However, having reached this point, Diarmuid no longer felt the need to overly criticize Smoker.
He had said all the scolding he needed to say. What more could he do to the guy? Kill him?
Slowly lighting a cigar, Diarmuid exhaled a cloud of smoke and looked at the slightly awkward Smoker. "Alright, continue. What were your original ideas and plans?"
Smoker calmed his mind slightly and then said, "Initially, I just wanted to retaliate against Big Mom. I didn't intend to actually get involved. But that old man Whitebeard moved too fast. He took the intelligence and support I gave him and pulled off two massive victories. Now, the entire world knows I've teamed up with him. The public opinion outside is that I've allied with the Whitebeard Pirates. This is no longer something that can be washed clean..."
"Of course, it can't be washed clean. You teamed up with Whitebeard and caused such a massive stir, fighting two naval battles involving tens of thousands of people, and you won both. Even if you jump out now and say you're quitting and never allied with Whitebeard, no one will believe you," Diarmuid glared at Smoker.
That was right; Whitebeard had already made this a fait accompli.
Even if Smoker jumped out now and said he was done playing, would Charlotte Linlin believe him? Would Kaido believe him? They'd probably think Smoker was pulling some new scheme.
Moreover, since Smoker had played a hand against them, Charlotte Linlin would definitely seek revenge. So, Smoker had no reason to quit.
From the moment he entered the game, there was no turning back.
"If it can't be washed clean, then so be it. To be honest, the business of our Amway Group has reached a bottleneck. The status of a Warlord of the Sea can only support me up to this point. If I want to continue expanding the business, I must take another step and become a true top-tier great pirate, on equal footing with people like Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, or even Whitebeard!" Smoker said with a heavy voice.
"Are you serious about wanting to become the Pirate King, you damn idiot?" Diarmuid said, a little exasperated.
Smoker gave a slight, awkward laugh but remained silent.
Diarmuid fell silent for a moment, then looked at Queen Stussy.
The Queen nodded and said, "That's about right. It's true that even with our assistance, Smoker, as the public face, has essentially hit his limit..."
Diarmuid tapped the ash from his cigar, ignored that thread, and continued, "Keep going."
"So I figured, since things have reached this point, I might as well truly stand with Whitebeard, ally with them, and defeat Charlotte Linlin and Kaido. At that time, my position could also advance further," Smoker stated solemnly.
Diarmuid's face twitched slightly. He then said, "That thought of yours is truly... Fine. Let's assume you can defeat those two by allying with Whitebeard, and let's tentatively place you in that position. But how will you secure that position? Do you think you'll be able to hold your ground simply by teaming up with Newgate and winning this time? Do you have Newgate's strength, or Kaido's, or Charlotte Linlin's?"
Diarmuid's words were naturally sound. While Smoker's current strength was decent, it still hadn't reached the level of Kaido or Whitebeard.
After winning, it would be impossible to maintain an alliance with the Whitebeard Pirates. Even if he wanted to, Newgate might not agree.
At that point, he wouldn't be able to borrow Newgate's influence, and with his personal strength, he wouldn't be able to secure that position. It was a very awkward situation.
After a brief pause, Diarmuid continued, "And how are you so sure you can win? What if you and Whitebeard team up and end up losing together? Then, there will be no place for you in the entire New World, and the Amway Group will be directly carved up. Do you know how much trouble and inconvenience that will cause the Marines?"
Smoker didn't look flustered at all this time, as if he already had a clear script in mind. He said in a deep voice, "That's why I had to rush back from the front lines to see you, Admiral."
Diarmuid was stunned. Did this guy's intelligence seem to have improved? He looked very confident.
Thinking this, Diarmuid frowned and said, "Speak."
"If I can get your support, if I can get the Marines' support, how could I possibly lose?" Smoker stated firmly.
"You mean for the Marines to step in and help you? Under what pretext?" Diarmuid asked gravely.
"I am a Warlord of the Sea, after all. Institutionally, I belong to an organization under the World Government. The Marines and I are essentially brother units. Asking the Marines for a little help shouldn't be a problem, right?" Smoker smiled.
"Get to the point," Diarmuid completely ignored Smoker's little joke.
Because Smoker was just talking nonsense. Does being a Warlord of the Sea mean the Marines have to give full support? Crocodile would be laughing his head off!
Furthermore, it wasn't convenient for the Marines to support Smoker like this. Wouldn't that be openly telling everyone that Smoker and the Marines were in cahoots?
Smoker dared not joke with Diarmuid anymore. He leaned forward slightly and said solemnly, "I will offer three hundred billion Berries to the World Government. Will that be enough to persuade the World Government to issue an order from Mariejois to dispatch the Marines to help me?"
Diarmuid was taken aback. "Huh, that line of thinking might work."
Then, Diarmuid glanced at Queen Stussy. She pondered for a moment and then said, "There should still be a possibility. As you know, Mariejois has been under reconstruction since the incident, and rebuilding a Holy Land is a heavy burden for the World Government, especially financially. Speaking of which, the World Government has requested funds from me numerous times since the Mariejois incident. I imagine other organizations have been treated the same way..."
"Indeed. The Navy's military budget has also been temporarily suspended. I suspect they are in a period of financial turnover," Diarmuid nodded.
