Smoker was in a fantastic mood today. His heart pounded with excitement as he looked at the Port of Maria Pleasure Island in the distance. The pirate subordinates following him were a bit confused, wondering why their Warlord of the Sea captain was so worked up just to have a good time.
It's not like the captain is some kind of saint who's never had a little fun.
Smoker noticed their strange looks and chuckled to himself. You think I'm here to have fun? Hell no! I might be a Marine again today! It's been almost three years, and back then, the Admiral himself promised me that if I returned, I'd be a Rear Admiral in Marine Headquarters! My future will be limitless. The road we've traveled together might be coming to an end. The next time we meet, your captain might be the one to personally send you to Impel Down...
He thought about it some more. They had built a rapport over the past two years. Under his control and commands, his pirate crew wasn't a group of total monsters. Besides taking down corrupt nobles, they hadn't committed any truly heinous acts. If possible, he thought he might try to get them to join the Marines. As a Rear Admiral, he would need subordinates, and if these pirates could turn over a new leaf, it would make the last two years they spent together worthwhile.
As Smoker fantasized about his bright future in Marine Headquarters, his ship slowly pulled into the port.
"Alright, go have fun on your own. I have other things to do!" Smoker said hurriedly, and without even waiting for the gangplank to be lowered, he leaped from the deck onto the dock.
The pirate crew members on the ship watched as their captain rushed toward a group of beautiful women waiting at the port. They were all overcome with emotion.
See? A great pirate is on a whole different level. The Warlord of the Sea is amazing—he even has so many beauties personally greeting him at this island.
But isn't our captain a little too horny? The ship hasn't even fully docked, and he's already going for the kill?
Counting them, there must be seven or eight women on that team. Can he handle them all by himself? If he needs help, I, as the captain's loyal subordinate, am willing to serve! A group activity… I can accept that!
"Smoker-san, welcome to…" The tan-skinned beauty who had greeted Diarmuid a few days earlier smiled and said hello when she saw Smoker.
But Smoker was not a gentleman. His mind was filled with thoughts of justice, the Marines, and Marineford. Before the woman could finish her sentence, Smoker impatiently waved his hand. "Enough with the small talk. Just lead the way. I'm in a hurry."
The woman froze for a moment, her mouth twitching slightly. This pirate is such a brute! He has absolutely no manners. Look at how much of a gentleman that Marine Admiral was the other day!
However, she didn't find it surprising that a Warlord of the Sea and a Marine Admiral were having a secret meeting. After all, a Warlord of the Sea was, in theory, under the World Government's jurisdiction. It was perfectly reasonable for them to occasionally discuss confidential matters. Furthermore, this woman was one of Stussy's confidantes, so she wouldn't say a word.
"Yes, please follow me," the woman said in a slightly disgruntled tone and led Smoker away from the port.
Smoker nodded, his eyes filled with anticipation as he adjusted his clothes and followed with a determined stride. Soon, the woman led him to the gate of Stussy's courtyard. As expected, the women did not go inside. After a few more words, they left Smoker.
Smoker looked at the house with a sense of nostalgia. As someone who had lived at Marineford, he had visited Zephyr-sensei's house many times. He could tell the design of the courtyard had a bit of the Headquarters' style. For a moment, he felt a rush of emotions.
Should I remodel my house like this when I get back? Smoker thought to himself.
But he quickly shook his head, muttering to himself with a smile. "There's no need. I'll be a Marine again in six months at the latest. With my rank as Rear Admiral, maybe even Vice Admiral, I'll be able to afford a place like this…"
After his moment of reflection, Smoker confidently and eagerly walked into the courtyard. Before long, passing through some greenery, Smoker saw Hina watering flowers. His eyes lit up, and he happily waved to her. "Hey, Hina, long time no see! Hahahaha."
Hina, who was watering the plants, responded happily, "Smoker, is that really you!"
"It seems you already know the truth about why I left Marineford?" Smoker asked with a laugh.
"Of course. I'm Admiral Diarmuid's secretary now. I know a lot of classified information," Hina said proudly, nodding her head.
"Really? But how are you still a Lieutenant Commander? I may be a pirate now, but in essence, I'm a Rear Admiral. Hahahaha! You have to work harder to catch up to me," Smoker said boastfully.
He paused for a moment, and without waiting for Hina to respond, Smoker asked, "Did the Admiral call me here to arrange my return to Headquarters? Hahaha?"
Hina's expression became a little awkward, and then she said, "The Admiral is inside. You can go ask him yourself."
Smoker didn't think much of it. He just nodded to Hina and said, "You're right. This is important news. I should hear it directly from the Admiral!"
