It was the end of the year 1503 in the Sea Calendar. A lot had happened across the seas since the previous year.
At the end of 1502, the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates had a massive war on St. Poplar, which ended in a devastating defeat for the Marines, who lost over 20,000 soldiers.
After the Whitebeard Pirates returned to the New World, they were attacked by Crocodile. However, Crocodile was counter-attacked and fled the New World in a hurry. To this day, there's no news of him; no one knows if he's dead or alive.
Then, in early 1503, the World Government launched the Warlord of the Sea system, a shocking move that deeply impacted the balance of power across the seas.
The World Government was attempting to recruit seven great pirates and grant them the legal right to plunder. This action stunned everyone. The entire Marine organization strongly opposed the plan, but in the end, it was implemented.
The system's introduction caused a brief lull in the pirate surge. Many great pirates were waiting to see what would happen. Was the World Government setting a trap? But ultimately, this policy gave countless pirates a new option: go straight and become a "legal pirate."
Unexpectedly, because of this new choice and other combined factors, the tide of the Great Pirate Era slowed down for a time. This gave the World Government some much-needed breathing room.
However, in the six months following the implementation of the Warlord of the Sea system, not a single "great pirate" was actually recruited. Instead, during the middle of the year 1503, the Marines went through huge changes.
The Ferocious Tiger of Marine Headquarters, Vice Admiral Rodriguez Diarmuid, officially shed his Admiral Candidate title and filled the last vacant position among the three Marine Admirals.
He and Buddha Sengoku and Black Arm Zephyr were now known as the Admirals and were granted the prestigious title of "Greatest Military Power" by the World Government.
In reality, everyone on the seas knew that while Black Arm Zephyr technically still held the rank of Admiral, he hadn't personally led a fleet on the front lines in many years. There were rumors that he had already retired to the rear lines and had repeatedly tried to resign his position, but his resignation had never been approved. For now, he was simply teaching children at Marineford.
So, before Diarmuid's promotion, the Marines had two Admirals in name, but only Sengoku could truly be considered a public figure. Therefore, Diarmuid's promotion to a true Admiral caused some subtle changes in the world. However, those changes have not yet fully translated into real influence.
In addition, Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Sakazuki also took on the Admiral Candidate title, and so did Vice Admiral Borsalino. In contrast, Kuzan and Gion, also known as two of the five Marine "New Generation Monsters" (along with Diarmuid, Sakazuki, and Borsalino), hadn't made much progress.
Kuzan was still a Vice Admiral and hadn't even become an Admiral candidate. No one knew if he had refused the offer or if one was never made.
Gion, on the other hand, was promoted from the rank of Rear Admiral, where she had been for many years, to Vice Admiral. In the same year, she was transferred to the position of Marine G-7 Base Commander.
Meanwhile, the former G-7 Base Commander, Diarmuid, returned to Marine Headquarters as an Admiral and was now permanently stationed in Marineford.
After this, the Marines went through a series of personnel changes. For example, Doberman, Momonga, and others were promoted to Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral. There wasn't much to say about them, but it was a bit awkward that Strawberry, Cancer, and others were still at the rank of Rear Admiral and hadn't been promoted.
In addition to the changes in the Marines, there were also some changes among the pirates. Some great pirates publicly announced their willingness to be recruited into the Warlord of the Sea system. Of course, many others condemned them, calling them spineless dogs of the World Government.
Whitebeard remained like a mountain, firmly holding down the New World.
Charlotte Linlin once tried to start a war with Whitebeard, but after a short skirmish, she was soundly defeated by Newgate and quickly retreated back to Totto Land, where she continued to lay low.
Kaido still hadn't made a move.
As for Moria, no one knew if he was dead in the New World. He hadn't bothered Kaido in Wano Country and had been missing for about two years.
In contrast, Bartholomew Kuma made a name for himself in the New World as the "Invincible Tyrant." After a period of ruthlessly killing pirates, he disappeared shortly after the Warlord of the Sea system was announced.
Donquixote Doflamingo managed to maintain two identities: a pirate on the surface and a middleman in the underworld. Using this position and his deep connections to the World Government, he flourished, and the Donquixote Family wove a vast network of connections in the New World.
In short, the world hadn't experienced any major shifts due to any one person or event. It was still progressing steadily under the tides of the era.
Inside the Justice Fortress at Marine Headquarters, Marineford, Diarmuid sat in an Admiral's office that had been empty for many years, looking at a document.
The office was very high-class, on par with Sengoku's office, which Diarmuid had often visited. Not only that, but Diarmuid's treatment in the Marines had also improved significantly.
When he had left Marineford as a Vice Admiral to become the G-7 Base Commander, his house in Marineford had been reclaimed. Now that he was an Admiral and permanently stationed there, the Marines gave him a new, luxurious residence on par with those of Zephyr and Sengoku. The three of them were now neighbors.
