The Pleasure District's main base was located on Maria Pleasure Island in the New World. Diarmuid didn't even know what to say about the name. It was obvious that Queen Stussy had renamed the island after taking it over. Perhaps, deep down, the queen still held her childhood memories in high regard.
Maria was a saint's name. It was true that there were many religions in this world. While on Skypiea, Diarmuid had learned from that money-hungry god that the Kano Country even had Taoism.
Christianity also existed in this world, and Stussy had been sold into slavery by a nun when she was a child. Could she be considered a believer? But combining Maria with Pleasure Island felt a lot like blasphemy. He couldn't help but wonder what her memories were like.
After sailing on the flower boat for more than half a month, Diarmuid finally arrived on the island. He wasn't sad to leave the ship. Not even a flower boat could satisfy his fantasies, especially with Hina constantly by his side, watching his every move, afraid he would "make a mistake." Diarmuid was starting to regret bringing Hina along for this meeting.
But on second thought, Hina and Smoker were good friends. It would be too cruel not to let them see each other after so long. In the end, he gritted his teeth and accepted his fate.
Standing on the port, Diarmuid saw that the entire Maria Pleasure Island looked incredibly prosperous. He had learned about the island on the way there. It wasn't just the Pleasure District's main base; it had all sorts of entertainment venues, from "flower streets" to casinos. It was practically a mini-entertainment city.
There was nothing surprising about this. In reality, there were many similar islands around the world. In the first half of the Grand Line, St. Poplar had a similar vibe, and the Carnival City, San Faldo, was even more so. However, in a few years, these entertainment-based islands would be heavily impacted when Gild Tesoro was released after Fisher Tiger burned down Mariejois. Tesoro would establish the world's largest entertainment city, named Gran Tesoro, and attract the wealthiest people from all over the world.
Diarmuid actually admired Tesoro. Although he became a man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted after his escape, most of the people he conned were pirates and gamblers, so they weren't exactly deserving of sympathy. Tesoro was also neutral and didn't side with the pirates. On the contrary, he had established many collaborations with the World Government. He was someone Diarmuid could work with.
In fact, Diarmuid had sent people to look for him on Sabaody Archipelago. If he remembered correctly, Tesoro had been loitering there for a few years before meeting his goddess Stella and then falling into despair because of the World Nobles.
Unfortunately, Diarmuid never found him, so he couldn't make any arrangements. But it didn't matter. While Tesoro had a talent for business, the main reason he was able to become one of the wealthiest men in the world so quickly was because of his ability. The young man didn't follow the rules and ambushed the Warlord Doflamingo at his auction, stealing the Paramecia-type Gold-Gold Fruit, thus beginning his journey to becoming a billionaire.
Therefore, Diarmuid wasn't that interested in Tesoro anymore. The Gold-Gold Fruit was what was important. When Doflamingo gets his hands on it, he would extort him! If he didn't give it up... he would beat it out of him!
As far as he knew, Queen Stussy wasn't a Devil Fruit user. From the looks of it, her business talent was also excellent. It wouldn't be a bad idea for her to eat the Gold-Gold Fruit if she was interested. At least, compared to Tesoro, Stussy was someone Diarmuid could trust completely.
As Diarmuid was thinking about all this and observing Maria Pleasure Island, another beautiful woman with healthy, sun-kissed skin and a team of people approached him. She bowed respectfully. "Please excuse us, Lord. Queen Stussy wanted to welcome you personally, but there are too many people at the port. Your status and the Queen's are both very noble, and we don't want to draw any unnecessary attention. So, I'm here to take you to the Queen. I hope you understand."
Diarmuid wasn't one to put on airs, especially not with Stussy. They were on the same side, so he didn't mind. He just nodded and said, "Lead the way." But as he looked at the team of beautiful women, all with different charms, he couldn't help but feel a little emotional. If I had gritted my teeth and joined the CP organization back then, would I have had a chance to run the Pleasure District later? If I had, wouldn't it have been heaven on earth?
Comparing his current situation to Stussy's, Diarmuid suddenly felt that being a Marine Admiral was no fun at all. It was utterly boring.
Hina didn't think about it as much as Diarmuid. She looked around, seemingly very curious about the famous Pleasure Island.
Diarmuid tapped Hina's head. "That guy isn't here yet. He'll probably be here in two days. Why don't I give you the day off so you can explore the island on your own? Don't worry, the expenses are on me. I'm on official business here and can file for reimbursement!"
Hina's expression lit up, and she was about to agree. But she saw the look of glee on Diarmuid's face and quickly shook her head. "No. Since this is official business, I need to take responsibility as a Marine Commander and the Admiral's secretary. I have to stick with you every step of the way."
Hmph. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking, Admiral. You want to get rid of me so you can see that woman Stussy alone, right? I'm not going to let you get away with it that easily.
As Diarmuid's personal secretary, Hina knew many of his secrets. For example, during the Reverie, Diarmuid and that woman, Stussy, had an unclear relationship for a long time. He would disappear at night and only reappear the next day. It would be strange if there was nothing going on between them.
This wasn't much of a secret in Diarmuid's circle anymore, but Hina was frustrated that Gion-neechan didn't seem to care. It was ridiculous! If even Gion didn't care, Hina, though indignant, had no right to do anything. She could only secretly compete with Diarmuid.
Diarmuid rolled his eyes at Hina's "vigilant" look and whispered, "Little girl..." He didn't care. In Diarmuid's opinion, even Gion could be handled by Queen Stussy, let alone Hina. If Hina wanted to go and meet Stussy, she would probably be taken care of quickly. She was just asking for trouble, so Diarmuid didn't care. He nodded, and he and Hina followed the group of beautiful women toward the city.
Soon, Diarmuid and his group arrived at a restricted area. Unlike the bustling outside world, it was much quieter here. As they walked through a shaded path, Diarmuid's eyes lit up, and his expression became a little surprised and strange.
Hina was also a little surprised. She pointed to the courtyard ahead. "Isn't that yard designed exactly like your house, Admiral? It's identical. I thought we were back in Marineford!"
Indeed, a courtyard stood in the distance, and from the outside, it looked exactly like the Admiral's residence the Marines had assigned to Diarmuid in Marineford.
As he entered the courtyard, Diarmuid was even more surprised. Even the furniture and decor were the same. Only some minor details had changed. How had Stussy found all this out? Oh... it was probably when he had given her a video tour of his house over the Den Den Mushi.
Diarmuid didn't think too much about it. He picked up the teapot on the table, poured himself a cup of tea, and sat on the comfortable sofa, looking out into the courtyard. His expression became one of surprise.
My God, it's only been a few minutes!
Hina, who had been completely serious just moments ago, was now laughing and talking with Stussy. Looking at how happy she was, a person wouldn't know that she wasn't a close friend of Stussy's.
I just poured myself a cup of tea. What happened in that short time? Is this the Queen's method? Incredible, simply incredible!
Meanwhile, about three days away from Maria Pleasure Island, a pirate ship with a smoking skull flag was sailing toward it. On the deck, Smoker bit down on a cigar and mumbled with anticipation in his eyes, "It's almost been three years. Is this when you're going to arrange my return to Headquarters?"
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