On a Marine warship, Diarmuid sat with an apple in his hand, half-eaten. Before him stood a fishing rod; the man was clearly passing the time by fishing.
He had merely made an appearance at the opening of Gold City; there was no need for him to do anything else. After discussing affairs in Mariejois with Doflamingo and spending some quality time with Queen Stussy that evening, he hung around the city for two days before making his departure.
Taking a bite of his apple, Diarmuid spoke into a Den Den Mushi, "Hold on a second."
He turned to look toward the rear of the deck. That bratty loli Sphinx and Issho were still acting like curious children even after several days at sea—peering here and there, shouting excitedly, and occasionally firing off a couple of shots at the distant sea.
In her words, she had never legally been on a warship in her entire life, let alone fired a gun from one, so she had to "experience the lifestyle." If Diarmuid hadn't forbidden it, she probably would have tried to fire the main cannons.
Indeed, Diarmuid had met this eccentric duo in Gold City. They had signed an agreement to handle security for the city in the future. While Diarmuid couldn't say he fully trusted a former pirate like Sphinx, he harbored a significant amount of faith in Issho. Moreover, it was clear that Issho could keep a handle on that crazy woman, so Diarmuid wasn't overly concerned.
They were accompanying him on this departure to fulfill a promise. When he first recruited them, Issho was easy; the moment he heard he'd be working in "Gold City," he agreed on the spot. Whether he could gamble or not didn't matter, he just liked the name.
As for Sphinx, she viewed Shiki as a father figure. Though Shiki was long dead, Diarmuid had left a grave for him, and Sphinx wanted to pay her respects. After all these years, she wanted to see her "Boss Shiki" one last time.
Diarmuid wasn't the type to go back on his word, so he brought them along.
Hearing the ruckus behind him, Diarmuid swallowed his apple and shouted impatiently, "Hey! Quiet down back there, or I'll throw you overboard to feed the fishes!"
"Tch! I hate stingy men like you the most!" Sphinx muttered from a distance, though she did stop her shouting. Issho simply gave a calm smile; he hadn't been the one making the noise anyway.
Having dealt with Sphinx, Diarmuid turned back to the Den Den Mushi, took another bite of the apple, and said, "Go on. What happened?"
"Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido have met three more times. I suspect they have something in mind. It's highly likely they're forming a partnership," Smoker's voice crackled through the receiver.
Diarmuid chewed thoughtfully but remained silent.
Smoker continued, "As things stand, there is only one target that could possibly force those three to join forces."
"Us Marines?" Diarmuid replied.
"Exactly. No matter how you look at it, the Marines are the only target big enough," Smoker said softly.
Finishing his apple, Diarmuid tossed the core into the sea and wiped his hands. "Then let them scramble. Do they truly believe this is still the age of pirates? There is no ship in this era capable of carrying them anymore. It's actually better this way. Dealing with them one by one is a waste of time. Let them gather together so we can reel them all in at once..."
Smoker hesitated on the other end before asking, "Admiral, while we've defeated them individually before, the three of them joining forces represents the absolute peak of pirate power in the New World."
"This era belongs to the Marines. 'Peak pirate power'? You think those people can shake us? Their alliance only proves they realize how powerful the Marines have become. Enemies who were once lions have turned into sheep huddling together for warmth... It's quite poetic, isn't it?" Diarmuid remarked.
"So... we don't need to keep a close eye on them?" Smoker asked.
"Oh, we'll watch them. We should despise the enemy strategically but respect them tactically. Once I return, I'll have the Intelligence Division step up their efforts. I hope these embers of the old era can spark something fresh," Diarmuid said with a hint of arrogance.
He was indeed feeling a bit emboldened; even an alliance between Whitebeard, Big Mom, and the Beasts Pirates didn't seem to bother him much. He truly didn't believe they could accomplish anything significant. At most, they'd launch a war against the Marines, and they might not even make it out of the New World.
While Diarmuid's current focus was on how to deal with the World Government, if these pirates were so eager to cause trouble, he wouldn't mind sending them to their graves early.
"Perhaps it really is time to sweep these pirates away once and for all..." Diarmuid murmured.
Just then, his fishing rod jerked. Diarmuid's eyes lit up as he gripped the rod and applied some force. "Anything else?"
Smoker was silent for a moment, appearing to think. Finally, he asked, "Admiral... how much longer do I have to play pirate?"
The moment he finished the sentence, the fishing line on Diarmuid's rod snapped.
Diarmuid looked embarrassed. He put the rod down and rubbed his chin. Even though Smoker wasn't in front of him, he sounded sheepish as he said, "How about after we sweep Whitebeard and the others away? I'll bring you back to the Marines then."
