The matter with Saul was put on hold.
Nico Olvia was secretly taken into custody by Diarmuid and sent back to G-7.
Because of this, Saul was obviously no longer suitable to be a part of the Buster Call, so Admiral Sengoku assigned Tokikake to the Buster Call fleet.
Soon, the Buster Call fleet set off from Marine Headquarters, heading for Ohara in the West Blue.
Since Saul and Olvia were no longer there to cause trouble, no one on Ohara had received any news, and the Marines weren't in any particular hurry to take action.
As an Admiral candidate, Diarmuid was naturally in command of the Buster Call fleet. His ship served as the flagship.
On the deck of his warship, Diarmuid sat smoking a cigar, enjoying the sea breeze.
Behind him stood Tokikake, and the two seemed to be chatting.
Truth be told, Diarmuid and Tokikake weren't on the best of terms. The main reason was that Tokikake was always looking for an opportunity to confess his feelings to Gion. Gion, however, couldn't be bothered with him. Now, she had been taken directly to G-7 by Diarmuid, and Tokikake had a nagging feeling that Gion might be interested in Diarmuid.
It's a little complicated, isn't it?
So he was a bit jealous. But that was all there was to it; there was no serious grudge between them.
"When are you coming back to Headquarters?" Tokikake asked, also with a cigar in his mouth.
Diarmuid replied with a hint of impatience, "Why do you keep asking? I'll come back whenever Admiral Sengoku transfers me."
Tokikake exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "You've done so well at G-7. The results speak for themselves, and even I think you're qualified to be an Admiral. Want me to put in a good word for you with the Admirals or the Fleet Admiral?"
It was clear that Tokikake didn't realize that becoming an Admiral was no longer a simple matter that could be settled just by the Fleet Admiral or Admiral Sengoku.
However, Diarmuid didn't bother to explain. He just waved a hand and said, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You figure if I go back to Headquarters, Gion will come back with me, right? And then you'll get another chance to harass her..."
"You scoundrel, that's not harassment! It's an expression of love!" Tokikake said, somewhat annoyed.
"Oh, cut it out. Gion doesn't want anything to do with you. 'Expression of love,' my foot," Diarmuid scoffed.
"Hmph!" Tokikake let out a cold snort, then asked, sounding a bit unhappy, "Speaking of which, what's going on between you and Gion...?"
"Mind your own business," Diarmuid retorted, then continued, "Even if I go back to Headquarters, I'm not bringing Gion with me. I'm going to promote Gion to Vice Admiral and put her in charge of G-7. Give up on her already."
"Can't you be a decent human being!?" Tokikake cursed, his frustration boiling over.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly froze for a second, a smile spreading across his face. "That's great! I think that's a brilliant idea!"
Now it was Diarmuid's turn to be confused. He turned and looked at Tokikake, not understanding what was happening.
Although nothing had truly developed between him and Gion, there was definitely a bit of a romantic tension at times. Because of this, Diarmuid had unknowingly developed a certain possessiveness over Gion, which was why he enjoyed getting under Tokikake's skin.
Seeing Diarmuid's bewildered expression, Tokikake just smiled, not offering any explanation. He tossed his cigar into the sea, turned, and said, "I'm done wasting my breath on you. I'm leaving."
As soon as he finished speaking, he used Geppo to leave Diarmuid's ship and return to his own.
Only then did Diarmuid understand.
"So he thinks that makes it a fair fight now, huh? Heh..." Diarmuid muttered to himself.
Being with Gion at G-7 made it easy for them to see each other and spend a lot of time together. Tokikake felt this was incredibly unfair, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
Now, however, he knew that Diarmuid would be returning to Headquarters while Gion stayed at G-7. That meant they wouldn't be able to see each other as often.
To Tokikake, didn't this put them back on an even playing field? Didn't that make things fair?
But Diarmuid clearly couldn't care less about such a thing. When it came to matters of the heart, there was no such thing as "fair." Even if Tokikake were transferred to G-7 to spend every day with Gion, he would likely only succeed in making her dislike him even more.
Just then, a small boat docked at the warship, and a group of people boarded. A moment later, Spandine, dressed in a black suit, scurried over to Diarmuid's side and asked respectfully, "Vice Admiral Diarmuid, you called for me?"
The Cipher Pol organization and Marine Headquarters were essentially on the same level. As the chief of CP9, Spandine was equivalent to a Marine Vice Admiral. By rights, Spandine didn't need to be so servile.
But he was a truly despicable person. In his mind, while Diarmuid held the rank of Vice Admiral, his strength was already on par with an Admiral. At the same time, Diarmuid was the only Admiral candidate in the Marines, not just a simple Vice Admiral.
Spandine believed Diarmuid would become an Admiral sooner or later. Why would he dare act high and mighty in front of someone like that?
Groveling was the only way to go!
