Diarmuid hadn't seen Kong much, only a few times at important meetings. He looked intimidating, but he was actually a very kind person.
As for the Marines' New World base, two years ago, they destroyed Shiki's great fleet, and the Marines' power on the high seas greatly increased. They had been trying to conquer the New World for a while and had achieved some good results.
Just as Borsalino had told him, the Marines' current goal was to regain control of the New World. Sengoku and the others had been working hard for this.
There had been some progress, but Diarmuid knew very well that the times were about to change.
Two years later, Roger, the Pirate King, would be captured. The Marines had planned to use his public execution to intimidate the ambitious people on the high seas.
But instead, Roger pulled a fast one on them, directly ushering in the Great Pirate Era.
The relative stability of the seas was completely broken. All sorts of heroes and villains entered the stage, turning the sea into chaos. As a result, the Marines' plans for the New World were completely ruined, and their focus shifted entirely to securing the rear and managing the threats in the four seas and the first half of the Grand Line.
This was also why, for the next twenty years, the New World would remain a pirate's domain, and the Marines would find it difficult to make a difference there.
Currently, the Marines still had several bases in the New World, and the G-1 Marine Base was the most important. If Diarmuid remembered correctly, after the Summit War, Sakazuki would move Marine Headquarters to G-1.
Diarmuid had no memory of Kong ever inspecting the G-1 Marine Base, but he had a faint feeling that he might have misremembered something or missed a detail. But he quickly dismissed the thought. There was probably no problem.
"It's just a routine inspection. You don't have to think too much about it. But when the Fleet Admiral goes to the New World, he needs a certain escort. As a Marine Admiral, I have to be stationed at Marineford, so I naturally can't go. Who wants to go?" Sengoku asked.
It was obvious that he didn't include Diarmuid and Gion in this question. After all, the two of them weren't qualified. Could a Commodore escort the Fleet Admiral? Would it be Diarmuid escorting the Fleet Admiral, or the other way around?
Sakazuki clearly didn't want to take on such a boring task. He felt it would be better to kill a few more pirates than to escort the Fleet Admiral. So, he sat there in silence, with no intention of speaking.
Borsalino was spaced out for a moment, then suddenly spoke up. "I'm afraid I can't. You know, Sengoku-san, I'm very busy taking over the Science Unit. I probably don't have time…"
Sengoku nodded, accepting Borsalino's reason. Although Borsalino usually acted like a lazy veteran, he was indeed very busy lately. And soon, when he finished his work, he would officially take up his new post, and Sengoku would lose an aide.
Tsuru then said, "I can't go, either. I plan to reorganize our Marine Intelligence Department, and a lot has been happening in the underworld. I don't have time for this."
Vice Admiral Tsuru was the chief-of-staff of the Marines. She rarely handled matters on the front lines. Recently, she had started to take over the Intelligence Department. In her opinion, the Marines' current intelligence system was a bit outdated and too bloated, so she was preparing to reorganize it and set up several special units. She had a lot on her plate and didn't have time to worry about escorting the Fleet Admiral.
As for the underworld, it had also been in turmoil recently. A guy with the codename "Joker" was stirring up trouble, and as the head of the Marine Intelligence Department, Tsuru naturally had to infiltrate the underworld. A lot of information was difficult to obtain on the surface, but it was much easier to get in the underworld. In short, she had a lot of problems to deal with.
Seeing this, Gion quickly said, "I'm not qualified, am I? Like Diarmuid, I'm only a Commodore."
As soon as she said that, Sengoku nodded naturally and finally set his sights on Sakazuki and Kuzan.
After a long silence, Sengoku fixed his gaze on Kuzan and said, "I'll leave this matter to you, Kuzan."
Kuzan said helplessly, "Maybe Sakazuki is more suitable? I'm only a Rear Admiral…"
Sakazuki responded with a cold voice, "I have more important things to do." He said no more, offering no explanation.
Kuzan knew that Sakazuki didn't like him, and he didn't like Sakazuki either. So, he didn't press the issue. Since Sakazuki refused, why bother arguing?
"Do a good job with this, and when you get back, it's about time I promote you to Vice Admiral," Sengoku suddenly said.
Kuzan was stunned, and his expression became complicated.
He wanted to be promoted, but his lazy nature meant he wasn't very urgent about it and didn't have much desire for power.
But he couldn't say he wasn't tempted. Borsalino and Sakazuki had been Vice Admirals for so long… as one of the "three monsters" of the Marines, he was the only one still at the Rear Admiral rank.
Now there were even rumors that Diarmuid was about to be put on active duty by Admiral Sengoku, and it might not be long before he was promoted to the Rear Admiral rank, too. He would really be caught up to!
Although he was lazy, Kuzan had his pride. After looking at Diarmuid, and then at Sakazuki and Borsalino, Kuzan sighed and said, "Fine, I'll do it!"
