Early in the year 1516 of the Sea Calendar.
The Gold City was preparing for its grand opening ceremony.
The entire city was built upon the backs of two colossal Island Turtles. Due to the nature of these turtles and some specialized engineering, the Gold City was not a stationary location; it could roam across various sea regions at will.
For this opening ceremony, the Gold City had traveled to the gateway of the New World, a mere three-day voyage from Mariejois.
There were several strategic reasons for choosing this location. First, the real power players were generally concentrated in the chaotic New World. Second, a new Reverie was about to convene at Mariejois. This particular World Council was especially significant because the previous one had failed to take place; effectively, eight years had passed since the last successful gathering.
Four years prior, Fisher Tiger had reduced much of Mariejois to ash, making it impossible to host the summit. While it was initially meant to be postponed, reconstruction dragged on until 1515. Ultimately, the authorities decided not to hold a separate makeup session but rather to combine the agendas of both terms into one massive event.
Mariejois was pulling out all the stops. Perhaps their confidence had grown due to the stabilizing global situation, or maybe they felt vindicated after thwarting a major Revolutionary Army plot in Arabasta. Regardless, they decided to invite one hundred kings and queens from the Allied Kingdoms to participate, covering the representatives for both terms.
This meant the Gold City's primary clientele, royalty and nobles, would all be passing through the area on their way to the summit. Missing such a centennial event was out of the question for any eligible monarch.
Gild Tesoro, the director of the Gold City, was shrewd. By positioning the opening ceremony within a three-day window of Mariejois, he eliminated any conflict of interest. As a result, many royal families from the New World flocked to the Gold City first, intending to enjoy the world's greatest entertainment hub and neutral zone before departing directly for the Reverie.
It was the perfect blend of business and pleasure.
Furthermore, being close to Mariejois made it convenient for the heavyweights of the Navy and the World Government to attend the festivities.
The Island Turtles were so massive they resembled mid-sized islands. In the waters surrounding the Gold City, one could see a literal sea of ships converging toward the center.
Diarmuid's battleship was among them.
Waking from a light, hazy slumber, Diarmuid felt movement beside him. Opening his eyes, he saw Queen Stussy getting dressed.
"What's going on?" Diarmuid asked groogly.
He had first traveled to Maria Pleasure Island in the New World to rendezvous with Stussy, and from there, they had headed to the Gold City. It was a bit of a detour, but after a long time without seeing her, the interaction had been welcome, and their relationship had grown notably more intimate.
Currently, Stussy had essentially locked in the position of Director-General of the CP. She was merely waiting for the Reverie to officially assume office. In terms of career progression, the Queen was poised to reach the summit of the CP organization one step ahead of Diarmuid's own ascent.
Buttoning her blouse, Stussy gave Diarmuid a flirtatious, sidelong glance. "We're almost at the Gold City. Are you sure you want to be seen appearing with the 'Queen of the Pleasure District'?"
"Why not? I, Diarmuid, have nothing to hide!" Diarmuid replied stubbornly.
"You might be willing, but I'm not. It would be a blow to my cover, wouldn't it? I'm currently under a lot of scrutiny; the fewer complications, the better," Stussy said with a look of feigned annoyance, as if Diarmuid were a burden.
"Tsk tsk. Is the career woman looking down on me now?" Diarmuid said with a mock-hurt expression.
The Queen finished dressing, leaned over to give him a quick kiss, and smiled. "There, that's your reward. Don't be such a brat." With that, she strolled out of the cabin, leaving a parting shot: "See you in the Gold City."
Diarmuid smacked his lips, savoring the moment, and nodded. "Fine."
It was true; Stussy was in a sensitive transition period. It was best not to cause any unnecessary trouble that might complicate her promotion. Once she became the Director-General, she would likely begin delegating her control over the Pleasure District. It made little sense for the head of all CP agencies to personally micromanage the underworld business.
The Pleasure District had been a tool for her to amass capital and leverage power. Now that she was reaching the top, it was time to share the spoils and install her own people. According to her plan, Spandine would be tasked with managing the district and would also be transferred to CP0 as a Senior Operations Commander. Additionally, her current assistant, one of her most trusted subordinates, was slated to become the Chief Leader of CP0.
