Marine Headquarters · Marineford.
Inside Admiral Sakazuki's office.
Sakazuki was going through the pile of documents that had accumulated during his recent deployment to the New World.
Yet today, the man who was usually razor-focused found his attention drifting again and again as he worked at his desk.
His thoughts kept circling back to the New World Navy, to Ortoren.
Ever since returning to headquarters, Sakazuki had sensed something unusual in the air. An undercurrent that made him uneasy. He couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen within the Marines.
He sensed the signs, yet for once, this steadfast man couldn't find a clear direction within himself.
As Sakazuki paused and resumed his paperwork in fits and starts, a knock sounded at his office door.
He set down his pen and said, "Come in."
Moments later, Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Aramaki pushed the door open and stepped inside. He smiled at Sakazuki and said, "Admiral Akainu, you've been working hard."
Sakazuki's impression of Aramaki was fairly positive. On one hand, ever since Aramaki had been transferred directly from Mary Geoise into the Marines, he had shown Sakazuki great respect. At times, Sakazuki even felt there was something like an odd admiration mixed in.
On the other hand, Sakazuki found Aramaki's way of handling affairs agreeable.
Coupled with the fact that both of them had ties to Mary Geoise, there was a natural sense of closeness between them.
After Aramaki greeted him, Sakazuki gave a slight nod. "Have a seat. Make yourself some tea. I'll finish dealing with a few documents first, then we'll talk."
"Take your time," Aramaki replied with a genial smile. He sat down on the sofa and casually picked up the teapot and cups, preparing tea for himself.
From how familiar his movements were, it was obvious he visited Sakazuki's office often.
Although Sakazuki had been distracted earlier, Aramaki's arrival seemed to sharpen his focus instead. He reviewed the documents seriously and quickly finished handling several of them.
He left the remaining stack untouched, pulled out a cigar case from a drawer, took one out, and gestured toward Aramaki. "Want one?"
Aramaki didn't stand on ceremony. He smiled and stepped forward to take it. "Then I won't be polite."
After handing him the cigar, Sakazuki lit one himself. He exhaled a stream of smoke and asked, "So? Did you come to see me today for something specific?"
Leaning lightly against Sakazuki's desk, Aramaki waved his hand with a smile. "Nothing in particular. I just happened to have some free time and thought I'd drop by."
Sakazuki nodded but didn't respond.
The two of them sat quietly for a while, smoke curling through the air, before Aramaki suddenly asked, "This time in the New World, fighting Whitebeard alongside Admiral Benn, how did it feel?"
Sakazuki's hand paused briefly as he drew on his cigar. Then he said evenly, "Very good. The combat strength of the New World Navy exceeded my expectations. With a force like that, Ortoren sweeping away the pirate threat in the New World and establishing Marine dominance there is only a matter of time."
As he spoke, Aramaki observed Sakazuki's expression and nodded in apparent agreement. "Indeed. Admiral Benn is truly formidable. A man worthy of claiming the title of the strongest… With him, the justice of our Marines in the New World will eventually be carried through."
After a brief pause, Aramaki lowered his voice slightly. "But, Admiral Akainu, I've heard that Admiral Benn is very close with the Big Mom Pirates. As a Marine Admiral, doesn't that seem… somewhat inappropriate?"
Sakazuki immediately sensed something behind the question, yet his expression remained calm. He replied naturally, "The relationship between Ortoren and Charlotte Linlin has always been complicated. That's no secret among the Marine high command. Everyone knows it. Besides, Mary Geoise hopes to bring the Big Mom Pirates under control. With him acting as an intermediary, there's nothing wrong with that."
"Is that so?" Aramaki said, pretending to understand only now. He clicked his tongue lightly. "Then this time, with the Big Mom Pirates joining forces with the Beasts Pirates and declaring war on us, does that mean Mary Geoise's plan to recruit them has failed?"
Sakazuki shook his head. "Not necessarily. This could simply be the Big Mom Pirates' final unwillingness to accept their fate, a last-ditch struggle. If Ortoren suppresses them, I actually think it will make future negotiations even easier."
