Diarmuid and Doflamingo sat in a corner, and no one came to meddle in their business. On the other side of the party, Marco sat alone in a corner as well.
An assembly of big shots like this naturally included invitations to powerhouse groups like the Whitebeard Pirates. It hadn't actually exceeded Diarmuid's expectations—Newgate had indeed come to attend the opening of the Gold City. However, after Tesoro finished his song, Whitebeard didn't attend the cocktail party personally; instead, he sent Marco to represent him.
This was to be expected. Although Newgate was a figure of immense stature, his identity made things awkward. Not everyone was as uninhibited as Diarmuid, who had first approached Dragon before huddling up to whisper with Doflamingo. Had Newgate appeared, it's unlikely anyone would have had the nerve to try and strike up a casual conversation with him.
Ultimately, Newgate stayed away and sent Marco instead. While Marco's status was also unique, he didn't carry the same overwhelming presence as Newgate, nor was he as conspicuous. If someone truly wanted to discuss something with Whitebeard, they could test the waters with Marco first, which was far more convenient.
While Marco was generally well-liked, things had been going quite poorly for the Whitebeard Pirates lately. From a distance, he spotted Doflamingo. He had originally intended to go over and ask him what was going on with Teach—had something happened?
Instead, Doflamingo had been swept away by that damn Marine Admiral, Diarmuid. The two had been chattering away incessantly, making it difficult for Marco to stare too closely lest they misinterpret his intentions.
And so, he waited until now.
Just as Marco was boredly sipping a red wine he didn't particularly enjoy, his expression showing a hint of impatience, a towering figure walked up to him, casting a long shadow over him. The man looked to be nearly five meters tall. Even in a hall filled with monsters, this man's presence was exceptionally prominent.
Feeling the shadow loom over him, Marco didn't grow tense. After all, this was the Gold City, a neutral zone. Anyone who dared to start a fight here would be insulting everyone present, and so far, no one was that reckless.
He looked up at the man, his expression souring even further as he spoke with an annoyed tone, "Don't block my sunlight."
"There are only lamps here," the figure replied.
It was none other than the head of the Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates, Charlotte Katakuri.
It wasn't just Whitebeard who had arrived; in fact, Charlotte Linlin and Kaido were also currently within the Gold City. Like Newgate, they had only participated in the earlier "Opening Ceremony." Due to their status or other personal reasons, they had skipped this high-level cocktail party.
However, while Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin had at least sent their first mates, Kaido hadn't sent anyone at all.
Hearing Katakuri's response, Marco knew the man had come specifically for him. His annoyed expression softened slightly as he asked, "What do you want?"
"An invitation," Katakuri said calmly. Before Marco could ask further, he explained, "Mama wants to invite your captain to a meeting. This is the address."
With that, Katakuri tossed a slip of paper to Marco. On the front was the address of the accommodations provided for them by the Gold City.
Marco fell silent for a moment. If he were the boss, he wouldn't give Katakuri the time of day, nor would he go to see Big Mom. But their captain was Whitebeard. He couldn't make such a decision on Newgate's behalf.
As Marco remained silent, Katakuri added, "Kaido will be there too."
Marco looked up at Katakuri again and nodded. "Understood. I'll relay this to Pops exactly as it was told."
Katakuri nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave. He didn't even linger at the party; it seemed his sole purpose for attending was to deliver those words to Marco. Once the task was done, he departed quickly.
It wasn't particularly abrupt. Although the party had only recently begun, several people had already concluded their business and chosen to leave. Those in attendance were all people of status and were busy; they weren't inclined to waste time.
Marco, also bored out of his mind, turned to look at Diarmuid and Doflamingo again. Seeing those two bastards still laughing and talking together only irritated him further. Not knowing how long those two intended to keep whispering, Marco decided not to wait. He stood up and left the uncomfortable party to find Newgate and relay Katakuri's invitation.
Meanwhile, in a booth at the party, Smoker held his glass, took a sip, and then placed his cigar back in his mouth. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he remarked, "It seems those pirates are making a move again..."
Sitting across from him was Queen Stussy.
Their being together wasn't unusual. Everyone knew that Smoker's rise as a Warlord was heavily linked to the Queen of the Pleasure District. The two were steadfast partners; whether it was the Amway Group or this Gold City, they had built it together.
For the big shots attending this party, most knew that behind Stussy's role as the Queen of the Pleasure District lay her identity rooted in Mariejois. Once you reached a certain level, many secrets ceased to be secrets. Just as in the original stories where Morgans and others knew Stussy was a World Government agent, it was the same here.