He paused, seemingly worried about Smoker's morale, and added, "I think I can definitely secure you a position as an Admiral Candidate..."
You've said that several times already! Smoker grumbled internally. However, whether he was used to being a pirate or had simply come to terms with it, he didn't find the answer particularly repulsive.
He chuckled after a moment and said, "Then I'll look forward to it."
"You're a Yonko, after all! Coming back as an Admiral Candidate is a guaranteed win!" Diarmuid said seriously.
Smoker didn't bother responding to the "Admiral Candidate" empty promise. He rolled his eyes and said, "That's all for now."
"Mhm. Just one last step, Smoker. Hang in there, the future belongs to the youth!" Diarmuid continued with the pep talk.
Smoker almost laughed in annoyance. He gave a brief acknowledgment and hung up.
Diarmuid set the Den Den Mushi on the table and smacked his lips. "That should be fine, right? My people skills are pretty top-tier..."
While pondering these random thoughts, he looked across the horizon and spotted the G-7 Marine Base. They were almost there.
Just as he was spacing out, his phone rang again. It was Hina.
"Hina? What's up?"
Hina's voice was crisp. "Admiral, news just came from Mariejois. Stussy-nee has been promoted to Director-General of the CP agencies!"
Stussy had left Gold City with Diarmuid, but after crossing the Red Line, they had parted ways. Stussy went to Mariejois to report and claim her credit for the Gold City project. Although they knew the promotion was a near-certainty, hearing it finalized still made Diarmuid emotional.
That woman... was truly something else!
Coming back to his senses, Diarmuid said, "Right, I know. It's not much of a surprise."
Hina, who usually hung out with Gion, sounded somewhat idolizing. "That's incredible! To actually become the Director-General of CP... In Marine terms, that's basically like becoming the Fleet Admiral..."
It was indeed impressive. Diarmuid chatted with Hina about Stussy for a bit before she moved to the next topic.
"The Reverie is about to begin. The Fleet Admiral asked me to ask you: do you have any specific proposals you want discussed at the World Council?"
Diarmuid thought to himself that proposing a discussion on Imu was probably inappropriate and would alert the enemy. After thinking it over, he said, "Tell him I propose a discussion regarding the 'Rights and Obligations of Allied Nations.' Also, let him know that once I return from Impel Down, I have some important matters to discuss with him in person. Ask him to set some time aside for me."
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't need to make a special request, but Marine Headquarters was swamped. With the Reverie approaching, Marine officers had to handle the protection of various royal families. Although many royals were currently lounging in Gold City, many more were scattered across the seas.
The quadrennial escort mission was starting again after an eight-year gap. Many Marines promoted in the last eight years had never handled this task. Furthermore, this was Sengoku's first time commanding such an operation since becoming Fleet Admiral, so he was naturally very busy and meticulous. Diarmuid didn't want to catch him at a bad time.
"Understood, Admiral," Hina replied.
As the warship began to dock at G-7, Diarmuid hung up. Once the ship was secure, he stepped off first, with Sphinx and Issho following at a respectful distance—close enough to keep up, but far enough not to overhear any classified talk.
On the dock, Momonga stood tall and energized. Seeing Diarmuid, he stepped forward and gave a crisp salute. "Admiral! Welcome to G-7 for your inspection..."
Diarmuid nodded formally before laughing. "Why so stiff?"
"I have to show proper respect to a Marine Admiral, don't I?" Momonga's serious face broke into a smile.
"How've you been? G-7 and the Calm Belt doing well?" Diarmuid asked cheerfully.
As Momonga led him inside, he complained with a long face, "You big shots at Headquarters sure love giving me trouble. Why did the Special Science Group have to move into the Calm Belt? It's dangerous..."
"Nothing to do with me! Save those complaints for Fleet Admiral Sengoku. I was on vacation at the time," Diarmuid quickly interrupted.
Momonga didn't press the issue. Instead, he whispered, "But does this prove we're about to... you know, with Mariejois?"
"Mhm. Barring any accidents, there will be a massive upheaval at this Reverie. Just be ready," Diarmuid said, patting Momonga's shoulder.
Momonga was a core member who had been involved in the Calm Belt project early on; there was no need to hide the truth from him. Hearing this, a flash of excitement and anticipation appeared in Momonga's eyes. After steadying his nerves, he asked, "So, what are you here for this time?"
"Taking someone to pay their respects at Shiki's grave," Diarmuid said.
Momonga: "???"
Whose grave?!