Upon closer inspection, it seemed Diarmuid had given a set to the Fleet Admiral, Tsuru, Zephyr, and even Garp! Yet, he never used lead himself.
Oh… Did this guy want to secretly kill all of them?
Diarmuid was still in awe of Chief of Staff Tsuru's information and had no idea that Sengoku was imagining a full-blown "palace drama." In truth, Diarmuid also had a set of that lead tableware, but he hadn't taken it with him when he left G-7 and rarely used it at Headquarters. He had simply seized these rare items from pirates and given a set to each of the high-ranking officials.
Just as Sengoku was secretly trying to figure out how to expose Diarmuid's "ugly truth," Chief of Staff Tsuru shook her head. "No, the lead itself isn't the problem. Finished lead products won't make people sick."
"Oh, in that case, there's no problem then," Sengoku blurted out. Diarmuid, I misunderstood you.
At his words, Tsuru was dumbfounded. What do you mean "no problem"? I haven't even said what the problem is yet! Is something wrong with this Admiral's head?
Sengoku realized his mistake and quickly waved his hand. "No, no, Tsuru, please continue."
Tsuru nodded and went on. "Regarding the Amber Lead disease, we found some information from the World Government. Finished lead products are harmless, but during the excavation process, a trace amount of toxins is released. This toxin isn't very harmful to humans on its own, since it's only a trace amount, but the terrifying thing is that the toxicity can be passed down genetically!
When Tsuru said this, Sengoku's eyes widened. "Genetically? Lead has been mined for nearly 300 years now. At least four or five generations…"
"That's right. The 'White Sickness' that recently spread in Flevance is actually the Amber Lead Syndrome. The World Government gathered many famous doctors for a consultation, and they all concluded that the disease is incurable," Tsuru said grimly.
"Then… how many people in Flevance are sick?" Kong asked, his expression very serious.
"Everyone in the country. No one is safe," Tsuru said, shaking her head.
Diarmuid wasn't surprised by any of this. It was all a situation he had already anticipated. But for many of the Marine officers, it was terrifying; a plague was about to wipe out an entire nation.
"Is it contagious?" Kong asked.
Tsuru hesitated. "It shouldn't be, right? But there's also a report that the disease is contagious…"
Sengoku and Kong both frowned. Contagious? That would make it even more dangerous. An incurable disease that could wipe out a country, and it's also contagious?
"It shouldn't be contagious," Diarmuid interjected.
"Why do you say that?" Kong asked, looking at Diarmuid.
"Flevance is the economic center of the North Blue, long ranked as the wealthiest kingdom. It has many merchants from various countries visiting all the time, from all over the world. If this plague were contagious, it would be impossible for only Flevance to have this 'White Sickness.' I believe it's simply a genetic disease," Diarmuid said.
"Tsuru, have there been any cases of the White Sickness… no, the Amber Lead Syndrome in other places?"Kong asked.
"No, there haven't," Tsuru confirmed.
Kong and Sengoku both sighed in relief. Diarmuid's reasoning made sense. If it were contagious, there's no way only the people of Flevance would be afflicted.
Just then, Borsalino asked, "Okay, so Flevance is about to be wiped out because of the Amber Lead disease. But what does this have to do with the Marines? I'm not being heartless; I feel terrible about this. It's just… this seems like a medical issue. We can't do anything about it."
Diarmuid was also a bit confused. He nodded. "I'm wondering the same thing. Chief of Staff, why did you bring up the Amber Lead disease? Did Flevance ask the Marines for help? Even if we sent all our doctors, it probably wouldn't help, would it?"
While Flevance's situation was tragic, it had nothing to do with the Marines. Even if they wanted to help, they couldn't! The disease was incurable! This suddenly reminded Diarmuid of a quote: "She was too young then to know that all gifts from fate had already been secretly marked with a price."
Flevance was the same. Almost 300 years ago, they unearthed the lead, which brought them immense wealth. All the people of Flevance benefited greatly from it, and they had lived in an extremely affluent state for three centuries, becoming the richest country in the North Blue.
The people of Flevance often called lead "a gift from fate." But now, that gift, whose price had long been marked, was coming to reap their lives. Diarmuid felt a little emotional, but he was still perplexed.
Then, Tsuru spoke. "This brings us back to what I mentioned before. The price of lead has been steadily rising…"
"Hmm?" Kong was confused and didn't understand what she meant. "Tsuru, please continue."
"There's no doubt that Donquixote Doflamingo is a total bastard, but if you look at his growth over the past decade, you'll find that he has an unmatched knack and ability for business. We have to admit, he's an excellent businessman," Tsuru said.
After a short pause, Tsuru continued, "After I discovered that the Donquixote Family started getting involved in the lead business, I began to pay attention. I also found that in this huge market for lead, Doflamingo is just a small fry. There's a much bigger force controlling the business and the market."
"Who is it?" Sengoku asked.
"The World Government," Tsuru said softly.
"The World Government?" Sengoku was a bit baffled, but then he didn't find it strange. It was perfectly reasonable for the World Government to be involved in business. There was nothing to be surprised about.