After all, the "Queen" frequently appeared in Mariejois and even made appearances at the Reverie. However, because they were at such a high level, no one spoke of it bluntly. There was no need to offend Mariejois, so as long as she didn't expose herself, they treated her as the Queen of the Pleasure District. They just kept their guard up in private.
Listening to Smoker, Stussy withdrew her dissatisfied gaze. What was she dissatisfied with? Naturally, it was Diarmuid. Even though she was right here, he was huddled in a corner with that foul man Doflamingo, talking endlessly.
She had completely forgotten that she was the one who reminded Diarmuid that she was currently in the spotlight and that he needed to act with caution. That was why Diarmuid hadn't come to chat with her.
It can only be said that sometimes, women are simply unreasonable.
After withdrawing her gaze, Stussy spoke, "Whitebeard is here for the opening of Gold City. Kaido is here. Even Charlotte Linlin came personally. Why do you think that is? To show us respect?"
Smoker blew out a puff of smoke and chuckled. "If they had the chance, they'd love to kill me. Why would they show respect?"
During the last war, Smoker had brought in Marine forces and nearly trapped them all at Jam Island. The result was a crushing defeat for all three sides. Truly, as Smoker said, if they had the chance, they would have killed him long ago.
"Exactly. So, the moment the three of them arrived at Gold City, it was inevitable they would meet," Stussy analyzed calmly.
"It is a very suitable place to talk, after all," Smoker agreed, nodding.
In fact, as Stussy analyzed, the primary reason the three had come to Gold City was to meet. Even Newgate felt this way; otherwise, he wouldn't have come. From the fact that all three had moved, one could conclude that the three powers were likely planning something new.
To be honest, meeting in Gold City wasn't particularly discreet. Smoker and Stussy were already suspicious without even needing to investigate. But in reality, this was the best approach.
Whether it was Whitebeard, Kaido, or Charlotte Linlin, perhaps Kaido and Linlin shared some level of trust since their Pirate Alliance hadn't dissolved yet, none of them shared any trust with Whitebeard. That was impossible.
Therefore, all three were well aware that while meeting at Gold City would expose their movements, if they didn't meet here, a meeting wouldn't be possible at all!
How else would they meet? Would Whitebeard be invited to Wano or Whole Cake Island? Would Whitebeard go? He'd have to be insane to go!
Only Gold City provided a "safe" neutral platform for the three of them to meet. This was why the neutral zone of Gold City was necessary for the majority of people. Even if they exposed something, it didn't matter; at most, they would be suspected. As long as they were more careful afterward, the mere knowledge of their meeting wouldn't lead to any uncontrollable disasters.
Besides, who the hell knew if they could even agree on anything? If the talks failed, it would have been nothing more than a common meeting.
"Aren't you curious?" Smoker asked.
Stussy lit a lady's cigarette, glanced at Smoker, and said, "That's a Marine matter, isn't it? Pirate affairs don't have much to do with me. Right now, I want to know what that guy Dragon was talking about with Morgans."
Clearly, those two were surrounded by soundproofing equipment, or perhaps they had used some other means to ensure privacy.
Smoker rubbed his chin and smacked his lips. "The Admiral will surely get the news. That's not something I should be involved in. I'll just focus on my Gold City. Speaking of which... about Dragon, isn't he your partner?"
"Don't talk nonsense," Stussy snapped, glaring at Smoker.
Seeing that Stussy didn't want to touch the subject, Smoker didn't press further. After a short pause, he asked, "Are you going to be promoted to Director-General when you go back this time?"
"More or less," Stussy nodded.
"Impressive..." Smoker said with a hint of genuine admiration. It really was impressive!
"Hehehe, I have you people to thank for the help," Stussy said, her mood improving.
Her promotion to Director-General was essentially set in stone. Gold City was the final piece of the puzzle. Once the Gold City affair concluded, it would be a major achievement. With that merit, Mariejois would officially promote her to Director-General of the CP agencies.
Not dwelling on that topic, Smoker asked, "On the way here, did Diarmuid say when the operation starts?"
Stussy's face twitched slightly, and she glared at Smoker. "How should I know? I..."
"If you're going to say you didn't come here with him, do you think I'll believe you?" Smoker rolled his eyes.
Stussy was clearly annoyed and gave Smoker a fierce look. "Go ask your Admiral yourself. Hmph."
Seeing that Stussy truly didn't want to say more, Smoker stopped asking. Regardless, he would have time to meet with the Admiral privately later.
It really was time to ask.
Three years after three years, by his count, he had been a damn pirate for over thirteen years. Was this ever going to end?
Admiral, if you don't reel the net in soon, I'm really going to end up as the Pirate King!