By the latter half of Sea Calendar 1516, the Reverie had dragged on intermittently for nearly two months due to various unexpected complications. Throughout this period, Diarmuid remained in Mariejois for the meetings. Although he had little to say, his influence was so massive that he had to be present every time, even if just as a "good luck charm."
Meanwhile, the competition between Gion and Stussy had reached a fever pitch. Every few days, the two would engage in a heated war of words over Diarmuid, their bickering making the atmosphere volatile and explosive.
Logically, Mariejois was Stussy's home turf, so she should have held the upper hand. However, the sheer volume of recent events forced the Queen, given her high-ranking position, to stay buried in work. She had to handle countless critical matters regarding the CP agencies and the coalition of new affiliated nations. Consequently, she had very little time to play her "home advantage."
Gion, on the other hand, was merely an "Admiral Candidate." She didn't even need to attend the world summit. As for Kuzan, he was able to attend in Sakazuki's stead... Yes, despite the two being like oil and water, Kuzan representing Sakazuki at the meetings was an odd but functional arrangement.
Because Gion had nothing specific to do other than maintaining order and security in Mariejois, she had plenty of time to play "away games" against Stussy on her own turf, effectively neutralizing the Queen's influence.
In the midst of this struggle, Diarmuid felt like a small boat drifting helplessly in a violent storm stirred up by these two women. Of course, drifting right alongside him was poor little Hina.
Both Stussy and Gion were incredibly assertive individuals. Hina happened to be on good terms with both sides but was relatively "frail," at least compared to those two powerhouses. Back at Marineford, she naturally sided with Gion. But here in Mariejois, having received many "favors" from the Queen in the past, she could only act like a pathetic little quail, scurrying wherever she was called.
Fortunately, having Hina around allowed Diarmuid to huddle with her for warmth, and he managed to avoid a total disaster. Or so he thought.
In reality, he had never truly thought the situation through. Stussy, Gion, and Hina had all known about each other's existence for years. If they truly wanted to tear each other apart or reach a "life-or-death" ultimatum, would they have waited until now?
On a fundamental level, the three had long since accepted each other's presence. Their current bickering was simply a matter of pride and letting off steam. They couldn't just let Diarmuid have a smooth ride, could they? You think being a philanderer doesn't come with a price? Before, they didn't cross paths, but now that they were together, wasn't it time to torture him a little?
…
Mariejois, Doflamingo's Residence.
To be precise, this was the estate of the former Celestial Dragon family, the Donquixote Family. It was steeped in luxury, but it had recently been reclaimed as "public property." However, in light of Doflamingo's significant contributions and assistance to the Navy, and the fact that he truly wanted to return to see the place where he once lived, it now belonged to him. Of course, he didn't take it for free; he paid a substantial amount of Berries to buy it back.
At the entrance of this massive garden complex, Doflamingo stood with a look of amusement as he watched Diarmuid approach.
"Every time I see you, Admiral, I'm struck by how dedicated you are. Truly, 'worrying before the world worries, and enjoying only after the world enjoys.' You're working yourself to the bone! Look at how haggard you are. Were you up all night again processing 'important matters'?" Doflamingo teased with a smirk.
Many years ago, he had interacted with Diarmuid in a much more arrogant manner, only to be beaten nearly to death. Afterward, he didn't dare be too overbearing, though their tone remained familiar. He harbored a deep-seated awe for Diarmuid.
However, over the last few years, they had grown more acquainted. As a man of the world with a sharp mind, Doflamingo could feel that Diarmuid was increasingly treating him as a friend, rather than just a partner or a "subordinate" type. Doflamingo was a proud man; since Diarmuid was willing to treat him as a friend, he didn't act subserviently. He quickly adjusted his mindset, and their interactions became mostly like those of old friends.
By now, he could joke and mock Diarmuid freely, and Diarmuid wouldn't get angry. This was because Doflamingo knew his limits; he knew Diarmuid had a great deal of magnanimity. As long as you didn't touch his bottom line, he wouldn't care if you joked, teased, or even insulted him. He often poked fun at himself.
Of course, Diarmuid had a sharp tongue as well; even if you were his friend, he'd frequently shut you down. Doflamingo found the dynamic quite nice. There weren't many people in this world he could call friends. In fact, looking back, Diarmuid was the only one who could truly, without reservation, be friends with a notorious man like himself. Perhaps others could have, but they never did.
So, Doflamingo occasionally found the situation fascinating: he'd been a rogue for decades, yet in the end, the only person he could be sincerely honest with as a best friend was a Marine Admiral?
How bloody ridiculous!
