Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Diarmuid, Sakazuki, Garp, Gion, and Admiral Sengoku were all present.
More than half a month had passed since the incident where Kaido was captured, and Diarmuid and his group had only just returned to Marineford.
Garp's battle with Whitebeard hadn't lasted very long. They stopped fighting the moment the island was about to sink. For Newgate, there was no reason to fight to the death against the Marines. For Garp, there was no way he could have captured Newgate in that situation, and with the island sinking, there was no time to do it anyway.
From the perspective of the Marines' current strategy for the New World, it wasn't the right time to take on the Whitebeard Pirates. So, in that situation, Garp and Newgate had a mutual, unspoken agreement to leave.
"We've investigated and found that the meeting between the Big Mom Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates wasn't a pre-arranged battle as you thought. In fact, they were discussing a truce. But thanks to your disruption, the talks were completely derailed. For now, it seems the Whitebeard Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates will continue to clash until they can schedule another truce negotiation," Tsuru said.
She still hadn't been reinstated to her official position, but she had been overseeing the Marine Intelligence Division for a while. Even without the formal title of Chief of Staff, everyone still treated her as such.
"This situation is undeniably more favorable for us Marines," Sengoku nodded.
Diarmuid took a sip from his tea and then smiled. "So, you're saying we accidentally did a good thing?"
"It's not wrong to put it that way," Fleet Admiral Kong laughed.
Even though Diarmuid's group had encountered one unexpected event after another, the final outcome was extremely favorable for the Marines. First, the 300 billion Berry worth of weapons from the Beasts Pirates were never sold, which quietly put an end to many conflicts. Also, Kaido was beaten half to death and was captured and brought back to Headquarters. He was currently being held in a prison cell, waiting for CP agents to take him. No matter what the World Government decides to do with Kaido, the Marines' achievement was undeniable.
This whole thing was spearheaded by Sakazuki, and since Diarmuid and the others didn't try to take credit, most of the glory went to him. It was no surprise that he would soon be appointed as the base commander of G-1, and upon his return, he would likely become a Marine Admiral.
Furthermore, the truce that was likely to have been reached between the Big Mom Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates would have been a net positive for both pirate crews. It would certainly not have benefited the Marines if the two crews were allowed to grow stronger in peace. So, Diarmuid's group's unexpected intrusion prevented the truce from happening. Now that the two crews were still at war, it was a definite advantage for the Marines.
Finally, the incident had no negative consequences for the Marines, who didn't even suffer any casualties. The island in the New World was a pirate-occupied island with no respectable citizens, so its destruction was a non-issue. It didn't cause any major waves and had no negative impact on the surrounding seas. As for Ballon Island, it was already abandoned, and since a Sky Island wasn't under Marine jurisdiction, whatever happened there was no business of the Marines.
So, from the final result, it was a resounding victory for the Marines. As such, everyone was in high spirits.
"Oh, by the way, the World Government has asked us not to publicize the matter of us capturing Kaido. It's to be handled discreetly," Sengoku said suddenly.
Sakazuki was a little annoyed, but he had already expected this, so he just furrowed his brow without saying anything.
"If we don't publicize it, how will others know?" Diarmuid grumbled.
"Kaido hasn't been seen on the sea much in recent years. He's been hiding in Wano, so there's not much chance of his capture being exposed. If you guys hadn't run into Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin, no one would have even paid attention. Whatever Whitebeard and the Big Mom Pirates do afterward is not our concern. Our job is just to not leak the information," Sengoku said softly.
Seeing that Sakazuki had no objections, Diarmuid shrugged. "I don't care."
"So, none of this will be made public?" Gion asked.
"We won't mention anything about Kaido, but as for your great battle against the Big Mom Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates, we'll definitely be publicizing it. After all, from the looks of it, it was a resounding victory for us," Sengoku said with a smile.
Tsuru then spoke. "We've already prepared the press release, and we'll send it to the World Economy News shortly." After a brief pause, the Chief of Staff looked at Diarmuid and smiled. "The news report states, 'The Marines detected a plot between the Big Mom Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates to form a truce, or possibly even a pirate alliance. To prevent this terrible outcome, under the leadership of Marine Admiral Diarmuid, the Marines in the New World foiled their plot, repelled both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, and seriously wounded Charlotte Linlin...'"
"Uh..." Diarmuid's face flushed a little. He then asked, "Is that appropriate? Isn't that a little too exaggerated?"
"It's a little exaggerated, but most of it is true. We just polished it up a bit. It's nothing," Sengoku said, waving his hand.
"A little polished up?" It was completely over-the-top!
But Diarmuid was thick-skinned, and he nodded. "Since you've put it that way, I can't really refuse. Let's do it."
After a slight pause, he glanced at Sakazuki and asked, "What about Sakazuki?"
After all, this whole thing was Sakazuki's idea, not his. If it weren't for Sakazuki's lead, he'd probably still be in the East Blue, drinking tea with Koshiro. Was it really fair for Sakazuki to not get any of the credit for capturing Kaido while he became a big hero in the papers, getting all the fame and fortune?