After that, Smoker didn't linger with his old friend. He quickly strode toward the house. Hina watched his eager back and shook her head with a hint of emotion. "How things change, Smoker…"
Upon entering the room, Smoker saw the Admiral he had longed to see, Diarmuid, sitting on the sofa chatting with a woman across from him. He knew the woman. She was the Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy, a well-known figure in the underworld and a formidable person in the New World. He never expected her to be connected to the Marines, and it seemed she had a very good relationship with the Admiral.
Could she be an undercover agent like me?
But things are different now. I'm about to reclaim my identity as a Marine!
With this thought, Smoker's gaze toward Stussy became inexplicably arrogant.
Stussy, a top-tier intelligence agent and the Queen of the Pleasure District, was very good at reading people. After a quick look at Smoker, she was a little confused. What did this guy have to be so proud of? Why was he acting so cocky?
Not wasting any time, Smoker walked up to Diarmuid, stood at attention, and gave a crisp military salute. In a loud, clear voice, he said, "Rear Admiral Smoker of Marine Headquarters, reporting for duty, Admiral Diarmuid!"
As he said this, Smoker was so moved he was almost in tears. How long had it been? Over two years! Every day and night, he had longed to give a proper military salute like this to prove his identity as a Marine. Now, he finally had his wish.
Diarmuid looked at Smoker, also overcome with emotion. He wondered if Smoker did this on purpose. Smoker was wearing the same Marine coat he had worn before, but with a big 'X' drawn over the word "Justice" on the back. A moment ago, he had the strong air of a pirate, but after saluting, it was as if he was the same as when he was in the military academy.
"That's great, Rear Admiral Smoker. You've worked hard!" Diarmuid stood up, sincerely patted Smoker on the shoulder, and said.
"It's all for justice!" Smoker said loudly.
"Excellent. I am proud to have someone like you in the Marines!" Diarmuid nodded and praised him.
It was only then that Smoker eagerly asked, "Admiral, did you call me here because my mission is complete? It's already the middle of the year 1505. It's been two and a half years since I left Marineford. Does this mean I can return to Marineford and serve justice in at most another half-year?"
Diarmuid's expression became slightly awkward. He cleared his throat. "Has it really been three years already? Come, come, Smoker, have a seat first. Let me introduce you to Stussy-san…"
Diarmuid changed the subject and pulled Smoker down to the sofa. Although Smoker was a little confused, he didn't think much of it. He sat down with a smile and said, "I know her, the Queen of the Pleasure District. She's a famous figure in the New World."
"Is that so? By your rank, you shouldn't know, but Stussy is a high-ranking operative of CP-0 and a member of the World Government. Of course, we have a very good personal relationship, and she is someone the Marines can trust," Diarmuid nodded and introduced.
Smoker was stunned for a moment. He had thought Stussy was a Marine, but she was from CP? But seeing how much Admiral Diarmuid trusted her, he didn't feel any aversion. He just nodded and said, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Queen Stussy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Rear Admiral Smoker," Stussy said with a smile.
She didn't address him as a Warlord of the Sea, which made Smoker feel very good. He smiled and said, "Thank you."
Then, without waiting for Diarmuid to speak again, Smoker eagerly asked, "Admiral, when can I return to Headquarters?"
"Ah, well…" Diarmuid hesitated for a moment and then said, "Speaking of which, there's something I need to talk to you about, Smoker. The Marines are in a difficult position right now. You might not know, but there's a lot of pressure from above, so we have to seek new ways to alleviate that pressure…"
"Is that so? Then I should return to Headquarters to help out!" Smoker said without a moment's hesitation.
Diarmuid's face twitched slightly. Why do you keep bringing up returning to Headquarters? Isn't being a pirate a promising career?
"No, you can still serve justice without returning to Headquarters," Diarmuid said quickly.
Smoker froze for a moment and frowned. "What… what do you mean by not returning to Headquarters?"
"Plans change, Smoker. You might have to continue your mission a bit longer," Diarmuid said with a slight air of guilt.
Smoker didn't have a strong reaction. If it was just a small delay, even if he was a little unhappy, he could still accept it. So Smoker nodded and asked, "How much longer, about?"
Diarmuid looked into Smoker's sincere eyes and said with a guilty tone, "Three… three years?"
Smoker: ???
Another three years?!
"Admiral, this isn't what we agreed on! If you told me to hold on for another year or so, I would have agreed without a second thought. But you said three years before, and now it's another three years, this is…" Smoker said, growing agitated.
"If you think about it, it's just doubling that one or two years. It's not a big problem," Diarmuid said soothingly.
"Not a big problem?" Smoker was stunned for a moment, and then his voice grew a little passionate. "This is a huge problem! Three years! Do you know what I've been through for these three years?!"
"Smoker, listen to me…" Diarmuid said quickly.
"Smoker is dead! You chose him, you idol!" Smoker said with an exasperated tone.
All his excitement had now turned into disappointment.
Diarmuid: ???
He was genuinely worried Smoker would yell, "I'm going to take on Whitebeard; not even Jesus can stop me, I said so!"