North Blue's Marine Branch 113 harbor.
Early in the morning, Base Commander Captain Meldric stood at the port with his men.
As one of only two Marine Captains in the base, Diarmuid was also there, waiting.
They were there to welcome some big shots from Marine Headquarters.
Meldric was a middle-aged man in his forties with a tough-looking face, but in reality, he was a bit sly.
In terms of pure strength, Diarmuid had already surpassed him, but Meldric had seniority, so he still held command of the entire base.
Their relationship was decent. Meldric was initially wary of Diarmuid, worried that the young man would seize his power.
However, Meldric later discovered that Diarmuid didn't care at all about the power of Branch 113. It seemed he was single-mindedly focused on getting to Marine Headquarters.
And now, this was his chance.
From that perspective, Meldric was very supportive of Diarmuid. As long as Diarmuid could get a position at Marine Headquarters, Marineford, there would be no one left to threaten his power at Marine Branch 113.
"Diarmuid, you've got to do your best this time. You're the youngest and most promising Marine Captain in the North Blue," Meldric said, patting Diarmuid's shoulder with a smile.
Diarmuid smiled back at him. "I'll do my best to prove myself."
How to put it? The situation in the North Blue was getting worse and worse, or rather, the situation in the whole world was not good.
The Marines in the Grand Line branches and at Marineford might have more integrity.
But within the four seas, the Marines as a whole were in a state of decay and corruption.
For example, Captain Meldric, according to Diarmuid, had taken plenty of bribes and done many dirty deeds with the power he held.
But Diarmuid didn't care. After all, he hadn't joined the Marines for justice; he just wanted to survive.
As the two chatted and laughed, a huge Marine warship slowly appeared on the horizon and sailed toward the port.
The combat strength of Marine Headquarters and Marine Branches was worlds apart.
Just looking at the warships, the ones used by the North Blue Marine Branch weren't very big, about the same size as an average armed merchant ship, barely able to carry a hundred Marine soldiers. Their firepower was also insufficient.
But the Marine Headquarters warship in the distance was intimidating.
First of all, it was huge, a true battleship. From what Diarmuid knew, each Marine Headquarters warship could carry at least a thousand Marine soldiers and had a massive firepower system.
Legend had it that a fleet of ten Headquarters warships, forming a Buster Call, could completely wipe out an entire area.
It was easy to see how big the difference was.
In terms of speed, even though the Headquarters warship was massive, its cruising speed was several times faster than the North Blue Branch warships. It wasn't long before the huge warship, flying the Marine flag, arrived at the port.
Once the gangplank was lowered, several figures descended from the ship.
Unlike the Branch Marines of the North Blue, these high-ranking officials from Headquarters all wore the "Justice" coats on their backs, giving off an imposing aura.
Diarmuid recognized two of them at a glance: two Marine Admirals!
Buddha Sengoku and Black Arm Zephyr!
To be precise, Zephyr wasn't an official Marine Admiral anymore. He had retired from the front lines.
Years ago, during a mission, he was soft-hearted and let a group of pirates go. Not long after, those same pirates killed his entire family.
Zephyr was mentally devastated and felt he could no longer fulfill his duties as a Marine Admiral, so he chose to retire to a teaching position.
So now, he only nominally retained the rank of Marine Admiral.
The other one, Buddha Sengoku, was a different story. He was a Marine Admiral now and would one day become the Fleet Admiral.
But Diarmuid's target this time wasn't Admiral Sengoku, but the retired Admiral Zephyr.
After retiring, Admiral Zephyr officially started the Marine Officer Training Camp.
Simply put, it was a military academy that trained elite Marine officers.
The location was at Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Zephyr had plenty of experience in this area. Before he retired, he had conceived and implemented this idea several times and had even trained a few monsters.
They were Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan.
These three men would all later become the highest-ranking fighters in Marine Headquarters—the Admirals!
After that, Zephyr went on to train countless Marine elites. It could be said that all the elite Marine officers and Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters were his students. This showed how high his achievements were in this field.
Without a doubt, in Diarmuid's mind, Zephyr was the perfect mentor. As long as he could keep up with his pace and get on his good side, it would be difficult for him not to get stronger.
The Officer Training Camp system had been running for a few years and had already trained a batch of excellent Marines.
