That Wapol guy is a real idiot. After inheriting the throne of the Drum Kingdom, he started making a mess of everything. To tighten his grip on the people and stop them from resisting his tyranny, he came up with an utterly ridiculous idea: banishing every doctor in the kingdom except for twenty who pledged loyalty to him. These twenty formed a group called the "Isshi-20."
With that system, anyone who fell ill had no choice but to turn to him for treatment, making it easy for him to control the population under his brutal rule.
As everyone knows, the Drum Kingdom holds great influence in the international community, and that influence comes entirely from its advanced medical expertise. If there were ever a holy land for medicine, the Drum Kingdom would be the most deserving.
From Ortoren's understanding, every few years the Drum Kingdom hosted major medical conferences, inviting world-renowned physicians to exchange knowledge. The nobles of Mary Geoise prided themselves on hiring Drum Kingdom doctors as their private family physicians. Even the Celestial Dragons would occasionally summon famed doctors from the kingdom to treat their ailments.
Many top experts in the Marine Headquarters Medical Department also came from the Drum Kingdom, proving just how advanced their medical development was.
And yet, this very powerhouse of medicine was quickly ruined by Wapol in just a few years. Countless elite doctors fled abroad, stripping the kingdom of its status as a medical superpower.
Still, the chaos in Drum Kingdom amused the royals of other nations. After Wapol rolled out his absurd policies, many countries openly voiced their support while secretly welcoming the expelled doctors in large numbers.
In a way, Wapol really was like a saint—he ruined his own country to enrich others!
Ortoren also planned to take advantage of the situation, aiming to strengthen G-5's medical logistics and make them more secure.
"Oh, and while you're at it, check something for me. That newly crowned king of the Drum Kingdom—is he a Devil Fruit user?" Ortoren thought of something and added another instruction for Vergo.
Wapol was indeed a Devil Fruit user, having eaten the Baku Baku no Mi, a Paramecia-type fruit. It was an impressive power, with tremendous potential for both combat and resource production.
In the original story, Wapol may have been a weakling in strength, but he relied on this ability to mass-produce alloys. By selling those alloys, he went from a washed-up pirate to an incredibly wealthy tycoon. Using his vast fortune, he built a new kingdom in the South Blue, bribed the World Government, and secured its status as a Member Nation.
He was even invited to the Reverie in 1522!
Oddball as he was, he still had real talent.
What Ortoren didn't know, though, was when exactly that bastard Wapol had acquired his Devil Fruit powers. If he hadn't eaten it yet, Ortoren might still have a chance to claim the Baku Baku no Mi for himself.
If he could get his hands on it, it would greatly boost G-5's development.
Vergo didn't fully understand Ortoren's reasoning, but he quickly replied, "Yes, I'll look into it right away."
With that matter settled, Ortoren turned and saw Smoker stepping off the ship.
This kid wasn't in great shape either. His arm was bandaged and strapped across his chest—clearly broken—and his forehead was wrapped in gauze, with faint traces of blood seeping from his temple.
As a Logia-type user who had graduated as top of the class under Zephyr-sensei, to be beaten this badly in the New World spoke volumes about just how fierce the G-5 operation had been.
Even so, despite his injuries and disheveled look, Smoker's spirit was high. His eyes were sharp, his expression lively, and his mood brimming with energy.
The moment he saw Ortoren, he straightened and saluted. "Vice Admiral Benn!"
In private, Smoker always called him senior, but in public he stuck to proper decorum, addressing Ortoren by rank.
Ortoren grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "How is it? How are your injuries?"
"Nothing serious. Just some minor wounds. A bit of rest and I'll be fine," Smoker replied with a sheepish smile.
"And how do you feel?" Ortoren asked again.
"How do I feel..." Smoker paused for a moment, then said, "Honestly, pretty good. This really is the frontline of the New World... The intensity of the battles here completely exceeded my expectations. Luckily, Rear Admiral Issho was strong enough to protect us. Otherwise, we might've been wiped out this time..."
The G-5 Marines had been targeting a senior officer from the Ochoku and Silver Axe Alliance on Hachinosu, with a bounty of over 460 million Berries.
Issho had been keeping an eye on him for a long time, but the man had stayed near Hachinosu and never gave him an opening. When intel finally came in that he'd left its waters, Issho immediately led a team to capture him.
The results of the battle had already been reported via Den Den Mushi before the fleet returned, so Ortoren knew the target had been eliminated by G-5.
It was a solid strike against the pirate forces of Hachinosu, and Ortoren had already planned to wipe that place out entirely.
Hachinosu's geography was unique. It sat right in the central waters of the New World, a crossroads that touched Kaidou's territory, Totto Land, and even part of the Whitebeard Pirates' domain.
It also lay right on the edge of the G-5 frontline, making it a true strategic hotspot.
The Whitebeard Pirates, Big Mom Pirates, and Beast Pirates all seemed to have a tacit understanding, leaving Hachinosu as a buffer zone. None of them wanted to provoke Ochoku and Silver Axe.
Ortoren had three reasons for wanting to take Hachinosu. First, both Ochoku and Silver Axe were wanted men, targets of the Navy. Taking them down would be a major achievement, plain and simple.
Second, the island's interconnected routes had turned it into a pirate paradise—a total waste of resources. In G-5's hands, it could be developed into a hub for goods and trade across the New World.
Ortoren couldn't limit himself to business with the Big Mom Pirates and Totto Land alone. The entire New World was the market he aimed for, but G-5's current situation kept most routes out of reach. If they captured Hachinosu, its network could open those channels up.
That was the second reason. The third was that leaving such a critical crossroads in the hands of pirates like Ochoku and Silver Axe was far too unreliable. A key island like this needed to be held by someone Ortoren could trust.
Hachinosu was also the perfect intelligence hub. Sitting between the territories of the three top pirate crews, it would be the first to catch wind of any movement from Whitebeard, Kaidou, or Charlotte Linlin—long before other islands.
Originally, once Moria finished his business with Flevance in the North Blue, he had planned to establish a base in the New World. Since Hachinosu wasn't far from G-5, seizing it and placing Moria there seemed like the perfect solution.
With a Sea Train line built from G-5 to Hachinosu, Moria would be nearly untouchable. At the current speed of the Sea Train, if he were ever attacked, troops leaving G-5 in the morning could arrive by afternoon.
And what would that mean? It would mean G-5's offensive capabilities in the New World would skyrocket. Hachinosu was a four-way crossroads. If G-5 could deploy troops there in a single day, it would also mean they could launch an assault on any one of the three great pirate crews within the same day.
In Ortoren's plan, once the Seastone trade with Kaidou was settled and Moria returned from the Flevance business, G-5 would begin its campaign to seize Hachinosu.
Just as Ortoren was thinking over these plans, the Den Den Mushi at his side began to ring.
He gave Smoker's shoulder another pat, pulled out the Den Den Mushi, glanced at it, then waved for everyone to step back so as not to disturb the call.
Once Vergo and the others moved away, Ortoren answered with a curious look. "Shakky?"
"Vice Admiral Benn, it's been a long time~" Shakky's warm, magnetic voice came with a smile.
Hearing the friendly tone, Ortoren rolled his eyes. "I don't recall us being that close. Let me guess—this has something to do with you and that coating craftsman, Old Ray?"