After a busy day, Diarmuid finished all his work and headed to the Marineford residential area with Hina. Since Sakazuki had invited him for a drink, he was of course going.
As he entered the bar, he saw a large crowd inside. Fleet Admiral Kong, Admiral Sengoku, Marine Academy Principal Zephyr, Marine Hero Garp, Admiral Sakazuki, and Gion were all there. It seemed that the only high-ranking official missing was Chief of Staff Tsuru, who was probably still busy with work.
"Whoa, look at this crowd today!" Diarmuid said with a smile.
Ever since Belle-mère became the owner of the Marine Club, business had been booming. It had become common for the Fleet Admiral and Admirals to drop by, which naturally brought in more customers.
Sakazuki was holding Ace, and their relationship seemed surprisingly close. To an outsider, you might even think Sakazuki was Ace's father. One could only wonder if Roger's spirit was resting peacefully in the afterlife.
In fact, Ace really did like Sakazuki. His way of thinking had already been influenced by him; it wouldn't be a surprise if he became a hawk-like Marine in the future. The boy was constantly talking about becoming a Marine Admiral and killing all pirates.
"Hahahaha, it's not every day Sakazuki's treating, so how could we not show up?" Garp roared with laughter.
While his own beliefs didn't align with Sakazuki's, he was happy that Sakazuki was willing to mentor and guide Ace. Even if Ace became a hawk, he was still a Marine, and that was all that mattered to Garp, as long as he became a pillar of the organization. After all, despite their ideological differences, Garp had to admit that Sakazuki was a cornerstone of the Marines. If Ace could grow up to be like him, Garp wouldn't be opposed to it. Besides their differing philosophies, Garp and Sakazuki's relationship had improved a lot over the years, so there was no reason for him to object.
It was now early 1509 in the Marine calendar. Ace was seven or eight years old, a very bright child who had been precocious since birth and was growing up in the unique environment of Marineford. Unlike in the original story, he wasn't being raised loosely by Garp in Foosha Village, complete with his bad habits and slightly awkward personality. The boy was now very lively and determined to become a Marine Admiral.
Garp had never told anyone about Ace's lineage, and Diarmuid was also careful to stay quiet about it. Ace himself didn't know that his father was Roger. Garp had originally planned to tell him when he was older. But now, all the boy talked about was becoming a Marine Admiral and killing all pirates. This left Garp wondering if he should ever tell him the truth. What if the news hit him too hard? Or what if he went crazy and dug up Roger's grave? Whose fault would that be?
So far, Ace only knew that he was Garp's adopted grandson and that his mother, Portgas D. Rouge, had died after giving birth to him. He didn't really mind this, since all his siblings were in the same boat. Even Luffy, Garp's biological grandson, was pretty much an orphan. Nami and Nojiko were both adopted, too. The four of them got along great, and Belle-mère treated them all like her own children, so Ace didn't have to worry about a thing. He saw Garp as his grandfather and Belle-mère as his mother.
"What do you mean 'not every day'? I..." Sakazuki frowned, but couldn't think of an example, so he dropped it.
Ace looked at Diarmuid and shouted, "Diarmuid-jichan! I've learned Soru and Shigan! Can I join the Marines now?"
Ace's talent was undeniable. It was top-notch, otherwise Sakazuki wouldn't be taking him seriously just because he kept saying he wanted to be an Admiral.
"You've only learned two of the Rokushiki and you want to be a Marine? You've still got a long way to go, kid," Diarmuid said dismissively.
This annoyed Ace, who shouted, "The day I join the Marines is the day I come for your Admiral position!"
"Hahahahaha..." Diarmuid roared with laughter.
Hearing Ace's "one day you'll be on top, one day you'll be on the bottom" remark, the other Marine leaders in the bar all laughed along. The atmosphere was light and joyous.
"Me too! I'm gonna be the King of the Marines! I'll be even stronger than Ace! I'm gonna be the Fleet Admiral!" another childish voice piped up from near Gion. It was Luffy, who was standing beside her. He was two years younger than Ace but already five years old. Since he hadn't met that scoundrel Shanks, and he'd been raised under the care of the Marine leaders, Luffy wasn't like his original self, crying and begging Garp to let him be a pirate.
He was still young, but he had a mind of his own. If Ace wanted to be an Admiral, then he was going to be the King of the Marines and the Fleet Admiral!
But as soon as he said that, Nojiko, with her short, light purple hair, punched him on the head. "There's no King of the Marines, you idiot Luffy! What, do you think this is a pirate crew?"
"There isn't now, but there will be when I'm older, you idiot Nojiko!" Luffy yelled, holding his head.
"You dare insult your oneechan now?" A fierce glint flashed in Nojiko's eyes. She wrapped an arm around Luffy's neck and started hammering his head.
Watching Nojiko, the big sister, beat up Luffy, everyone burst out laughing.
After a moment, Sengoku reached out and protected Luffy. "Alright, alright, Nojiko. Luffy isn't that bright to begin with. If you keep hitting his head, he'll be even more of a fool, won't he?"
"That's right! Stop hitting me!" Luffy said, hugging Admiral Sengoku's arm. It was clear the boy was truly a fool.
Diarmuid glanced around curiously. "Where's Nami? And where's Belle?"
