News of what happened in Mariejois quickly swept across the world via newspapers.
The world was stunned.
The Revolutionary Army's reputation was solidified.
After all, they had genuinely breached Mariejois, set a massive fire that killed over ten thousand people, and the World Government's Commander-in-Chief Pask was killed.
After that, the Revolutionary Army attacked God's Palace and killed more than a dozen World Nobles. You had to respect that. If you didn't, then go and do it yourself!
However, when Dragon saw the newspaper, he was a bit confused. When did I kill the Commander-in-Chief? But he just laughed it off, as he was used to the World Government's dirty tricks. The death would only serve to boost the Revolutionary Army's prestige.
After the major incident in the Holy Land of Mariejois, something strange happened: all the great pirates in the New World stopped their campaigns. This was the weakest the World Government had ever been in the past few years since the start of the Great Pirate Era, yet no one dared to challenge them. Figures like Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin likely understood that the World Government was on the verge of a complete breakdown and might lose all reason.
It would be foolish to provoke an enraged World Government at this moment. If you ignited this powder keg, the World Government's anger would be reignited, and you would just be taking a bullet for the Revolutionary Army. The World Government would likely spare no effort and do whatever it takes to eliminate any bastard who dared to provoke them at this time.
In fact, the Gorosei had a similar plan. At this stage, anyone who dared to provoke the World Government would be eliminated! The weaker they were, the more furious and aggressive they had to appear, no matter the cost. Otherwise, the cunning wolves would realize that the World Government had become a piece of meat. That would lead to endless trouble.
But the Gorosei weren't the only ones who were smart. No major figure dared to provoke the World Government. Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, and the others had all quieted down. The World Government was busy with the reconstruction of Mariejois and didn't immediately go after the Revolutionary Army.
For a time, the three major powers—Pirates, the World Government, and the Revolutionary Army—all fell into a strange state of calm.
However, a new bounty was quickly issued for Dragon, increasing his reward. He was indeed the most heinous criminal, with his bounty reaching a staggering five billion Berries, even higher than Whitebeard's current bounty. Only Roger had a higher one. But Dragon wasn't a pirate, so there was no point in comparing his bounty to theirs. In Diarmuid's opinion, it was only a matter of time before Dragon's bounty surpassed Roger's.
Besides the Revolutionary Army's bounty, one other person was also brought into the spotlight: Fisher Tiger, one of the masterminds behind the "Mariejois Arson." His bounty was now five hundred million Berries, much higher than the two hundred thirty million in the original story. It was clear the World Government hated him to the bone.
Near Marineford's port, Diarmuid stood on the deck of a warship, holding a Den Den Mushi. The sea breeze blew past him, making his Marine coat flutter majestically. "So you're saying you want me to transport the treasures you buried under the Red Line?" he asked into the Den Den Mushi.
The man on the other end was undoubtedly Dragon, the man with the five billion Berry bounty. He sounded pleased. "I couldn't move all that wealth in one night. The World Government might seem quiet, but the CP agencies all over the world are hunting us down like rabid dogs. After this major event, I'm going to lay low for a while. I have no intention of provoking the World Government again for the time being. I can't go near the Red Line, but it's much easier for you as a Marine Admiral. I'll send our Morley to meet you and help with the transfer..."
"Are you still trying to drag me into this?" Diarmuid grumbled, annoyed.
Dragon just laughed. He was indeed dragging Diarmuid into this. He couldn't do all the hard work and let the other guy reap all the benefits. He wasn't asking for much, just for him to transport the treasures. That wasn't too much to ask, right? With Morley there to oversee the exchange, Dragon wasn't worried about Diarmuid taking the treasure for himself.
"I understand," Diarmuid said. Since things had come to this, he knew there was no way he could get Dragon to come back and do the work. There was no point in arguing, so he might as well agree.
For Diarmuid, this wasn't a difficult request. As for ditching Dragon and keeping the treasure for himself, he didn't know where Dragon buried the stuff. It also wasn't worth ruining his relationship with the Revolutionary Army.
After a moment of silence, Diarmuid put the treasure aside and asked, "Is Fisher Tiger with you?"
"No," Dragon immediately denied. "You could say we left Mariejois together. He was with us at first, but when we got to Fish-Man Island and entered the New World, he went his separate way."
"So he didn't stay on Fish-Man Island but entered the New World?" Diarmuid murmured.
"Are you going to arrest him?" Dragon asked.
"I haven't figured out how to handle him, but he's very important to us Marines," Diarmuid admitted freely. On his way back from the North Blue, he had already received some news. Fleet Admiral Kong had gone to Mariejois to meet with the Gorosei and had received a promise from them: once the Marines eliminated Dragon or this Fisher Tiger, Fleet Admiral Kong would be promoted to Commander-in-Chief.
