As it turned out, being able to unexpectedly obtain Marco's Phoenix ability under these circumstances was already incredibly fortunate.
Over the next five days, Ortoren spent almost all his time leading Navy officers in clearing the battlefield, but there were no further unexpected gains involving Devil Fruits.
September 26, Sea Circle Calendar 1506.
With the ruins of the camp mostly cleared, Ortoren sat atop a jagged chunk of volcanic rock, holding the war briefing from this campaign in his hands.
His expression was heavy. His lips were pressed tight, and he remained silent for a long time.
What he was reading was the New World Navy's casualty report.
At the Vice Admiral level, there were no fatalities. Even the weakest among them, Stainless, had come through without incident. However, aside from Momonga, the strongest among them, Yamakaji, had suffered extremely serious injuries. His intestines had been torn out. Fortunately, the Navy had medical-type Devil Fruit users on standby and managed to save him. Even so, he would be unable to fight for at least half a year. Once he returned to his base, he would have no choice but to honestly take on a desk job as a base commander.
Losses among the Rear Admirals were severe.
In this New World war, Ortoren had mobilized a total of twenty-six Rear Admirals. Nine were killed in action. Every survivor was injured, with two barely pulled back from the brink of death. Even if they recovered, they would likely be reassigned to administrative roles or forced into retirement.
These were permanent, disabling injuries.
One Rear Admiral had both legs severed, and they were never recovered.
"What is Rear Admiral Stralert's personal intention?" Ortoren asked, turning to Hina beside him.
Rear Admiral Stralert was the one who had lost both legs and nearly bled to death.
Hina's expression was equally somber as she spoke in a low voice.
"He refuses to retire and doesn't want to be reassigned to a clerical position. Rear Admiral Stralert was among the first group of G-5 Marines to join you when you rebuilt G-5. He's from Minakuruni Island in the New World. His entire family was killed by pirates, including his six-year-old daughter. After joining G-5, he stayed by Isshō-san's side and eventually got his revenge by wiping out that pirate crew… He hopes to die in battle against pirates, not—"
"Then grant his wish," Ortoren said heavily, cutting her off. "Get in touch with Borsalino. Have the Science Corps immediately dispatch technicians specializing in mechanical prosthetics and biological augmentation."
"Admiral!?" Hina cried out. "That technology was only rolled out at headquarters last year. Do you have any idea how expensive it is?"
"Of course I do," Ortoren replied without hesitation. "But if my subordinates are willing to fight and bleed for me, how could I, as their Admiral, ever let them down?"
After a brief pause, Ortoren added,
"Give me the Den Den Mushi."
Hina quickly took Ortoren's Den Den Mushi from her handbag and handed it to him. The moment he took it, Ortoren contacted Tesoro.
Tesoro was naturally still on the island, busy handling logistics. After a war, losses had to be calculated, assessments made, and all kinds of tedious work dealt with.
The Den Den Mushi connected quickly.
"Admiral? What are your orders?" Tesoro responded.
"Have Logistics and Medical work together immediately," Ortoren said calmly. "Compile the numbers. I want a count of all Navy personnel whose limbs were disabled in this war and whose recovery will be seriously affected."
"Huh? Yes, understood. I have the relevant reports here. I can pull them up quickly," Tesoro replied, puzzled, before asking, "But Admiral, what do you need this for?"
"Obviously, to equip them with mechanical prosthetics and biological augmentation," Ortoren said firmly. "Issue my order as Admiral. Once the count is complete, report it to Hina. She'll coordinate with the Science Corps and have technicians sent over to take measurements. Based on each person's own wishes, arrange either mechanical prosthetics or biological augmentation."
"Wait, Admiral, regardless of rank?" Tesoro exclaimed.
"No need to distinguish," Ortoren said righteously. "From the lowest enlisted man to an Admiral, everyone gets included. Even if Kuzan's leg were broken, he'd get a set."
Of course, Kuzan's leg wasn't broken, and the forces mobilized this time were all elites. There were no actual menial soldiers here.
But Tesoro understood Ortoren's meaning perfectly.
Everyone, without exception.
After a brief silence, Tesoro spoke.
"Admiral, even the cheapest set costs over two hundred million Belly. Last year, headquarters rolled out this technology for officers at the Commodore level and above. I had the chance to learn about it then. According to the Science Corps' projections, it'll take at least three years before the cost can be brought down…"
He paused, then continued with a heavier tone.
"In this war alone, we have nearly thirty thousand wounded. The disability rate among frontline personnel is especially high. Rough estimates put it at around five thousand people. Taken together, that's an expenditure of no less than one trillion Belly, Admiral."
"Can't we afford it?" Ortoren frowned, clearly displeased.
"We can afford it," Tesoro replied immediately.
That much was true. The New World Navy was flush with money these days. A trillion Belly wasn't an impossible sum.
But as the person in charge of logistics for the New World Navy, Tesoro had to lay out the full picture, no matter how unhappy Ortoren sounded.
"Admiral," he continued under the pressure, "what you're proposing isn't part of the New World Navy's existing compensation or welfare system. One trillion Belly by itself isn't the issue. The problem is that this sets a precedent."
"If we do this now, then what about future battles? When injuries happen again, do we follow the same standard? Everyone bleeds for the Navy. We can't reasonably draw a line between major wars and minor engagements."
"If we refuse next time, won't the men resent it? But if we keep granting it and it becomes routine, the long-term financial burden will be enormous. This isn't something that can be solved with just a trillion Belly, Admiral."
Hina quickly added from the side,
"Yes, Admiral. If we do this now, what about all the Marines who were disabled in earlier battles? Shouldn't they also be compensated? That can't just be ignored."
Hearing this, Ortoren fell silent.
After a moment, he told Tesoro about Rear Admiral Stralert's situation and asked if there was a better way to handle it.
Tesoro didn't disappoint. He thought it over briefly and soon proposed a solution.
"Admiral, how about this. We conduct a survey among the disabled personnel and see how many of them are like Rear Admiral Stralert. Those who refuse to retire because of their injuries and instead want to continue fighting on the front lines until a glorious death…"
In truth, within the Navy—and especially within the New World Navy under Ortoren's command—there were plenty of people like Rear Admiral Stralert. People who wanted to fight pirates to the very end, who were willing to stay on the front lines until death.
Most of them either had blood-deep hatred toward pirates or were extreme combat zealots. The military had never been short on that type.
Seeing that Ortoren didn't object, Tesoro continued.
"For this group, we give them the benefits you mentioned earlier. Have Rear Admiral Stralert form them into a special frontline assault unit. A shock unit… or if we're being blunt, a suicide unit. What do you think?"
"As for everyone else, considering how dangerous and特殊 this unit would be, those who don't want to join shouldn't feel resentful. We follow the standard compensation regulations for them."
"At most, we find a suitable reason, like the intensity of this war, and issue a one-time allowance. That way it doesn't become a standing precedent. Everyone gets something, and we minimize the chance of conflict. What do you think, Admiral?"
Ortoren thought it over for a while, then let out a quiet sigh.
"…They're all soldiers who bled for me."
"Tesoro, handle this properly."
Mercy doesn't belong on the battlefield, and righteousness doesn't belong in finance. In truth, Ortoren wasn't particularly outstanding in either regard.
He had more loyalty than Tesoro, and more compassion than Sakazuki.
Even Ortoren himself knew he wasn't perfect.
But after Tesoro hung up the Den Den Mushi, he looked toward the medical area not far away and murmured softly,
"Perhaps, Admiral, there are times when you're impulsive, reckless, even… childish."
"But that's exactly why everyone is willing to give their lives for you."