrived from North Blue, cursed Tokikake through the Den Den Mushi.
Sakazuki paused, somewhat puzzled, and said, "Hmm? Is the code wrong? The Momonga told me your code name is Clown..."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Tokikake Kakeru angrily cursed, "Momonga, I'm Geneva!"
Throughout the Marine Headquarters, all the admirals who received the encrypted signal covered their mouths and laughed uncontrollably.
Even Sakazuki couldn't help but chuckle, but before he could Tokikake his fury, he straightened his tone and said, "Enough with the nonsense. Ortolan has already passed through my territory. You can start preparing for action now!"
"Understood!" Jia Jiqiang Tokikake his anger and responded.
He was cursing inwardly, thinking, "Damn it, in this huge Marine Headquarters, there isn't a single good person. They're all bastards!"
On the other side, as Ortolan walked along the breakfast street, he became increasingly puzzled, feeling that something was amiss.
But he was also looking around and didn't notice anything unusual. Was it because he hadn't been to headquarters for a long time that this mix of familiarity and unfamiliarity made him feel a little awkward?
Just as Ortolan was thinking about these things, he saw Hina carrying a large package, coming from another street into this area not far away.
Upon encountering his secretary, Ortolan put aside his confusion and greeted her with a smile, "Hina, are you here for breakfast? What are you carrying?"
Hina had long since betrayed her, Admiral, but as the saying goes, the more beautiful a woman is, the more likely she is to deceive. At this moment, she channeled her inner Oscar winner, her acting flawless, and greeted Ortolan with a smile, "Good morning, Admiral. I've brought some cloaks for you to change into..."
Ortolan noticed that Hina was carrying a bundle, which seemed to contain the Marines's Justice Cloak. After hearing her say that, he didn't think much of it.
After chatting for a while, Hina brought up a new topic. "I heard there's a new recruit training exercise going on in the square. Admiral, if you're free and have nothing to do, why don't we go take a look together?"
Ortolan, who was just wandering around aimlessly, nodded in agreement upon hearing this, saying, "Alright, it'll be good to see how well headquarters has recruited new soldiers over the years..."
Soon, Ortolan and Hina left the street of the living area and headed towards the square.
After observing this, Sakazuki, holding the Den Den Mushi, said, "Hey... cough, A-Tun, Pinky has guided Bull to the designated location. Keep a close eye on him and be ready to take him down!"
"Understood." A sullen voice came Tokikake the Den Den Mushi.
However, he quickly made arrangements on his end, so there was no delay.
Meanwhile, Ortolan and Hina left the living quarters and arrived at the military quarters. Justice Plaza was just around the corner. As they walked, Ortolan said, "Hina, since you came to headquarters, have you sensed anything amiss?"
Hina was startled, but on the surface she still pretended to be a little confused and tilted her head, saying, "What's wrong? Nothing's wrong?"
"Really? Maybe I'm being a bit too sensitive? I felt unwell as soon as I woke up this morning, but I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong..." Ortolan said, stroking his chin with some confusion.
He noticed something was wrong as soon as he finished speaking!
We're almost at Justice Plaza, so why are two suspicious-looking Marine Colonel the alleyway?
The reason they were described as acting suspiciously was because Ortolan was at headquarters, and what kind of Marines wouldn't immediately salute him upon seeing him? These two were different; they kept their heads down, looking as if they were ashamed to be seen, and even deliberately moved closer to him.
This gave Ortolan a bad feeling. Could it be that there were still die-hard loyalists of the World Government in the headquarters?
What are you doing? Trying to assassinate me? Where did you get the nerve?!
"Hina!" Ortolan called out in a low voice, preparing to warn Hina and at the same time, he was ready to make his move.
No sooner had he finished speaking than his loyal secretary, who had always been by his side, betrayed him, grabbing his wrist and saying, "Admiral, I'm sorry!"
Ortolan trusted Hina completely, and because of that, as soon as Hina made a move, he knew that things were not as he thought. As a result, his vigilance relaxed, and he prepared to see what she was up to.
