Every time Ortoren and Spandine met, there was one ritual that never changed: they would always sit down for a long chat, exchanging intelligence and bits of inside information.
This time was no different. As soon as Ortoren entered Spandine's reception room, Spandine had him seated, brewed him a cup of tea, and the two slipped naturally into conversation.
"Speaking of this possible shake-up in the Commander-in-Chief's position, I'd say it won't be more than a couple of years before you're sitting in the Admiral's seat…" Spandine said with a grin.
"Hahaha, you're flattering me! Nothing's set yet, nothing's set. Until the decision is officially made, no one can say for sure…" Ortoren replied modestly with a laugh.
"I doubt there'll be any surprises. Among the new-generation Vice Admirals at Marine Headquarters who qualify for the promotion to Admiral, there are only four: you, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan. Those three might have to compete, but your seat seems guaranteed," Spandine said cheerfully.
What he described was indeed the common understanding among most people—nothing surprising.
After exchanging a few polite remarks, Ortoren smoothly shifted the topic.
"These past two years, your CP Agency has been striking hard against the Revolutionary Army. Looks like you've gained a lot, haven't you?" Ortoren asked casually.
"We've gotten some results, yes, but the Revolutionary Army isn't easy to deal with. We've suffered heavy losses as well… especially last year. They split their forces, breaking up the entire Revolutionary Army into four major divisions—East, West, South, and North—each led by a fierce and capable senior commander. What had been a relatively good situation for us suddenly turned into a stalemate again…" Spandine said with a shake of his head.
Right now, the Revolutionary Army operated with four main armies, each covering its respective sea region, though not strictly limited to it.
Later on, Dragon-san's trusted partner Emporio Ivankov would march into the Grand Line, becoming its overall commander. That would introduce a fifth force—the Grand Line Army—standing alongside the East, West, South, and North armies.
Once that stage was reached, the Revolutionary Army's structure would truly be complete. Dragon-san, as the supreme leader of the five armies, would essentially hold a position comparable to Fleet Admiral, with his commanders acting as Admirals under him.
"I've heard the Revolutionary Army's expansion is beginning to spread from the South Blue into the East Blue?" Ortoren continued.
Before this, if the Revolutionary Army had anything resembling a 'headquarters,' it would unquestionably have been in the South Blue.
From the moment Ortoren began receiving intelligence on them, the news never stopped—reports of the Revolutionary Army stirring trouble in the South Blue, toppling kingdoms one after another.
At this topic, Spandine immediately nodded with a serious expression.
"At the end of last year, when I attended the internal conference at Mary Geoise, all agency commanders shared the same conclusion. Based on current intelligence, it appears that around the year 1502, right after the Reverie, the Revolutionary Army began fragmenting its forces from the South Blue. Since then, most of their activity has shifted to the kingdoms of the East Blue, to the point where the frequency has surpassed the South Blue. So during our year-end meeting, we officially began shifting our counter-Revolutionary Army focus from the South Blue to the East Blue…"
Spandine paused briefly, then continued.
"You know very well that the East Blue has always been a symbolic and benchmark region for the World Government. The Holy Land treats the East Blue as one of its foundational pillars. Every major or minor issue from the East Blue receives extra attention. I'm certain the Revolutionary Army understands the East Blue's importance. That's why they've been so active there. If the East Blue's stability were shaken, it would deal a massive blow to the World Government's authority. The South Blue simply doesn't carry that level of influence…"
"That makes sense. The East Blue truly is a symbolic sea. Even we Marines take its stability very seriously. When the Oykot Kingdom in the East Blue was invaded by a large pirate force, Headquarters immediately sent a Vice Admiral to carry out a full-scale purge. I don't know the exact details, but supposedly within half a year, nearly every pirate crew in the East Blue was wiped out…" Ortoren said with a thoughtful nod.
In other seas, incidents like pirates attacking a nation—even if the damage was severe—wouldn't prompt Headquarters to interfere.
But in the East Blue?
The moment trouble appears, the crackdown is swift and merciless. Zero tolerance.
