"Who says you're alone? You are one with thousands upon thousands of Marines!" Diarmuid declared with righteous conviction.
Sakazuki privately wondered if the man had lost his mind.
"Be that as it may..." Sakazuki began.
"How about this. You file a report to the Fleet Admiral. Say there's unusual movement on the front lines, that those pirates, after hearing about the events at Mariejois, are all 'filled with righteous indignation' and want to 'avenge the Gorosei.' Tell him they're plotting to attack the New World Marine bases while we're all tied up in meetings, and that you need reinforcements. Then, I'll head over to support you. How does that sound? With the two of us there, we can definitely get the war started!" Diarmuid spoke rapidly, eager to set the plan in motion.
Sakazuki was once again left speechless.
If you're going to force me to file a report, couldn't you at least give me a better excuse?
What do you mean, "pirates are filled with righteous indignation and want to avenge the Gorosei"?
Avenge what?
It would be a miracle of human decency if those pirates didn't open champagne to celebrate!
Even though Diarmuid's reasoning was utter nonsense, and Sakazuki had zero intention of using such a moronic excuse in an official report, he was still genuinely tempted by the scenario Diarmuid described.
If Diarmuid were transferred to the front lines, it would mean two Admirals joining forces. With that kind of backup, Sakazuki wouldn't feel much pressure about launching a full-scale war. The Navy didn't lack mid-tier power; they had plenty of formidable Vice Admirals. As long as he and Diarmuid could suppress the top-tier pirate legends, this war was actually winnable.
He didn't feel any panic. With the two of them present, the Marine deployment in the New World would be strong enough that even if they couldn't immediately dismantle the three-way pirate alliance, they could certainly stabilize the situation.
While they held the line and fought a steady war of attrition, the pace at Mariejois would likely speed up. Once those dawdling bureaucrats finished handling the trivial affairs of the Holy Land, they could all be deployed to the war. By then, they could crush the pirates however they pleased.
Indeed, in Sakazuki's eyes, matters concerning the future global structure were merely "trivialities." Only blasting pirates was a "major event"!
He was just that stubborn.
However, Sakazuki soon grew suspicious. Why was Diarmuid so suddenly desperate to start a war in the New World? He wasn't usually this gung-ho.
Was Mariejois not fun enough? Weren't Gion, Stussy, and Hina all there? Shouldn't he be happy?
Well, he was happy, but it was physically taxing. Even with immortality, Diarmuid was starting to feel the strain. It wasn't that he couldn't handle three women; it was that at this particular moment, all three of them were operating at "full throttle," making it impossible to cope!
Sakazuki was no philanderer. In fact, due to his cold, iron-blooded style and his single-minded obsession with competing for the Fleet Admiral position, he had no heart for an "extracurricular" lifestyle. To this day, he remained a "hardened old bachelor."
Compared to a dedicated professional like Sakazuki, the other Admirals were a different story.
Borsalino was no saint either. He punched the clock, drank tea, and napped during work, but did you think he just went home to meditate after hours? Not a chance. With a leering expression like that, where did you think he "trained"?
Diarmuid recalled a conversation with Stussy where he learned that Borsalino was actually a "Grand Member" of the Pleasure District! He was the type to drop hundreds of millions of Berries there! At the time, Diarmuid was slightly shocked, as Borsalino didn't seem the type. But on second thought, he realized he didn't actually know much about Borsalino's private life, or the private lives of most Marines, for that matter.
It made sense; Diarmuid only paid attention to the private lives of beautiful women like Gion and Hina. Why on earth would he spend his time stalking an old man like Borsalino? Was he a pervert?
Later, after asking around at Marineford, he discovered there was a "Little Prince of the Flower District" in the residential area. And lo and behold, that "Little Prince" was indeed Borsalino!
Yes, Borsalino hadn't started a family, but he was an absolute veteran of the dating scene. Diarmuid eventually realized it wasn't just Borsalino. Chaton (Tokikake) was the same. Even Garp would go occasionally. Kuzan, the seemingly cold and lazy guy, and even Vergo, Onigumo, and Dalmatian, they were all regulars of the Flower District!
Bah!
Compared to them, Diarmuid felt like a saint! After all, he had never actually stepped foot in Marineford's Flower District.
It was true; despite being the Headquarters of Justice, Marineford's residential sector did have a Flower District, and it was quite substantial.
Sakazuki was truly the "White Lotus" among the high-ranking Marine officers, the type who "emerges from the muck but remains unstained." As for Diarmuid... well, he just took a different path.
When he first discovered this phenomenon, Diarmuid found it hard to believe. Everyone looks so serious on the surface; are they all this wild behind the scenes?
It was only after a meeting with Tokikake, their relationship had improved significantly, that they chatted about it, and Diarmuid learned the truth.
As it turned out, this was actually a Marine tradition. A tradition steeped in grim irony.
Ultimately, it was because being a Marine, while looking prestigious, was a high-risk profession. Countless people were sacrificed at sea every year, and high-ranking officers were no exception. While Admirals and Admiral Candidates rarely died in battle, not a year went by without several Vice Admirals falling.