Is he going to confess his feelings to me? I've never heard of hiring two people to create a special atmosphere for a confession, have I?
The next second, the two Marine Colonel rushed forward and pinned Ortolan down, saying, "Admiral, it's cold, put on another layer!"
Bane Ortolan, the man hailed as the World's Strongest, standing at the pinnacle of power and having reached the other side, understood what was about to happen after hearing those words.
Therefore, he, as the strongest, was easily subdued by two unknown Marine Colonel, one on each side.
Then, Hina quickly opened the handbag she had been carrying and took out a brand-new Justice Cloak. Because she often helped Ortolan change clothes, her movements were very skilled, as if she had been through countless trials. In a few swift movements, she took off Ortolan's Admiral Cloak and quickly put the new cloak on him.
Only now did Ortolan realize that the Admiral's epaulets on his cloak had been upgraded to Fleet Admiral's epaulets!
"You..." Ortolan exclaimed.
Before he could finish speaking, two Marine Colonel grabbed him by the shoulders and dashed to the alley entrance. Turning a corner, they arrived at Justice Plaza.
As they ran, they shouted, "The Fleet Admiral is here! The Fleet Admiral is here!"
At this moment, Ortolan realized that the entire Justice Plaza was filled with Marines, forming a huge square formation. Judging from their shoulder insignia, they were all officers and colonels. There were no soldiers at all.
Meanwhile, the Fleet Admiral Sengoku, having already removed his military uniform and Fleet Admiral's epaulets, stood on the high platform, looking at him with amusement.
Having reached this point, how could Ortolan, who had already almost guessed what had happened, not understand what had occurred?
As the two Marine Colonel shouted, a thunderous cheer erupted from the ranks, followed by shouts of "Loyalty," "Justice," and "Victory!" that surged and tumbled, echoing throughout the entire Marine Headquarters.
And so, Ortolan was forcibly carried onto the grand platform, looking down at the cheering Marines officers and soldiers below with a wry smile.
Kuzan and Momonga stood beside Fleet Admiral Sengoku, taking over the actions of the two Marine Colonel and forcefully lifting Ortolan to the center of the platform.
"Enjoy it, Ortolan," Kuzan teased with a laugh.
"Let's lead the Marines and head towards the enemy's lair!" the Momonga exclaimed excitedly.
At this moment, standing on the high platform, Ortolan looked around with a wry smile, slapping his thigh and saying, "You, sigh, you... why did you do this?!"
He looked at the imposing military formation in the square, and then at the Sengoku Fleet Admiral.
Finally, Ortolan sighed and said, "I have been loyal for so many years, and my reputation has been ruined in an instant. You have truly caused me great suffering..."
But for some reason, by the end of his sentence, the bitter smile on his lips had transformed into a bright smile that he couldn't suppress!
Looking at the thousands upon thousands of Marines, Ortolan suddenly realized that the throne he had forged was being built amidst these cheers!
That throne was forged from justice and victory, from iron and fire, from blood and glory!
Finally, Ortolan stepped forward and arrived at the location of the Den Den Mushi.
As he took that step, the entire Marine Headquarters fell silent instantly.
Looking at the vibrant, sun- New Marines Marines, Ortolan was overwhelmed with emotion, but he didn't know what to say.
After a long silence, all the words I wanted to say were condensed into one sentence...
"Justice will prevail!" Ortolan shouted.
The next second, a burst of Marines response erupted from the navy ranks.
"Justice will prevail!"
After three shouts, the Marines went from at ease to attention, and then, in perfect unison, they gave a standard salute to Ortolan on the platform.
"Loyalty!!!"
"Loyalty!!!"
"Loyalty!!!"
Ortolan, seemingly sensing this fervent expectation, straightened his expression, raised his hand in a standard Marines salute, and loudly proclaimed, "Loyalty!!!"
On Marine Era 1508 January 1st), Admiral Benn Ortolan of the Marine Headquarters officially succeeded to the position of Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
A new era is dawning, a new era where justice will prevail, opening the door to New World!
(I've created a Tomato fan group; interested friends can join. There's a secret code inside.)