After a moment of stunned silence, Diarmuid quickly spoke, "Can you calm down?"
"Calm down? How can I be calm? Every day, I'm afraid of talking in my sleep and letting slip my identity as a Marine!" Smoker retorted, his brow furrowed. Without waiting for Diarmuid to speak, his hotheaded temper flared as he slammed the table. "You said three years before, and now it's another three years after three years! Does that mean it will be another three years after that, adding up to nearly a decade, old man? I'm a Marine, not a pirate!"
"Can you show a little respect? Only a handful of people in all of Marine Headquarters know your identity. What if I go back and just delete your file, and we all just keep our mouths shut? Then you can be a pirate for life, and I won't have to worry about a thing!" Diarmuid slammed the table as well, shouting back.
Diarmuid's outburst immediately suppressed Smoker's fiery demeanor. To be honest, as frustrated as he was, he knew he couldn't handle the idea of Diarmuid deleting his file and forcing him to be a pirate for the rest of his life.
Seeing that Smoker had calmed down a bit, Diarmuid continued, "It was Zephyr-sensei who agreed to the three years with you. What's the point of getting mad at me now? If you've got the guts, go back to Headquarters and yell at him instead!"
Smoker's mouth opened and closed, but in the end, he remained silent.
"Now that we've cleared the air, I'm not afraid to tell you this, Smoker. The Warlord of the Sea system has a deep impact on the Marines. Don't take this lightly. We chose you to be a Warlord because we trust you. We trust your unwavering sense of justice and your outstanding ability and strength. We put you in this position for the future of the Marines. In other words, you are shouldering the future of the Marines. Do you understand? Are you really going to throw a tantrum at me right now!?" Diarmuid slammed the table again, his voice filled with fury.
Smoker was so flustered he couldn't tell if Diarmuid was praising or scolding him. But the sheer weight of Diarmuid's presence was too much, and it kept him from pushing back. Although he felt incredibly wronged and helpless, he couldn't bring himself to rebel and become a real pirate. He was just too dedicated to his unyielding sense of justice.
"No, Admiral, I just…" Smoker's tone softened as he shook his head.
Seeing this, Diarmuid's intimidating aura subsided. He sighed and said, "I know what you mean. It's tough on you. You're a Marine Rear Admiral, but you have to act like a pirate out here, and you're even saddled with the title of 'World Government dog.' The pressure is immense, and you've got a short fuse. I understand all of that, and I'm not trying to lecture you about any of it..."
"Admiral…" Smoker was a little moved. The Admiral really understands me!
"But in this world, there are always people who must bear the burden and forge ahead. I am one, and so are you. It's because of people like us that more and more civilians can manage to survive in these chaotic times. Do you understand?" Diarmuid said sincerely.
He felt like he had become the very person he used to hate—spouting lofty words about morality and virtue. But on second thought, they had accomplished a few tangible things. Smoker becoming a Warlord of the Sea was infinitely better than letting some other bastard pirate take the position, right?
Smoker wasn't as eloquent as Diarmuid. Besides, he was only twenty and didn't have the Admiral's past-life experience. He still had a bit of youthful idealism in his heart. Although Diarmuid's words were somewhat 'empty,' to Smoker, they were genuinely inspiring.
"Look at Stussy-san. She's a high-level operative for the CP organization. By administrative rank, she'd be a Vice Admiral in Marine Headquarters. But look at her now. She's a madam in the Pleasure District, isn't she? For what? It's for justice! She's not like those other CP agents; otherwise, we wouldn't trust her. If a woman can endure this kind of ordeal, can't you, as a man, be a little more resilient, Smoker?" Diarmuid said, gesturing to Stussy.
Stussy nodded obediently on the surface but cursed Diarmuid to hell in her mind. You're the madam! I'm the Queen!
After hearing Diarmuid's words, Smoker felt embarrassed. Their names both starts with letter "S," which made the situation even more awkward. [Translator's Note: It's a playful jab when written in Chinese.]
"Also, don't worry. Headquarters has found another promising candidate to be a Warlord of the Sea. We'll arrange for her to join the system in a couple of years when she comes of age. Then you won't be alone. If the pressure gets to be too much, you can talk to her, your colleague. Don't worry; it won't just be the two of you in the future. Our plan is to transform the entire Warlord of the Sea organization into a Marine affiliate. By then, you'll be here, and it will be no different than being at Headquarters—you'll be surrounded by your own people!" Diarmuid patted Smoker on the shoulder again.
Smoker's expression changed several times, but in the end, he didn't lose his temper again.
"I understand, Admiral," Smoker nodded.
"Sigh, it's good that you understand. We have a difficult job. If there were a better way, why would we let such a talented person like you become a pirate?" Diarmuid said, shaking his head with a sigh.
"Then, Admiral, can you at least give me a firm number? How much longer do I have to be a Warlord of the Sea before I can return to Headquarters?" Smoker asked in a serious tone.
Diarmuid hesitated, and just as he was about to speak, Smoker added, "I will hold you to your word this time."
