After a moment of silence, Dragon shook his head. "Sorry, but I can't help you with this."
Trust wasn't something so easily earned. Dragon wasn't about to believe Ortoren just because of a few words. In truth, he was only looking for ways to approach the scholars himself, but they were just as wary of him, unwilling to share more than necessary.
"Is that so?" Ortoren let out a light sigh and waved his hand. "Forget it, I won't press you."
Seeing Ortoren drop the matter, Dragon allowed himself a small smile. "Glad you understand."
There wasn't much else left to say. Ortoren handed the newspaper back to Ivankov, then turned to Dragon. "Well, no hard feelings. Why don't we exchange Den Den Mushi?"
Dragon seemed interested enough and immediately swapped signals with him. "This meeting wasn't exactly pleasant, but hopefully we'll find a way to work together in the future."
Ortoren grinned. "I hope so too."
Soon after, Dragon and Ivankov stood watching as Ortoren and Gion used Geppo to leave the Freedom Fighters' island behind.
Standing on the shore, Ivankov asked as their silhouettes faded from view, "So what now? Should we relocate? Though it didn't seem like they were planning to come after us..."
"Maybe not." Dragon shook his head. "But we can't put our trust in them. Right now we don't stand on opposite sides, but that could change anytime. This base is no longer secure—we need to abandon it and find another island."
There was no way Dragon would risk the lives of his people, or the future of the Freedom Fighters, on Gion and Ortoren. Whether they reported this place or not, the base had to be moved.
"What worries me isn't the island," Dragon added grimly, "but the scholars. The World Government has already started to notice them. What should've been a CP assignment is now in the Marines' hands. That shows how serious this has become. The scholars are in real danger... especially with someone like Benn Ortoren involved. He's not just strong—he's competent."
"If only the scholars would work with us," Ivankov said with a touch of regret.
Both paths carried mortal risk, but Ohara was destroyed while Dragon's group transformed into the Revolutionary Army, leaving the World Government with a headache they couldn't solve even after twenty years.
That was the difference in capability. As the saying goes, "When scholars rebel, it takes ten years to succeed." That described Ohara's bookish academics perfectly.
In Dragon's eyes, if they could form a solid alliance with those mysterious scholars, it would make things much harder for the World Government to suppress. That would benefit everyone.
...
Meanwhile, back on the warship, Ortoren had barely stepped onto the deck before ordering his men to fetch him a newspaper—he still hadn't finished the last one.
Gion, watching him, asked curiously, "Why did you trade Den Den Mushi signals with Dragon? Don't tell me you actually think you might work with him someday. They're the Freedom Fighters. They're walking down a dangerous path, and more likely than not, they'll be our enemies."
"Do the Marines have a rule that forbids us from having our enemies' Den Den Mushi contacts?" Ortoren asked with a grin.
Gion's lips twitched. "No."
"Then there you go. Garp-san, Admiral Sengoku—they all have ways to reach Dragon, don't they? Even you probably do. So me asking for a signal? No big deal." Ortoren brushed it off casually.
Gion could tell Ortoren was brushing her off, so she didn't push the issue. Instead, she asked, "So, what's the plan now?"
"Keep tracking the scholars. If possible, I want to find a way to make contact with them," Ortoren replied without hesitation.
"You're dreaming. We can't even find them, and you think you'll get their contact information?" Gion muttered with a hint of sarcasm.
The warship soon set course for the 146th Marine Branch in the South Blue. Ortoren planned to rest there, restock supplies, and mobilize manpower and resources from nearby bases to cast a wide net in search of the scholars.
It was worth noting that the 146th Branch was located within the territory of the Sorbet Kingdom.
"Rear Admiral Benn, here's the newspaper you requested!" A Marine Commander approached Ortoren and handed it over.
"Thanks." Ortoren smiled as he took it and began reading.
Today's paper was packed with interesting reports.
One headline covered Crocodile and Douglas Bullet. The two had clashed on Jadenburg Island, resulting in the island's destruction and nearly twenty thousand casualties—utter carnage.
But since Jadenburg was an island in the New World, unaffiliated with the World Government, by their twisted laws there were "no human rights" to speak of. No one was likely to pay it much mind.
Beyond that, there was news from the North Blue. A conflict had broken out between two major powers, dragging several nations into war.
One was Germa 66, led by Vinsmoke Judge, who had once escaped from the MADS research group. The other was the Donquixote Family, which had steadily risen over the years to monopolize most of the North Blue's underworld trade.
The paper didn't include a photo of Judge, but there was a snapshot of Doflamingo. He stood on a war-ravaged pier with a crazed, arrogant grin on his face, while behind him, a crowd of terrified civilians cried out. The contrast between his sinister smile and the chaos around him was stark.
Ortoren wasn't particularly interested in Judge, but Doflamingo caught his eye.
"A naturally evil Donquixote brat, huh? Interesting..." Ortoren chuckled softly.
"That one's background is complicated. As long as he doesn't go too far, the World Government won't lay a hand on him," Gion said with some irritation, standing behind Ortoren and glancing at the photo herself.
"If I remember right, Admiral Sengoku's adopted son—the one studying under Zephyr right now, Rosinante—he's this guy's younger brother, isn't he?" Ortoren asked.
That detail was top-secret within the Marines, known only to a handful of people. Ortoren happened to be one of them.
After all, he was no ordinary Marine. Personally recruited by Garp, trained as a direct disciple under Zephyr, serving directly under Sengoku, and regarded as a close ally and stalwart protector of the Fleet Admiral—Ortoren's backing was as solid as it got.
Because Rosinante was currently studying under Zephyr, and since Ortoren had entered that inner circle, he wasn't unfamiliar with him. They'd even met a few times.
Setting aside the impressions from the "original story," Ortoren's personal view from those encounters was positive. Rosinante was polite, gentle, and kind-hearted. Perhaps naive, perhaps even foolish at times, but without a doubt a Marine full of genuine righteousness.
"Yeah. Compared to his older brother, Rosinante is practically a saint..." Gion sighed.
Ortoren didn't comment on whether Rosinante was a saint, but thinking about it left him with newfound respect for Sengoku.
On this sea, who was the greatest "father figure"? Most people would immediately think of Whitebeard, the old man who loved gathering sons.
But compared to Sengoku, Newgate didn't even come close.
His biggest achievement was adopting Roger's son, but in terms of seniority, it was laughably awkward. After all, Garp—damn that bastard—had made himself Ace's grandfather, putting himself above both Roger and Newgate. In one move, he'd dragged their "generational rank" down to Dragon's level. Ridiculous.
By contrast, Sengoku carried himself with far more dignity. He didn't have a dozen "sons" like Newgate, but his one adopted child was worth more than all of them combined: a legitimate descendant of the Twenty Kings, a pure-blooded Celestial Dragon from the Yellow Flag line of Mary Geoise.
In a way, Sengoku went to Mary Geoise to play the role of grandson to the Celestial Dragons—but back at Marine Headquarters, he was their father.
"You think there's a chance that after Admiral Sengoku gets humiliated at Mary Geoise, he comes back to HQ and takes it out by beating up Rosinante?" Ortoren asked mischievously.
Gion blinked, then rubbed her chin. "The way you put it... you're making me want to go back to Marineford and smack Rosinante myself."