A fleet of Marine warships sailed in a protective formation at the front, leading the vessels of Lu Field and his entourage.
Issho remained aboard Lu Field's luxury cruise liner, chatting with the two men from time to time. The atmosphere was light and cordial.
Meanwhile, Umit carefully studied the surrounding waters. This was the first time in years he had entered G-5's territory, and he wanted to see for himself how things really stood here.
From his impression, G-5 was the Marine front line against New World pirates—a volatile region where conflict should have been constant.
Yet once inside the jurisdiction, he noticed something striking: the number of pirates seemed greatly reduced. Instead, merchant convoys bearing guild flags passed frequently through the area.
Some of these merchant fleets even went out of their way to greet the G-5 Marines, asking if they needed any assistance.
The banners were familiar to Umit. They belonged to a merchant guild that had risen rapidly in the New World over the last two years. Its origins lay within G-5's territory, and its backers were none other than the G-5 Marines themselves.
Rumor had it that every year, members of this guild paid hefty dues to the G-5 Marines. In return, they gained the privilege of safe passage between G-5's jurisdiction and Totto Land. Any merchant vessel flying their flag could call upon either the Big Mom Pirates or the G-5 Marines for aid if they ran into trouble at sea.
Nowadays, countless wealthy merchants were eager to join their ranks. But the guild was notoriously selective, only admitting new members through recommendations at its annual assembly. Without connections, even if one had money ready, there was no way in.
Noticing where Umit's attention lingered, Lu Field chuckled and explained, "That's the Atlantis Merchant Guild's fleet. I also have some businesses registered under their banner. Anyone who joins gains strong protection across the New World, and the profits aren't small either. If I recall correctly, you've got a few smugglers under your command, haven't you? If you're interested, I can put your name forward at this year's meeting."
"I'm interested," Umit said with a grin. "These days, anything tied to Benn-sama's name is worth my attention."
Hearing this, Issho laughed heartily. "No need to make it complicated. Once we arrive at G-5, Umit-sama, just mention it to our Base Commander. For him, something like this is settled with a single word."
...
G-5's jurisdiction was vast. As night fell and the sun dipped below the horizon, the fleet prepared to dock at an island ahead to rest. After a night's stay, they would set out again in the morning. At their current pace, they would reach the G-5 Marine base in about seven days.
As they neared the island, Umit noticed something unusual: naval flags flying over the harbor. The port was clearly a Marine base, with proper facilities built up around it. Several warships were even anchored outside.
This left Umit surprised. If memory served, there hadn't been any Marine base here before.
"Wasn't this the Sterkal Kingdom's trade port? How did it become like this? I was here just a few years ago..." Umit asked in astonishment.
Lu Field, too, looked puzzled as he studied the sight.
Issho explained with an easy smile. "Our G-5 made a military protection agreement with His Majesty, the King of Sterkal. The Marines stationed here are our G-5 garrison—six thousand troops, equipped with four standard Headquarters warships and three additional vessels. Their duty is to protect the royal family and safeguard their trade. This arrangement is very common across G-5's jurisdiction. Nearly every kingdom hosts a garrison of ours. Thanks to this system, maritime security has improved drastically in recent years. These days, when we want to hunt pirates, we sometimes have to leave our own waters to even find targets..."
As the Shipping King, Umit knew the distribution of maritime zones in the New World very well. Recalling the map in his mind, he couldn't help but find the situation extraordinary.
If G-5 has stationed forces of this scale in every country under its jurisdiction, then their grip on the region is far more powerful than it seems!
And... doesn't this number of troops seem off?
If every nation hosts a garrison like this, then just the forces stationed in these countries alone would amount to tens of thousands. Is that really a standard Marine base deployment?
Doesn't anyone at Marine Headquarters find this suspicious?
Still, it wasn't his place to meddle. But the weight of Ortoren's influence in his mind had grown even heavier.
Umit had originally seen Ortoren as a "powerful figure who plays both sides"—someone backed by Marine Headquarters, with overwhelming personal strength, strong connections to Totto Land and the Big Mom Pirates, and close ties with many big names in the underworld.
However, Umit had never paid much attention to Ortoren's role as a base commander. At most, he assumed G-5 was simply stronger than other naval units. Beyond that, he knew little.
But now, after this brief encounter, Umit realized—just the title of G-5 Base Commander alone was already outrageous.
This wasn't some base commander stationed in the New World. This was practically a Marine warlord ruling over the New World!
Do all the other Marine bases in the New World combined even have more troops than this one big shot, Ortoren?
As Umit mulled over this, he noticed some activity over by the military port. Several workboats appeared to be laying something on the sea. When the boats came closer, illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun, Umit finally saw what they were doing.
Those workboats seemed to be laying floating train tracks on the sea?
What the hell is that!?
As the Shipping King, Umit wasn't unfamiliar with transportation technology. He knew these tracks were components needed for trains, but typically, such infrastructure was only found in larger nations and used to link major towns and cities.
Even then, only wealthy nations could afford such projects. Most countries simply didn't have the money.
So why were they laying them over the ocean? Could these trains actually run on water? That just seemed insane!
"Issho-sama, what's the deal with those tracks?" Umit quickly asked, feeling like something was slipping further and further out of his control and understanding.
Issho glanced over, then answered with a calm smile, "That's a technology from the North Blue... no, from the current King of Dressrosa—the Shichibukai, Donquixote Doflamingo. It's called the Sea Train. As the name suggests, it allows trains to run on the ocean. Doflamingo-dono has entered into partial cooperation with our G-5. We're planning to run a trial within our jurisdiction, and if it goes well, we might expand it to other maritime areas..."
Cold sweat broke out on Umit's forehead as he listened. He swallowed hard and asked, "Is there a big difference between Sea Trains and regular land trains?"
"Besides the technology? Not really. They can haul dozens of carriages just the same, and their speed is many times faster than our ships..." Issho thought for a moment, then answered deliberately.
Umit's heart sank.
As the Shipping King, maritime transport was his biggest business asset. Even if Sea Trains couldn't completely replace ships, their transport capabilities alone could seriously threaten his current operations if widely adopted.
This was a direct threat to the foundation of his entire enterprise!
After a short pause, Umit asked, "Issho-sama, I've heard that Benn-sama has a very close relationship with Doflamingo-sama. Is that true?"
Issho thought, Looks like you've taken the bait. Good thing I brought you here to see the Sea Train.
He replied with a composed smile, "That's right. It's well-known that our Base Commander has close ties with several Shichibukai. After all, we're all good partners under the World Government's banner..."
"Then, if I may ask," Umit continued, "would it be appropriate for me to ask Benn-sama to introduce me to Doflamingo-sama?"
"My lord is always generous and willing to help his friends," Issho said meaningfully.
Umit understood immediately—if you want Ortoren-sama's help, you'll need to become his friend first. And as for how to become that friend... well, that all depends on how sincere you are.
Sincerity—it's everything.
...
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