"Good. When Garp finishes what he's doing, I'll arrange for him to join you. Speaking of which, this was his business in the first place, but somehow, he got wind of it and ran off… that damned bastard!" Sengoku cursed in frustration.
That's right. A few days ago, Garp seemed to have gotten the news. He wasn't happy about being with the Fleet Admiral, so he found an excuse and bailed. Sengoku had been trying to get him back all week.
"Hehehe, after all, as soon as the Fleet Admiral sees him, he keeps trying to persuade him to be promoted to Admiral. It's normal for Garp to avoid the Fleet Admiral," Tsuru said with a laugh.
"That's truly a luxurious problem to have…" Diarmuid said, chuckling.
Just then, Kuzan looked at Diarmuid and said, "Sengoku-san, why don't you let Diarmuid come with me? He hasn't been on a mission in a long time. I heard you're planning to put him on active duty soon. This mission is easy. I can guide him and let him get a feel for things. And… it'll be a good chance for him to get some face time with the Fleet Admiral; it'll be good for him."
Diarmuid was stunned. He saw the mischievous smile on Kuzan's face and knew what he was thinking. This guy was thinking that he might not get a chance to "show off" anymore. So, he wanted to fulfill his "great wish" from back then and make Diarmuid his aide, even if it was just for one time!
Are all Marines so petty?
Sengoku didn't think much of it. After looking at Kuzan, he felt that what he said made sense. Diarmuid was a junior he was focusing on grooming, otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to have him attend these meetings.
It would definitely be a good thing if he could make a good impression on the Fleet Admiral. Besides, he had indeed kept the boy under wraps for two years. It was time to let him get some experience. It wouldn't hurt to have him go with Kuzan first to get a feel for things.
Thinking of this, Sengoku nodded. "Alright, that's how we'll arrange it!"
With the matter settled, Diarmuid had no choice but to accept the order. After giving Kuzan a helpless glare, he said, "Yes, all for Justice!"
After seeing that this matter was settled, Sengoku nodded. "Alright, let's stop talking about this. Now let's talk about the transfers."
After a slight pause, Sengoku said, "Soon, Borsalino will be taking over as the commander of the Science Unit. Since that's the case, he naturally can't continue to be my aide. As an Admiral, I do need someone by my side to assist me with some of my work. Therefore, I plan to…"
When Sengoku got to this point, he looked at Diarmuid.
That's right, he planned to choose Diarmuid as his aide.
Diarmuid was excited. An Admiral's aide!
No joke. From the current situation, Sengoku was second only to the Fleet Admiral, with power over ten thousand people. After all, there were only two of the three Admirals, with one position vacant, and Zephyr had retired to focus on education. Therefore, almost all the power of the three Admirals was concentrated on Sengoku.
He could be said to have immense power, only answerable to Fleet Admiral Kong.
Furthermore, anyone could see that Sengoku had no competition. The next Fleet Admiral would only be selected from the Admirals, and since Zephyr had no intention of returning to active duty, that left only Sengoku. Who else would they choose?
So, it was obvious that Sengoku would become the next Fleet Admiral. Becoming his aide now would be an act of great merit in helping a future leader ascend to power!
In short, it was a great opportunity, and Diarmuid was very much looking forward to it!
But before Sengoku could speak, Tsuru suddenly said, "If you want to choose Diarmuid, I suggest you don't. I plan to recruit Diarmuid to join my Intelligence Department. He's still young. Becoming an Admiral's aide so abruptly will cause too many rumors. It's better for him to work for me for a few years. It will be better for everyone."
Sengoku was stunned, and so was Diarmuid.
When did I become so sought after? The Chief of Staff and the Admiral are fighting over me?
But on second thought, Tsuru was right. He had risen to the position of an Admiral's aide in one go. It was a bit too flashy and not a good look.
Sengoku didn't think it was a big deal. He planned to take Diarmuid under his wing and then send him off once he had some "political" experience. He never intended to keep Diarmuid by his side forever.
This was out of kindness, because Sengoku knew that to get ahead in the Marines, you not only had to be a good fighter, but you also had to know how to navigate political struggles! He was very fond of Commodore Diarmuid, who was very similar to his younger self.
But since Tsuru had said that, Sengoku decided not to argue. Tsuru was a very experienced person. Letting Diarmuid go to her would allow him to learn a lot of experience and wisdom. It was no different.
"Alright, in that case, Kuzan, once you complete your mission and get promoted to Vice Admiral, you can come and be my aide." Sengoku said, making a decision with a clap of his hands.
Kuzan, who was enjoying the drama, was suddenly roped in. He was shocked and quickly said, "I…"
"Don't even think about slacking off!" Sengoku said bluntly.
Kuzan really wasn't happy about it. After all, while it was dangerous to hang out with Garp, it was also very laid-back. He just had to take the fall for him all the time, which he was used to. But if he went to be with the strict Sengoku, he would have to work hard…
But seeing the intense look in Sengoku's eyes, Kuzan couldn't say anything to object. He could only nod and say, "Yes, all for Justice…"
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