Seeing this, Diarmuid fell silent for a moment before finally saying, "It's hard for me to give you a definitive number. Plans can change, but based on the current situation, it will be at least a decade."
"So, I have to stick it out for about seven more years, right?" Smoker pondered.
Diarmuid glanced at Smoker, then shook his head. "No, I mean at least ten years from now."
Smoker: ???
This is even worse than another three years!
"Don't worry. Do your job as a Warlord of the Sea well, and you'll have more and more opportunities to communicate with Headquarters. You should work on your strength and abilities. I'm very confident in them. After you've been a Warlord for a few more years, you won't be lacking in your ability to handle tasks. I promise you this, okay? When you finally achieve great success and complete this great mission and return to Marineford, I'll arrange for you to be an Admiral candidate!" Diarmuid said, patting Smoker's arm earnestly.
Oh, great. He's trying to sell me on a fantasy again.
When Smoker left Marineford, Diarmuid had dangled the promise of becoming a Rear Admiral and even subtly hinted at Vice Admiral. Now, Diarmuid was trying to coax him into becoming an 'Admiral candidate.' Smoker wasn't the same kid who had just been goofing off in military school two years ago. After two years of being a pirate, he had seen plenty of deception, and as a captain, he had often had to sell his own crew on promises.
Of course, he understood what Diarmuid was doing. But even so, he still felt a sense of anticipation. Smoker finally understood that since he had fallen into this pit, there was no way out. If he didn't want his file to be deleted and be stuck as a pirate for the rest of his life, he had to follow Diarmuid's lead. He just hoped that when he finally achieved success, Admiral Diarmuid would be a man of his word.
After coming to terms with this, Smoker could only let out a helpless sigh. "Then, Admiral, is there something you needed me for?"
"Yes, of course," Diarmuid nodded and then said, "You're a Warlord of the Sea now, the only one. The World Government doesn't suspect you of anything. We haven't had a use for you before, but now it's time for you to contribute to the Marines."
Speaking of contributing to the Marines, Smoker didn't feel any aversion. In fact, he was a little excited. Even though he had to wear a pirate's face, it would be great if he could still serve justice!
"Does Headquarters have a plan to counterattack the New World? Do you need me as an insider? Should I form an alliance with the target just to stab them in the back? Who is it? Whitebeard? Big Mom? It's going to be difficult to earn their trust as a Warlord, but I will try…" Smoker said excitedly.
"No, it's not any of that," Diarmuid said, waving his hand. "Here's the plan: after a discussion at Headquarters, we've decided to use your name, 'White Hunter Smoker,' as a disguise to protect a new trading company. Headquarters and Stussy-san's side will both be investing resources into this company. Your job is to be the public face, the 'President,' and do everything you can to make this company bigger and stronger—ideally, to the level of a financial conglomerate. The company's purpose is simple: to earn as much money as possible to provide blood transfusions for Headquarters."
Smoker: ???
You want me to be a Marine and serve justice? Fine. You want me to be a pirate and burn things down? Fine. But you suddenly want me to be the president of a 'trading company'? That's crazy! When did I ever have that kind of skill?
"Admiral, I'm just a…" Smoker said, his voice full of hesitation.
"Don't worry. With the combined forces of pirates, the Marines, the CP, and the Pleasure District—and most importantly, without any internal power struggles—this plan won't be too difficult, and there won't be many competitors. As for the goods, you know that we've been developing the Calm Belt for several years. We have iron ore, copper ore, stone, coal, timber, and even a gold mine. We've also acquired a lot of other resources from the Calm Belt. The big stuff can be handled internally by the Marines, but many of the materials have just been sitting there without a market. Once you get the company off the ground, the Marines will hand over the goods to Stussy's side. Then, using your identity as a Warlord of the Sea, you can partner with Stussy in the underworld to sell them. You can keep a portion of the profits for development, give some to Stussy-san for her circulation, and the rest will be transferred to Headquarters… there's virtually no risk," Diarmuid said seriously.
Smoker was stunned. Before, he was a little unsure, but now that he heard the plan, it seemed like everything was already in place and just needed the final push. It didn't seem difficult at all.
He figured as much. With the combined strength of several factions, there wouldn't be anyone who could stand against them. At the same time, the goods were plentiful. Smoker knew that in the Calm Belt, the Marines had gathered more than two hundred thousand pirate prisoners to develop the area, carving out mountains and filling in seas. They had dug up countless resources, but they just hadn't been monetized yet. So as long as he established the framework for the company, it could start operating immediately, constantly converting these resources into funds to support Headquarters.
Smoker also understood the deep importance of these funds. It might not seem like much at first, but as the business grew, it could eventually become the Marines' self-sufficient source of military funds. The qualitative change that would bring would be monumental.
"You see? This is the benefit that the Warlord of the Sea system brings to the Marines. And for now, it's just you. When we have more Warlords in the future, won't the profits be even greater? So I wasn't lying to you. Staying here, you are shouldering the future of the Marines, Smoker!" Diarmuid said earnestly.
"Yes, I understand, Admiral!" Smoker nodded seriously this time.