Every so often, Zephyr would travel among the Marines to find exceptional candidates and bring them back to Marine Headquarters for training. This time, he came to the North Blue with that very purpose.
The high-ranking officials descended the gangplank and stood on the port.
Captain Meldric quickly saluted them. "Marine Headquarters North Blue Branch 113 Base Commander, Captain Meldric!"
Diarmuid also saluted. "Marine Headquarters North Blue Branch 113 Deputy Commander and Deputy Base Commander, Captain Rodriguez Diarmuid!"
This was a common way for Marines to introduce themselves.
Sengoku had a warm smile on his face. He nodded at Diarmuid and Meldric. "Thank you for your hard work. The justice of the North Blue depends on you to maintain it."
"All for justice!" Diarmuid and Meldric shouted in unison.
At the same time, Zephyr looked at Diarmuid with a scrutinizing gaze. "Diarmuid? Are you the youngest Marine Captain in the North Blue?"
"Reporting, Admiral Zephyr! Yes!" Diarmuid said formally.
"Very good. The Marines need spirited people like you. The North Blue Commander has applied to Headquarters for you to be tested for the Officer Training Camp. As far as I know, you are the only one nominated from the entire North Blue. You aren't going to make me come all this way for nothing, are you?" Zephyr asked, stroking his chin.
The North Blue Commander actually held the rank of Captain, but he was the only one in the North Blue with the rank of Headquarters Captain.
Therefore, he had the authority to govern all Marines in the North Blue, a very rare and special position within the Marine system.
After all, there were only four such Commanders in the entire Marine system, each stationed in one of the four seas.
However, with the arrival of the Great Pirate Era, this kind of rank could no longer make waves and gradually faded into obscurity.
But for now, the North Blue Commander still had the authority to recommend any Marine under his command to participate in Zephyr's Officer Training Camp exam.
This year, only Diarmuid was recommended from the entire North Blue.
It wasn't that he was so exceptional; it was just that the other North Blue Marines were too mediocre.
Diarmuid had initially thought he would be summoned to Marineford for the exam, but instead, Zephyr was so dedicated that he came to the North Blue himself to check things out.
For some reason, Sengoku also came with him.
Diarmuid wasn't nervous. He knew that now was the time to show his confidence to earn their respect.
He said with great confidence, "Yes, I won't disappoint you, Admiral!"
He was about to be tested, but Diarmuid didn't know what the process would be.
Just then, Captain Meldric said, "Admirals, why don't you come to the base to rest first?"
Sengoku and Zephyr both shook their heads at the same time. "No need. We have other things to attend to and will be leaving soon. Let's start the exam now…"
With the two Admirals speaking at the same time, Meldric had no say in the matter. He could only nod and stand to the side.
As Diarmuid was wondering what the process would be, Zephyr spoke. "Don't overthink it. I'll ask you two questions first. Why did you join the Marines? What is your personal justice?"
Diarmuid was stunned for a moment, then he replied, "I joined the Marines because I couldn't survive on my own. I thought that if I joined the Marines, I might be protected and be able to live…"
He wasn't lying. That was indeed his thought. He didn't join the Marines because he aspired to justice.
Zephyr didn't say anything, but he nodded inwardly. He had already read all the information on this Captain Rodriguez Diarmuid.
It was true. The boy was a commoner whose family was wiped out for various reasons. From the age of eight or nine, he had lived like a stray dog on the streets. When he could no longer survive, he was forced to join the Marines.
Starting as a grunt, he had risen to the rank of Marine Branch Captain in seven years.
He wasn't lying about that part.
"Then, what is your personal justice?" Zephyr repeated the question.
Diarmuid still didn't lie. He shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Admiral Zephyr. I haven't found my personal justice yet."
"Hahahahaha, you're lost, aren't you?" Zephyr suddenly laughed.
Diarmuid nodded, remaining silent.
Lost?
He really was.
"At least on these two questions, you pass, Captain Diarmuid. You're still young, so it's natural to feel lost. But it's precisely because you're young that you have so many possibilities ahead of you. One day, you will find your own justice," Zephyr said, reaching out and patting Diarmuid's shoulder.
This time, his tone was very gentle, like a kind elder.
"Yes, Admiral Zephyr," Diarmuid replied softly.
"Alright, let's see why you were recommended. Use your full power and attack me," Zephyr said casually, patting his chest.