As Gion left the office to handle the specifics of the Shipbuilding Island operation, over at the G-5 Marine port, Issho's fleet and Lu Feld's group were steadily docking at the harbor.
Standing on the deck, Umit took in the scale of G-5's massive ongoing construction, feeling a wave of emotion rise in his chest.
Back when Ortoren first took over G-5, he had already considered rebuilding the base.
The original G-5 was neither grand nor particularly functional. It had earned the nickname "the Marines' trash can"—no military budget was allocated, and whatever funds they scraped together were blown on food, booze, and fun. Who the hell would waste time building up a proper naval base under those conditions?
On top of that, because of the constantly shifting circumstances in the New World, the G-5 base had to relocate from time to time. You might finish building it today, only to be forced to move it tomorrow. Total waste of effort.
But for Ortoren, G-5 wasn't just some temporary outpost. He planned to turn it into the new foundation of Marine power. That meant rethinking the entire structure and functionality from the ground up.
At first, he didn't have the funds or the means to kick off such a large-scale project, so he held off. But recently, reconstruction had begun in earnest. On one hand, it aligned with Master Tom's upcoming battleship production project—doing everything together saved money. On the other, G-5's existing capacity really couldn't keep up with its growing demands.
The island where G-5 was based was large, but only the southeastern section had been developed. The rest remained untouched wilderness and forest.
According to the new renovation plan, the entire island would be developed. Even if certain areas weren't immediately useful, everything would still be fully planned out. The main naval base buildings would be relocated to the very center of the island, forming a new fortress of justice—one that could rival G-1 and Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Beyond the military facilities, there would also be extensive residential zones. Following the Marineford model, the island's development would completely eliminate local productivity. In other words, it would rely entirely on external supplies for all resources—it wouldn't produce anything on its own.
That was standard for a central command post. It wasn't meant to bear the burden of productivity; that's what Calm Belt development islands were for. This place just needed to handle economic, political, military, and cultural development.
Without production zones, a fully developed G-5 island could theoretically support a population of two to three million.
Of course, that only reflects the available space. Just having room doesn't mean you can house that many people. Whether or not it's sustainable depends entirely on the supply chain. If resources can't keep up, everyone would just starve.
That's why G-5's transport network had extremely high demands. The plan was to lay down at least twelve Sea Train lines and maintain a permanent, dedicated fleet to keep supplies flowing—everything from food to armaments.
But that's the long-term goal. For now, there's no need to rush.
Currently, G-5's capacity is around seventy thousand. The official personnel count is over fifty thousand, and when you include pirate laborers working on the infrastructure, Marine families, and miscellaneous travelers, the island is already at full stretch.
This capacity issue was something Vice Admiral Wolf—the previous base commander—never anticipated when he built the base. He was just a standard officer. He never imagined a hardliner like Ortoren would come along and try to turn the trash can of the Marines into the core of a new naval force.
Outside the main island, G-5 also had three defensive satellite islands. Each one was about the size of Dressrosa in the New World. According to this world's island classification system, G-5 now ranked as a medium-to-large island. With full development, it could easily sustain a kingdom with a population in the millions and support multiple ports, all while maintaining a high-quality living environment.
Dressrosa, for comparison, was technically considered a small island—and those were the most common type across the world.
If you were looking for a proper comparison, the total area of G-5 was about the same as Wano Country.
The next tier up would be the large islands. These were mostly found in the Four Seas and were typically home to ancient, well-established kingdoms. They existed in the Grand Line as well, just far less frequently.
Beyond large islands, there exist super-large islands—one of the most iconic examples being Sandy Island, home to Alabasta, which is classified as a "super-large island."
You could even call it a small subcontinent—comparable to Australia in nature.
The only issue is that Sandy Island's natural environment is rather harsh. Most of its vast territory is dominated by endless desert. If this island had the same lush conditions as spring islands like the Goa Kingdom or Dressrosa, then Alabasta's overall strength would likely be monstrous. The Nefertari family might well have become completely untouchable.
As for the three islands around the main G-5 base—each similar in size to Dressrosa—they weren't naturally formed. When Ortoren first took command here, they didn't even exist.
They were later brought back by Issho during his exploration of the Calm Belt. The idea was to create a triangular formation of satellite islands around the G-5 main base—three defensive fortresses to guard its security!
These three islands were designed to be fully militarized, fortress-style constructs with heavy firepower and saturation coverage. And since they're relatively close to the main island, the surrounding sea isn't too deep. That's why the plan includes building an undersea tunnel to connect them directly to the central island—making everything more secure and discreet.
Of course, the exterior still needs standard infrastructure—ports where needed, Sea Train tracks where applicable. They'll even be modified to function like mobile warships, so they can be relocated along with the main G-5 island when necessary.
But all of this is still in the planning phase. Not a single island has begun development—they're just sitting there for now. As for why, there are two main reasons.
First, G-5 can only support up to 20,000 laborers at present. It's not that Impelton has run out of pirates to supply, but rather that G-5 can't house or feed any more workers.
Second, Ortoren doesn't have the money. So development has to proceed step by step—start with the main island, and once the funds are available, gradually implement the rest of the blueprint.
Even though G-5's reconstruction is only just beginning, the bustling energy of the place made Umit feel like the island was brimming with life and potential—a place that was growing and gaining strength by the day.
...
As Umit was lost in thought, their ship finally docked. The gangway dropped quickly, and the group finally set foot on G-5 soil.
There was no welcoming party. In fact, the port was a bit of a mess. Issho scratched his head apologetically.
"Sorry about the chaos. Things have been a bit hectic at G-5 lately. We've got a lot of supplies moving in and out..."
"No, no..." Lu Feld waved it off. "That's exactly what makes it feel alive—everything's thriving."
Issho led Lu Feld and Umit through the port toward the base, chatting along the way and explaining the various ongoing developments. The atmosphere was fairly relaxed.
Before long, they arrived at the base's headquarters. Issho brought them up via elevator to the top floor... which, to be fair, wasn't exactly towering—the base only had five stories.
He knocked on the door to Ortoren's office. Once a voice from inside gave the okay, Issho pushed it open and stepped in.
"Base Commander, Mr. Lu Feld and Mr. Umit have arrived."
Of course, Ortoren had already been informed. Even though Issho didn't notify him directly, the port's duty officers had reported the moment the visitors set foot on land.
Still, he put on a pleasantly surprised expression and greeted them with a smile.
"You're finally here? Hurry, let them in!"
Issho stepped aside, letting Lu Feld and Umit enter the room.
Lu Feld had already interacted with Ortoren back on Whole Cake Island, so they were relatively familiar with each other. The moment he saw Ortoren, he walked up with a smile and extended his hand.
"Vice Admiral Benn, it's been too long."
Ortoren, still seated in his chair, shook his hand with a smile. "You're looking as sharp as ever, Feld-sama."
Meanwhile, Umit was quietly observing Ortoren.
He'd heard all kinds of things about this man—how he was the so-called "trash can G-5's" base commander, Charlotte Linlin's fifth son, a natural-born monster, user of the Goro Goro no Mi, and reputed to be one of the most dangerous people in the New World.
Umit had seen pictures too. The guy looked rugged, intimidating, and full of presence. So subconsciously, Umit had expected someone who was brash, volatile, and maybe a bit sly.
But when he actually saw Ortoren in person, none of that intense, beast-like aura was there. Instead, what he felt... was warmth, like standing in a breeze on a sunny day.