New World, G-5 jurisdiction waters.
A small warship flying the Sun flag cut across the sea.
"Up ahead, Tiger-san?" Jinbe asked as he steered.
At the bow, Tiger held a telescope, studying the distance. After a moment, he lowered it. "That should be the place Ortoren invited me to for the meeting."
At the far end of the sea lay a tiny island. Yet Tiger felt doubtful. Through the telescope he'd seen nothing but a lonely office building on barren ground. The only unusual thing was three enormous masts rising from the center, making the whole island look like a warship turned to stone.
"Are Admirals always this frugal? How did I never notice?" he wondered.
The sails hanging from the masts bore the characters for "Justice," matching Ortoren's description exactly. This had to be his Admiral base. Still, Tiger was surprised by how plain it all looked. Aside from the bizarre masts, the island was so ordinary it bordered on disappointing.
Before long, Tiger's ship approached the port. As they drew closer, he noticed a variety of ships docked there.
One of them was so outrageous he couldn't believe his eyes—shaped like a giant doughnut. How did a ship like that even stay afloat?
Aside from that strange doughnut ship, there was another vessel shaped entirely like a pink flamingo. Several ships flew the World Government flag, and a number of large Marine warships were present. Next to them was a ship Tiger recognized well—he'd worked with its owner not long ago. It was the Wind Granma, the dragon-headed ship of the Revolutionary Army's leader, Dragon.
"The World Government, the Marines, pirates, the Revolutionary Army, the Shichibukai... and me, a gang boss. Quite the gathering," Tiger thought to himself with some amazement.
After docking, Tiger lowered the gangplank and stepped off. The other fishmen stayed aboard—only Jinbe followed him.
Waiting on the pier was Ortoren's subordinate, now a Marine Rear Admiral—Vergo. The moment he saw Tiger, Vergo walked up with a warm smile.
"Welcome, Tiger-san. The Admiral has been expecting you. Please follow me."
Tiger nodded lightly. "Thank you."
As he'd observed earlier, the island was extremely barren—nothing but a small two-story building that was presumably Ortoren's office.
Led by Vergo, Tiger soon arrived at the entrance. Before they reached it, the door opened, and Dragon stepped out, followed by a suited man who was clearly trying way too hard to flatter him.
"With Benn-sama vouching for us, I feel much more relieved. I'll be counting on your continued support, Dragon-san," the man said obsequiously.
Dragon didn't seem fond of him, but he still nodded with a polite smile. "Let's work well together from here on, Commander Spandine."
The man in the black suit was indeed Spandine. After learning that Ortoren and Spandine were far closer than he'd expected, Dragon had originally planned to give Spandine a rough time—just as Ortoren had predicted.
But Ortoren had mentioned a major deal he wanted to discuss and asked Dragon to give him face and not put Spandine in too difficult a position. Considering any collaboration Ortoren called a "major deal" was likely important, Dragon had no choice but to rein in his intentions. He'd abandon the idea of pressuring Spandine and, for the time being, treat the man as a partner.
Just as he was thinking this, Dragon spotted Tiger. His smile instantly turned genuine, and he laughed heartily as he strode forward. He clasped Tiger's large hand with both of his.
"Tiger-san, I've finally been able to welcome you!"
"Hahaha! Dragon-san, looks like you've wrapped up your business. I didn't expect we'd meet again so soon. Let me introduce my younger brother—Jinbe," Tiger said.
Jinbe greeted Dragon politely. After the three exchanged a few casual words, Dragon turned to Vergo.
"As for this young Marine, I'll take care of Tiger-san from here. Go ahead and see to your duties."
Hearing that, Vergo didn't try to intervene. He nodded once and took his leave.
After Vergo left, Dragon asked, "What was that Ortoren guy peddling this time?"
"I'm not entirely sure. Ortoren said he needed to discuss something with me, mentioning something about Shichibukai... Beyond that, I have no idea." Tiger shook his head.
Dragon nodded and didn't press further. Changing the subject, he said, "Bro, how's that matter I brought up last time? Have you given it any thought?"
