What Kind of Justice Is Left in These Marines? What Kind of Law?
As Marine Admiral, Ortolan is finally free from relying on Garp's warships; he now has his own warship.
The warship sailed on the azure sea. Ortolan stood at the very front of the deck, pacing back and forth, constantly examining the bow of his ship.
A moment later, Gion walked over with a cup of coffee in her hand and asked with some confusion, "What are you looking at?"
"I'm thinking, should I do what Mr. Garp did and add a figurehead to my ship? That would make it more distinctive," Ortolan said earnestly, stroking his chin.
Gion briefly considered Garp's ship in her mind before saying, "Just don't add the dog head icon. Garp's ship is just too ugly."
"Huh?" Ortolan was taken aback and said in surprise, "I thought that Dog Head Warship was a marshal!"
After a pause, Ortolan said, "How about I add 'Bulls' leader' to my name? Would that suit me?"
"It's alright, but these private decorative figureheads aren't covered under warranty. If they get damaged in battle, you'll have to pay for repairs yourself when you get back to Marineford," Gion reminded her.
"Is that even possible? As Rear Admiral Marines, I can't even afford to destroy a figurehead?" Ortolan was even more surprised.
Didn't they say our Marines has great benefits and treatment? They're all liars, aren't they?
I don't eat rice crackers, I don't smoke cigars, and I don't raise goats. Now they won't even reimburse me for a figurehead. Does this Marines have any justice? Does it have any laws?
But then I thought about it again. These people who eat rice crackers, smoke cigars, and raise goats are either Hero Marines or Admiral- ranking generals. It seems like there's nothing wrong with them using public funds for their consumption.
"Stop pretending. It's just a broken figurehead. What's the point of having it? If I run into an enemy in the future, they'll recognize me from afar and run away in fear, and I'll have to chase after them!" Ortolan gave himself a flimsy excuse.
It's not because I want to pay out of my own pocket, but because I'm obstructing his execution of justice!
Gion found Ortolan's stingy demeanor somewhat amusing and asked, "You've been in the Marines for almost two years now, starting as a colonel in our Marine Corps, and now you're Rear Admiral. In my opinion, you've lived in the Marine Corps all this time, residing in the Little Garp Garden. You shouldn't have had any extra expenses, right? You should have a decent amount of savings by now, so why are you still so stingy?"
"Besides strength, money is also a man's backbone, do you understand? I want to better dedicate myself to justice in the future. The little money I have now can't even make a Flower Capital. Later, I will have to think about how to earn more money!" Ortolan shook his head and said with a serious face.
Given the sheer size and power of the Marines, what are the core means by which the World Government control it, Marines struggle in the mire and obediently comply?
The answer is so simple and straightforward: it's military spending!
During the Summit War, the Marines recruited 100,000 officers of general rank and colonel from all over the world to participate in the war. These were all members of the regular military leadership. A Lieutenant Commander should have at least a hundred men under his command, right? Otherwise, where would the Marines's prestige be?
Based on this calculation, Marines would need to have a force of at least tens of millions of troops worldwide to effectively suppress the four seas!
These aren't millions of leeks to be harvested; on the contrary, they're millions of mouths eagerly waiting to be fed!
It is evident that the Marines's salary expenditure alone is astronomical, not to mention the maintenance costs of various sea bases, weapon and ammunition expenses, warship maintenance and upgrades, combat casualty compensation, and various welfare benefits.
Currently, only the World Government can manage such a behemoth as the Marines. It is precisely because they can afford to support the Marines that they can act so freely on Mary Geoise and allow the Celestial Dragons to act so recklessly, because they control the strongest army!
Analyzing it from this perspective helps us understand why the Celestial Dragons are so arrogant and absurd.
Through various means, they have mastered the most powerful force in the world. All of them Homelander, and it is perfectly reasonable that they do not eat beef every day.
If Ortolan were in that position, he felt he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation either.
Furthermore, if we trace it back to its roots, isn't his desire to become the "embodiment of justice" also driven by the idea that he can "replace" him?
There is some degree of it.
