Turning influence, power, and status into actual money was laughably easy. For someone like Ortoren, a massive two hundred billion Belly could be secured with just two Den Den Mushi calls.
Meanwhile, your average person drifting through the seas would risk their life for even two hundred million—and might still come up short.
After wrapping up Tesoro's affairs, Ortoren personally went down to the port that afternoon to see Garp off.
Garp was heading for the East Blue—just in time to catch up with his dear grandson.
Standing by the docks, watching the dog-headed warship slowly disappear into the horizon, Ortoren bit down on a cigarette and asked, "Vergo, what's on my schedule after this?"
Vergo immediately pulled a folder from his coat, flipped through a few pages, then replied, "Nothing special. Just routine base operations. Do you need anything changed?"
"Hmm…" Ortoren rubbed his chin and exhaled a puff of smoke. "I think it's time to pay a visit to Kaidou."
"Huh?" Vergo blinked, clearly thrown off by the sudden shift in direction.
"The Seastone shortage is getting out of hand," Ortoren said casually. "It's starting to affect our business. I need to check if that guy Kaidou can spare some supply."
After a brief pause, he added, "Right, I also have a meeting with Lu Feld that still needs to be scheduled. Keep an eye on it over the next few days. Follow up with him, see when he's free to visit G-5. If he's too busy right now, we'll just do it after I get back from Kaidou."
Lu Feld was planning to introduce a friend—someone who also happened to be a major figure in the underworld. Strangely enough, Charlotte Linlin hadn't invited this person to the last tea party.
That man was Umit, known as "Deep-Sea Currents" and the Shipping King.
Umit's business didn't make big waves on the surface, but behind the scenes, he wielded massive influence. Simply put, even Doflamingo's smuggling empire relied on his support. The guy controlled an enormous fleet and handled over seventy percent of the underworld's smuggling logistics.
As for why he wanted to befriend Ortoren? The smuggling routes in Totto Land had been on fire lately, and Umit clearly wanted a slice of the action.
Ortoren had no objections. After all, how do you scale a business?
It's not about hogging all the profits yourself. That kind of short-sighted greed doesn't go far. The key is partnering with people who bring real value to the table—growing the pie together so everyone earns more.
G-5's current transport capacity was already stretched thin. If Umit came onboard with his massive logistics network, smuggling goods from the North Blue to the New World would skyrocket. Sure, it meant cutting in another partner on the profits—but in the grand scheme, Ortoren would make even more.
That's the power of partnership: bigger business, bigger gains—for everyone involved.
Vergo nodded. "Understood. I'll handle the follow-up with Lu Feld."
Ortoren casually flicked his cigarette butt into the sea and sighed. "Problem is, I've got no direct line to Kaidou. We'll need the Big Mom Pirates to make the introduction..."
He sat down on a nearby stone post, pulled out his Den Den Mushi, and was just about to call Katakuri—then hesitated. After a moment's thought, he dialed his mother instead.
A few seconds later, Charlotte Linlin's voice came through, sounding irritated as she barked orders in the background.
"Kick him out. Tell him I'm done with him. If I ever need him again, I'll reach out. Until then, he's useless to me..."
There was more commotion on the other end before she turned her attention to the call.
"What's up, brat? Need your old lady's help again?"
Ortoren chuckled. "What's all the noise over there?"
"Oh, nothing. You remember that wedding after the tea party? Yeah, I'm pregnant again. Trying to toss the guy out now, but he's clinging like a damn barnacle. Men are such a pain," she grumbled, clearly annoyed.
Ortoren let out a silent sigh.
Pregnant again?
It hadn't even been that long since the tea party ended. Talk about efficiency.
"Oh, right—speaking of which, I totally forgot to ask you last time. I heard you had a kid? Why didn't you bring him along for me to see?" Charlotte Linlin suddenly asked.
Ortoren went quiet for a moment. He figured there was no point hiding it, so he said, "It's a bit complicated. He's not actually my son—he's Roger's."
Charlotte Linlin: ???
Still baffled, she listened as Ortoren briefly explained the situation. When he finished, Charlotte Linlin suddenly burst into laughter.
"What's so funny? Are you laughing at me?" Ortoren asked, clearly annoyed.
"No, no! Well done, Ortoren! That's some fine work!" Charlotte Linlin cackled. "You took Roger's woman and made her yours. Took Roger's son and made him your son. Turned Ace—his ace in the hole—into your ace. You really are my son! What a waste for someone like you to be stuck in the Marines..."
After her laughter died down, she added, "Now Roger's kid calls you father, and you're my son. That makes me the kid's grandmother. Which means Roger ends up a generation below me, doesn't he? Even if he's dead, I still outrank him. Hah! That puts me in a damn good mood..."
"I thought you'd be upset about all this..." Ortoren said with a slight smile.
"Upset? What's there to be upset about?" Charlotte Linlin replied without a care. "The bond of raising someone beats blood ties. Weren't you the one who taught me that? Otherwise, you wouldn't be slumming it with the Navy."
Maybe Charlotte Linlin really had taken something to heart from Ortoren. Last time he'd visited Whole Cake Island, he noticed the Charlotte Family didn't seem as cold and harsh as he remembered. She hadn't been as cruel to her children as he'd once believed.
As Ortoren fell silent, Charlotte Linlin continued, "You're raising that kid as your own. He'll see you as his real father, sooner or later. That's more than enough. I suppose that makes me a grandmother now... When you've got time, bring the boy over. Let me meet him."
"Alright. Actually, this might be a good opportunity. I need a big batch of Seastone, and I was thinking of working something out with Kaidou. Problem is, I don't have any way to contact him directly. I was hoping you could act as a go-between—set something up, maybe a little sit-down over a meal? I'll bring Ace along so you can see him too..." Ortoren said after thinking it over.
Normally, asking Charlotte Linlin for help would mean inviting a headache—just like the time Ortoren tried to share some weapons research with her. She'd caused more trouble than help.
But this time, the moment Ortoren mentioned bringing Ace, Linlin perked right up. No persuasion needed. After a moment of thought, she said, "Alright, I'll set it up. Just make sure you bring that little guy, Ace!"
...
After she hung up the Den Den Mushi, Charlotte Linlin seemed to remember something. A sly grin crept onto her face.
Beside her, Perospero asked curiously, "Mama, what's got you so happy?"
"Mwahahahaha!" Charlotte Linlin laughed loudly, then asked, "If I'm remembering right, Kaidou's got a daughter, doesn't he? How old is she now?"
"He does. Should be about five or six this year..." Perospero answered after thinking.
"Five or six, huh?" Charlotte Linlin rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "That's just two or three years younger than my darling grandson. Not a big gap at all... Maybe the marriage alliance that reshapes the power balance of the pirate world really will fall on their shoulders..."
After all, the Charlotte Family and the Big Mom Pirates had always used marriage as a way to expand their influence, strengthen their hold, and forge political ties.
Charlotte Linlin had considered a match with Kaidou before, but nothing ever came of it. That old beast obviously had a thing for her, but they were both too proud and stubborn—two kings that couldn't stand to bow to each other. Linlin had never seriously thought about pairing with him, not with that kind of power struggle waiting to explode.
And truth be told, Kaidou didn't have any suitable candidates among his ranks—until now. His daughter, though... that might actually be worth considering.