Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
The familiar sights, familiar sounds, and familiar bed. After more than two years, Diarmuid was back in the convalescence ward. But unlike last time, when he had to use his connections to get into the high-end ward, this time he was rightfully there as a Marine Headquarters Commodore.
Still, there was nothing to be happy about. Being in the hospital meant he was injured.
A Marine doctor, his hands glowing with a blue light, was hovering over the gruesome wound on Diarmuid's chest. A short time later, the doctor stopped using his power and said with a smile, "Commodore Diarmuid, that's all for today's treatment. Same rules as before: don't get out of bed, and don't get it wet."
"Thank you," Diarmuid said, nodding. He didn't know what kind of power it was, but under the doctor's treatment, his injuries had improved a lot.
"No need to thank me, Commodore. It's our duty," the doctor said with a smile.
"Thank you all the same. How many more days of treatment before I'm fully recovered?" Diarmuid asked.
"Your injuries are severe, but at the fastest pace, I'd say about two weeks," the doctor replied. He was actually quite surprised. When Commodore Diarmuid was brought back to Marineford, he was still unconscious. His injuries were extremely severe, and they had just managed to stabilize him. But after a few treatments, the doctor realized that Diarmuid's physical condition was excellent.
He had originally thought it would take at least two or three months to heal, but after a few more treatments, he could tell that if he kept this up, he'd be good to go in two weeks. It was incredible!
Just then, the door to the room opened, and Momonga and Yamakaji walked in with a basket of fruit. They stopped when they saw the doctor. "Are we interrupting?"
"No, today's treatment is over," Diarmuid said with a smile.
Momonga and Yamakaji breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the doctor. Seeing that visitors had arrived, the doctor gave Diarmuid another reminder before leaving.
"You're really something, Diarmuid," Momonga said with a laugh. "We heard you played a crucial role in the battle!"
"What do you expect? I'm the Head of our class," Diarmuid said with a hint of smugness. A smile was on his face. He had made some good friends in Marineford without even realizing it.
Yamakaji put the fruit basket on the table and quietly asked, "Is it true you beat up the Fleet Admiral?"
Diarmuid's face immediately darkened. "Don't say that! I was just following orders!"
It was true, and Kong was broad-minded, but this wasn't something to brag about. What about the Fleet Admiral's dignity? So Diarmuid hadn't told anyone. Only Sengoku and a few others knew. And the only other person there was Kuzan. The Fleet Admiral certainly wouldn't have said anything. So it had to have been Kuzan.
"You didn't deny it. So it's true. That's incredible, Diarmuid. You dared to hit the Fleet Admiral… Hahaha!" Momonga said, laughing at his friend's misfortune.
"Don't worry, we won't say anything," Yamakaji said with a grin.
Diarmuid knew they were decent guys and could be trusted. He just nodded. "Thanks for keeping it a secret."
After a short pause, he looked at the epaulets on Momonga and Yamakaji's shoulders and asked with a grin, "Oh, you two got promoted together? The elites from the Marine Officer Training Camp are different. You're already Commodores."
"I'm with Vice Admiral Borsalino. As for Yamakaji, he's with the Vice Admiral Tsuru. She's reorganizing the intelligence division and Yamakaji was transferred there," Momonga said with a laugh.
"If nothing goes wrong, I'll also be reporting to the Vice Admiral Tsuru when I get better," Diarmuid said.
Yamakaji nodded. "I heard Vice Admiral Tsuru mention something about it."
"Sigh, I thought I was finally catching up to you, but I'm still no match," Momonga said.
Diarmuid was taken aback for a moment, then his face lit up. "You heard something?"
Both Momonga and Yamakaji smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we heard from Vice Admiral Kuzan that you're being promoted to Rear Admiral."
Kuzan, just as Sengoku had promised, had gone on a short trip and was promoted to Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral upon his return. He had also participated in the capture of Redfield, so his promotion to Vice Admiral was a given.
Since he wasn't injured, he was quickly promoted to a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral and became Sengoku's aide, successfully transitioning from Vice Admiral Garp's lackey to Admiral Sengoku's.
"I knew it! I had a feeling I was getting a promotion, hahahaha!" Diarmuid roared with laughter.