Why can you guys not eat beef? As Bull Species of the Mink Tribe, isn't it the most reasonable thing for me not to eat beef?
If you don't want to follow the path of the Admiral Sengoku, and if you want to build up Marines in the Marines, making it Marines for Admiral and admirals, rather than the Marines of the Celestial Dragons of Mary Geoise, then you first need to solve the problem of military spending.
Currently, there seems to be no solution, but if we look further ahead, there are ways to resolve it. Whether it's Gild Tesoro, Golden Emperor will one day be known as the world's richest man and control one of the four major world money flows, or the down-on-his-luck Celestial Dragons Donquixote Doflamingo, they both possess relevant talents.
What's ironic is that both of them harbored enough hatred for the Celestial Dragons to be considered potential allies. Also, since they lacked the ability to break through their limitations on their own, they had no choice but to attach themselves to others in order to seek an opportunity to turn the tide.
Ortolan might be able to satisfy them in this regard.
Ortolan had even considered getting the start-up capital. On the Skypiea, in that Golden Country from four hundred years ago, there were enough gold reserves to fill an entire city!
As a hard currency, gold also possesses specific value such as antiques, making it an absolute wealth. While it may not be able to sustain the Marines's massive military expenditures for a long time, it is certainly sufficient and substantial enough as initial start-up capital.
"However, these are not things I, as a Marine Admiral considering. There's nowhere to put them, and they might even be confiscated if discovered. In the end, I might only get a banner and the honorary title of 'Outstanding Marines Officer,' which is too unwise. I should at least wait until I'm transferred out of the Marines Headquarters and become a base commander somewhere, and then manage the base like an impregnable fortress, with only my own people, before it's appropriate to take action," Ortolan thought to himself.
As I said before, these kinds of situations are beyond the capabilities of a Marine Admiral like him. At most, he can only conceive of them in his mind. He can't even easily write down the plans on paper, lest others discover them and report them as a merit.
As Ortolan pondered these miscellaneous thoughts, the warship slowly entered the port of an island. The ships moored in the port all flew the flag of the World Government, and it was clearly a secluded island with no ships from the outside world.
This is Island of Never-Night, one of the Three Strongholds of Justice, Enies Lobby is not too far from Marines Corps 2, Marineford. It can be quickly reached by passing through the Gate of Justice and riding the special circulating ocean current!
It's also the headquarters of CP-9!
The Three Strongholds of Justice are three interconnected fortresses planned and built over 800 years ago, at the very beginning of the establishment of the World Government. The first one to bear the brunt is the current Marines Headquarters, Marineford. The two islands that follow are Enies Lobby and Impel Down that recently welcomed a new tenant, the Red Count.
The three islands, through the artificial intervention of the Gate of Justice, have created an extremely fast shipping route that allows them to exchange goods within 30 minutes to an hour. This is the core of the 'Trinity'.
If one island is captured, the other two islands can provide support at an extremely fast speed!
For centuries, the Three Strongholds of Justice have been touted as impregnable, with both Enies Lobby and Impel Down claiming they have never been breached.
But Ortolan wasn't impressed by these so-called 'impregnable walls' or 'unbreakable fortifications'. Zephyr's family was massacred by a group of pirates in Marineford, the living quarters of the Marines. Enies Lobby was destroyed by the Straw Hat Pirates, who had been at sea for less than a year. Impel Down was even worse.
This shows that all talk of impregnable fortifications is just empty boasting; ultimately, it all comes down to who you are.
When the warship docked, Ortolan saw a group of men in suits waiting for him at the port.
"Huh?" Ortolan looked at the scene with some confusion and asked, "Didn't we say that the relationship between our Marines and CP is strained? Is there even a welcoming ceremony here?"
"That's the only place where they can enjoy these benefits. After all, Enies Lobby, where CP-9 is stationed, has our Marines troops stationed there year-round, and it forms a defensive alliance with our Marines headquarters. Of course, the most crucial thing is that the commander of CP-9, Spandine, who took office last year, is a shrewd and cunning person." Gion was in charge of intelligence, immediately explained to Ortolan.