During these few days in Mariejois, Diarmuid hadn't actually done much. He spent most of his time scouting the terrain and the new building complexes of the reconstructed Holy Land. To be honest, since Mariejois was rebuilt, Diarmuid hadn't visited often, usually just passing through. Now that they were planning to cause a stir here, he naturally needed a good look at the geography and the design of the new structures.
"Pangea Castle remains largely unchanged. After all, it wasn't severely damaged back then, so they just gave it a thorough renovation," Diarmuid said with a smile to Borsalino as they stood atop a small building to the northeast of the castle.
Borsalino had only arrived in Mariejois yesterday. As one of the Marine Admirals, he was naturally a core participant in this operation. Although he was usually a "lazy fish," a neutralist who avoided messy power struggles, there was no "neutral" option in this clash between Marine Headquarters and Mariejois.
Among the current high-ranking Marine officers, there was no room for a middle ground on this matter. If loyalty is not absolute, it is absolute disloyalty! To hold back now would be an affront to every Marine in the service. Being the clever man he was, Borsalino didn't play any games and joined the combat plan without hesitation.
The two Admirals stood on the roof, pointing and discussing Pangea Castle in the distance. While the sight was a bit unusual, it wasn't entirely out of place. Pangea Castle was the venue for the Reverie. In a few days, when everyone had arrived and the conference officially began, over a hundred kings and high-ranking officials from the World Government and the Marines would gather there.
Inside Pangea Castle was a massive plaza capable of holding over ten thousand people—the Social Plaza of the Celestial Dragons. Even now, the plaza was a sea of people, every one of them rich or powerful.
Kings of every stripe were present. This was tradition; the quadrennial Reverie served as a social stage for the world's royalty. It was common to see newspapers filled with reports of royal marriages and diplomatic visits between nations following the conclusion of the summit. Most of these deals were struck right there in that Social Plaza!
Since Pangea Castle was currently a melting pot of people from all walks of life, Diarmuid and Borsalino standing on a distant roof pointing at the castle didn't draw much suspicion. They blended right into the background.
"So, this blueprint is still usable, right?" Borsalino asked, holding a document. It was the architectural design of Pangea Castle.
"Yeah, there's no problem. Actually, we don't strictly need the blueprints. We just need to find an opportunity to infiltrate the hall where the Empty Throne is located," Diarmuid said with a nod.
To take action, one needs a moral cause. The Marines' cause was to expose the existence of Imu. However, Mariejois was still somewhat "unfamiliar" to the Marines, especially after the reconstruction. The Marines couldn't get their hands on blueprints for the classified facilities; even the CP organization only knew fragments.
Trying to find Imu within the entirety of Mariejois would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Furthermore, the Marines couldn't move too overtly before finding Imu, as their movements within the Holy Land were heavily restricted. The Gorosei weren't fools; they wouldn't let Marines wander wherever they pleased.
Based on intelligence and Diarmuid's own knowledge, the only place in Mariejois where Imu could definitely be found was Pangea Castle, specifically, the room of the Empty Throne. From the Marines' perspective, they only needed, or rather, had, to capture images of Imu and the Gorosei together there.
After all, would the Gorosei bow to Imu anywhere else? Don't underestimate that bow; it was the most crucial piece of evidence. Otherwise, Diarmuid wouldn't bother searching for Imu; he could just hire an actor to sit on the Empty Throne and take a photo. He could even do a whole photo shoot.
But such photos wouldn't have enough impact. If you put them out, people might not believe them. The true shock, the thing that would prove someone was secretly controlling the world from behind the scenes, was the sight of the Gorosei kowtowing to Imu!
"So, who is going to handle the infiltration and the photography?" Borsalino asked, rubbing his chin.
Diarmuid thought for a moment. "Morgans of the World Economy News Paper has a personal photographer who is a Devil Fruit user. His ability is to erase his presence..."
"I know that guy," Borsalino nodded.
In fact, many of the Marines' bounty posters were taken by that man. One major reason the World Economy News Paper had such advanced intelligence-gathering capabilities was because of that bizarre Devil Fruit. He could shove a camera right in your face, and you still wouldn't notice him. It was that ridiculous.
"Originally, I was leaning toward using him, but he isn't one of ours. Even though Morgans is trying to align himself with the Marines, he ultimately isn't trustworthy," Diarmuid added.
"Fair enough. Something like this should be handled by the Marines," Borsalino agreed.