Diarmuid looked utterly exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes. Hearing Doflamingo's teasing, his temper flared. "Get me a glass of water, quick. I don't want to stay in this Mariejois for another damn day. Is this dog-shit world summit never going to end? How is there so much to talk about? And what about Whitebeard and the other two? Didn't they form some kind of alliance? Why haven't they made a move yet? Once they start trouble, I'll finally have a legitimate reason to leave Mariejois!"
Currently, he had to see Gion during the day and Stussy at night. On the rare occasions when they were both busy, good grief, there was still the pitiable Hina...
Working three shifts in a continuous rotation, the only time he had to rest his eyes was during the meetings, which, put simply, was when he took a nap. For a day or two, it was fine, but this had been going on for nearly two months. Even a man made of iron couldn't take it! Diarmuid felt like shouting "I'm empty, I'm truly empty!" whenever he saw Gion and the others.
Though Doflamingo teased him, he quickly brought Diarmuid a glass of water. The two sat down in the shade of a tree in the courtyard.
"Should I say you're ungrateful for your blessings? Vice Admiral Gion and Stussy-sama are both top-tier beauties, and yet here you are..." Doflamingo laughed.
"..."
Diarmuid rolled his eyes. "You're still young. You might not understand the concept of 'too much of a good thing.'"
Doflamingo's interest was piqued. "Are you looking down on me? I've been a party animal since I was a kid. You must have heard of my exploits back when you were in the North Blue? My variety of..."
It had to be said, in this regard, the Young Master was indeed very "sophisticated." He was a wild one!
Diarmuid didn't want to discuss such things with Doflamingo. It was inappropriate. He was, after all, a Marine Admiral and a representative of Justice. Even if he'd decided to retire, he hadn't stepped down yet. How could he sit here discussing such scandalous topics with a middleman like Doflamingo?
Quickly changing the subject, Diarmuid asked, "I've been dozing off in the meetings lately and haven't listened much. What's the progress? And how is the situation outside?"
Yesterday, the Birdcage that had sealed Mariejois for nearly two months was finally deactivated. The news of the upheaval in Mariejois had likely spread across the entire world by now. He wondered how the world was reacting.
"A prototype for the new Coalition of Affiliated Nations has been formed. This time, they didn't use terms with heavy authoritarian connotations. It's highly probable they'll use the title 'Pan-Global Covenant United Organization.' The general direction is becoming clear. First, the status of the Navy has been settled. The Navy will maintain significant autonomy. Of course, there are restrictions: the Navy cannot initiate war against any affiliated nation in any form unless a non-affiliated member requests it or the Pan-Global Covenant United Organization votes in favor..." Doflamingo explained.
Diarmuid nodded. He had heard snippets of this, but he had been too groggy to catch the details. Sengoku seemed to have accepted this agreement, which wasn't a bad thing. The Navy never intended to develop in that direction anyway, let alone interfere in the internal wars of other kingdoms.
This treaty looked like it was restricting the Navy. But upon closer inspection, it was clear the nations were simply trying to protect themselves. The Navy was simply too powerful now!
"Then there's the Revolutionary Army. Dragon has handed over all military authority of the Revolutionary Army to the Commander-in-Chief, Kong. Following this, Dragon will become the Secretary-General of the Pan-Global Covenant United Organization, taking on a proper civil service role." Doflamingo clicked his tongue, finding it novel.
With the Navy being so dominant, anyone could see that power grew from the barrel of a gun. Yet, in this situation, Dragon did the opposite. He publicly announced at the assembly that he would transfer all military forces of the "former world's largest rebel organization," leading his core members to join the new "United Organization" in administrative roles.
It felt a bit foolish. Was it? Perhaps.
But Diarmuid understood Dragon. For a time, Diarmuid had thought Dragon was an ambitious man. His opinion of Dragon had constantly shifted and was quite complex. But looking back now, he realized he had overcomplicated Dragon in his own mind.
In truth, Dragon had always been a pure, even simple, person. "Pure" and "simple" in terms of his ambitions and ideals, not that he was naive. Looking back at everything Dragon had done over the years, he simply wanted to implement his political ambitions; he just lacked the proper stage. If he were truly a man greedy for power and status, he would never have had to leave the Navy in the first place.
Now that his stage was built, Dragon was willing to give up the power he held without hesitation for the sake of global stability and security. This earned Diarmuid's respect.
"Perhaps the Revolutionary Army was only ever a means for Dragon to achieve his goals. Now that his stage is set, he no longer needs them. It's nice. I actually envy him. He has ideals and ambitions he has always pursued, and he can fight for them," Diarmuid said softly.
He also understood that if Dragon hadn't surrendered the Revolutionary Army's military power, despite his ability to pull together a small alliance in the East Blue, there was no way he would have been allowed to become the Secretary-General of the Pan-Global Covenant United Organization.
No backroom deals involved? Diarmuid wouldn't believe that if you killed him.