A new sovereign brings new courtiers. To secure her position as Director-General, she needed to fill key slots with her own loyalists. Since this was standard political maneuvering, the Gorosei in Mariejois were unlikely to interfere.
After washing up, Diarmuid donned his signature gear: a white short-sleeved shirt, military trousers, high-top boots, and his "Justice" coat. Biting into a cigar, he made his way onto the deck.
Scanning the horizon, he saw several battleships acting as escorts. Further out, ships flying the flags of Mariejois dotted the crowded waters. Even pirate ships dared to appear within range of the Navy's cannons; under the Gold City's rules, the surrounding waters within a day's travel were designated as a neutral zone. With the opening ceremony underway, no one was foolish enough to start a fight.
Though some pirates circled the fleet aggressively in a show of bravado, Diarmuid just watched them pass.
"Quite a crowd, isn't it?" Diarmuid noted.
He spotted the flags of the Big Mom Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and the Whitebeard Pirates. It was hard to say if the Yonko themselves had come in person, but there were certainly plenty of reasons for them to attend, and just as many to stay away. On balance, Diarmuid suspected they would show up.
Just then, his eyes caught a massive vessel nearby, looking particularly flamboyant. The flag... was that the Donquixote Family?
"Is that a Celestial Dragon ship?" Diarmuid asked.
Vergo, standing nearby, glanced over and nodded. "Yes. That is the coat of arms for the Donquixote Family of Mariejois."
Hina hadn't joined Diarmuid this time, claiming she wanted to wait at Marineford for Gion, as the two hadn't seen each other in a while. Diarmuid knew the truth: Hina had fully aligned herself with Gion. She likely felt it was inappropriate to tag along while he met Stussy. Besides, it wasn't a mission-critical trip, so she stayed behind to handle Diarmuid's backlog of paperwork at Headquarters.
"How many World Nobles are attending?" Diarmuid asked.
The Celestial Dragons weren't there to show support, in their eyes, the Gold City lacked the status for that. However, the claim that it was the "world's largest entertainment city" with every luxury imaginable was highly attractive to the bored elite.
"We don't have exact numbers since their itineraries are classified and we weren't assigned to their escort detail. But based on intel, at least five families, if not more," Vergo reported seriously, hands behind his back.
"Tsk. Those scum certainly move fast for things like this," Diarmuid muttered.
During his travels, the Celestial Dragons had been busy. One member of the Donquixote Family had gone to Fish-Man Island to cause trouble and nearly caused the death of Queen Otohime. However, rumor had it that after Otohime accompanied him back to Mariejois, she somehow managed to reform him. It was incredibly absurd.
But considering it was the Donquixote Family, Diarmuid found it somewhat believable. They were the "eccentrics" of the World Nobles—from Donquixote Homing, who gave up his status to live among commoners, to the extreme opposites of Doflamingo and Rosinante. Another "oddball" in the family tree felt perfectly consistent.
Thanks to that incident, support for Queen Otohime among the fish-folk had surged. With Jinbe having already neutralized troublemakers like Hody Jones, the pro-surface movement was progressing well. The assassination of Otohime had been avoided entirely.
Diarmuid supported these developments and was willing to help Otohime and Jinbe with supplies or political backing, but he wasn't interested in personally micromanaging Fish-Man Island. His primary objectives there had already been met. Having an Admiral and the weight of the Navy's will behind them was more than enough help; the Fish-Men were deeply grateful.
"Admiral, are we going to make our move during this Reverie?" Vergo suddenly asked.
Diarmuid smiled. "Did Doflamingo ask that?"
Vergo didn't deny it. "Yes. The Young Master will participate in the Reverie as the King of Dressrosa, and he wants more information."
"If a suitable opportunity and justification arise before the summit... then yes, we will act during the Reverie," Diarmuid replied cryptically.
Vergo didn't push further. Soon, the fleet sailed into the massive harbor of the Gold City, officially arriving at their destination.