A seventeen-year-old Rear Admiral? That was incredibly impressive.
Back when Diarmuid was seventeen, he hadn't become a Rear Admiral; he was still just a grunt at a Marine branch in the North Blue. And then there was Smoker, who for over a decade, when Luffy was already the self-proclaimed king of the East Blue, was still only a Marine Headquarters Captain.
Of course, this was partly due to Smoker's prickly personality, which caused his rank to fluctuate many times, but he ultimately settled at the rank of Captain. It wasn't until after the Marineford War that his promotions became steady, and he was able to jump to Vice Admiral in just two years, a testament to his accumulated power.
But now, the prospect of being a seventeen-year-old Rear Admiral was extremely tempting for Smoker.
His breathing became a bit heavy, and a little white smoke even started to seep out of him. He straightened his face and said, "Everything for justice!"
"Don't give me slogans here. I'll warn you first, Smoker, this mission is not simple. You'll have to endure humiliation for a very long time, and it's extremely dangerous. The Marines won't be able to give you much support. In this process, your justice will be worthless, and you might even…" At this, Diarmuid paused.
Then, with a somewhat dejected expression, he said, "Forget it, I've changed my mind. You're a good kid, and you shouldn't have to bear this kind of pressure and danger. Just stick to the plan and be a good Marine. You're still young, and I can't in good conscience ask you to take on such a heavy responsibility."
After saying this, Diarmuid sat back on the sofa and looked at Zephyr. "Sensei, why don't we find someone else? This kid might not be able to handle it."
Zephyr stared at Diarmuid in confusion. What was this tactic?
But before Zephyr could react, Smoker, who had been excited a moment ago, was now confused. He immediately said, "Vice Admiral Diarmuid, I won't disappoint you or the Chief Instructor! Please, you must give me this important mission! I'll complete it even if it costs me my life!"
Zephyr was speechless, but he quickly understood what was happening.
Diarmuid was using a classic provocation. It was a normal tactic; Smoker was in his teenage years, a time when he was fearless and filled with youthful arrogance.
Generally speaking, teenagers at this stage believe they are special and that as soon as they step onto the world stage, they will become the protagonist who can change the world.
In reality, most people settle down quickly and follow the regular path. But on the other hand, the lives of most great heroes begin to take off during this period. All in all, a young man of this age cannot stand being provoked like this. And it was clear that Smoker was exactly that kind of hot-head.
"It's a tough mission, Smoker. You'll have to carry an incredibly heavy burden. Your current friends will misunderstand you, and they might even come to despise you," Diarmuid said softly.
Smoker still looked defiant and said, "I don't have many friends anyway!"
"What about Hina?" Diarmuid asked suddenly.
Smoker was stunned for a moment, then he said, "For justice!"
"Willingly?" Diarmuid asked again.
"Willingly!" Smoker said without hesitation.
"Good!" Diarmuid slapped his hands together and looked at Smoker with admiration.
Next to him, Gion opened her mouth a few times, wanting to tell Diarmuid to stop playing with him and just be honest. But seeing Smoker's high spirits, she shook her head. 'Never mind, one is willing to be beaten, and the other is willing to be beaten. I'd better not interfere,' she thought
"Since you insist on taking on this mission, I'll hand it over to you. Rear Admiral Smoker!" Diarmuid stood up again, looking very moved, and gave the young Smoker a firm pat on the shoulder.
When Smoker heard the title "Rear Admiral," he was overjoyed. He immediately stood at attention and saluted. "Yes, Vice Admiral Diarmuid, please give me your orders!"
"Become a pirate!" Diarmuid said bluntly.
"Yes, I'll become a…" Smoker responded instinctively, then froze in surprise. "A pirate?! Just one second ago, you called me 'Rear Admiral Smoker.' Now, you want me to be 'Pirate Smoker'?! What in the world is going on?"
"That's right, become a pirate. Piracy is a very promising industry. The next twenty years will be a golden age. I look forward to you becoming the next Pirate King…" Diarmuid patted Smoker on the shoulder again and said, "You must constantly tell yourself that you are no longer a Marine but a pirate. That will help you minimize any mistakes. Now, repeat after me… 'I am the man who will become the Pirate King'!!!"
"I am the man who will become the Pirate King!?" Smoker parroted the line nervously, then quickly asked, "Vice Admiral Diarmuid, what does this mean?"
"Don't worry, I'm about to explain it to you. Here's the deal: the World Government is planning to implement a new policy called the Warlords of the Sea system. The plan is to recruit seven great pirates and form a new special organization. This organization is very disadvantageous for the Marines, but after discussing it, the Marine high command has decided to…" Diarmuid pulled Smoker down to the sofa and began to explain the grand plan to him.
At first, when Smoker heard about the pirates being recruited and other messy things, he was furious and immediately started to curse the World Government. Diarmuid didn't stop him; instead, he encouraged him, saying that he had to curse them often when he was out at sea to make his identity as a pirate more believable. This made Smoker a little embarrassed.
