As the battle came to an end, the Navy fleet quickly closed in on Hachinosu. Smoker led a large number of marines as they disembarked from the warships.
Without waiting for instructions from Ortoren or the others, Smoker immediately began directing the marines to sweep the entire island. Every pirate still alive was captured and escorted onto the warships.
This group of pirates would soon be transported to the Calm Belt, becoming the next batch of laborers.
...
Among the ruins of the harbor, Ortoren sat atop a massive boulder while two Navy medics treated the wounds covering his body.
He clearly didn't care much about his injuries. A cigarette hung from his lips as he spoke with Hina.
"Send a report to headquarters," Ortoren instructed. "Inform Fleet Admiral Sengoku that we've completely cleared Hachinosu and eliminated both Ochoku and Silver Axe. Have headquarters coordinate the public opinion campaign."
"Understood," Hina replied, quickly writing down his instructions in her notebook.
Not far away, groups of pirates with their hands bound were being escorted onto warships by marines.
Tesoro suddenly appeared from who-knows-where and hurried over to Ortoren-sama.
"Ortoren-sama, Lieutenant Commander Bone has been properly settled. The doctors say his injuries are severe. He'll need at least two months of rest before he can get out of bed, and a full recovery will take no less than half a year."
Ortoren curled his lips slightly.
"As long as he's alive."
"After this incident, the cohesion and morale of the New World Navy will definitely rise significantly," Tesoro said with feeling. "Everyone will surely place even more trust in you and hold you in greater respect."
Some of the higher-ups knew that back when Ortoren was still the commander of G-5, he had already been planning to deal with Ochoku and Silver Axe, intending to seize Hachinosu and hand it over to Moria to manage.
But that kind of information never reached the mid- and lower-ranking marines. In their eyes, this entire incident had been triggered by Lieutenant Commander Bone under Smoker's command.
Bone's disappearance near Hachinosu had immediately alarmed the newly appointed Admiral, Benn Ortoren.
And the Admiral clearly had zero tolerance for pirates daring to provoke the Navy. He mobilized his forces and personally went to Hachinosu to demand answers.
What followed was a fierce clash with the great pirates Ochoku and Silver Axe, ending with their complete annihilation.
What kind of behavior was this?
This was blatant protection of one's own. A mere Lieutenant Commander was enough to bring an Admiral personally into action. That level of care for subordinates was almost beyond words.
Just as Tesoro said, after this incident, the New World Navy would undoubtedly place even more faith in Ortoren.
And beyond the Navy, this event would also serve as a powerful warning to countless pirates in the New World.
Anyone who dared to touch Ortoren, no matter who they were, would be killed without exception.
Before daring to move against the Navy again, they'd better weigh themselves carefully. Did they have the same weight as Ochoku and Silver Axe? If not, where did they get the courage?
Hearing this, Ortoren immediately turned to Hina.
"Add that angle as well. Tell headquarters to steer the propaganda in that direction."
Hina smiled.
"Understood, Admiral."
As they spoke, Smoker arrived with a group of marines, pushing carts loaded with gold, silver, treasures, and all kinds of strange items off the island.
Without a doubt, these were the spoils of war. Ochoku and his group had operated on Hachinosu for many years, and their accumulated wealth was substantial.
Some of it had likely been destroyed during the fighting, but plenty was still salvageable.
"Any estimate yet?" Ortoren asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke as he looked at Smoker.
Smoker shook his head.
"It's too scattered right now. We'll have to bring it back to base and tally it there."
"Alright. Follow the usual rules. What should be distributed, distribute it," Ortoren said casually.
Smoker acknowledged the order, then hesitated before speaking again with a hint of guilt.
"My apologies, Ortoren-sama. I just received word from the fleet. The warships sent to pursue the Red-Haired Pirates failed to intercept them."
"Doesn't matter," Ortoren said, waving it off indifferently.
"That Red-Haired bastard left an arm behind. Tell logistics to move fast. Break it down and make it into Vive Cards. Make plenty of them. Send one to every base commander. Send copies to the Kaidou Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates as well. And also to the Shichibukai active in the New World. Tell them to cooperate with the Navy in hunting down the Red-Haired Pirates."
After a brief pause, Ortoren's voice grew colder.
"Also, spread the word through the underworld. Whoever delivers Shanks' head to me will receive a promise. I'll help them accomplish one thing, as long as it doesn't violate my position or principles as a Navy Admiral."
"Looks like he really got on your nerves," Tesoro said with a chuckle.
Ortoren laughed loudly.
"I'm not about to get angry over some small-time punk. For the sake of his First Mate, who at least acted like a man, I spared his life today. But that doesn't mean his offense against me is settled."
"If he has any sense, he'll leave the New World, crawl into some forgotten corner, and never appear before me again. In that case, I won't bother with him."
"But if he doesn't know when to quit and still wants to sneak around in the New World, then I'll wipe him out completely."
Aside from the time he had pressured Mihawk, Ortoren rarely targeted an individual so directly.
But now that he thought about it, letting Red-Haired live was actually useful. He could use him as a warning, mobilize his network, and display his influence throughout the New World.
Let everyone understand one thing clearly.
If you want to survive in the New World, don't provoke Ortoren.
Anger him, and the Red-Haired Pirates will be your example.
Now that Shanks had lost an arm and suffered such heavy injuries, given his physique, Ortoren estimated it would take at least half a year before he could recover. On top of that, the Red-Haired Pirates' First Mate was dead. It could be said that the Red-Haired Pirates were at their weakest point.
If they were unlucky during Ortoren's bounty hunt and happened to run into some truly ruthless figures, there was a real chance they wouldn't make it out of the New World alive.
After all, in the New World, there was no shortage of people eager to curry favor with Ortoren.
"I understand. I'll make the arrangements," Smoker replied with a serious expression.
Not long after, Issho approached with a Den Den Mushi in hand.
"I've contacted Moria. He's already on his way and should arrive by tomorrow at the latest."
"Took him long enough. The fighting's already over and he still wasn't here," Ortoren muttered before continuing, "We'll rest here today. Once Moria arrives tomorrow, we'll hand things over to him and then withdraw."
There was no need to stay behind to clean up the battlefield, nor was there any need for the Marines to help with reconstruction. Moria was a major contractor with plenty of labor at his disposal. In two or three months at most, Hachinosu would be fully rebuilt.
Once Hachinosu was operational again, Kaidou's market would effectively be opened up.
Even though they were partners for now, Kaidou was still an obstacle Ortoren couldn't ignore if he wanted to unify the New World. He was already thinking about when and under what circumstances he could deal with Kaidou as well.
Given that their relationship over the years hadn't been bad, there was no need to wipe him out completely. Still, Kaidou had to be kept under control and made to obey.
"Maybe when the opportunity comes, we wipe out the Beasts Pirates, tie him up, and send him to Whole Cake Island to 'bond' with the old hag," Ortoren thought to himself.
"No… that's not ideal either. The most perfect solution would be to help the Big Mom Pirates absorb the Beasts Pirates entirely. Then, through my tireless efforts, the Big Mom Pirates would turn over a new leaf, lead Totto Land through reform, become an allied nation, and serve as a key partner of the Navy in the New World… and finally deal with Whitebeard. Complete unification of the New World."
But his own mother was hardly an easy person to deal with. If she truly swallowed up Kaidou, her strength would skyrocket. Who knew what ideas she might come up with then?
The more he thought about it, the more troublesome the New World seemed.
In the end, it still came down to strengthening himself. The stronger the Navy became in the New World, the more leverage Ortoren would have. And in this grand game of power, the more chips he held, the more opportunities he'd have to place his bets.
...
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