Because of this extreme danger, many Marines who spent their lives seeing death had no habit of starting families.
Speaking of which, even at Diarmuid's level, he hadn't formally started a family with Gion or Hina, nor with the Queen. Diarmuid didn't bring it up, and they never mentioned it either. The reason was simple: they hadn't thought about it, and they felt that not being married was perfectly normal—living together was enough!
This was one of the major trends in the Navy: "Marriage Phobia." The marriage rate was abysmal! The more a Marine was accustomed to life and death, the lower the probability of them getting married.
Once they had a family, they had "shackles." They would become afraid of death. And a Marine who fears death isn't a good Marine. If even the Navy is afraid to die, who would stand up to protect the world?
As for "shackles," one didn't need to look further than the example of Zephyr. Even as a Marine Admiral, his entire family was slaughtered. Even Garp never spoke of such things; he surely had his own tragic story.
Since they weren't getting married, Marines were still human. Thus, two phenomena emerged. The first was like Diarmuid—what could be called "living as partners." Sengoku and Tsuru could essentially be viewed this way. This was common in the Navy; there were plenty of female Marines, and while not all were as beautiful and capable as Gion and Hina, they weren't bad. So, male and female Marines "partnering up" in Marineford was quite normal.
The second type was like Borsalino and Tokikake: pure playboys. "Drink while there is wine today!"
And Sakazuki was that extremely rare third type: a true "hardened bachelor." He had kept himself pure for years, never had a scandal, and never visited the Flower District...
"He emerges from the muck but remains unstained; he is washed by the clear ripples but remains un-seductive!"
By comparison, if Diarmuid weren't around, it would be an injustice if Sakazuki didn't become Fleet Admiral!
Because he lacked "experience," Sakazuki couldn't possibly understand Diarmuid's current "suffering." Therefore, he became suspicious of Diarmuid's motives.
In terms of loyalty, Sakazuki wouldn't believe for a second that Diarmuid was plotting some conspiracy to harm the Navy or team up with pirates. After thinking it over, he concluded that Diarmuid probably wanted to snatch one last wave of military merit from the New World.
Generally speaking, the signs of a personnel reshuffle in the Navy were already appearing. With Mariejois being overhauled, Sengoku had achieved the greatest record in the history of Marine Fleet Admirals. It would be perfectly reasonable if he wanted to retire in glory. Even if his tenure wasn't exceptionally long, the quality of his achievements was unparalleled! Being Fleet Admiral for a few years and overturning the World Government? That was the stuff of legends!
Furthermore, within the last year, Sakazuki had occasionally heard Sengoku mention "retirement." For instance, Sengoku once said he hadn't truly seen the "real face" of the Navy and wanted to serve as the long-vacant Inspector General after retirement to visit Marine bases around the world and see the foundation of the Navy with his own eyes.
It sounded like casual small talk, but the underlying meaning was profound. In the professional world, this was crucial. It meant the big boss was already planning his post-retirement life. And what did that mean? It meant he was seriously considering stepping down! And given his age, it made sense.
Additionally, Sakazuki knew that Diarmuid was superior to him in many aspects, so Sengoku favored Diarmuid. Sakazuki admitted he felt some jealousy, but he wasn't petty enough to hold a grudge. If he had to blame someone, he could only blame his own lack of ability. After all, Diarmuid hadn't kissed his way to the top; the man was genuinely talented. If they weren't rivals in this regard, Sakazuki would have admired Diarmuid.
Thinking deeper, Sakazuki felt that this might be the official start of the competition for the next Fleet Admiral.
At this thought, Sakazuki asked in a low voice, "Diarmuid... has the Fleet Admiral dropped hints these past few days about being ready to step down?"
Diarmuid: "???"
What the hell are you talking about?
The Fleet Admiral is perfectly fine and currently in a meeting at Mariejois.
With that glowing, healthy complexion of his, the man could clearly work for several more decades—no, centuries! Now that he was immortal, he didn't even need to worry about age or retirement!
Thinking of this, Diarmuid froze. Wait, Sengoku is immortal now. Who knows how long he'll stay in that seat? He didn't need to rebel or seize power, but... well, forget it. I really shouldn't count on being Fleet Admiral. It doesn't mean much anyway. If he truly never retires, I can't exactly go and beat him up, can I?
Diarmuid didn't know that Sengoku had ever considered becoming the Inspector General; that was a gap in their information. Back then, Diarmuid was still blowing sand in Alabasta.
"No, he hasn't." Diarmuid responded, puzzled.
"No?" Sakazuki was stunned. He didn't consider whether Diarmuid was lying; he still had that level of trust in him. That guy might be full of schemes, but when it came to internal competition, he had always been honorable. That was the Marine way!
Was I wrong? It has nothing to do with military merit? Or the position of Fleet Admiral?
"Well? Is it a go or not? Are you attacking?" Diarmuid urged.
Sakazuki snapped back to reality. "We're attacking. But your excuse is an insult to human intelligence. I'll find a proper pretext."
A fight was a fight! Otherwise, how could Sakazuki maintain his image as the leader of the Marine Hawks?
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