His salary, benefits, and perks had all increased, but there was no need to mention them.
Wearing the awe-inspiring Marine Admiral's cloak of Justice, Diarmuid stroked his chin. It had been nearly eight years since he had joined the Marine Officer Training Camp in early 1496 as a nineteen-year-old Captain at the Marine 113th Branch in the North Blue.
He was now twenty-seven.
A twenty-seven-year-old Marine Admiral was unheard of in the past fifty years—he was extremely young. But because Diarmuid excelled in both civil and military affairs, and his accomplishments were well-documented, no one dared to question him, and his position as Admiral was very secure.
Compared to six months ago, Diarmuid had grown a light beard on his chin. While not as dramatic as Sengoku's braided beard, it made him look a bit more mature.
This was a necessity, as his face hadn't changed much since he was around twenty-four or twenty-five, making him look particularly young. So, to project the composure and authority befitting an Admiral, Diarmuid took Gion's advice and grew a beard.
It did make him look more like a man in his thirties, replacing his youthful immaturity with a more mature and handsome presence.
Looking at the document in his hand, Diarmuid took a cigar from his drawer, bit down on it, and lit it. He slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "The Great Extermination of the Stranko Nobles… Impressive, Smoker. This guy is getting more and more ruthless…"
Smoker was "kicked out" of the Marines by Diarmuid at the beginning of the year and then officially set sail from the Sabaody Archipelago, raising his own pirate flag and becoming a pirate.
His top student position in the 1500th class wasn't for show. He knew all the Rokushiki techniques, had a theoretical understanding of Haki, had even learned Armament Haki, and was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. As a result, he quickly made a name for himself.
His first battle was just as Diarmuid had taught him: he plundered all the nobles in an entire country, but at the time, he didn't kill anyone, he only robbed them.
After that, perhaps after seeing the growing darkness of the nobles or because his crew was now composed of real pirates, he had to do something cruel to truly embody the identity of a pirate.
So, Smoker began to ruthlessly slaughter nobles. In the past six months, he had earned the name "White Hunter." He was literally hunting people, and the nobles were his prey.
With the Marines' cooperation, his bounty soared and had now reached 97,000,000 Beri. Perhaps to break through the "great pirate" threshold of 100,000,000 Beri, this time in Stranko, Smoker was especially merciless and killed 90% of the nobles in the capital. As for the remaining 10%, there was no evidence, but Diarmuid figured they were probably the ones who hadn't done anything bad.
"Admiral…" The female Marine secretary pouring tea for Diarmuid spoke with a hesitant tone.
"What is it, Hina?" Diarmuid looked over at her with a smile.
He had planned to bring Hina out of the Marine Academy next year, but perhaps motivated by Smoker's example, Hina's skills and overall abilities grew at a rapid pace in the past six months, and she applied for early graduation.
After passing the exams, she asked to work for Diarmuid. Diarmuid kept his promise and took her in as a temporary secretary in his office. It was a good way to let her continue to grow and mature. After all, she had a lot of potential, and he didn't want her to die out there.
"Smoker…" Hina wanted to say something, but she didn't know how.
"Give my order: increase White Hunter Smoker's bounty to 130,000,000 Beri," Diarmuid said, waving his hand.
A flash of helplessness passed through Hina's eyes, but she eventually nodded. "Yes, Admiral."
"Do you have any questions you want to ask me about Smoker?" Diarmuid picked up his teacup and asked with a knowing look.
Hina hesitated for a moment and then said, "Normally, as a Commander, I shouldn't have access to this information. But as your secretary, I've heard some things. I've always wondered: Marine Headquarters has the ability to stop Smoker at any time. And there were two times when he almost ran into us, but he somehow 'luckily' escaped. His bounty is also getting higher and higher. I've come to a bold conclusion: is Headquarters cooperating with Smoker?"
"Who knows?" Diarmuid smiled and then said, "When I send you out for training later, you can go ask Smoker yourself."
Hina was surprised. Diarmuid hadn't denied it, which seemed to confirm her suspicions. She felt a little bit of relief in her heart. 'Maybe my guess was right?'
Just then, the Den Den Mushi on the coffee table rang. Diarmuid glanced at it, and Hina quickly went to answer it.
"Diarmuid? Come to the Fleet Admiral's office. I need to discuss something with you." Sengoku's voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
Diarmuid said with a laugh, "Okay, Admiral Sengoku."
"Hahahaha, are you hinting at something, Admiral Diarmuid?" Sengoku said with a laugh.
"Ahem, we're on the same level now, you know," Diarmuid said with a bit of a smug attitude.
"You little punk, stop being so cheeky and just get over here," Sengoku said, chuckling.
Diarmuid didn't waste any more time. He stood up, nodded to Hina, and turned to walk out the door.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanFiction [remove the parentheses ( )]
There are over 100 advance chapters available for you!