"Thank you for coming. Have a seat," Diarmuid said, gesturing to a small stool nearby.
Spandine didn't mind and sat down with a cheerful smile. "It's no trouble at all. It's just a change of ships. I've been looking for an opportunity to get to know you better."
"Hahahaha..." Diarmuid laughed.
After he finished, he slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "Admiral Sengoku entrusted you with the golden Den Den Mushi this time. Don't disappoint the Admiral's expectations."
"Don't worry, sir," Spandine quickly replied with a nod.
"What's the procedure for you guys in CP? Is it convenient to talk about?" Diarmuid asked.
"There's no reason not to," Spandine answered decisively and immediately began to explain. "Once we arrive at Ohara, the warships will surround and blockade the island. Then, our CP agents will go ashore to search for evidence. It's best if we can catch them red-handed, so we have something to show the world. At the same time, the Gorosei also want to have a discussion with Ohara's Professor Clover to see how far they've gotten in their research of the Poneglyphs..." Spandine said with a chuckle.
This was the difference between Cipher Pol and the Marines. In the Marines, Spandine's position would be nothing more than a Vice Admiral, but he had direct access to the World Government's highest authority, the Gorosei. In contrast, even an Admiral candidate like Diarmuid had never seen what the Gorosei actually looked like.
It's a matter of who's in the inner circle.
"I see," Diarmuid responded. "Listen, the Marines are hoping to preserve the knowledge of Ohara. After all, it's a treasure for all of humanity. That's why I called you here, I need your help with something."
"Just say the word!" Spandine replied quickly.
"When you're searching for evidence, I'd like you to also transport all the books to my warship," Diarmuid said with a smile.
"That's absolutely no problem. It's a trivial matter," Spandine agreed without a moment's hesitation.
Diarmuid looked at the man with a new respect.
He had to admit, while Spandine was a terrible person, a complete scumbag when it came to strength and character, he was incredibly capable and decisive. He was a talented individual.
"Heh, thank you very much," Diarmuid said with a laugh.
After a brief pause, Diarmuid continued, "Speaking of which, I'm on pretty good terms with your CP agent, Stussy-san. She used to be a CP9 chief, didn't she? You two must know each other?"
"Know her? We're very well acquainted!" Spandine's eyes lit up. Without waiting for Diarmuid to ask any more questions, he eagerly began to establish a connection. "Stussy-san was my superior and she gave me my start. We're also kind of like siblings..."
"Siblings?" Diarmuid was taken aback.
Diarmuid could understand Stussy being Spandine's former superior. After all, judging from the way things were run at G-7, it was unlikely that Stussy would have left CP9 without making sure one of her trusted subordinates took over as chief. Spandine might just be Stussy's confidant.
But "siblings"? What was that about? Was it just because their names started with 'S'?
Wasn't Stussy an orphan?
"Not many people know this, but Stussy-san and I came from the same orphanage. We've known each other since we were kids, so we're very close in private. She's always taken care of me, and since our names both start with 'S,' there's a certain sibling bond there, you know?" Spandine said with a grin.
'You guys just made yourselves siblings because your names start with 'S'? That's quite a twist!'
"I see," Diarmuid nodded, then smiled. "Well, then we really should get closer. My relationship with your sister, Stussy, is really quite good..."
"Stussy-san has mentioned you to me as well. She told me to make sure we got along," Spandine said with another cheerful smile.
Diarmuid nodded, not saying anything more. He had only called Spandine over on a whim and because he had something to ask of him. This chat had led to an unexpected discovery.
Spandine might be useful in the future. After all, when both he and Stussy held high positions, they wouldn't be able to meet as often. Some things could be coordinated through Spandine.
Seeing that Diarmuid had nothing left to say, Spandine, ever the shrewd one, started another topic of conversation, chatted for a couple more minutes, and then excused himself.
Nothing else happened after that. On their way to the West Blue, the Buster Call fleet encountered a few groups of pirates. However, none of the five Vice Admirals on the Buster Call were pushovers. Besides, a massive Marine fleet like this was something the riffraff of the West Blue couldn't hope to challenge. Every group they met was wiped out.
They swept through the sea, and in a few days, they were close to Ohara.
Ohara's island had a very unique shape. It was surrounded by valleys, but at the very center of the island was an enormous ancient tree. Over generations, the scholars had hollowed out the tree and built a library inside it. Despite this, the tree was still full of life and showed no signs of dying.
This tree was the pinnacle of human civilization—the Tree of Knowledge!
"The Tree of Knowledge... A single warship probably won't be enough to hold all these books," Diarmuid said with a touch of emotion, standing on the deck and looking at the island of Ohara appearing on the distant horizon.
After a moment of reflection, his expression turned serious. He held a Den Den Mushi in his hand and ordered, "Attention all units! Form a scattered formation and blockade the seas around Ohara! No entry or exit! At the same time, cut off all communications with Ohara Island!"
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