Listening to Diarmuid's teasing, Doflamingo made a show of modesty, waving his hand as he spoke. "It's nothing; I just happen to be well-informed."
However, Diarmuid could see right through him. Despite the humble act, the man was clearly basking in the attention. Was Doflamingo satisfied right now? Absolutely. For a long time, he had felt somewhat powerless in front of Diarmuid, consistently outmatched in every way.
This time, he finally had something to brag about. Given their current good standing, and the fact that he wouldn't get beaten for showing off, he wasn't about to miss this chance to flaunt his knowledge.
Diarmuid didn't care for Doflamingo's posturing and shifted the topic. "So... what do you know about the Ancient Weapon in Mariejois?"
Though the question itself was earth-shattering, Doflamingo didn't look nearly as shocked as he had when asked about Joy Boy or the Will of D. The reason was simple: the idea that Mariejois possessed an Ancient Weapon was a widespread rumor throughout the Grand Line. People had even named it: the Ancient Weapon Uranus.
Mariejois had never officially denied these long-standing rumors, nor had they ever confirmed them. They simply maintained a posture of: Believe what you want, we're not listening. Even if we have it, it's not like we're using it. This very ambiguity served as a deterrent against certain ambitious forces, like Dragon and his Revolutionary Army.
Dragon had long wanted to uncover this secret but lacked the means. During the Mariejois arson incident, he had been perplexed by a strange old castle within the Domain of the Gods, but he never got another chance to investigate. For Dragon, confirming this was vital; it was one of Mariejois's ultimate trump cards. It would be incredibly awkward if he were on the verge of success, only for Mariejois to drop a devastating blow he hadn't prepared for.
For Diarmuid, if he intended to use "Imu" as his angle to make a move, the Marines wouldn't just be quietly exiting the World Government's system. It wouldn't just be a split; they might actually have to trade blows. In that case, he had to understand Mariejois's trump cards. He couldn't risk Mariejois suddenly using Uranus to wipe Marineford off the map, especially since the two locations weren't that far apart.
Coming back to the present, Doflamingo's expression turned serious. "I can tell you with absolute certainty: Mariejois possesses the Ancient Weapon Uranus. And that Uranus is, in fact, Mariejois itself!"
Diarmuid wasn't surprised that the weapon's existence was confirmed, but he was stunned by the claim that Uranus was the city.
"Impossible!" Diarmuid countered immediately.
"Why?" Doflamingo asked, surprised.
"Ahem..." Diarmuid hesitated, then decided Doflamingo wasn't likely to snitch. Besides, at this stage, this wasn't exactly a secret. He lowered his voice. "During the Mariejois arson incident... let's just say I lent a helping hand."
Doflamingo: "???"
Lent a helping hand?! Did you go in there and pour the oil yourself? You were a righteous Marine Admiral back then, weren't you?!
However, Doflamingo's expression quickly shifted from shock and disbelief to a calm realization. Finally, his look said: Of course, that sounds exactly like something you'd do.
Diarmuid felt a bit awkward under that gaze but continued. "The Revolutionary Army dug their way in directly through the Red Line beneath Mariejois. Everything seemed normal. To say Uranus is Mariejois contradicts what I saw. Besides, the city was mostly burned to the ground... If Mariejois itself was Uranus, that would mean Dragon and his men dug right into the belly of an Ancient Weapon. How could they have noticed nothing? It's impossible."
Doflamingo smiled and replied, "Ah, I see. There's a slight misunderstanding in our definitions of 'Mariejois.' The Mariejois I'm referring to is the Domain of the Gods, the actual residence of the Celestial Dragons."
Diarmuid was still skeptical, but he considered that Dragon hadn't actually penetrated the deepest parts of the Domain of the Gods. Furthermore, Doflamingo had no reason to lie to him.
"So, what exactly is Uranus? Among the Ancient Weapons, it's always been the most mysterious," Diarmuid asked.
Doflamingo's interest piqued, and he countered with a question: "Does that mean you know the secrets of the other two?"
"There's no need to talk about Pluton; you already know that thing is effectively in my hands," Diarmuid said. Doflamingo had witnessed the events in Alabasta firsthand. Because Crocodile had hidden it so well, only a few people who actually saw the "cannon" knew the truth; the rest of the world remained in the dark.
"And Poseidon?" Doflamingo asked.
"The Sea King, Poseidon, has already been born," Diarmuid said softly.