As soon as Ortoren brought up Marine affairs in the East Blue, Spandine thought for a moment, then leaned in and lowered his voice.
"After our meeting at the end of last year, the Chief privately arranged for CP-9 to work together with CP-6 and CP-7. We're planning to strike the Revolutionary Army hard in the East Blue. Right now, we've already begun assigning top-level agents to infiltrate the East Army. The final goal is to wipe out their upper command and take down Ginny from the East Army."
"Huh?" Ortoren was startled for a moment before asking, "Should you really be telling me this?"
"You're not an outsider. It's fine," Spandine said with a cheerful wave of his hand.
It was the beginning of Sea Circle Calendar 1504. From what Spandine said, CP was already laying down its plans in the East Blue, preparing for a major move against the Revolutionary Army's East Army.
Operations like this usually unfolded over years, meaning any real results wouldn't appear for at least two or three years.
With that in mind, Ortoren could basically conclude that this CP operation against the Revolutionary Army would ultimately succeed.
In the original course of events, around 1506, Ginny—current East Army Commander—was captured by the World Government. That blow all but crippled the East Army and brought the East Blue firmly back under the World Government's control. For years afterward, the Revolutionary Army didn't cause any major waves there.
After being captured, Ginny was supposed to be sent to Enies Lobby for trial and then imprisoned in Impel Down, where she would face torture to extract information.
But things didn't go as planned. Most likely, CP agents took Ginny to Mary Geoise first to show off their achievement. There, she caught the eye of a Celestial Dragon and was taken as part of his harem.
After two years in Mary Geoise, Ginny was diagnosed with the incurable Sapphire Scales disease, her appearance ruined. As a result, she was discarded. During that time, she gave birth to Jewelry Bonney. Clinging to life, she traveled to the Sorbet Kingdom in the South Blue, where she eventually died. Afterward, Bartholomew Kuma took Bonney in and raised her as his own daughter.
While those thoughts flashed through Ortoren's mind, his expression remained calm as he continued exchanging intelligence with Spandine.
"Around mid-year—maybe after the New Year—I'm planning to launch a cleansing operation against Hachinosu in the New World. Is there anything in it you could benefit from? If so, let me know ahead of time and I'll arrange something for you." Ortoren said after taking a sip of his tea.
"Hachinosu?" Spandine blinked. "That's Ochoku's territory…"
"I'm aware," Ortoren replied with an eye roll.
"You want me to tell you my benefits on the spot? I can't think of anything right now… Let me think on it later," Spandine said after giving it some thought.
"No rush. You can come to me anytime before I take action," Ortoren said with a relaxed wave of his hand.
And of course, Spandine understood: the moment Ortoren mentioned this, he was already guaranteed at least some sort of intelligence credit—even if he didn't actually contribute anything. That was just how bigwigs worked—simple and crude.
Once Hachinosu fell, a single line in the report saying "CP-9 provided intelligence support" would suffice. One sentence. And that alone was a contribution.
"Your sudden move on Hachinosu—is it because you're preparing for a large-scale offensive in the New World? Planning to secure a forward outpost?" Spandine asked after thinking it over.
But before Ortoren could answer, Spandine suddenly seemed struck by an idea. His brow lifted, and he grinned.
"Or… are you planning to take Ochoku down as your stepping stone to Admiral?"
"Hahahahaha…" Ortoren burst into loud laughter. He'd originally wanted to say that he absolutely didn't need Ochoku as a stepping stone, but then he reconsidered. Letting Spandine misunderstand would actually help conceal his real intentions.
So after laughing twice, Ortoren nodded. "That's one reason. Taking down Ochoku comes first—becoming Admiral can come later. But once I am promoted, I plan to launch a full campaign in the New World. That part you guessed right."
Normally, after becoming an Admiral, Ortoren wouldn't be able to continue serving as G-5 Base Commander—too irregular for a man of that rank.
But Ortoren had already prepared for that. After becoming an Admiral, he intended to take over as the Navy's supreme overseer of New World operations—a role that traditionally belonged to an Admiral.
It was only because Sengoku's generation of Admirals was incomplete that the position appeared vacant at all.
...
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