Dragon was out of the question. He was as slippery as an eel, and he had some secret dealings with the Marines. But Fisher Tiger was someone to consider. However, Diarmuid hadn't yet decided whether to kill him. He was waiting for one person's opinion: his direct subordinate, Captain Jinbe, the captain of the Marine's Special Fish-Man Unit.
If Jinbe just defected from the Marines and went to follow Tiger without a word, Diarmuid would show no mercy. He would find Tiger as soon as possible, kill him, and help Fleet Admiral Kong become the Commander-in-Chief.
But if Jinbe didn't betray the Marines and waited for him to return before resigning or asking for a pardon for Fisher Tiger, then Diarmuid would make other arrangements. After all, he had to save face for Jinbe. He was the one who was going to make Jinbe a Warlord of the Sea.
If you want a man to fight for you, you have to give him something in return.
Jinbe was a man of great loyalty. The more care you gave him, the more he would repay you. If he helped Jinbe out with the Tiger situation, then even if Jinbe had a private relationship with Whitebeard, he would stand by the Marines if it ever came down to it.
It was true that Jinbe had a relationship with Whitebeard. Their relationship was quite good. But Diarmuid didn't care about this. Many Marines had personal relationships with pirates, just like Garp and Roger. Garp even raised Roger's son. So as long as they didn't do anything treasonous, like turning their backs on them, it didn't matter.
As he was thinking, the warship stopped smoothly at the port. Diarmuid looked at the Fortress of Justice and said, "I'm in Marineford now. Let's leave it at that for now. When the heat dies down, you contact me and send that Morley guy to me. We'll go and retrieve our loot."
"Hehehe, no problem," Dragon laughed. He paused for a moment and then said, "If something this good ever happens again, don't forget to call me. Don't worry, same rules apply. You get sixty percent, and I get forty."
"Weren't you against this at first? You didn't trust me and thought it was absurd," Diarmuid said, rolling his eyes.
"Hahahaha, well, it turns out it was a great idea after all!" Dragon laughed heartily. It was true. Before this incident, he thought the idea was absurd, and he wondered if Diarmuid was just toying with him. But now that it had actually happened, Dragon thought it was a brilliant idea.
After this, he wouldn't just be getting a huge amount of wealth to fund the Revolutionary Army, or just freeing slaves and recruiting new members. He wouldn't just be making the Revolutionary Army look formidable after they breached Mariejois and slapped the World Government across the face.
On top of all that, Dragon found that the Revolutionary Army's solidarity and cohesiveness were even stronger! This incident, which was enough to be recorded in history, had boosted the Revolutionary Army's morale through the roof! All of these things combined were more than enough for Dragon to say it was a "great idea."
"I got it. I'll call you if the opportunity arises," Diarmuid said casually. Dragon didn't mind Diarmuid's nonchalant tone. After all, something like this was a once-in-a-century event and might never happen again.
The two of them hung up their Den Den Mushi. After the ramp was lowered, Diarmuid walked steadily from the warship onto the port. A Marine Captain was waiting for him. He saluted. "Admiral Diarmuid, the Fleet Admiral would like to meet with you."
"Hehe, Brannew, you've become a Headquarters Captain so quickly?" Diarmuid asked with a smile. It was indeed Brannew, the former subordinate of Belle-mère in the East Blue. He was a branch captain, and Diarmuid had brought him to Headquarters. Now he was a Headquarters Captain.
"Thank you for your guidance, Admiral," Brannew said with a smile.
"Mhm," Diarmuid said. As he walked, he asked, "Have Vice Admiral Garp and Vice Admiral Gion returned yet?"
"Vice Admiral Gion has not returned yet, but Vice Admiral Garp arrived this morning. Most of the other generals have also returned. Vice Admiral Gion should be here this afternoon according to our last communication," Brannew replied quickly.
"I see," Diarmuid nodded, not saying anything else. Soon, Diarmuid arrived at Fleet Admiral Kong's office. After knocking and hearing a response, he opened the door and entered. He saw Sakazuki, Sengoku, Tsuru, and Garp inside. Fleet Admiral Kong was speaking. When he saw Diarmuid, he waved him over. "You're back."
"Yes. Everyone's here. Is there something important going on?" Diarmuid asked.
"Of course it's important. It's about my future. Whether I get to be Commander-in-Chief depends on all of you," Fleet Admiral Kong said with a laugh. You could tell he was in a good mood.
Diarmuid rolled his eyes. "I heard from Zephyr-sensei that the last Commander-in-Chief was beheaded by the Gorosei themselves. That's terrifying..."
"Hahahaha," everyone in the room burst into laughter.
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