Surprise flashed in Doflamingo's eyes. "In whose hands? Don't tell me it's you again."
"Why would I go around collecting Ancient Weapons? I've always been wary of those things. One slip-up and they could destroy the world," Diarmuid snapped, glaring at Doflamingo.
If he were truly interested, he wouldn't have waited for Crocodile to dig up a cannon; he could have gone after the blueprints for Pluton in Water 7 anytime he wanted. But Diarmuid had lines he wouldn't cross. He had no intention of setting the world on fire for personal gain. Imagine if the blueprints for Pluton leaked, not even to the masses, but just to the major powers. If everyone built their own Pluton, the world would be an endless, terrifying crossfire.
After a pause, Diarmuid shared a partial truth without revealing everything. "It's with Fish-Man Island."
"Fish-Man Island?" Doflamingo was genuinely shocked and baffled. "They have something that powerful and they're still that... timid? If they showed even a hint of Poseidon's power, would Mariejois dare to treat them with such contempt?"
Seeing that Diarmuid didn't elaborate, Doflamingo didn't push. He wasn't particularly interested in the Ancient Weapons himself; it was just a casual inquiry. Returning to the topic of Uranus, he said gravely: "Uranus is, in its true sense, a spaceship."
He paused and pointed toward the sky. "Not a flying ship like Shiki's, but a craft capable of taking people to the moon, and perhaps even further."
Diarmuid went silent, then asked, "And? What about this 'destroying the world' business? Who cares if it can fly? Where is the power?"
At this, Doflamingo looked a bit embarrassed. "I only know that Uranus is a spaceship. As for how specifically it destroys the world or what kind of power it possesses... I really don't know."
Diarmuid looked at Doflamingo with a slight headache. You knew all those obscure bits of trivia, yet when it comes to the part that actually matters, you give me this?
Still, he didn't blame Doflamingo. The fact that the man knew this much was already beyond expectations. It was only natural there would be gaps in his knowledge. If Doflamingo had picked Mariejois completely clean of its secrets, it would be terrifying.
Doflamingo quickly added, "But it should still be okay for now..."
"What do you mean 'okay'?"
"The Uranus in Mariejois is currently inoperable. For some reason, the bloodlines of the twenty kings were required to control it. Whether it was a modification or its original design, Uranus now requires a sufficient concentration of blood from the twenty lineages to be activated. The Nefertari bloodline was lost for a long time. Mariejois only recently brought Cobra back. Cobra's blood alone isn't enough to represent the Nefertari line. In fact, the existence of so many low-tier Celestial Dragons in Mariejois is essentially a bloodline reserve. I'd say it will take at least a few years for the Nefertari bloodline to be properly established in Mariejois..." Doflamingo explained with a chuckle.
He sounded remarkably relaxed. Diarmuid felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He had wondered why Mariejois was so hell-bent on dragging Nefertari Cobra back; now he had his answer. And Doflamingo's explanation made perfect sense.
Diarmuid had long wondered why people like the Gorosei allowed such a bloated, useless population of Celestial Dragons to exist. They seemed like nothing but a burden. Now he understood—they were a strategic resource! Even those arrogant fools had a purpose.
Based on this, Uranus was likely useless for the time being. Until Cobra produced enough descendants or his blood was integrated, it wouldn't be a threat.
"You should have told me this earlier," Diarmuid grumbled. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have handed Cobra over to Mariejois. I would have just found an excuse to keep him 'buried' in Alabasta."
Doflamingo laughed. "At the time, I met with you first to settle the matter of the Dark-Dark Fruit. By the time I went to see Spandine of CP, their operation was already underway. Since he's one of your men, and I didn't see any immediate danger, I didn't interfere."
He paused, adding, "To be honest, I didn't think of Uranus at the time either. I just remembered that the relationship between the Nefertari family and Mariejois was incredibly strained. It seemed perfectly logical that Mariejois would want to deal with him."
This was the truth. Doflamingo had only connected the dots later when he returned to Dressrosa and reflected on the events.
No one is perfect, and Diarmuid didn't dwell on it. He asked a few more questions, but most turned out to be baseless rumors. Doflamingo truly didn't know much more beyond that.
Diarmuid stopped the interrogation. Overall, it had been well worth keeping Doflamingo around until now. The scandals and massive revelations he had dropped were more than enough to satisfy him.