Hearing Diarmuid's answer, Zephyr was a little stunned.
"You want to go after Katakuri?" Zephyr asked, frowning.
"At this stage, I think he's the most suitable target," Diarmuid said, nodding.
While he was unsure of his exact strength, he knew his limits. He was well aware he couldn't beat legends like Whitebeard or Golden Lion Shiki. Even against Charlotte Linlin or Kaido, he probably wouldn't stand a chance. These were all veteran pirates, the big shots from Rocks' crew back in the day. To become their equal, Diarmuid still had a long way to go.
As for ordinary pirates, he wasn't interested. He had always held himself to the standard of monsters like Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino. There was no reason for him to lower his standards just because his opponents were pirates.
So, he set his sights on a strong pirate who was around his own age, someone who could be considered his contemporary. For example, Kaido's right-hand man, King the Conflagration, or Charlotte Katakuri.
Right now, Kaido's Beasts Pirates were holed up in Wano in the New World. Diarmuid couldn't just bring the Marines there to go after Kaido. So the Beasts Pirates were temporarily off the table. Then the intelligence on Katakuri landed in his hands, and he naturally decided to make him his target.
Zephyr was silent for a while before speaking. "It's a good idea to want to test yourself, but Diarmuid, the current situation is too complex. This isn't the time to move on the Big Mom Pirates…"
The seas were in chaos, and the Marines' attention was focused on the Roger Pirates. Roger's rise had naturally spurred on pirates in the New World, and the Big Mom Pirates were among those who were now moving faster.
The Marines' current strategy was to wait for the pirates to wear each other out, then seize an opportunity. If they were to suddenly attack the Big Mom Pirates, it could cause a chain reaction and stir up the already chaotic seas even further. That would not be in the Marines' best interest.
For this reason, after receiving this intel, the Marines had no intention of moving on Katakuri. Now that Diarmuid wanted to go after him, Zephyr was naturally worried.
Hearing Zephyr's concern, Diarmuid smiled. "Sensei, I know this isn't the time to move on the Big Mom Pirates. I'm not planning to seriously harm Katakuri or push the Big Mom Pirates into a corner. I just want to fight him."
"That's too childish. Have you considered the consequences of your actions?" Zephyr asked, his expression growing serious.
Diarmuid nodded. "Of course. If I lose, I'll have you there to back me up…"
Before he could finish, Zephyr cut in. "And if you win? Are you thinking of just capturing him and then letting him go? What would that make us?"
Diarmuid was silent. Zephyr had a point. If he lost, that was one thing, but if he won, he couldn't just let Katakuri go. What would the Marines look like?
"Whether I win or lose, I plan to capture Katakuri with this plan," Diarmuid said seriously.
"As I said, now is not the time to move on the Big Mom Pirates. If you want to do this, you at least need a good reason to convince me," Zephyr said, his voice firm.
Diarmuid grinned. "I have an idea. I hope you can improve upon it, Sensei."
Zephyr was a little startled. He looked at Diarmuid. "You're a smart one. Let's hear it."
"Verex Kingdom, in the New World. Does that name ring a bell, Sensei?" Diarmuid asked.
"Yes. It's a World Government affiliate. However, two years ago, they secretly became a subordinate to the Big Mom Pirates and now receive their protection in the New World. In exchange, they must give a tribute of their specialty, chocolate wafer cakes, every year. I hear Charlotte Linlin loves that dessert," Zephyr said quickly.
As an Admiral, he was well-versed in these matters. An affiliate kingdom in the New World secretly aligning with a pirate crew was a common sight. As long as they continued to pay their annual tribute to the World Government, they couldn't be bothered with things they couldn't control.
"That's right, Sensei. But two months ago, the Verex Kingdom suffered a massive fire. This year's chocolate wafer cakes for Charlotte Linlin were all burned, and the production facilities were destroyed. They're unable to provide this year's tribute. So, you must know what will happen to them next," Diarmuid said softly.
A worried look flashed in Zephyr's eyes. "If what you say is true, that country will be destroyed by Charlotte Linlin."
