New World, Marine Base G-1.
Diarmuid sat in a designated office, accepting a fax from Hina. He spoke into the Den Den Mushi on the desk: "I've received the plan... What did he say?"
The person on the other end was Smoker.
After taking care of the Straw Hat Pirates, Diarmuid did not return to Marineford but stopped at G-1. Sakazuki returned with the main force, taking Shanks and Ben Beckman with him.
Diarmuid's only purpose at G-1 was cleanup. After making such a grand entrance into the New World, he couldn't just slip away silently.
He needed to conduct some nominal activities, such as inspecting the status of the New World's G-1 Base.
After lingering for three to five days and making an appearance in the newspapers, he would leave.
He had just arrived at G-1 today when he received news from Smoker about Gild Tesoro's surrender.
Diarmuid was quite surprised by this.
He had noticed Tesoro years ago and sent people to search for him, but they failed, and the matter was dropped.
Despite that result, it didn't mean Diarmuid didn't value Tesoro; on the contrary, he valued him greatly.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have quickly notified Smoker and Stussy after the Mariejois arson incident, instructing them to keep an eye out for this man in the New World.
In Diarmuid's plan to break the Marine's economic shackles, Tesoro was the final piece.
If he could secure Tesoro and support him in establishing an organization like Gran Tesoro, once that project was on track, the Marine's economy would be completely unshackled.
The funding and profit-making capability of the 'Golden City' were undeniable. With the Calm Belt and the Amway Group following suit, the Marine's economy would be walking on two legs. There would be no fear of an issue in one area causing a system-wide collapse.
Once that stage was reached, Diarmuid would no longer need to pretend to cooperate with the World Government.
However, since Diarmuid had never received any news of Tesoro, he had been suspicious that perhaps one of his own 'butterfly flaps' had somehow made the man disappear.
If such a thing really happened, there would be no recourse, so he hadn't put all his eggs in the Tesoro basket.
He was making contingency plans. The Amway Group, run by Smoker and Stussy, was actually where Diarmuid scouted for talent. Although the Amway Group primarily relied on power, connections, and the abundant resources of the Calm Belt to make money—following a simple path with no deep commercial strategy—it was still capable of nurturing people. If he could find someone talented and insightful there, Diarmuid was prepared to groom them to replace Tesoro.
But now, just when Diarmuid thought the man was dead and gone, Tesoro popped up.
And he even brought a business proposal.
While listening to Smoker's report on the Den Den Mushi, Diarmuid examined the proposal. He wasn't a business expert either, but with his perspective and foresight from the Information Age, he wasn't completely clueless and understood its potential, certainly more so than Smoker.
Just by glancing at it, Diarmuid could appreciate its value.
The Amway Group was currently growing wildly, relying on power, connections, and the massive resources of the Calm Belt to make money.
There was no sophistication to it.
Tesoro's business plan, however, offered many innovative and highly actionable ideas. If implemented properly, the Amway Group's business growth rate could accelerate, its scale could expand, and it could earn far more Berries.
Quite interesting.
However, Diarmuid wasn't overly concerned with the details. He simply used the plan to confirm that Tesoro possessed talent and potential, then tossed the plan onto the table.
Given his position, he didn't need to scrutinize these matters; he only needed to wait for his subordinates to deliver results.
"Is that so?" Diarmuid smiled, then said, "He wants financial support, to fly your flag, and to personally implement these plans, you can agree to all of that. You can also grant him a certain status. But this Gold-Gold Fruit... Heh, what colossal ambition."
It didn't matter what Tesoro asked for, and Diarmuid wasn't worried about him growing too powerful and breaking free of control.
In reality, Tesoro couldn't break free of that control.
In the original story, he became the boss of the Gran Tesoro, possessing immense wealth. The World Government had to at least feign respect for him, and he even established the only universally recognized neutral zone in the world.
But what was the result?
The moment the Straw Hat Pirates defeated him, the World Government immediately turned hostile and arrested him.
Was this because of the Straw Hat Pirates?
Not necessarily. Perhaps the World Government had long wanted to deal with him, to drink his blood and eat his flesh.
The so-called 'Golden Emperor,' Gild Tesoro, might have just been a 'fat pig' raised by the World Government.
Thinking deeper, Tesoro was likely aware of this, and he might even have ways to convince the World Government not to move against him.
But before he could sort those things out, Monkey D. Luffy destroyed him.
In short, even if Tesoro became the wealthiest man and the 'Golden Emperor,' he would still need a backer, and that backer needed to be incredibly strong.
His own strength and influence weren't enough to support his vast wealth, so someone had to support him.
Diarmuid and the Marines were perfectly suited to play this role.
"Yes, he has great ambition. Should I take him out? Or should I refuse his request for the Devil Fruit?" Smoker asked on the phone.
Diarmuid thought for a moment, shook his head, and said, "There's no need. But tell him it won't be that simple. Let him focus on his work first and see his accomplishments. Tell him not to rush about the Gold-Gold Fruit, and say that you will handle it."
Smoker wasn't surprised. He had plenty of contact with Doflamingo and their relationship was good. Naturally, he knew Doflamingo needed the Marines' favor and was also terrified of his own Admiral Diarmuid.