"Therefore, the World Government should be quite short on cash at this stage. If Smoker really offers such a large contribution to the World Government, it should be possible to persuade them. Or, perhaps, the World Government would be very eager to establish a good relationship with a wealthy Warlord of the Sea like Smoker. If the World Government issues a deployment order, the Marines could participate in this war in a legitimate and reasonable manner. The only question is, would this mess up the Marines' plans?" Queen Stussy asked softly.
"Our Marine plans have already been thrown into chaos by this bastard. Now, we have no plans," Diarmuid glared at Smoker.
Before, the Marines certainly shouldn't have gotten involved in this mess. They should have just sat back and watched Charlotte Linlin and Whitebeard tear each other apart.
But now, the Marines' original plans had all been overturned. The Fleet Admiral had repeatedly urged Diarmuid to quickly come up with a viable new plan to resolve the situation in the New World.
Smoker grew excited upon hearing this and said, "Since it's feasible, I'm prepared to bribe Mariejois. If three hundred billion isn't enough, then five hundred billion. I refuse to believe they won't be tempted. Moreover, this is a beneficial action for them. Once the Marines can openly help me, and I unite with Whitebeard, we can absolutely take down Big Mom and Kaido..."
"Taking them down is out of the question. We still need them to remain active for a while longer. Didn't I just say it? We can take them out anytime we want, and we certainly don't need you to do it. We are merely letting them live longer so we can avoid the 'bird being put away once the bow is no longer needed' scenario and buy the Marines time to prepare for a resolution!" Diarmuid immediately interrupted Smoker.
If they wanted to take down Big Mom and Kaido, did they need Smoker jumping in and out?
The Marines were now full of experts and were the true maritime overlords. As long as they made up their minds, they could absolutely sweep away those so-called great pirates. They just hadn't seen the necessity to do so yet.
Smoker paused, then changed his wording. "Then, defeating Big Mom and Kaido. Even if I split from Whitebeard afterward, with the World Government's powerful support and by borrowing the Marines' prestige, I can still sit on equal footing with them. Furthermore, that would create a tri-polar balance of power. I would have greater authority in the New World, which could help the Marines better stabilize the New World situation and buy more time. Wouldn't the Marines' plans then return to the right track? After all, whether they fight or not isn't the most important thing; buying time is, correct?"
Listening to Smoker's words, Diarmuid rubbed his chin and fell silent for a while.
In simple terms, wasn't this about propping Smoker up to become a Yonko?
Reflecting further on the scenario Smoker painted, it seemed plausible, and if he really could stand on equal footing with Whitebeard and the others, he would indeed be of great value to the Marines. At that point, his influence would also allow the Amway Group's business to reach an even higher level, bringing countless benefits.
Just then, Queen Stussy smiled and said, "If you rely on the prestige of the Marines and the World Government to forcefully divide the New World with Whitebeard and the others, everyone will look down on you, especially the pirates..."
Smoker didn't care at all and waved his hand. "Do I need their respect? My reputation has been trashed ever since I became a Warlord of the Sea, alright? Don't those people secretly call me the World Government's lapdog? Then I'll be their lapdog once and show them! Moreover, what do I need a pirate's reputation for? I'm a Marine!"
Upon hearing this, Diarmuid laughed heartily. "Excellent! I appreciate that line. Profit is what matters most. What good is reputation to you? You're not a real pirate. When we're done dealing with them, you can transform back into a Marine, and it will drop jaws everywhere! Hahahaha."
After his laugh subsided, Diarmuid tapped the table. "Since you've put forth this proposal, I will tentatively accept it. I will report all of this to Headquarters later, and they will deliberate on it to see if there are any major oversights. If Headquarters approves your plan, you can implement it. For now, start preparing so you aren't rushed later."
After a brief pause, Diarmuid looked at Smoker with a serious gaze and said, "If you mess up again, you brat, I swear I'm going to kill you for real!"
Smoker quickly nodded and said, "Yes, Admiral!"
"Mm." Diarmuid acknowledged, then smiled again. "You've been improving lately, able to come up with a plan like this."
Smoker also smiled upon hearing that. "Actually, I didn't come up with it. I recently recruited a subordinate in the East Blue. Though he's weak in strength, he's very clever..."
Diarmuid asked with some surprise, "Is that so? Who is it?"
"Just a nobody. He used to be a small-time pirate named Kuro, with a bounty of just over ten million Berries in the East Blue, nicknamed 'Kuro of a Hundred Plans'... He's the one who analyzed all of this for me. Of course, he only based it on my status as a Warlord of the Sea; he doesn't know I'm a Marine," Smoker said softly.
Kuro of a Hundred Plans?
Diarmuid immediately remembered this guy. If he recalled correctly, wasn't he the one who caused trouble in Usopp's hometown?
There was no denying his strength was very weak, but he was said to be highly intelligent, supposedly ranking among the world's top strategists in the official setting.
How did this guy end up as Smoker's subordinate?
But then again, Smoker was now a Warlord of the Sea; it seemed reasonable that he could gather some talented people.
Therefore, Diarmuid didn't ask any more questions, simply nodding. "Just make sure you have a good handle on things yourself and don't let him trick you."
"Understood," Smoker nodded, speaking earnestly.