Diarmuid had no shame. He acted as if he hadn't just beaten Stussy to the point of coughing up blood. His expression was completely sincere, as if he genuinely looked forward to her joining.
In truth, he did have a lot of respect for Stussy. As a member of a CP agency, she would one day create the formidable intelligence organization known as the Pleasure District. She might be lacking in raw power, but she was undoubtedly an expert in intelligence. If he could convince her to work under him and join the Marine Intelligence Division, the Marines' intelligence capabilities would be greatly enhanced.
Her CP agency background wasn't an issue. Since they were both agencies under the World Government, personnel transfers between the Marines and the CP agencies were common, despite their strained relationship. After all, their goals were the same; they were both soldiers under the same boss.
As for becoming a spy, that was impossible. It would be crazy for either side to try to infiltrate the other. If they were caught, a simple "misunderstanding" would not be enough. The World Government would hold them accountable.
There had never been a rumor of a CP spy in the Marines, nor a Marine spy in a CP agency. It was like saying a secret police force and an army would spy on each other. After all, the strained relationship between the Marines and the CP agencies was just a political tool used by the World Government to maintain a balance of power. They were competitors, not mortal enemies.
But even though Diarmuid sounded sincere, Stussy looked at him as if he were an idiot. She had no intention of accepting. Stussy shook her head decisively. "I appreciate the offer, Rear Admiral, but as the chief of CP9, I have no intention of transferring to the Marines. Besides…"
Stussy paused. "Although you are very strong, my administrative rank is higher. There's no reason for me to work under you."
In short, she was saying that while he might be strong, he wasn't in a position to make her bow her head.
Diarmuid was just taking a shot anyway, with little expectation of success. After all, what if Stussy had a moment of weakness and agreed? So when she refused, he didn't get angry. He just smiled and said, "What a shame."
The match was over, and Stussy didn't want to argue about Lucci anymore. She had already been humiliated enough. So after a few polite words, she turned to leave.
Just then, Diarmuid suddenly asked, "By the way, if I were to become a Vice Admiral in the future, would I be worthy enough to invite you to join the Marines?"
Stussy's departing footsteps paused. She turned to look at Diarmuid. "Maybe if you become an Admiral, I'll consider it."
It was a polite rejection. After all, who could say for sure what would happen? Diarmuid had shown great potential, but Stussy knew there were others in the Marines who could rival him. People like Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino had a much better chance of becoming Admirals than Diarmuid.
But Diarmuid just smiled. "I'll take you at your word."
Stussy didn't respond and walked away.
A moment later, the old man who had run away with Lucci returned. Having witnessed Diarmuid curbstomp Stussy, he no longer dared to treat this Marine Rear Admiral as just any other officer. His expression was much more respectful.
"Rear Admiral sir, this is Lucci, the recruit you were looking for," the old man said quickly.
Diarmuid nodded, ignoring the old man for a moment. He crouched down and ruffled Lucci's hair, a smile on his face. At this age, Lucci didn't have the cold, unfeeling personality he would have twenty years later. He was a little cute.
"Your file says you're a Devil Fruit user?" Diarmuid asked.
Lucci seemed to be very well-behaved and nodded. "I ate the Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Leopard, a Zoan-type Devil Fruit."
To be honest, Diarmuid was a little disappointed. He thought Lucci had incredible talent, and a common Zoan-type Devil Fruit would hold him back. But there was nothing he could do about it. The boy had already eaten it. He couldn't make him spit it out.
He consoled himself by thinking, "Oh well, this kid will be able to develop this Zoan ability to its full potential later. Combined with his talent, which is mostly in hand-to-hand combat, the Zoan-type fruit will provide a great boost… That's good enough. You can't always expect perfection."
"Alright. My name is Rodriguez Diarmuid. I am a Rear Admiral at Marine Headquarters and the Deputy Chief of the Intelligence Division. I've come to invite you to join Marine Headquarters. Staying here would be a waste of your talent. Once we get back, I will recommend you to become a student of Admiral Zephyr. When you're old enough, you will officially join the Marines and become one of my direct subordinates. Is that okay?" Diarmuid asked with a smile. Although his tone was a question, his words made it clear that everything was already decided.