Aramaki fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Admiral Akainu… do you truly believe that having Admiral Benn recruit the Big Mom Pirates is a good thing?"
A trace of hesitation flickered through Sakazuki's eyes as he replied in a low voice, "What exactly are you trying to say?"
The proposal to recruit the Big Mom Pirates had come directly from Mary Geoise. Sakazuki was fully aware of that. And Aramaki himself had been transferred from Mary Geoise. Sakazuki didn't believe Aramaki could be ignorant of this matter, especially after bringing it up just now.
But now that Aramaki was saying this, no matter how one listened, something felt off.
"Ahem…" Aramaki cleared his throat deliberately, then lowered his voice. "Ever since the New World war, Mary Geoise has grown increasingly wary of Admiral Benn. You must have heard some rumors about this, haven't you?"
Sakazuki clenched his cigar between his teeth and exhaled a stream of smoke. After a moment, he nodded.
"That's true."
"According to certain investigations, Admiral Benn has serious problems," Aramaki continued. "For example, he took advantage of Mary Geoise's earlier plan to recruit the Big Mom Pirates and became deeply entangled with them. There are also severe issues involving embezzlement and bribery. Furthermore, the higher-ups are extremely puzzled by the level of military power displayed by the New World Navy during this war. They've reviewed the supply records that headquarters provided to the New World Navy over the past several years, and the results indicate that Admiral Benn may have privately constructed a large number of standard-issue Marine warships and weapons in the New World. On top of that, he pressured various nations, using fabricated justifications to drastically increase troop numbers that were never included in headquarters' official rosters…"
At this point, Aramaki glanced at Sakazuki's expression.
Seeing no visible reaction, he went on, "At the same time, over these past years, the New World Navy has been sending large numbers of officers to Marine bases everywhere, including headquarters. These people mostly identify themselves as the 'New World Navy faction,' effectively forming their own clique. The higher-ups believe Admiral Benn's actions have already caused some harm to the very foundations of the Marines. Stationed in the New World, he's grown too powerful to rein in, becoming something akin to a warlord. For now, nothing catastrophic has happened, but going forward, this will inevitably pose a serious threat to Marine Headquarters. One wrong move could lead to the greatest turmoil in Marine history, or even… internal conflict."
Sakazuki's eyes darkened slightly as he asked in a stiff tone, "Do you believe Ortoren would betray Marine Headquarters?"
"Ahem… I do believe in Admiral Benn's loyalty," Aramaki replied softly. "But how should I put it… his actions really aren't ideal. We can't afford to have no safeguards at all. Unconditional trust has always been the root of disaster. As an Admiral yourself, surely you understand that. So I think we should trust Admiral Benn on one hand, while also preparing countermeasures on the other. If Admiral Benn truly goes down the wrong path, we must have a way to pull him back."
After a brief pause, Aramaki added tentatively, "But within headquarters, Admiral Benn has extremely deep connections. Even the Fleet Admiral trusts him greatly. If he truly deceives the Fleet Admiral, things will become very troublesome. Admiral Aokiji doesn't really involve himself in these matters. The only one who can stand up and shoulder this responsibility… is you, Admiral Akainu."
Sakazuki seemed unwilling to trade in empty formalities. He let out a heavy sigh.
"So the conflict between Mary Geoise and Ortoren has already reached this point?"
Aramaki froze for a moment. Seeing that Sakazuki had laid everything bare, he stopped pretending and nodded lightly.
"The Five Elders have already decided that Admiral Benn must be removed from the Marines. In fact, for this… they're even willing to offer him a Celestial Dragon position. As long as Admiral Benn agrees, they'll immediately arrange for him to leave the Marines, enter the ranks of the Celestial Dragons, and become a World Noble."
Hearing this, Sakazuki felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment rise in his chest.
Even with the conflict pushed this far, they still didn't dare to face Ortoren head-on, instead clinging to such a solution. Would a man like Ortoren ever bow his head for some so-called Celestial Dragon seat?
Could a side like this really have any chance of winning?