"Vice Admiral Robin would be a good fit. She came from the Intelligence Division and has executed numerous infiltration missions. She's a pro at gathering intel, and her ability is perfect. However, her raw strength is a bit lacking. She might not be able to mask her presence perfectly. I suspect Imu isn't simple; he should be quite powerful. If she gets caught, it would be a disaster," Diarmuid continued.
Borsalino gave Diarmuid a strange look. "So, you've given me two examples of people we can't use. What's your point?"
"I think that as a Marine Admiral with immense strength... you should shoulder this responsibility." Diarmuid reached out and patted Borsalino's shoulder.
Borsalino: "???"
So you're trying to trick ME into being the photographer?
"Hey, Diarmuid, remind me... what is my Devil Fruit ability?" Borsalino asked suddenly.
"The Glint-Glint Fruit," Diarmuid said naturally.
"Exactly! The moment I move, I'm blindingly bright. I'm made of light! And you want me to do an infiltration mission? Do you think I'm not going to get caught fast enough?" Borsalino said irritably.
"Then who else? Sakazuki? You want to set Mariejois on fire again?" Diarmuid rolled his eyes.
"Why can't you do it yourself?" Borsalino countered.
"Me... I..." Diarmuid blinked. Wait, why not me?
"To be honest, this mission requires someone with top-tier strength and absolute trustworthiness. As for strength, that's us, the three Admirals, the Admiral candidates, even the Fleet Admiral. But you can't send the Fleet Admiral, can you? Among the others, Tokikake lacks the raw power, Gion's ability, like mine, is too flashy, Sakazuki is completely unsuitable for stealth, and Kuzan is much the same. Your ability and strength actually fit perfectly!" Borsalino argued back.
Before Diarmuid could speak, Borsalino continued: "That pitch-black ability of yours... can't you suck anything into the darkness? Try it out, sneak toward the Empty Throne and pull yourself into the darkness. When the timing is right, pop out carefully, take the photo, and you're done!"
Diarmuid was silent for a long time. He had to admit, Borsalino had a point.
Meanwhile, neither Diarmuid nor Borsalino noticed a figure in the Social Plaza of Pangea Castle watching them. A certain royal guard was looking up at the two Admirals on the roof with a surprised expression.
This "guard" was the captain of the escort for the Goa Kingdom from the East Blue... but in reality, it was that bastard Dragon. With Ivankov around, disguising himself or changing his physique was effortless; he could have even swapped genders without trouble. He had slipped in smoothly, and even if his father Garp were standing right in front of him, he likely wouldn't recognize him.
He had arrived in Mariejois days ago accompanying Outlook III of the Goa Kingdom. He had been lurking in the Social Plaza as a guard captain, observing the situation. Just moments ago, he had spotted Borsalino and Diarmuid on the roof.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have thought twice about it. But out of curiosity, Dragon used his ability to "listen to the wind." His Devil Fruit mastery was exceptional; his ability to find targets and escape cleanly was due to this precise control.
In fragments, Dragon overheard their conversation.
What? Pangea Castle? The Empty Throne? What are they talking about?
He couldn't hear every detail, and he didn't dare use his Observation Haki. If he supplemented his hearing with Haki, Diarmuid and Borsalino would definitely notice the ripple. This "listening to the wind" was far more discreet.
Though he couldn't hear everything clearly, Dragon caught a few key points: Diarmuid was planning to personally infiltrate Pangea Castle at a specific time. This was undoubtedly huge, or Diarmuid wouldn't be moving personally.
Dragon frowned. He didn't know the specifics, but Diarmuid clearly had a plan. Combining this with his earlier deductions about the Marines... Dragon looked back at Pangea Castle. What secret is hidden in there?
"I don't know what it is, but I just need to keep a close eye on Diarmuid..." Dragon decided.
The Revolutionary Army hadn't just sent Dragon; many others had infiltrated Mariejois. They were all on separate missions or standing by. Dragon decided his mission was to see what Diarmuid was up to. He was in the shadows, while Diarmuid, due to his status, had to stay in the light. If he was careful, he shouldn't be caught.
Dragon didn't dare "monitor" Diarmuid directly; that would be a death sentence. He would just use his ability to stay on the periphery.
Soon, under Dragon's subtle observation, Diarmuid and Borsalino, neither having noticed anything amiss, finished their chat and left the rooftop.
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