New World, Marine Science Corps Base, Punk Hazard.
At the moment, in Borsalino's office, he sat behind his desk with one leg crossed over the other, nail clippers in hand, trimming his nails.
He looked relaxed, but his movements were painfully slow. Sometimes he would even pause for a full minute or two before clipping the next nail.
And if you watched his face, you could see it clearly: from time to time, a flicker of confusion and hesitation would pass through Borsalino's eyes.
As the one stationed over the Science Corps, and a well-known slacker, Borsalino rarely left Punk Hazard.
But that didn't mean he was ignorant of what was happening outside. On the contrary, he had plenty of free time every day, so he often passed it by reading newspapers, internal bulletins, and intelligence reports.
That was why, ever since last year's battle between Ortoren and Whitebeard, Borsalino had already picked up on the early signs that something was wrong.
At the same time, he could feel it. The Marines as a whole were starting to crack, and relations with Mary Geoise were rapidly tightening and worsening.
"Haah… Ortoren, you really did a number on me," Borsalino sighed, sounding helpless. He snapped back to himself, quickly finished trimming his nails, and put the clippers away.
Borsalino was an old hand in the Marines, a classic neutral. He was usually on good terms with everyone, and as long as it didn't seriously violate the rules, he was happy to help people and build goodwill.
Ortoren was a perfect example. Ortoren hadn't exactly pulled Borsalino into his own camp, but over the years Borsalino had still helped him deal with plenty of small troubles and minor issues. Not least because Ortoren had taken quite a bit of technology out of the Science Corps.
Back when Ortoren had been a loyal and fearless Admiral of the World Government, none of that had been a problem.
But now, even sitting on Punk Hazard, Borsalino could feel Ortoren's ambition and arrogance, and he wasn't even trying to hide it. All those "small favors" from the past could turn into "big trouble" that dragged Borsalino down at any moment.
And that made Borsalino, who wanted nothing to do with any of this, deeply uneasy.
On top of that, there was an even harder question in front of him.
Which side was he supposed to choose?
The more neutral you were, the more you understood the truth: when nothing major was happening, nobody cared if you stayed neutral. Life was easy, and you could coast.
But the moment something truly big happened, "neutral" became a joke. No one would allow you to stand on the sidelines. In fact, before the two sides even started fighting each other, the first ones to be cut down were often the so-called neutrals.
So Borsalino understood perfectly well.
His days as a "neutral slacker" were probably coming to an end.
Just as he was worrying about all this, the Den Den Mushi on his desk suddenly rang.
Borsalino glanced at it, and his face stiffened for a moment.
It was a call from the Five Elders.
Even though he didn't have a choice, Borsalino didn't dare delay. He reached out and answered, speaking softly. "Saint Saturn, good day."
"Borsalino…" Saint Saturn's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, still as warm and gentle as ever.
Much like how Saint Warcury had once taken a liking to Ortoren and kept in frequent contact with him, the Five Elders had always maintained a certain degree of private rapport with some of the Marines' top brass.
Ortoren was one of them. Sakazuki was another. And Borsalino was no exception.
Kuzan was the outlier, largely because Garp's influence ran too deep, so he had never really maintained contact with Mary Geoise.
As for Borsalino, he was in charge of the Science Corps, and Saint Saturn was the Warrior God of Science and Defense. Saint Saturn often left Mary Geoise to go to Punk Hazard for research, discussing things with Dr. Vegapunk. Over time, that back-and-forth naturally made him relatively close with Borsalino.
"How are things on Punk Hazard?" After calling Borsalino's name, Saint Saturn didn't go straight to the point. Instead, he started with casual conversation.
And the more he did that, the heavier Borsalino's chest felt. He knew there was no dodging it.
Still, his reply sounded normal enough. "Nothing unusual. The Science Corps is still operating according to the usual development plan…"
"That's good. The New World hasn't been very stable lately. I hope the trouble out there hasn't blown all the way to you," Saint Saturn said softly.
Borsalino opened his mouth, but for a moment he honestly didn't know how to respond.
Clearly, Saint Saturn wasn't waiting for him to figure it out. He continued on the same topic, voice calm as ever. "According to our investigation, your Navy's Admiral, Benn Ortoren, has a serious problem…"
Hearing that name at last, Borsalino knew it was unavoidable. He let out a quiet sigh. "How serious?"
"An intent to split the Marines and overthrow the World Government," Saint Saturn said, his tone heavy. "It's an unforgivable crime. That sort of thing must be stopped and crushed before it spreads, or it will throw the entire world into chaos. The problem is, he's hidden himself too well within the Marines all these years. Even we were deceived."
"We have no way to judge whether anyone at Marine Headquarters has been fooled by him, or even conspired with him. So to be safe, we've decided to temporarily…"
Saint Saturn spoke with solemn weight, laying out the Five Elders' decision.
The more Borsalino listened, the colder he felt. This wasn't just a crackdown. With one sweep, they were about to bag nearly every heavyweight at the top of the Marines.
"This recommendation came from Commander-in-Chief Kong," Saint Saturn added, choosing his words carefully. "It may sound… absurd. But for the sake of the bigger picture, even though we still have great trust in Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the others, we have no choice but to carry it out. Once Ortoren's matter is resolved and the truth comes out, we won't wrong anyone."
Before Borsalino could say a word, Saint Saturn continued, "However, this will leave enormous vacancies among Marine Headquarters' leadership. That's bad for the Marines. And you, Borsalino… over the years, we've had a close relationship. I trust you greatly. So, against the objections of others, I've decided you will return to Headquarters to take command and temporarily assume Ortoren's Admiral duties."
"Ah?" Borsalino froze. "So it's already decided to…"
He didn't finish, but the meaning was obvious. Temporarily taking Ortoren's Admiral post meant they were stripping Ortoren of that position.
At this rate, once Fleet Admiral Sengoku arrived in Mary Geoise, it wouldn't be long before an order "personally" signed by the Fleet Admiral would be sent to Ortoren, removing his Admiral status.
And making Borsalino the acting Admiral was effectively forcing him into direct opposition with Ortoren. After all, Ortoren gets his title taken away, and then Borsalino steps right into the seat. As the one who benefits, how could he not become Ortoren's enemy?
"Confirmed," Saint Saturn said firmly. "We've already given him too many opportunities and too many concessions. He has no intention of turning back. Now that it's come to this, we can't afford even the slightest wishful thinking. Borsalino."
After that, Saint Saturn fell silent.
Borsalino opened his mouth again and again, hesitation written all over his face. In the end, he spoke with difficulty. "Yes. I understand. I'll leave for Headquarters immediately."
Once he heard Borsalino's clear answer, the weight on Saint Saturn's heart seemed to lift. His tone became noticeably lighter, even warmer. "Very good, Borsalino. I'm pleased you've made the correct choice."
After the call ended, Borsalino slowly ran his fingers along the teacup on his desk, his gaze unfocused. His expression was complicated as he murmured, "The correct choice… heh…"
But he also knew that no matter what he thought, and no matter what he planned to do next, the first step was the same.
He had to return to Headquarters.
With the Marines suddenly facing a major upheaval, whether it was the "correct" choice Saint Saturn spoke of or simply for the sake of the Marines' overall interests, he had to go back.
If he didn't, Marine Headquarters would only fall into an even worse state.