Lucci paused for a moment. He could feel Diarmuid's power. He didn't understand the difference between the CP agencies and the Marines, but he could tell that this Rear Admiral was far more powerful than the pretty lady from before. Lucci nodded and said, "Yes."
Diarmuid smiled, stood up, and said to the old man, "Complete the paperwork for him. I'm taking him with me today. As for the damage here… ask Stussy-san from the CP agencies to pay for it. After all, she was the one who started it."
"Yes, Rear Admiral sir!" the old man quickly replied. Of course, he didn't dare to ask Stussy for compensation for the damage… he would just have to pay for it himself.
Just then, Diarmuid's Den Den Mushi rang. He took it out and saw it was Chief of Staff Tsuru. He waved for the old man and Lucci to move away before answering the Den Den Mushi.
"Hello, Chief?" Diarmuid said.
"Diarmuid, have you finished your mission?" Tsuru asked.
Diarmuid thought he could hear a hint of seriousness in her tone. He didn't waste any time. "There were a few complications, but I've finished. I'll return to Marineford after the paperwork is finalized. Do you have any orders?"
"Come back as soon as you can. Something big has happened. The Roger Pirates have confirmed your previous prediction…" Tsuru said in a low voice.
Diarmuid was stunned. So soon? But of course… the time had come.
"Has the news gotten out yet?" Diarmuid asked quickly.
"Not yet, but it will soon. We got this information from Morgans, and he has promised to keep it a secret for three days. After that, he will announce the news in the papers. Roger will become Pirate King at that moment!" Tsuru said gravely. It seemed that Morgans was also shaken and didn't dare to be too arrogant, so he contacted the World Government and gave them three days to prepare.
"…I understand. I will return to Marineford immediately," Diarmuid said seriously. He knew that at this point, the Marines had no good options and could only accept the facts. They would have to increase their efforts to hunt down the Roger Pirates, and he was likely being called back to discuss this matter.
But Diarmuid also knew that the Roger Pirates were hard to find because of their small numbers, and after this, they would immediately disband. The members would scatter across the world, and without his foresight, the Marines would never be able to find them.
It would be two years later, in the year 1500 of the Sea Calendar, that Roger, unable to hold out any longer, would turn himself in and start the Great Pirate Era.
Even though he knew this, he still had to go back. After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Diarmuid walked over to the old man and Lucci. "I have an urgent mission at Headquarters. You can complete the paperwork here and fax it back. I'm taking Lucci with me now."
The old man didn't dare to object. He immediately replied, "Yes, Rear Admiral sir."
Soon, Diarmuid boarded the warship. A Marine Major stood beside him, awaiting his orders.
"Turn the ship around and head to Impel Down. Inform them to prepare to open the Gates of Justice. We will use the sea currents to return to Marineford at the fastest possible speed," Diarmuid said without hesitation.
When he came, he wasn't in a hurry and figured he'd enjoy sailing alone for a while. So he had taken a regular route to the Orphanage. But the return trip needed to be much faster.
This location was closest to Impel Down. It would only take him half a day to get there, and from Impel Down, using the Justice currents and passing through the Gates of Justice, he could get to Marineford in less than half a day.
The Major was startled but quickly replied, "Yes, Rear Admiral sir."
Impel Down was in the Calm Belt, which was close to the Orphanage, but the route was dangerous. There were a lot of Sea Kings. The Major was about to remind Diarmuid of this, but then he remembered that Rear Admiral Diarmuid had already proven his strength. A few Sea Kings didn't seem like a big deal.
Soon, the warship left the Orphanage island and headed into the Calm Belt. As they entered, the outer-wheel mechanism started to work.
At this time, the Marines had the outer-wheel technology, but they hadn't yet developed the Seastone hull technology that would one day allow them to completely block the attention of Sea Kings.
So, unless it was necessary, few warships dared to sail in the Calm Belt. Only bold and highly skilled individuals like Diarmuid would be this confident.
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