Diarmuid had initially called her Belle-mère, but Garp was so familiar that he just called her Belle. Gion and the others did the same, and over time, Diarmuid followed suit.
"She went out to buy some things," Kong said with a smile.
Just as he said that, the bar door opened again. Belle-mère was carrying a bunch of fruits and vegetables, and a little girl with short orange hair was with her. She looked to be about the same age as Luffy, around five or six. The girl was holding a book and reading it. A closer look at the cover showed it was titled World Geography and Charts.
That's right, the girl was Nami.
Compared to the troublemakers Ace and Luffy, Diarmuid naturally preferred the well-behaved Nojiko and Nami.
"Hey, Nami," Diarmuid greeted her from his seat.
Nami, who was reading her book, brightened when she heard Diarmuid's voice. She dropped the book and ran over, jumping into his arms. "Admiral! I've learned how to read longitude and latitude!"
"Hahahaha, that's great. You're much smarter than Ace and the others," Diarmuid said, smiling and ruffling her hair.
Perhaps it was because Diarmuid had once given Nami a model of a Marine warship, but of the four kids, Nami was the closest to him. Like Hina, she didn't call him "Uncle" but instead addressed him as "Admiral," acting like she was his little protégé.
"I just went with Belle to buy a new book. Look..." Nami opened the book, flipping through the pages one by one, pointing and talking excitedly. Diarmuid held her patiently, nodding occasionally and explaining the information to her. The scene was heartwarming.
Belle-mère put down the groceries and, along with Hina, went to get the food and drinks ready. The others went back to their conversations.
"Sakazuki-jichan, I want to become a Devil Fruit user," Ace said, sitting on Sakazuki's lap and holding a glass of juice.
Sakazuki was a little surprised. "Why?"
"Because if I become a user, I'll be stronger, right? Then I can become an Admiral even sooner!" Ace said without hesitation.
Sakazuki laughed heartily. "What kind of power do you want? I can keep an eye out for you. A Zoan? A Logia? Or a Paramecia?"
Ace first looked at Sengoku, who was playing with Luffy, and shook his head. "No Zoans."
Sengoku: "What's wrong with a Zoan? Are you looking down on me, kid?"
Then, Ace looked at Diarmuid, who was interacting with Nami, and then back at Sakazuki, his face full of indecision. He whispered, "Sakazuki-jichan, who's stronger, you or Diarmuid-jichan?"
Sakazuki's expression stiffened a bit. He knew Diarmuid was probably stronger. But he couldn't admit that in front of Ace. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "We're about the same. But I'm confident I'm stronger."
"Then I want to be a Logia user!" Ace said excitedly.
"Hahahaha, alright. I'll keep an eye out for you. If I find a suitable power, I'll get it for you," Sakazuki roared with laughter. He had grown very fond of Ace. Sakazuki felt that he should find a fire-based ability for Ace, something that would match his burning passion for the Marines.
Soon, with the help of Gion, Hina, and Belle-mère, the food and drinks were all set. Sengoku, Garp, Sakazuki, and Diarmuid all helped carry the dishes out, and everyone happily began to eat and drink. While it was technically Sakazuki's treat, it felt more like a family dinner for the Marine leaders.
As they were eating and chatting, Kong seemed to remember something. He took a list from his pocket and handed it to Diarmuid. "Take a look and pick one from here."
Diarmuid swallowed a mouthful of grilled meat and took the list. "What is this?"
"It's about your Admiral codename," Kong said.
"Huh. The 'Ferocious Tiger of Marine Headquarters' has been my title for so many years. Now I have to change my codename?" Diarmuid said, looking down at the list. While he wasn't exactly thrilled with the origin of the "Ferocious Tiger" title—something about beating up a Fleet Admiral and cutting Garp with a sword—he had grown a bit attached to it over the years.
"Hehehe, a codename is different from a title. It's not the same thing. For example, Sengoku's codename is 'Buddha,' but isn't he often called 'Strategist'?" Kong said with a laugh.
"I guess so," Diarmuid said casually, turning his attention to the paper.
He saw names like "Black Tiger," "Mystic Tiger," and "Fierce Tiger." A wave of cringey, old-fashioned vibes washed over him. Diarmuid thought Sakazuki's codename, "Akainu," already lowered the bar, but he didn't expect to see a "Black Tiger." I can't do things like "crow flying a plane" or "tornado destroying a parking lot," so forget "Black Tiger." I'd rather not have to demonstrate "Black Tiger's Heart-Snatching Claw."
"Are you all messing with me?" Diarmuid looked up at the Fleet Admiral and Admiral Sengoku, suspicious. You've been working on this for years, and this is all you came up with? I could come up with twenty names like this in a minute!
Sengoku chimed in, "Speaking of which, it's not just Admirals who get codenames. Admiral candidates need them, too. For example, Borsalino has accepted the codename 'Kizaru,' and Kuzan has 'Aokiji.' As for Gion..."
"Momousagi. Tsuru-nee already told me," Gion said with a chuckle.
"I thought it'd be something like 'Raijin'," Diarmuid muttered. He had given Gion the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, but she was still being called Momousagi (Pink Rabbit)? Why? Was it because she liked pink?