"Your promotions are way too fast! You've been at headquarters for less than three years, and you're already a Rear Admiral from a branch Captain… Are you sure you're not related to Admiral Sengoku? When there's good news, you should share it with me and Yamakaji!" Momonga said jokingly.
Diarmuid rolled his eyes and lifted his blanket, revealing the gruesome wound. "I was almost torn to shreds by Redfield. You envy me? I traded my life for this, you know?"
Hearing this, Momonga and Yamakaji fell silent for a moment before saying, "You should be more careful from now on. You won't get so lucky every time."
They were envious of Diarmuid's rapid promotions, but they weren't jealous. They knew he was truly trading his life for them!
Diarmuid heard the concern in their voices and nodded. "I know, I'll be careful next time." But he knew he had to keep fighting for his life.
Risk and reward were always linked. If he wanted to gain something, he had to give something in return. Diarmuid had always believed in this principle. His ambitions were great; he wanted more power, a higher rank, and greater strength. The only thing he could trade for that was his life!
"Well, as long as you know. We don't want to be attending your funeral. Venier sacrificed himself a couple of days ago," Momonga said in a low voice.
Venier was a student from the sixth class of the Marine Officer Training Camp. Diarmuid didn't know him well, but they had learned under Zephyr together. He felt a little sad when he heard the news.
That's how it was in the Marines. They looked so glorious, the embodiment of justice. They were called the "Overlords" of the sea and had immense power and influence. But behind all that glory were countless Marines who had given their lives for it.
All over the world, Marines were probably sacrificing themselves every single day. Many of the Vice Admirals Diarmuid knew now were people he had no memory of from the original story. The lucky ones might live to retirement. The unlucky ones would most likely die on a mission. The ocean was never safe.
The mood became somber. Just then, the door opened again, and in walked Kuzan with a smug look on his face.
"Oh? You guys are here too? Hehehe. Diarmuid, your senior Vice Admiral is here to visit," Kuzan said with a raised eyebrow and a grin. His entrance blew away the sad atmosphere.
Diarmuid saw his smug look and said, annoyed, "I get it, Vice Admiral. Can you please stop showing off?"
"I'm just telling you that you've got a long way to go before you can catch up to me," Kuzan teased.
"How long did it take you to get from Commodore to Rear Admiral?" Diarmuid suddenly asked.
"Huh? About three years, I think. I was the Head of the third class, and I came out as a Commodore. After three years of missions, I was promoted to Rear Admiral not long before you came to Marineford…" Kuzan said, stroking his chin.
"Yeah, well, it took me two years to get from Commodore to Rear Admiral… and I only went on one mission," Diarmuid said, rolling his eyes at Kuzan.
Kuzan's face twitched a little, and he muttered, "Fine, you win."
"Also, don't go around telling people I hit the Fleet Admiral! What about the Fleet Admiral's dignity? I'll be the one to suffer if he finds out," Diarmuid quickly added.
Kuzan was confused. "I never told anyone about that."
Diarmuid froze and turned to Momonga and Yamakaji. "Wait, where did you guys hear that from?"
"From Vice Admiral Garp…" Momonga said.
Diarmuid finally understood. He had misunderstood Kuzan! "Is Vice Admiral Garp back? Did they take care of the G-1 situation?" he asked.
Kuzan nodded. "Yeah, Vice Admiral Sank sacrificed himself. After the G-1 situation was handled, Vice Admiral Comil took over as the commander, and Garp-san came back."
Just then, the door opened again, and Rosinante burst in excitedly. "Diarmuid-nii, I heard you beat up Fleet Admiral Kong?!"
Diarmuid almost choked on his own breath. What the hell is this? How does everyone know that I hit the Fleet Admiral?! Do they want me to die or something?
"Where did you hear that from?!" Diarmuid demanded, his face black.
"Huh? Everyone's talking about it… Ever since Vice Admiral Garp came back, he's been telling everyone!" Rocinante replied quickly.
"Fuck!" Diarmuid cursed, his heart sinking. It's fine for you, Garp, you old rascal! But I can't handle this!
"From this day forward, I swear I'll never forgive that old bastard, Garp!" Diarmuid said, furious.
Kuzan looked like he wanted to laugh but didn't dare. He reached out and patted Diarmuid's shoulder. "Well, Garp-san… He's always like that. You just have to get used to it. Now you know why it took me three years to become a Rear Admiral, right?"
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