Then, when he learned that Diarmuid and the other Marine high-ups intended to take over the Warlord of the Sea system from the inside and use it to their advantage, he was utterly shocked.
The smart Smoker quickly realized what benefits this would bring to the Marines and understood why Diarmuid wanted him to go out and become a pirate. They wanted him to become a spy, a Warlord of the Sea!
"That's the gist of it. After you go out to sea, you have to do your best to cause trouble. You need to become an evil but effective pirate as soon as possible. We at Headquarters will also cooperate with you by significantly increasing your bounty to help you become a Warlord of the Sea as soon as possible," Diarmuid said earnestly.
Zephyr, watching a Marine Admiral candidate instructing a "Marine Rear Admiral" on how to become a great pirate, felt a bit awkward. He quickly interrupted Diarmuid. "Diarmuid, don't say things like that."
After a pause, Zephyr looked at Smoker. "Smoker, you have to pretend to be a real pirate, so you'll have to endure some hardship. As Diarmuid said, you need to cause trouble, but there are different ways to do that. As your teacher, I hope you maintain a certain moral baseline. You need to know how far to go when committing acts of 'evil.'"
"I'll tell you how. To put it simply, you just need to mess with those nobles you can't stand. Although it's not really my place to say this, most of those so-called nobles aren't good people anyway. Just rob them and give them a hard time," Diarmuid said with a laugh.
"I think I understand," Smoker said, nodding. Then he asked, "What do I do with the Berries I steal?"
"You should find a way to build your own crew and your own power. As for the rest of the money, when you think you've stolen too much, we can 'clear you out' a few times to bring it back to Headquarters. That way, you're contributing to justice from the outside. That might ease some of the dark pain in your heart. Don't worry, we won't forget your contributions…" Diarmuid said seriously.
Zephyr looked at Diarmuid in astonishment. He couldn't help but say, "How can you have so many ridiculous schemes?"
He was creating his own pirate, a spy no less, and when the pirate got rich, he would "clear them out" to get a huge amount of money.
What the hell?!
If Diarmuid had become an Admiral twenty years ago, there might not even be a World Government anymore.
Diarmuid looked at Zephyr in surprise. "Sensei, I'm doing all of this for the Marines. I have no selfish motives at all!"
Zephyr's face twitched. He didn't say anything, because it was true. Although Diarmuid's plan was completely shameless and unethical, it was all for the good of the Marines.
"That's right, Chief! Just let me stay outside and donate the money to the Marines!" Smoker said righteously.
Zephyr looked at him and couldn't help but cover his eyes. 'That bastard Diarmuid has completely fooled you,' he thought. 'You're talking about 'donating' like it's a good thing…'
"That's the spirit!" Diarmuid said with an admiring pat on Smoker's shoulder. "I can truly feel the justice in your heart. You are indeed the man I appreciate, Smoker. I look forward to seeing what you can do!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral Diarmuid! I won't disappoint you!" Smoker said with excitement.
However, after the initial excitement wore off, Smoker became a little anxious. "So, how long will this mission last? How long will I have to be a pirate at sea?"
"What if it's for a long time…?" Smoker thought anxiously.
Diarmuid was about to tell him it would be about twenty years, but seeing his expression, he stopped and looked at Zephyr. "Sensei, how long do you think it should be?"
Smoker also looked over. Seeing Smoker's hopeful eyes, Zephyr couldn't bring himself to say "too long." He thought for a moment and said, "Let's tentatively say three years…"
'Yes, tentatively three years. We can add more time later. We'll take it one step at a time. This way, Smoker will have an easier time accepting it, and it won't be too much pressure on him at once. He needs to see hope for the future. I'm doing this for his own good…'
Diarmuid glanced at Zephyr and didn't say anything. He didn't believe Zephyr didn't realize that three years was impossible. But… let's just pretend it's three years.
"Three years? That's no problem!" Smoker said with a sigh of relief.
Three years wasn't a big deal. He could endure it. When he came back, he would be a twenty-year-old official Rear Admiral, and he might even get a promotion for his service. Maybe a… twenty-year-old Vice Admiral? The thought made him a little excited!
Smoker was fantasizing about his triumphant return in three years. Diarmuid, on the other hand, was thinking about a scene three years from now:
On a certain sea, Smoker was standing with Admiral Sengoku…
"Admiral, you promised me three years, and now it's been three years and three more years. What about this Warlord of the Sea thing? If you don't end this, I'm going to become a Yonko, boss!"
"Would you be a little more respectful? I'm the only one in the entire Marines who knows your identity. If I go back and erase all your records, you'll be a pirate for life, and I won't have to deal with you anymore, right?"
For some reason, thinking about this scene almost made Diarmuid burst out laughing.
"Ahem, Smoker, you do well! I'm sure you'll accomplish great things in the future!" Diarmuid said, holding back his laughter and encouraging him again.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Diarmuid! I won't disappoint you!" Smoker said seriously.
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