Early the next morning, Ortoren woke up in bed and glanced at Olvia lying beside him, still feeling a bit bewildered.
But there was nothing worth overthinking. A moment of impulse between adults was perfectly normal.
He and Olvia had also talked at length the night before.
Olvia had no intention of getting anything from Ortoren. She wanted no status, no position, nothing of that sort.
Nor did she plan to use this relationship as a way to leave Punk Hazard. If anything, she was quite satisfied with her current circumstances. On Punk Hazard, she could freely conduct the research she loved, and the World Government would occasionally deliver classified ancient documents that ordinary scholars could never hope to access. It was exactly the kind of life Olvia wanted.
She only had two requests of Ortoren.
The first was to take good care of Robin. That went without saying, as Ortoren had already done so for many years.
The second was that she hoped Ortoren would occasionally come to Punk Hazard and play some grown-up games with her.
That was all. Faced with such requests, Ortoren naturally agreed without hesitation.
As if sensing movement on the bed, Olvia groggily opened her eyes, looked at Ortoren, and asked,
"Why are you up so early?"
"Habit," Ortoren replied casually.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he leaned back toward Olvia and whispered softly,
"As the saying goes, the day's plan starts in the morning..."
"No!" Olvia struggled and pushed at him. "You're too ruthless, I really can't—mm..."
...
By the time the sun was high in the sky and noon had arrived, Ortoren casually pushed open the door and stepped out of the room.
As for Olvia, having endured tremendous pressure, she decided to take the day off to rest.
When Ortoren arrived at the dining hall, he saw Borsalino already eating his lunch. Borsalino spotted him immediately and waved him over.
Ortoren walked over calmly and took a seat.
"What would you like to eat?" Borsalino asked, raising an eyebrow. "You can just order here."
On the table was a projection-like device that displayed the menu directly onto the surface. Ortoren casually selected a few dishes. Once he confirmed, the projection disappeared at once.
In the kitchen, the automated cooking machines began operating as soon as they received the signal.
"This place really feels like something out of science fiction," Ortoren remarked.
"Well, this is the Science Corps, after all," Borsalino replied. He had already finished eating and was leisurely brewing himself a cup of black tea.
Before long, Ortoren's lunch was delivered by a service robot.
Just as Ortoren was about to start eating, a Marine officer approached and handed Borsalino the day's newspaper along with the Marines' internal bulletin.
Ortoren ate while watching Borsalino calmly stir his tea and read the paper.
"Any plans for this afternoon?" Ortoren asked offhandedly.
"Plans?" Borsalino thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Nope. I haven't had any plans for nearly a month."
"So your daily routine is just sipping tea, reading the paper, and finding time to sunbathe?" Ortoren asked.
"That's not right at all!" Borsalino straightened up, his expression turning serious as he looked at Ortoren. "My job is to protect Punk Hazard's security twenty-four hours a day, without interruption. At the same time, to avoid missing any outside information, I actively follow intelligence updates during my off-hours to keep track of what's happening in the world. Understand?"
"Why are you explaining all that to me?" Ortoren said helplessly after listening to Borsalino's nonsense. "I'm not docking your pay."
Punk Hazard wasn't far from the G-1 Marine Base, and it was a magnetically neutral island. Without Borsalino leading the way, even Ortoren wouldn't be able to find it. Only someone with absurdly good luck might stumble upon it by sheer accident.
As far as Ortoren knew, the Science Corps had been stationed here for many years, yet not a single unrelated person had ever discovered Punk Hazard without guidance.
On top of that, the surrounding waters were covered by extensive surveillance and alarm systems. Any slight disturbance would be detected immediately by the island. That alone showed how secure the place was. Borsalino's so-called "twenty-four-hour nonstop protection" was complete nonsense.
"If you put it like that, then my daily job is just reading the paper, drinking tea, taking naps, and clocking out," Borsalino laughed, joking casually.
"Damn it… The Marines have way too many salary thieves like you. No wonder the military budget keeps getting more and more bloated," Ortoren cursed.
"That's a bit unfair," Borsalino straightened up and said confidently. "My position is supposed to be relaxed and laid-back. If I were busy every day, constantly dealing with intruders sneaking into Punk Hazard, the first ones who wouldn't be able to sit still would be the Fleet Admiral and those five up in Holy Land. Don't you think?"
