After Ortoren becomes an Admiral, he'll naturally promote his own loyalists. People like Issho and Momonga, who are still stuck at Rear Admiral, will definitely rise along with him.
If a leader doesn't secure real benefits for his subordinates, why would they stick with him?
By then, G-5 could be handed over to either Momonga or Issho to run. With G-5 as the New World's central base, Ortoren plans to keep developing the New World branch of the Navy and push forward with the plan to bring the New World under control.
But all of that is for the future.
When Spandine heard Ortoren confirm that he intended to launch a campaign in the New World afterward, he let out a sigh.
"Looks like it won't be long before the entire New World gets thrown into chaos..."
After saying that, something else seemed to come to mind.
"Oh, right. Have you heard? Word from Mary Geoise is that they're thinking about stabilizing Fish-Man Island. Someone mentioned it to me in passing. Apparently Mary Geoise sensed some kind of major threat related to Fish-Man Island... so they're considering taking action. They're even thinking about choosing someone from Fish-Man Island to serve as a Shichibukai."
"I really haven't heard anything about that," Ortoren said, frowning slightly. "But Fish-Man Island doesn't have anyone suitable, does it?"
At the moment, there were still vacancies among the Shichibukai. Mihawk had become one after putting down the twenty billion deposit, but since then the program hadn't progressed for a long time. The current members were Crocodile, Slekemind, Doflamingo, Moria, and Mihawk—still two short of a full roster.
If things followed the original course of events, the next Shichibukai should be Jinbe. But right now, he was still a civil servant on Fish-Man Island, working under Neptune and nowhere near becoming a pirate. Fisher Tiger hadn't caused any upheaval yet either. The people of Fish-Man Island were involved in underground dealings, but not actual piracy.
That was why Ortoren felt there were no suitable candidates. Thanks to the Whitebeard Pirates, anyone on the island who wanted to go out to sea usually joined Whitebeard directly instead of forming their own crew.
"Exactly, there aren't any. So it's just an early rumor. Finding a candidate won't be easy. I was only bringing it up casually," Spandine said.
After a short pause, he continued.
"But about that so-called major threat—do you know what it is? I'm really curious. Fish-Man Island might be under the World Government, but it's never had much of a presence. How did a 'major threat' suddenly appear? Is it because of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Ortoren's eyes showed a hint of amusement.
"Have you heard anything about recent movements from Neptune's royal family?"
"Neptune..." Spandine sifted through the intel in his head, then shook his head. "Nothing. But our CP units don't have much footing on Fish-Man Island anyway... Have you heard something?"
Fish-Man Island was a complicated place. Because of racial tensions, the residents tended to be closed off. Intelligence gathering there was difficult not just for the CP units but for most organizations, the Navy included.
Before Ortoren could speak, Spandine suddenly laughed.
"Oh, right, if anything counts as 'movement,' it'd be Queen Otohime being pregnant... but that can't be what they mean by a major threat, right?"
He was only joking, but as he laughed, he noticed Ortoren watching him with a faint, knowing smile.
This made Spandine realize something almost instantly. His expression darkened.
"Is this really related to that matter?"
"You worked with us on investigating the scholar incident back then. You should be familiar with Ancient Weapons. Didn't you receive any additional intel?" Ortoren asked.
Spandine froze, then quickly waved his hands.
"The more one knows about things like that, the more dangerous it becomes. That's exactly why I never looked into it..."
"Alright, then I'll tell you something privately." Ortoren lowered his voice. "The Ancient Weapon Poseidon has always been inherited through bloodline. The Neptune family is the rightful lineage of Ryugu Castle. For hundreds—possibly thousands—of years, one key reason they've been able to maintain stable rule is precisely because the Neptune line carries the blood of Poseidon. Every two generations, Poseidon's blood awakens in a member of the Neptune royal family, usually through the female line. Right now, Neptune's child happens to be the generation where Poseidon manifests. Do you understand?"
Spandine swallowed hard, as if something had just clicked.
"You mean Princess Otohime might very well give birth to Poseidon?"
"If I'm not mistaken, Princess Otohime has already given birth to three Princes of Fish-Man Island. This should be her fourth child. It wouldn't be strange at all for her to have a Princess, right? And if a Princess really is born, there's a high chance she'll be Poseidon." Ortoren nodded.
"I see... That explains it..." Spandine finally understood the hidden layers behind the situation.
No wonder the World Government suddenly wanted to strengthen relations with Fish-Man Island. Their 'nuclear weapon' was about to be born.
Realizing the gravity of the matter, Spandine didn't dare continue. He hurriedly shifted the topic.
"Right, there was an interesting piece of news recently. I'm not sure if you've heard it yet. It's related to the Whitebeard Pirates..."
"What news? I've been traveling these days, so I haven't kept up with anything," Ortoren asked, curious.
"It happened around the end of the year, not long after your fight with Whitebeard. The Whitebeard Pirates arrived at Wilston Island in the New World, and then Whitebeard himself ended up in a massive scandal." Spandine said, half amused.
"Oh? What scandal?" Ortoren asked, even more interested.
"Apparently, the Whitebeard Pirates were planning to rest there. But out of nowhere, his old flame tracked him down..." Spandine lifted his brows, ready to gossip. "You've heard about Whitebeard's old flame, right? The rumor's been going around the seas for over ten, maybe twenty years."
"I know, I know. They say it goes back to the Rocks era. Something about Whitebeard messing around with someone on the ship. What was her name again? Buckingham..." Ortoren nodded.
"Exactly. That woman showed up with a teenager, claiming he was Whitebeard's biological son. Supposedly, Whitebeard was so furious his face went pale..." Spandine laughed loudly.
"So is that boy actually Newgate's real son? He has plenty of sons on the seas, but none that are biologically his, right?" Ortoren asked, thoroughly entertained.
"Based on our CP Division's surveillance of the Whitebeard Pirates, it's extremely unlikely. The boy's fifteen, right? The timeline doesn't add up. The Rocks Pirates disbanded over twenty years ago, and there's been no record of Whitebeard having contact with that woman since. A fifteen-year-old suddenly showing up now? Impossible." Spandine waved the idea off.
But after a brief pause, his tone turned more serious.
"However, according to our intelligence, this fifteen-year-old named 'Edward Weevil' seems to have remarkable talent. He has the potential to become very strong. When CP first received that intel, we immediately considered whether we could recruit him... but given his age, it seems unlikely."
Ortoren wasn't particularly interested in Weevil himself. What amused him was the situation—Newgate, such a huge figure, being suddenly scammed like this. What must he be feeling?
The more Ortoren thought about it, the more amusing it became. Next time he ran into Newgate, he could even interview him... ask how he felt about the whole fiasco.
It was just a fun little topic. After gossiping about Whitebeard's private life for a while, they moved on to other scandals.
Ortoren even shared some tidbits about the feud between Admiral Sengoku and Chief Staff Officer Ake, which Spandine found utterly fascinating.
These private bits of gossip and whispered rumors only strengthened the bond between Ortoren and Spandine.
That's how friendships are made.