"So what?" Diarmuid also asked out of curiosity.
"This also caught my attention. Through some investigations and inquiries, I found that the destruction of Flevance might bring a huge shock to the lead market, causing it to collapse. However, with the World Government's endorsement, after Flevance is destroyed, lead production will cease in the short term. Once production stops, the price of existing lead will inevitably skyrocket. At this point, it's no surprise that the World Government and Doflamingo are both stockpiling lead, waiting for the day when the profits explode," Tsuru said solemnly.
Diarmuid, Sengoku, and Kong all understood now. Tsuru's intention must be to discuss whether the Marines should also buy some lead to make a huge profit.
"Tsuru, are you suggesting that the Marines should get involved in this too?" Kong asked.
Tsuru nodded. "Over the past few years, the Marines' finances have been in good shape. As far as I know, Headquarters has a lot of backup funds. We could invest some and see."
Sengoku frowned. "This doesn't feel right. We Marines are a force of justice. Flevance is about to be destroyed. It's one thing that we can't help, but to feast on their downfall? This…" He couldn't help but feel that, compared to Doflamingo and the World Government, the Marines should have more integrity.
Sengoku wasn't a man without principles. Flevance was in such a dire state; how could the Marines, instead of helping, consider profiting from their misfortune? His conscience wouldn't allow it. After all, they weren't devils; they were Marines!
Diarmuid also chimed in with a laugh. "Yeah, Chief of Staff, wouldn't it be too unjust and unrighteous for the Marines to do something like this?"
Kong also nodded. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Flevance… sigh…"
The other Marine officers also expressed their opinions, all feeling that it would be a moral lapse for the Marines to get involved in this. As righteous Marines, they were all moral paragons; how could they do such a thing? A few of the Vice Admirals even suggested that the Marines should launch a humanitarian rescue mission to Flevance.
But at this moment, Momonga said with a smile, "Besides, our profits from the Calm Belt have started to materialize over the past few years. We're basically on the right track. Can Flevance even compare to that? How much money can we really make from lead? It's not very appealing at all…"
Tsuru gave Momonga a long, hard look. She then said, "According to our estimates, after this storm, the lead market of Flevance could leverage hundreds of billions, even trillions of Berries. This is the horror of a monopoly. Flevance is the only country in the world that produces lead, and lead has been popular for almost 300 years. It's a symbol of luxury, much more valuable than gold. Whatever lead we can get now, we will be able to reap ten times the profit in the future…"
Sengoku's breathing became a little heavy. "How many Berries?"
"Hundreds of billions, even a trillion," Tsuru said.
Kong also asked in a low voice, "Tsuru, are you sure?"
"I conducted a detailed investigation before this meeting," Tsuru said without hesitation.
Hearing her answer, both Sengoku and Kong were tempted. With so many Berries on the line, they had to take this seriously. They thought about how all this money could fall into the hands of a pirate like Doflamingo and other unscrupulous merchants. Wouldn't that be a waste? On the other hand, if the Marines could get this money, they could improve their strength faster and better protect the Four Seas. That is the true meaning of justice!
The moral high ground they had just taken didn't seem so important anymore. Sengoku looked at Kong, and after exchanging a glance, Sengoku spoke. "I think we need to seriously reconsider this matter about Flevance, don't you agree?" The other Vice Admirals also grew eager. No one wanted to be a moral paragon anymore.
But at that moment, Diarmuid slammed his hand on the table. "Look at yourselves! Are you going to lose yourselves for a bit of money? For a few Berries? We are the Marines of justice! How could we do such a thing? Where is your moral integrity as Marines? I, Diarmuid, am ashamed to be associated with you!"
After Diarmuid's angry tirade, Sengoku and Kong were left speechless. What the hell, Diarmuid? Since when did you have such a moralistic streak? Weren't you the most shameless one of all of us?
But at that moment, Diarmuid was standing on the moral high ground, looking down on them. Kong and Sengoku felt a bit ashamed. It seemed they had misunderstood Diarmuid all this time. When it came to matters of great importance, this guy had more principles than them. Sigh… I'm so ashamed!
But at that moment, Diarmuid pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket. "I just remembered I had something to tell Smoker. You all continue talking. I'll go out and contact him."
With that, he stood up and walked toward the door of the conference room, already dialing Smoker's number. "Hello? Smoker? Where are you? Water 7? Okay, okay. Put everything you're doing on hold. Right now, immediately, get to the North Blue. You know Flevance, right? Yes, the one that produces lead. Gather all your funds. We can even get you a loan from Headquarters. When you get to Flevance, don't worry about anything else. Just buy up as much lead as you can. Yes, buy as much as they have!"
As Diarmuid was speaking, he closed the conference room door.
Sengoku, Kong, and the other Marines all stared blankly at the closed door.
After a long silence, Sengoku said with great emotion, "The young are truly formidable. I can't compare to Diarmuid…"
Damn it. When it comes to being shameless, I, Sengoku, declare Diarmuid the strongest! Give me back all the shame I just felt!