"Just one Smoker isn't enough. I think we need to send in at least three to start. Do you have any other suitable candidates?" Diarmuid asked, stroking his chin.
Zephyr shook his head. "I only have him for now. Does anyone else have a good fit?"
Sakazuki was silent, then shook his head. All of his subordinates were hardline Marines just like him and completely unsuited to become pirates.
Kuzan waved his hand. "I've always been a lone wolf…"
Borsalino was even more direct. "I don't either. The people in the Science Unit aren't a good match for this."
As the others spoke, Diarmuid's eyes landed on Tokikake.
Tokikake also shook his head. "I don't have a suitable candidate." But after he spoke, Diarmuid didn't look away, his gaze still fixed on him.
Tokikake was confused at first, then his expression changed. "Diarmuid, don't go too far! I've been a well-known Marine for many years. Who would believe it if I went out and became a Warlord of the Sea? Don't hold a grudge against me here! Everyone is watching!"
Tokikake's personality was actually a good fit. His style of acting was very similar to Garp's—a devil-may-care kind of guy. But as he said, although he wasn't as famous as Sakazuki, he had been a well-known Marine officer for years.
Diarmuid clicked his tongue in feigned disappointment, then laughed. "How could I? Am I the kind of person to hold a grudge? Hahaha… hahahaha!"
"You're laughing so deviously, so you definitely are!" Tokikake said with a disgruntled look.
The other high-ranking Marines in the conference room also began to laugh. They all knew about the feud between Tokikake and Diarmuid, which was simply a romantic rivalry.
However, they also knew that neither Diarmuid nor Tokikake would let such a thing cause a serious rift between them. In fact, over the years, the two had only ever cursed at each other verbally; they had never once come to blows. It was clear they both had a strong sense of proportion.
"Hahahaha, alright, you two. That's enough," Zephyr laughed, patting the table. After a slight pause, he said, "How about this? We'll send Smoker out to test the waters. After that, I'll keep an eye out for any other suitable candidates, and I'll focus on training them. You all should also keep this in mind."
"That works. After all, this plan hasn't even been implemented yet. And even when it is, it'll take many years to truly perfect," Sengoku said, nodding.
"Let's proceed with that for now," Kong said.
Although Zephyr had retired to the background, he still held the rank of Admiral. With him, the Fleet Admiral, and Admiral Sengoku all speaking up, the matter was decided. Diarmuid and the others also nodded in agreement.
After taking a sip of tea, Diarmuid said, "Now that we have the Warlord of the Sea incident, we should use it to negotiate for more benefits from the higher-ups. They probably don't want to fall out with us right now. As long as we don't cause too much trouble for them over the Warlord system, they should be willing to compromise on other things, right?"
"Are you suggesting we try to force the World Government to make more concessions?" Tsuru asked, looking at Diarmuid.
"That's the plan. For one, I want to see if we can get the World Government to increase our budget," Diarmuid said firmly.
As soon as he said that, Kong spoke up. "Our budget will increase by 15% each year for the next three years. That was the consolation prize the Gorosei gave us."
The others' eyes flashed with surprise. Diarmuid nodded. "This just proves that as long as we don't go too far on the Warlord of the Sea issue, the World Government is willing to compromise on other things. That's perfect."
"Do you have any other ideas?" Sengoku asked.
"Originally, I wanted to use this opportunity to gain more autonomy, like opening up channels for us to earn our own money, but now that we've decided to use the Warlords of the Sea as discussed, there's no need to make things more complicated," Diarmuid said with a smile.
Sengoku nodded in agreement. "That's right. We can be a little more reserved on that front, and it will also reassure the World Government."
"Then my final thought is a personal request," Diarmuid said, a greedy smile spreading across his face.
"Oh?" Kong and the others all wore knowing smiles.
Diarmuid didn't hide anything and said openly, "As far as I know, the World Government has been suppressing promotions within the Marines. I hope that this time, we can all work together to break that barrier. That way, I can finally become an Admiral, and Sakazuki and the others can get their Admiral Candidate titles."
"Go on," Sengoku said, a smile on his face. Sure enough, he and Fleet Admiral Kong had guessed correctly. Diarmuid had his own agenda and didn't need the old-timers to pave the way for him.
Diarmuid nodded and continued. "I have a two-step plan. The first step is to negotiate, a peaceful discussion. If the Gorosei are willing to give in, then that's perfect, and we won't need any extra steps."
"What if they're not willing?" Kong asked.
"You're not thinking of using a military threat, are you?" Sengoku asked with a chuckle.
"Of course not," Diarmuid said, waving his hand. "If they don't agree, we'll make the Warlord of the Sea issue a headache for them. But we'll do it slowly. We'll let the Marines greenlight the plan, and then we'll see who they pick to be the Warlords of the Sea… Whoever they choose, I'll go and kill them… and we'll see who breaks first!"
"Hahaha, that's quite a lot of confidence!" Garp roared with laughter.