Hearing this twisted logic, Ortoren found himself momentarily unable to argue back.
Because, annoyingly enough, Borsalino wasn't wrong. The World Government's investment in this research island was enormous. Borsalino being idle every day actually meant the place was safe. If he were running around nonstop, then it would be the Fleet Admiral and the Five Elders losing sleep.
After chatting idly for a bit, Borsalino suddenly asked,
"Was Olvia resting at your place last night?"
Ortoren looked up, slightly puzzled.
"Do questions that private also fall under your jurisdiction?"
"There aren't any surveillance systems for that," Borsalino replied softly, "but I do keep track of whether the scholars return to their rooms at night."
Ortoren nodded.
"I see… That really is part of your duties then. And yes, your guess was right."
A lecherous grin spread across Borsalino's face.
"Interesting~"
Borsalino already looked a bit sleazy to begin with, and with that expression, Ortoren felt his scalp prickle. He grimaced.
"Don't look at me like that. I can't even eat properly."
"That's a personal attack," Borsalino shot him an annoyed look, then continued, "So, she didn't make any unreasonable requests, did she?"
"No," Ortoren said, taking a sip of tea and finishing the last bite of his meal. He patted his stomach contentedly. "You don't seriously think I'm the kind of person who'd fall for a beauty trap, do you?"
"Fair enough," Borsalino nodded to himself. "Rear Admiral Olvia has always been well-behaved, and she's a smart one too…"
It was obvious that despite how harmonious things looked on the surface, Borsalino had never truly lowered his guard toward the scholars. One of his key responsibilities on Punk Hazard was keeping an eye on them.
That was precisely why, after noticing that Olvia hadn't returned to her quarters on the night Ortoren arrived, he felt the need to ask Ortoren about it.
After a brief pause, Borsalino spoke again.
"The technical documents you asked for yesterday have already been packed up and delivered to your ship. But I should warn you first…"
"About what?" Ortoren asked.
"Just because you have the documents doesn't mean you can immediately put them into production or use them," Borsalino said. "Even if they were laid out in front of you, you wouldn't understand them. I suggest you find some people with a proper scientific background as soon as possible. Otherwise, you'll just be sitting on useless information."
Ortoren curled his lips into a grin.
"I just so happen to have a guest waiting for me back home. And that guest really is a scientific talent."
Vinsmoke Judge.
The king of Germa, the leader of the War Kingdom.
The second greatest scourge of the North Blue's dark underworld.
As for the first, that was obviously the former Donquixote Family.
Previously, when Ortoren and Doflamingo went to the North Blue together and appeared on Minion Island, Judge had contacted Doflamingo.
Indeed, although Germa and the Donquixote Family were competitors to a certain extent, they had never completely fallen out. And Doflamingo, as the famously well-connected underworld broker, naturally had dealings with someone like Judge, the head of the North Blue's second-largest dark force.
On the very afternoon Ortoren appeared on Minion Island, Judge reached out to Doflamingo, hoping to invite both Doflamingo and Ortoren to visit Germa's War Kingdom and play the gracious host.
To put it bluntly, he wanted to use Doflamingo as a bridge to get to know Ortoren, a true heavyweight. To that end, he even ceded part of his interests in the underworld to the Donquixote Family.
Doflamingo wasn't the type to take money and do nothing, so he mentioned it to Ortoren.
At the time, however, Ortoren was busy escorting Rosinante, that absolute headache of a man, and had no time to entertain Germa's invitation.
Still, he was somewhat interested in Judge. So he had Doflamingo pass along a message. If Judge was interested, he could come find him in the New World.
Judge didn't hesitate at all. He agreed immediately and set off the very same day. By now, he was already waiting at Ortoren's command center.
Although Ortoren hadn't met him yet and couldn't be sure what Judge was really after, it was likely that some level of cooperation could be reached.
With a bit of back and forth, it might even turn into a classic "take him in as a loyal dog" situation.
If Judge was willing to submit, Ortoren certainly wouldn't turn him away. It would also be the perfect opportunity to have Judge help monetize the technologies Ortoren had brought back from Punk Hazard.