"It will. That's why the Verex royal family has sent a request for asylum to the World Government and hopes the World Government can help resolve this crisis. In reality, the World Government is powerless, and while the Verex royal family can go to Mariejois for asylum, can the common people escape?" Diarmuid asked, looking at Zephyr with a serious expression.
Zephyr was silent for a while as he looked into Diarmuid's eyes. "So, your plan is to capture Katakuri and use him as leverage to save the Verex Kingdom?"
"Yes, that's my 'immature' idea," Diarmuid said with a laugh.
The Verex Kingdom couldn't give Charlotte Linlin her tribute this year because of the fire. And according to the Big Mom Pirates' code, that country was as good as dead. Diarmuid's plan was to capture a key Big Mom Pirate, Katakuri, before that happened, then use him as a bargaining chip to force the Big Mom Pirates to spare the Verex Kingdom.
Truth be told, if Diarmuid hadn't set his sights on Katakuri, he wouldn't have cared if the Verex Kingdom was destroyed. But since he was targeting Katakuri, and the Marines couldn't move on the Big Mom Pirates due to the current situation, he needed a righteous reason to convince =Zephyr and the Marines.
This was where the Verex Kingdom came in. If Diarmuid succeeded, he wouldn't mind saving the unfortunate kingdom in the process.
"The Marines can't negotiate with pirates. So, you'll have to include CP in this plan. According to your idea, after we capture Katakuri, the Marines will hand him over to CP, and they can deal with the haggling with the Big Mom Pirates. That would be the best solution," Zephyr said after some thought.
As the forces of justice on the seas, the Marines generally wouldn't negotiate with pirates. Regardless of whether there were private dealings… and Diarmuid knew for a fact that there were.
The Marines had quite a few secret deals with pirates. But these deals always had a "middleman," which was usually CP.
To maintain their image, the Marines didn't do the dirty work. That was CP's job. These matters often required coordination with the World Government.
Since this plan involved saving an affiliate kingdom, Diarmuid felt that if he submitted the proposal, the World Government would likely approve it.
He had come to test the waters with Zephyr. If Zephyr had refused outright, he would have abandoned the plan. But seeing Zephyr relent, Diarmuid knew he had a chance. This proved that in the eyes of a veteran Marine, the plan wasn't baseless but had some feasibility.
Now, Diarmuid was going to draft a report to submit to the Fleet Admiral, who would then report to the World Government. Once the proposal was approved, Diarmuid would make his move on Katakuri.
"…Yes, Sensei," Diarmuid said with a smile.
Zephyr sighed slightly. "Diarmuid, I shouldn't be teaching you these things… but it seems you've already mastered this set of rules yourself… In the future, when you encounter a situation like this, you must always remember this. No matter what you want to do, first, it must not harm the overall interests of the Marines. Second, you must keep what you want to do within the rules and use the rules to achieve it. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Sensei," Diarmuid said, nodding.
This plan was obviously driven by a huge personal motive. If he hadn't found a legitimate reason like "saving the Verex Kingdom," Marineford would have never approved his operation against Katakuri.
But once he had a good reason and could minimize the conflict, it wasn't a big deal if he had a bit of a personal agenda. After all, Marines weren't saints; everyone had their own agenda. As long as it was within the rules, it was fine.
Sengoku and Zephyr, as high-ranking Marine officers, had long since mastered and used these "rules" more than once. The same went for the Chief of Staff, Tsuru. She had used a key argument to convince Sengoku and the Fleet Admiral to approve the plan for the Intelligence Division to create a "non-existent agency": that the agency could secretly bring in a great deal of wealth for the Marines.
The Marines' budget was provided annually by the World Government, and this was the World Government's way of keeping them on a leash. But as the situation on the seas grew tenser, the budget was never enough. Yet, restricted by various laws and treaties, the Marines couldn't just go out and make money.
So, Chief of Staff Tsuru's plan was a way for the Marines to secretly make money within the rules. Sengoku and Kong agreed without a second thought. Even if the matter was exposed later, the Marines could say it was for intelligence-gathering purposes, not for making money, which would allow them to avoid a lot of responsibility and punishment.
The hearts of politicians are all dirty.
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