Diarmuid had just left Chief of Staff Tsuru's office and hadn't even reached the corner of the hallway yet when he saw Dragon leaning against a wall by himself, as if waiting for someone. Without thinking much about it, Diarmuid greeted Dragon with a smile. "Hey, waiting for Garp-san?"
"No, I was waiting for you. And I already know about you forcing him to jump out a window…" Dragon said with a laugh. After a brief pause, he added teasingly, "You were in there talking with the Chief of Staff, but by now, everyone in Marineford probably knows that you forced the Marine Hero to jump out a window."
Diarmuid's face went dark. "He jumped on his own!"
"Didn't you try to cut him with a sword? Hahahaha," Dragon roared with laughter.
"That's your own father, and you're laughing at him like that?" Diarmuid said, feeling helpless.
Dragon's expression faltered for a second, but he quickly recovered, waving his hand. "Alright, enough about him. Do you have some time? Let's go get a drink."
It was clear his mood was much better than it had been a few days ago. Diarmuid was curious about what Dragon wanted to talk about. He had nothing to do until he officially started his new job tomorrow, so he nodded. "I'm free. I don't officially start until tomorrow."
"Oh? So you're going to the Intelligence Division, then?" Dragon asked with a smile.
"Yep. I'll be the Chief of Staff's aide and the Deputy Chief of the Intelligence Division," Diarmuid admitted openly.
Dragon was taken aback for a moment before saying, "Tsuru-san must really think highly of you."
He wasn't too surprised.
While the title of Deputy Chief sounded prestigious, it wasn't an actual position of power. The Marines were a military organization, and true authority came from rank.
Diarmuid was, after all, only a Rear Admiral. The title of Deputy Chief was just a title. But it did show how much the Chief of Staff valued him.
"Speaking of which, congratulations, Rear Admiral, sir," Dragon said with a laugh as he and Diarmuid walked outside.
"I can't possibly accept being called 'sir' by a Vice Admiral like you," Diarmuid said with a chuckle.
Marineford was a huge island. The plaza in front of the Justice Fortress alone could hold over a hundred thousand Marines. Besides the military zone, Marineford also had a massive residential area, where most of the families of the Marines lived.
Marines stationed at headquarters for the long term had the right to bring their families to live on Marineford. It was a hidden benefit for Marine Headquarters personnel, as the sea was so dangerous.
Marineford was arguably the safest place in the world. Of course, there were exceptions. Zephyr's family, for instance, had died on Marineford.
There were no bars in the military zone, so as Diarmuid and Dragon chatted, they walked into the residential area.
The "Marine Club" was Marineford's most famous tavern, and many high-ranking Marines were regulars and members. Garp was a member, as were Zephyr, Sengoku, Kuzan, and Borsalino. He didn't know if Sakazuki had ever been there, but he probably had.
Diarmuid had come here to drink with Dragon and Kuzan when he was a Commodore and had naturally signed up for a membership.
As soon as they walked in, they saw many Marines who weren't on a mission, sitting and drinking in groups, chatting and laughing loudly.
The owner of the tavern was a retired Rear Admiral in his fifties. He had a long scar on his face and a limp, and everyone affectionately called him "Boss Cripple." He never got angry about it. He knew a lot of people in the Marines and was apparently a good friend of Admiral Sengoku's.
As soon as Dragon and Diarmuid walked in, the Marines who were drinking all stopped what they were doing. But before they could greet them, Dragon waved his hand and said, "Go on, go on. We're just here for a drink."
"Hahahaha…" The people in the tavern all laughed.
Just then, a bold Marine yelled, "Commodore Diarmuid, is it true that you hit the Fleet Admiral?"
The laughing Diarmuid's face suddenly changed. He snapped, "Rumors! It's all rumors! I have the utmost respect for the Fleet Admiral! How could I possibly hit him?!"
"Hahahaha…" Everyone roared with laughter again, and the air was filled with a lively atmosphere.
Ignoring the troublemakers, Diarmuid grumbled as he and Dragon walked over to a corner table and sat down.
Boss Cripple limped over and placed a menu on the table. "You're quite the fierce one, Diarmuid! The last time I saw you, you were a Commodore, and now you're wearing Rear Admiral epaulets? As expected of a beast who dared to hit the Fleet Admiral…"
Before leaving Tsuru's office, Diarmuid had already changed the epaulets on his Justice coat to the Rear Admiral ones.
"Boss Cripple, you must not want to work at Marineford anymore. If the Fleet Admiral heard that, he'd definitely come after you," Diarmuid said, glaring at the old man.
"Hahahaha! I have a bit of a history with the Fleet Admiral. He's a broad-minded man; he won't care about my nonsense," Boss Cripple said with a laugh.