"Of course, I'm confident. The Warlords of the Sea… it sounds nice, but to those great pirates, it's just an organization of the World Government's lapdogs, isn't it? I don't believe people like Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, or Whitebeard would ever agree to become Warlords of the Sea. As long as people of that caliber aren't interested, who else can stop me?" Diarmuid asked with confidence.
"That's a good point. Let's do it that way for now. You all can handle the Warlord of the Sea matter, and the Fleet Admiral and I will go to Mariejois to meet with the Gorosei and bring up these issues," Sengoku said after thinking for a moment.
Soon, the meeting of the true high-ranking officers came to an end. Zephyr stood up, set down his teacup, and said, "Diarmuid, find me at the Marine Academy later."
"Yes, Sensei," Diarmuid responded.
With that, the meeting was adjourned, and everyone went their separate ways. Sakazuki walked up to Diarmuid and said, "I thought you were going to go all out and hit the World Government with a bombshell, but you didn't make a big scene."
"I was ready to, but now we have a better way, don't we?" Diarmuid said with a smile.
"That's true. If the Warlords of the Sea can develop into a front for the Marines… that would be a good thing," Sakazuki said, nodding.
"I wasn't talking about that. I meant that I thought it would have to be more intense today to convince everyone and dismantle the World Government's authority within the Marines. But I didn't expect Onigumo to just stand up and start cursing. Then everyone started cursing. And now I don't even need to use those petty tricks. Look, after Onigumo spoke, what authority does the World Government have left here?" Diarmuid said with a chuckle.
He really hadn't expected Onigumo's outburst, but it had been a pleasant surprise.
Sakazuki rubbed his chin and smiled. "You're right about that."
"Without any authority, I don't have to do anything extra. No one objected to my later suggestions, like forcing the World Government to make concessions. Even the Fleet Admiral and Admiral Sengoku agreed. It all went smoothly, and there's no need for me to overdo it," Diarmuid said with a grin.
"What do you think the chances are that the World Government will peacefully give in?" Sakazuki asked after a moment of thought.
"The chances are quite high. Actually, their suppression of promotions within the Marines is a very unreasonable move. They probably made that decision because someone misled them or they had some other idea at the time, but it's completely unsuitable now. But they can't just back down without a good reason because of their pride. Forcing them now might give them a way out, a chance to save face," Diarmuid said softly.
Sakazuki thought about it.
Now that he considered it, the Gorosei might have been trying to play a game with the Marines, to make them take a stance on something so they could raise a big fuss about it and then quietly drop it and move on.
But they were playing their game while Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong acted as if nothing was wrong at all, refusing to take the bait. "You're not giving us promotions? Fine, we just won't get promoted!"
This put the Gorosei in an awkward position. Perhaps Diarmuid was right; by pressuring them, they would actually be giving the Gorosei an excuse to back down gracefully. After all, they couldn't just keep the Marines in a chokehold forever. That just wasn't realistic.
"That makes sense," Sakazuki said, nodding.
"Hahaha, if this works out, I'll become an Admiral before you, Sakazuki. You'd better work hard," Diarmuid said with a hearty laugh.
Sakazuki didn't mind Diarmuid's boastful tone. He waved his hand. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't accept it. But with you, your strength and intellect are both a cut above mine. It's no big deal for you to get a step ahead of me. But this is only for the rank of Admiral; there is still one spot. I'm telling you now…"
"Oh?" A peculiar glint appeared in Diarmuid's eyes as he said softly.
"When the time comes for us to compete for the Fleet Admiral position, I won't give in so easily, Diarmuid," Sakazuki said, patting Diarmuid on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. The next Fleet Admiral will definitely be Admiral Sengoku. It'll be at least ten years before we get to compete. I'll have plenty of time to get ready for you, hahaha," Diarmuid said with a booming laugh.
"We'll see about that," Sakazuki said, smiling.
The two said no more. Sakazuki saw Onigumo and the others waiting for him ahead. He nodded to Diarmuid and left. Diarmuid then went to meet Gion, Momonga, and the other subordinates who were waiting for him.
"How did it go?" Gion asked.
It was a bit embarrassing to admit that Diarmuid didn't have a single Vice Admiral subordinate like Onigumo; Yamakaji was only half of one. That was why Gion and the others had to leave the meeting as Rear Admirals.
"Very smoothly," Diarmuid said, nodding. After a moment, he said, "Let's go to the Marine Academy. Zephyr-sensei called for me. We can watch a show while we're at it."
"A show?" Gion asked, looking confused. "What kind of show?"
"The story of a hot-headed academy troublemaker who gets scolded by the headmaster, gets angry, leaves the Marines, and shouts 'A man's fate can change!' He vows to make the Marines understand what a great loss they have suffered and becomes a pirate to get revenge on the seas. An excellent Marine prospect who grows into an evil pirate…" Diarmuid said with a chuckle.
Gion stared. "What in the world are you talking about?"
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