If the Admiral intervened, getting the Gold-Gold Fruit should be manageable.
He just couldn't let Tesoro think it was too easy to obtain. Better to grind the man down a little first.
"Yes, I understand, Admiral," Smoker replied.
"Don't let him access classified information, but for everything else, let him work freely. I have high hopes for this kid's ability to make money, and I expect him to deliver a sufficient surprise," Diarmuid instructed again.
"Understood," Smoker nodded.
"Mm, anything else?" Diarmuid asked.
Smoker hesitated slightly, then said, "Boss, it's late 1510 now. It's been eight years, almost nine. This is truly 'three years and three years, and three years and three years.' It's almost ten years..."
"Cough, cough. The organization trusts your loyalty, Smoker, don't worry. Do a good job. I have things to do, so I'm hanging up now." Diarmuid quickly brushed him off and ended the Den Den Mushi call.
Smoker stared blankly at the disconnected Den Den Mushi. Was I even talking about loyalty?
But soon, he smiled helplessly. Forget it. Ever since I was conned into leaving Marineford that year, I fell into this deep pit. Now I can't even crawl out!
On the other side, after putting away the Den Den Mushi, Diarmuid looked at Hina. "Take this document and burn it."
Hina picked up the business proposal from the desk and nodded. "Yes, Admiral."
"Any news from Headquarters? Have Whitebeard and Big Mom started fighting yet?" Diarmuid took a sip of tea and asked.
"No, how could they start fighting so quickly? They might not even fight before we get back to Marineford. As for Headquarters, I heard Admiral Sengoku took on a political mission... other than that, no major news," Hina said with a chuckle.
"A political mission?" Diarmuid was somewhat surprised.
He had taken on political missions before, such as handling the issue of the Sorbet Kingdom—the Bartholomew Kuma situation.
However, after the relationship between the Marines and the World Government fractured, the term 'political mission' hadn't been heard for many years.
The fact that Sengoku suddenly received a political mission suggested, to some extent, that the World Government and the Marines had reconciled.
"Yes. It's not top secret. I heard the higher-ups want Admiral Sengoku to find the Op-Op Fruit," Hina said casually.
Before Diarmuid could speak, Hina asked curiously, "Admiral, is the Op-Op Fruit that powerful? Why are the higher-ups putting so much importance on it? Admiral Sengoku even re-issued a 5 billion Berry bounty for it in the underworld."
Hina had only heard rumors and naturally didn't understand the significance of the Op-Op Fruit.
Diarmuid was surprised when he first heard the news, but he quickly concealed his astonishment and said with a chuckle, "It's quite formidable. Rumor has it that this Devil Fruit can grant a person the power of eternal life..."
Hina: ???
I just asked a casual question, and I got such huge gossip?
Eternal life?
"Oh my..." Hina murmured in surprise, then her eyes sparkled. "Can it grant eternal youth? Like, if I ate the Op-Op Fruit, I could stay this beautiful forever? Ah, what a shame, I'm already a Devil Fruit user..."
"Why are you so arrogant? 'Stay this beautiful forever' means you think you're very beautiful, huh?" Diarmuid teased with a smile.
"Isn't that obvious?" Hina scoffed playfully.
By her expression, she was clearly quite pleased with herself.
It must be said that over the years, Hina had indeed become more stunning. Both her figure and her face had matured, losing some of their youthful innocence and gaining more beauty.
"The user of the Op-Op Fruit dies when they perform that ability, so don't think of it as a good thing," Diarmuid suddenly interjected.
Then, before Hina could speak again, Diarmuid waved his hand, signaling her to be quiet. He picked up the Den Den Mushi and called Sengoku.
In a moment, Sengoku answered the Den Den Mushi. "Diarmuid? What's wrong? Any problems at G-1?"
"No problems at G-1, Admiral Sengoku," Diarmuid replied casually, then asked, "I hear you took on a political mission? Looking for the Op-Op Fruit? Hahahaha, have you found any leads?"
Sengoku wasn't taking the matter seriously, so he wasn't secretive about it, otherwise, Hina wouldn't have heard the rumors. Hearing Diarmuid's question, Sengoku laughed and scolded, "How could I find a lead that easily? Why, do you have a connection?"
"I don't have a damn thing," Diarmuid said with a chuckle. After a brief pause, he continued, "It's like this, Admiral. Can you give me Rosinante's contact information?"
"What for?" Sengoku asked cautiously.
"I need him to help me out. I want a certain item Doflamingo has," Diarmuid didn't conceal anything and stated it directly.
"What item?" Sengoku asked, curious.
"The Gold-Gold Fruit, a Paramecia ability. I have a big plan that requires this fruit's assistance. I've already found a lead: the fruit is in Doflamingo's hands. Rosinante has been following Doflamingo for so many years without much purpose; I suggest we pull him out. Before he returns, can he perhaps 'pocket' the Gold-Gold Fruit for me? Hahaha," Diarmuid laughed loudly.
Sengoku had started looking for the Op-Op Fruit, which meant trouble was brewing at Minion Island soon. In Diarmuid's mind, Rosinante was the likely scapegoat in that incident. If he could use this opportunity to pull him out early, it would be a way to repay the young man for his past friendship.