Just then, the tavern door was thrown open, and a Marine Captain rushed in, yelling excitedly, "Hey, guys, I've got the latest news! Commodore Diarmuid has been promoted to Rear Admiral! After beating up the Fleet Admiral, he then chased Marine Hero Vice Admiral Garp with a sword and forced him to jump off the third floor! Everyone is calling Rear Admiral Diarmuid 'The Ferocious Tiger' now… They say he has a bad temper and immense strength, and that anyone who dares to provoke him will get it. He's not even afraid to lay a hand on the Fleet Admiral or Garp…"
As the Captain excitedly gossiped, everyone in the tavern looked on with strange expressions. In the corner, Diarmuid almost spat out a mouthful of blood. You bastards! You have nothing better to do all day than spread rumors?! Is this worthy of the justice you wear on your backs?!
"The Ferocious Tiger"? I, Rodriguez Diarmuid, have been in Marineford for almost three years, and I've always been warm to others and strict with myself. The people from my Marine Officer Training Camp class all said I was a good and virtuous man. How did I become "The Ferocious Tiger" in just a few days?! Where exactly was I ferocious?!
Next to him, Dragon burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! Diarmuid, 'The Ferocious Tiger' actually suits you! You really are something. In less than three years, you've earned such a big name for yourself. I grew up in the Marines, and the Marines who get nicknames are usually the ones who earn their fame by taking on pirates. But you're the first one I've ever seen who earned his name by taking on the Fleet Admiral and the Marine Hero! Hahahahaha!" Dragon cackled with glee.
His laughter drew the attention of all the Marines in the tavern, including the gossiping Captain. They all saw the laughing Dragon and the fuming Diarmuid.
"Rear… Rear… Rear Admiral Diarmuid…?" the Captain said, his heart sinking. This is a true monster. He's crazy enough to fight both the Fleet Admiral and the Marine Hero. I was just here spreading rumors… Am I going to get out of here alive?
Diarmuid finally let out a sigh. "Go on, get out! Damn it, I swear I'm going to kill all you bastards someday!"
There was no hope. The reputation of Rodriguez Diarmuid was officially in the toilet.
When they saw Diarmuid wasn't going to fly into a rage, the Marines in the tavern all started laughing again. Even though the rumors were getting out of hand and he now had a nickname like "The Ferocious Tiger," it seemed the Rear Admiral was not going to make a fuss.
Boss Cripple also laughed. "The Ferocious Tiger! Your and Dragon's drinks are on me today!"
"Then give me ten bottles of 'Heart of Justice'!" Diarmuid said savagely.
"You got it," Boss Cripple replied with a hearty laugh.
Soon after, the drinks were served, and the tavern returned to its lively atmosphere. No one else dared to bother Diarmuid.
Dragon thoughtfully poured a drink for the still-fuming Diarmuid and raised his glass. "Come on, let's drink and calm down."
"Dragon, have you ever thought about killing your father?" Diarmuid asked as he clinked glasses with Dragon.
Dragon was taken aback for a second before saying, "To be honest, more than once."
"Hahahaha…" Diarmuid finally started to feel a little better.
"Redfield has been put in Impel Down?"
"Yeah, Level 6. He's never getting out."
Diarmuid and Dragon chatted casually. As for Redfield, Diarmuid had planned to kill him at first, but he had failed. He wasn't bothered by it now because he was sure that as long as he wanted to, Redfield wouldn't be able to hear him, so it didn't matter.
As they chatted and talked nonsense, they drank a few more cups. When they were both a little tipsy, Diarmuid asked, "Alright, what did you really bring me here to drink with you for?"
Dragon glanced at Diarmuid. "You're acting as if I haven't asked you to drink alone before…"
"So?" Diarmuid said, not falling for it.
Dragon sighed, took a big gulp of his drink, and then asked, "What is your justice?"
Diarmuid stared at him. "I already told you. I haven't found my justice yet."
Dragon looked at Diarmuid with a suspicious gaze. "Others might not know, but I know the inside story. You went head-to-head with Redfield at G-1 and almost died there. I find it hard to believe you'd fight that hard without a sense of justice or belief. You even hit the Fleet Admiral."
"If you bring up the Fleet Admiral again, I'm going to lose it!" Diarmuid cursed.
Dragon didn't say anything. He just stared at Diarmuid. Seeing this, Diarmuid said, feeling a little helpless, "Seriously, I don't have one. To be honest, I just feel that to get a reward, you have to put in the effort. If I hadn't fought like my life depended on it, would I be a Rear Admiral today?"
Before Dragon could say anything else, Diarmuid turned the question back on him. "What about you? You've been in a bad state lately. What are you thinking about?"
Dragon's face twitched a little. He took a sip of his drink to hide his reaction. He shook his head. "Nothing."
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