In the G-5 Naval Base office, Ortoren sat with his legs crossed, leaning back in his chair, a newspaper in hand.
Today's front page was particularly interesting.
"Riku Doldo III Goes Mad—Forcibly Seizes 20 Billion Berries From His People, Massacres Dressrosa Citizens. The Shichibukai, Heavenly Yaksha Donquixote Doflamingo, Saves the Day Like a Savior!"
The details were dramatic. The once diligent and benevolent King Riku had suddenly lost his mind in Dressrosa. During a live broadcast, he demanded 20 billion berries from his citizens. But after securing the money, he began a frenzied massacre of his creditors.
"Huh? That's actually a clever trick—borrow money, then wipe out the lenders. No debt to repay." Ortoren raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
But he quickly shook his head. "No, no. In this business, reputation is everything. I, Ortoren, am famous for reliability. Everyone knows once I'm paid, I get the job done without delay. If I ruined that over something like this, my name would be worthless. No more easy opportunities in the future."
While Riku Doldo III was losing his mind, Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Shichibukai, happened to be near Dressrosa's waters. Responding to the pleas of refugees fleeing on asylum ships, Doflamingo—upholding his "responsibility" as a member of the World Government's extended family—couldn't possibly turn a blind eye to a Member Nation in such dire straits.
Thus, the Donquixote Family moved. In one decisive action, they annihilated the Mad King Riku and his entire faction, restoring order to the people of Dressrosa.
In the end, under the relentless urging of the citizens, Doflamingo—after three refusals and three entreaties—could no longer resist the will of the people. He accepted the crown and became Dressrosa's new king.
And all of this had legal precedent. Historically, Dressrosa had been under Donquixote rule for more than eight hundred years. In theory, Doflamingo did indeed have a legitimate claim to the throne.
Ordinarily, such a case would be labeled as "a pirate usurping a kingdom," especially since Dressrosa was a World Government Member Nation. The severity of the event would demand Marine intervention—otherwise, what would the other royal families think?
But Doflamingo's timing and sequence were impeccable. He had first secured the title of Shichibukai, and only afterward accepted the crown of Dressrosa.
From a broader perspective, it could be interpreted as nothing more than an internal power transfer within the World Government itself—perfectly legitimate.
As a Shichibukai, he also enjoyed extraterritorial immunity. Therefore, his acceptance of Dressrosa's throne fully complied with procedural justice.
Immediately after donning the crown, Doflamingo sent a telegram to Mary Geoise. In it, he detailed King Riku's atrocities in Dressrosa and explained that he had reluctantly accepted the throne under the invitation and fervent support of the people.
He stressed further that, whether as a Shichibukai or as the monarch of a Member Nation, he and Dressrosa would obey the World Government without question. The Heavenly Tribute would be paid in full every year, and they remained loyal members of the World Government family.
With that, Mary Geoise had no grounds for objection. That very evening, the World Government issued an official statement recognizing Doflamingo's sovereignty over Dressrosa.
By today's newspaper, Doflamingo's identity had undergone a complete transformation.
To be honest, no one had ever exploited the position of Shichibukai to this extent. While the others were still scheming in the shadows, Doflamingo had already achieved his goal in one decisive move.
Put simply, from now on, Doflamingo—while wearing the mask of a pirate—could freely enter and exit Mary Geoise as a royal of an allied kingdom. What's more, at the Reverie held every four years, he now had the chance to compete for one of the fifty seats reserved for attending monarchs.
In other words, as a pirate, Doflamingo could sit at the same round table as the world's royalty and top Navy officials—men like Fleet Admiral Kong and Admiral Sengoku—debating global affairs, drafting new policies, and deciding how to divide the world's spoils.
None of the other Shichibukai had ever envisioned such a move, let alone pulled it off.
"When it comes to outrageous moves, you're still the king of the game, Doflamingo..." Ortoren set down the newspaper, unable to stop himself from sighing in admiration.
He even suspected that Crocodile, the now-inactive one from Alabasta, had gotten the idea for his own coup straight from Doflamingo's playbook, opening his own path to usurpation there.
As for Doflamingo taking over Dressrosa, Ortoren didn't think it was entirely a 'bad thing.'
King Riku had indeed been a diligent and benevolent ruler, but that didn't necessarily make him a good king.
Yes, Dressrosa had been free of war and relatively safe under his rule—but why would such peace exist in the middle of the chaotic New World?
The answer was simple: Dressrosa was dirt poor.
As king, Riku couldn't even raise 10 billion berries in the original tale. He had to beg his own citizens for loans, showing just how destitute the royal family was. And if the royals were that broke, the commoners could only have been worse off.
According to Ortoren's knowledge, Dressrosa had sat at the very bottom of the New World Member Nations' economy for over a decade.
There was nothing worth taking. Passing pirates wouldn't even bother raiding it—why risk their lives for scraps? Fighting penniless wretches in Dressrosa wasn't worth the effort, since there was nothing to gain.
Even Ortoren himself, as commander of G-5, had never bothered collecting protection money from Dressrosa. He knew perfectly well it was impossible to collect a single berry.
Under Doflamingo's rule, however, the country's economy had exploded. Dressrosa leapt to become one of the wealthiest nations in the New World, with the people's standard of living rising dramatically.
Of course, that prosperity was built on darkness. Anyone who opposed the Donquixote Family's rule was turned into a toy and used as labor.
But that was in the original story. Back then, Doflamingo had been pure darkness. Now things were different. He was an ally of the Navy, a key figure supported by Commissioner Ortoren, and even Admiral Sengoku affectionately referred to him as the "Navy's underground operative."
Doflamingo still had some sense of pride. He was sharp enough to know that if he acted dishonorably now, it would reflect badly on him in front of his Marine partners.
If he imposed a reign of terror in Dressrosa and news of it ever leaked, how could he hope to be praised as an outstanding partner or an exemplary individual?
Would that be worthy of his position as a righteous Shichibukai?
That was why, from the very start, Ortoren had warned him: "Seize power if you must—after all, what throne wasn't taken by force? As long as the process is legitimate and Mary Geoise has no grounds to object, no one will interfere.
"But don't wreck Dressrosa completely. If you do, it'll be hard for any of us to keep our reputation intact."
Doflamingo had agreed, promising to rule through lawful and moderate means.
On whether Doflamingo could achieve his goals that way, Ortoren had no doubts. If Doflamingo truly put his mind to it, he didn't need to rely on the brutal methods of the original story—he could reach the same results by other means.
Back then, he had simply treated people as disposable, cutting corners to make things easier for himself.
That was why, in Ortoren's eyes, Dressrosa being taken over by someone like Doflamingo—a man who could actually make things happen—might not be the curse it appeared to be. For the people, it could even mark the beginning of better days.
...
Just as Ortoren was mulling these thoughts, Captain Tesoro knocked and entered, carrying a towering stack of documents.
"Ortoren-sama, the full analysis of G-5's economic and logistical trends for last year has been completed. Would you like to review it?"
Ortoren eyed the half-man-tall pile, his face twitching slightly, before decisively shaking his head. "No need. Just give me the key points verbally. I just need to have a general sense."
Hearing this, Tesoro's eyes filled with gratitude.
What was this?
This was Benn Ortoren-sama's trust in him! Logistics and finance—matters of such importance—and Benn trusted him enough to take his word at face value, without even checking the reports!
For a commander like this, Tesoro thought, a man would gladly die in loyalty!
When Ortoren noticed the sudden glimmer of tears in Tesoro's eyes, he frowned slightly in confusion.
What was wrong with him? Why did he suddenly look like he was about to lose his mind?