Before anyone else could speak, Sakazuki waved his hand. "I don't care. I'm not interested in that stuff. You've already given me the credit, and that's enough."
Seeing that Sakazuki had no objections, Diarmuid stopped arguing. It was just a hollow reputation anyway; there was no point in dwelling on it.
Kong took a sip of tea. "Sakazuki, go write a report and choose where you want to go. Take your time."
A faint smile appeared on Sakazuki's stern face. He said to Kong, "Fleet Admiral, I've already made up my mind."
"Oh? Where?" Fleet Admiral Kong asked.
"G-1!" Sakazuki said without hesitation.
Kong didn't look surprised. It was as if he had already known Sakazuki would choose this. He didn't hesitate and nodded. "Alright. Go submit the report, and I'll approve your appointment to G-1 immediately. Do a good job. The New World is our next priority. If you can produce results at G-1, Zephyr's old position is yours."
This was basically Kong unofficially appointing Sakazuki as an Admiral. A sharp glint flashed in Sakazuki's eyes, and he immediately stood up. "Yes, all for the sake of justice!"
Looks like that idiot Borsalino has no intention of competing with Sakazuki for the position, Diarmuid thought to himself. He then asked curiously, "What about Kuzan? I feel like I haven't seen him in a long time. What's he been up to?"
"He's been teaching with Zephyr. He's been giving lessons to the new recruits recently," Sengoku said with a laugh.
Diarmuid's jaw dropped. What's up with that? Is this guy retiring to the second line at such a young age without even becoming a Vice Admiral? He's way too lazy, isn't he?
"Aren't you going to do something about him, Sengoku-san? He has no ambition at all," Diarmuid complained.
Sengoku chuckled. "Once Sakazuki goes to G-1, I'll deal with that kid. He's going to have to prove himself and earn the title of Admiral Candidate!"
"Yeah, you should definitely set that bastard straight," Diarmuid said, nodding seriously. Anyone who didn't know them would think he and Kuzan had a personal grudge.
Kong looked at Diarmuid and asked, "Are you going to continue your vacation?"
Diarmuid didn't answer right away. He looked at Gion, who rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Continue what? It's fine, we'll have plenty of chances later. We're done for now."
Diarmuid had originally promised to go on vacation with Gion, but then Garp and Hina had tagged along. He had also had to handle some paperwork in the East Blue, so he hadn't really gotten a proper break. Then, Sakazuki had brought him along to take on Kaido, which led to their current situation. From that perspective, Diarmuid felt a little guilty and sorry for Gion. He had promised a vacation, and it had turned into a mess.
But Gion was a very understanding woman, and she didn't seem to care. In her opinion, Diarmuid had kept his promise; a lot of unexpected things just happened. Besides, they had a decent vacation anyway. As a base commander of G-7 and a Marine Admiral, they both had a lot of work to do, so it was time to get back to it.
Seeing Gion's expression, Diarmuid smiled. "Alright, then let's call it a day."
"Good. Then get ready for your plan. I hope we can see some results soon," Kong instructed Diarmuid.
The "plan" he was referring to was the Marines' internal development. Diarmuid was currently in charge of the economic aspect. It was a highly classified matter. Marines below the rank of Vice Admiral weren't even allowed to ask about it, and even most Vice Admirals were kept in the dark. Diarmuid was planning to team up with Smoker and Stussy to form a three-way partnership to create a trading company.
"Yes, I'll get it started as soon as possible," Diarmuid nodded.
At that moment, there was a knock on the Fleet Admiral's office door. Kong glanced over and said, "Come in." The door opened, and a figure peeked in cautiously. Then, a humble and respectful smile appeared on his face as he lowered his body and walked in. He was wearing a proper black suit. He looked a little sleazy, but his eyes were sharp and intelligent. It was Spandine, the commander of CP9.
As soon as Spandine entered, he greeted everyone with a low-key, friendly demeanor. He was especially warm when greeting Diarmuid.
"So, is CP going to have CP9 take custody of Kaido?" Kong asked.
Spandine chuckled. "It's not really taking custody. We're just transferring him. The CP0 agents have already arrived at Enies Lobby and are preparing to secretly interrogate Kaido there."
"Is that so?" Diarmuid clicked his tongue. Then he asked, "What are you going to do with him?"
"Uh..." Spandine hesitated. He then said, "I don't know the specifics. That information is above my pay grade. But based on past precedent, he'll probably be held and interrogated for a year or so..."
Spandine stopped there, not wanting to say any more.
Diarmuid and the others understood. He would probably be held and interrogated for a year or so before being released back into the world. As for any shady deals he made with the World Government during that time, that was none of the Marines' business.
"How absurd," Diarmuid sighed, but he didn't say anything else. There were some things he couldn't control, even as a Marine Admiral.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]