"I've thought about it long and hard. But realistically, I can't possibly bring all the brothers from Fish-Man District with me. At most, I could bring a few men to join your cause..." Tiger revealed his willingness to defect to the Revolutionary Army.
Dragon's eyes lit up, and he said with delight, "That's fantastic... Oh, let me introduce you to Spandine. He's a close friend of Admiral Ortoren and the commander of CP-9, the World Government's secret intelligence unit. He's got deep connections and influence in Holy Land. If any of your Fish-Man Island brothers get unlucky and get captured in the future, you can reach out to him. He might be able to pull some strings and get them out through peaceful means..."
Spandine's face twitched at that. Such things were notoriously difficult to handle.
But hearing that Tiger, this fishman heavyweight, was also a valued guest of Admiral Ortoren, he knew he had to give face. He immediately said, "Yes, I do have some connections over there. If there's anything you need, just ask."
Tiger was utterly baffled. Wait... why would the leader of the Revolutionary Army introduce someone from CP as a friend?
Aren't you supposed to be mortal enemies?
Though confused, Tiger didn't dwell on it. Ever since conspiring to torch Holy Land back on the Sabaody Archipelago, his worldview, values, and perspective had undergone a major shift.
First, after venting his rage and meeting Rayleigh and Dragon, and learning more about the Revolutionary Army, his hatred for humans didn't feel so absolute anymore.
As for Ortoren? He wasn't human. In Tiger's eyes, Ortoren was a noble Mink—how could he be lumped in with filthy humans?
Second, Tiger had come to deeply understand the meaning behind "more friends, more paths." He'd always acted alone—even as an adventurer—without building meaningful connections. But now, after watching Ortoren coordinate pirates, the Revolutionary Army, and even him, a fishman, to burn Holy Land to the ground, then turn around and leverage that to become a Navy Admiral...
He realized how shallow he'd been. If he wanted to survive on these seas, if he wanted to change Fish-Man Island's isolated situation, he needed to build connections and make friends.
He even imagined that if Ortoren weren't a Mink but a fishman—one of their own—then with Ortoren's ability, Fish-Man Island might already be roaming the seas freely, attending Reverie, and maybe even he himself would be a Marine officer by now.
So in the past, he wouldn't have shown someone like Spandine—just another world government lackey—any respect. But now, after Dragon's introduction, Tiger actually put on a friendly smile. "So you're the big shot from the CP Organization! Long time no meet, Commander Spandine!"
...
While Tiger expanded his network, upstairs in the small second-floor room, Doflamingo sat shoulder to shoulder with Ortoren, the two of them reviewing a plan. A Goru Goru no Mi rested in front of them, but it was clear neither Ortoren nor Doflamingo was focused on the fruit.
"Look, it's roughly like this. At first, I thought about getting a few kings from the New World to take the lead. But then I realized—you're the King of Dressrosa, and we're practically brothers. If you're the one handling this, I can finally feel at ease..." Ortoren said.
Doflamingo stared at the document, his mind a blur. Had the Five Elders gone insane? They were allowing Ortoren to do something like this?
A Maritime Police Force? Did they think Admiral Ortoren didn't have enough troops?
Or did they think Holy Land hadn't burned thoroughly enough this time?
Oh, right—Holy Land was burned by the Revolutionary Army. And this Maritime Police Force would be nominally used to suppress them. That explains it.
"In other words, you're suggesting I become the New World Maritime Police Commissioner?" Doflamingo looked up at Ortoren.
"That's essentially the idea. But I'm not asking you to put in money or manpower. I'll handle that part. I just want you to oversee everything..." After a brief pause, Ortoren added, "When I joked about you being our Navy's reserve Rear Admiral, that was mostly banter. But now I'm an Admiral. Doflamingo, if you pull this off, whenever you feel like turning over a new leaf and giving up piracy, I'll personally pin the Vice Admiral insignia of Marine Headquarters on your shoulders!!!"
Doflamingo rolled his eyes. "My sincere thanks for your mentorship, Admiral!"
...