Ortoren grabbed Caesar by the shoulder and said, "Co back to the Marines with . You'll get full benefits—five kinds of insurance, a pension—and it's a governnt job. The job market at sea is terrible right now, so this is a great deal..."
Before he could finish, Charlotte Linlin swung the Emperor Sword in a fierce slash, roaring, "It's bad enough that you, my unfilial son, betrayed —but now you want to snatch away the subordinates who have pledged themselves to ?"
Facing Charlotte Linlin, Ortoren didn't dare be careless. He instantly let go of Caesar, gripped his hamr with both hands, and swung up to et her strike head-on.
The slash carried raging flas and smashed into Ortoren's battle hamr with a deafening bang. The force was so absurdly strong that Ortoren couldn't help wondering if his so-called innate divine strength had been incomplete all along.
Knocking him back in one blow, Charlotte Linlin shielded Caesar behind her. "That technology to make humans gigantic—you're the one who has it, right?"
"Yes, yes!" Caesar blurted. "But it's still not very stable—"
Charlotte Linlin had no patience for his babbling. Ortoren raised his hand and fired a blast of lightning. She countered with a flaming punch, shattering the electric attack, then brought her blade up high.
As expected, Ortoren's figure flashed above her, hamr swinging down in a crushing arc.
With a boom, the shockwave blasted Caesar right out from behind her.
In the sa instant, Ortoren turned into lightning again, flashing behind Caesar with his hand outstretched to grab him. But Charlotte Linlin's reflexes were just as quick. She roared, "Soul Pocus!"
A strange, eerie green light burst from her body. The mont it washed over Ortoren, his mind stalled—as if his soul was about to tear free from its vessel and drift away.
Before he could shake it off, Charlotte Linlin's blade slamd into his back, ripping through flesh and hurling him hundreds of ters before he crashed hard into the ground.
"You're a million years too early to fight !" she snarled with a vicious grin.
Caesar, anwhile, had his jaw stretched wide open, his spectral green soul almost spilling from his mouth under the effects of the Soul Pocus.
Charlotte Linlin snatched his soul in one hand, shoved it back into him, and snapped, "Spineless trash!"
The Soul Pocus could indeed steal a soul, but it depended heavily on willpower. Against soone like Garp, it was useless, and even the still-green Ortoren had only frozen for a mont.
Caesar, on the other hand, had nearly lost his soul just from the lingering effects—an embarrassing display.
Still, it only highlighted how strange and terrifying Charlotte Linlin's ability was. For ordinary grunts, the slightest hint of fear in her presence ant certain death.
Ortoren pushed himself up, his back burning with pain, cursing inwardly at how his mother never held back.
But now was no ti to linger. Lightning crackled in his eyes, thunder elents flaring from his body. He was clearly about to force himself into the Lightning Release Armor again for one last clash.
Then, from the direction of the distant harbor, a blood-red firework exploded in the sky.
It ca from Kuzan's warship. The instant Ortoren saw it, his heart tightened—this was the highest-priority retreat signal, aning sothing major had happened and the mission was to be abandoned imdiately.
Garp, having just punched Kaidou flying and preparing to back Ortoren up, saw the firework too. His face hardened. "Ortoren, retreat!"
They hadn't managed to capture Caesar, but with Dr. Vegapunk already in custody, the Marines had secured their minimum objective. It wasn't a failure. And now, with an ergency at hand, even the usually carefree Garp knew when to get serious.
With the order given, Ortoren didn't hesitate. He gave Charlotte Linlin a aningful look, then vanished in a flash of lightning, leaving the island.
anwhile, the warships still en route to the island had already turned around. Kuzan and Borsalino both looked tense—clearly, sothing big had happened.
Ortoren's speed was blinding. A streak of lightning struck down, and he landed on the deck. "What's going on?" he asked sharply.
"After inspecting G-1, the Fleet Admiral was heading back to Marineford as planned," Kuzan explained, "but halfway there, a massive tsunami forced him to stop at Feller Island. There, he ran into the Red Count, Patrick Redfield. Redfield attacked, and they're locked in a fierce battle. The Fleet Admiral has no elite guards with him. We have to get there fast—if sothing goes wrong, it'll be a huge blow to the entire Marines!"
Ortoren blinked.
It really has to be you, Old Red!
At that mont, Ortoren finally pieced it all together—why would Kong, the Fleet Admiral himself, be forced into a one-on-one with the Red Count, nearly lose, and end up relying on Garp's arrival to bring him down?
This was what Ortoren could never figure out before. A Fleet Admiral would naturally travel with top-class guards. How could the Red Count have succeeded in ambushing him?
Now it made sense—in the original course of events, either Garp had, like now, gone off midway for another mission, or a massive tsunami had separated him from Kong's fleet, forcing the Fleet Admiral into a solo fight against the Red Count.
As Ortoren was mulling this over, the ship's doctor was already on deck, quickly bandaging his wounds and checking his condition. Aside from superficial injuries and so internal shock damage, there was nothing serious. The doctor simply recomnded rest.
But that suggestion was worthless. With the Fleet Admiral in danger, how could his escort just sit around and "rest"?
At that mont, Garp landed on deck with a Geppo, imdiately asking what had happened.
After Kuzan finished explaining, Garp's expression darkened. "The Red Count might not have the sa influence as Newgate, Roger, or Shiki, but his strength is absolutely not to be underestimated."
Borsalino hesitated. "But Fleet Admiral Kong is strong too, right? Back then, he—"
"The Fleet Admiral is indeed strong, but think about it—how long has it been since he last fought anyone?" Garp cut him off.
At that, Borsalino, Kuzan, Ortoren, and the others all fell silent.
Kong had been Fleet Admiral for many years. In that position, it was rare—almost unthinkable—for him to be on the front lines, much less to fight for his life.
Being shielded from such battles was inevitable. Even if he wanted to go to the front, the top brass of the Navy would never allow it.
So no matter how formidable he was in his pri, his strength must have declined by now.
By contrast, the Red Count road the seas alone and still built such a fearso reputation—his strength was easy to imagine.
"In any case, we prepare for the worst. If we sail at full speed, day and night, how long to reach Feller Island?" Garp asked grimly.
"Ten days," Kuzan answered imdiately. "That's the fastest, and only if the seas are calm with no extre weather."
"Ten days... too long. Isn't Sakazuki in that area?" Garp asked, thinking quickly.
"He is," Kuzan said, "but he's right at the tsunami's center. In this situation, he can't set out to sea at all."
That was the New World's climate—once a massive natural disaster hit, forget sailing unless you had a death wish. Even Shiki, for all his arrogance, had capsized in a storm.
"Give the Eternal Pose for Feller Island. I'll go," Ortoren suddenly said. "I'm fast, and I can stay airborne for a long ti. I can get there in two days, tops."
Garp hesitated. "That's too dangerous. Even with the Goro Goro no Mi, you're still a Devil Fruit user..."
Kuzan frowned. "The doctor just said you need rest. What if you hit sothing unpredictable on the way and fall into the sea? You'd be finished—no way to even fish you out!"
Ortoren replied firmly, "Which is more important—my safety, or the Fleet Admiral's?"
In truth, this was a perfect chance to earn major credit protecting the Fleet Admiral—and with it, a fast track to promotion and wealth. Anyone who tried to stop him was just standing in the way of his future.
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
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