At the Oasis Hotel, Diarmuid stood by the window, watching order gradually return to the streets of Alubarna.
Between the plague bombs, the zombie chaos, the fall of the Nefertari bloodline, and Crocodile being dealt with, the war had naturally ground to a halt. The Revolutionary Army had withdrawn, the Royal Army had surrendered outright, and the Rebel Army had been effectively neutralized by the poison gas. For a moment, it seemed there were no winners in the Battle of Alubarna.
The kingdom's power structure had utterly collapsed. Currently, order in the city was being maintained by Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Dalmatian. He was leading the Marines in a full-scale effort to mitigate the effects of the poison gas and restore post-war stability.
"The side effect of the Dark-Dark Fruit... is it meant to induce the darkness within one's heart? Or some other sinister impulse?" Diarmuid murmured softly to himself.
Essentially every Devil Fruit has its own drawback, not just the inability to swim, but a variety of strange effects. The more he pondered it, the more uneasy Diarmuid felt.
However, as he attempted to probe that mysterious "black core" within his body with his consciousness, his face suddenly turned pale, then flushed a deep red. His breathing grew ragged.
"What is this?" Diarmuid's brow furrowed.
He had studied this black core many times before. Every time he examined it, nothing unusual had happened, at most, he just couldn't figure out what it was. But this time, a mere moment of scrutiny subjected him to an overwhelming mental pressure.
It felt as though the black core within him was undergoing a metamorphosis, or perhaps, it was beginning to operate? This mental pressure didn't feel like the object was trying to harm him or reject him; on the contrary, it felt like a natural part of his body, seamlessly interfacing with his willpower.
The pressure came simply because Diarmuid's own mental fortitude was struggling to withstand the "environment" inside it.
After a moment of thought, Diarmuid stopped probing. The thing was clearly problematic, and since he couldn't solve the mystery now, he would let time provide the answer.
As Diarmuid was lost in these stray thoughts, the hotel room door swung open. Crocodile was shoved inside, escorted by Doflamingo, Jinbe, and Hancock.
Hina followed behind them, carrying bags filled with various fruits. She looked somewhat exasperated. "Trying to find these fruits in a war zone is a massive hassle..."
Diarmuid turned to the group and asked, "Where is Mihawk?"
"No idea. He hasn't come back. Probably still locked in a death match with Dragon," Jinbe replied with a shake of his head.
Before Diarmuid could speak again, Crocodile suddenly spoke up. "Mariejois wants the Nefertari line! Nefertari Vivi is in my hands. If you release me, I can hand her over to you. That would be a massive achievement for you, wouldn't it?"
Diarmuid: "???"
Wasn't Princess Vivi taken away by Dragon and his lot?
However, given that Crocodile knew Vivi hadn't fallen into the hands of the CP agents, it was possible he had actually intercepted her from Dragon's group. This guy was impressive. If Diarmuid hadn't been here, Crocodile basically would have succeeded!
In fact, if Diarmuid hadn't acquired the Dark-Dark Fruit, even he wouldn't have been able to block a full-power blast from the Ancient Weapon Pluton. At best, he could have protected Hina; everyone else would have been on their own.
But Crocodile's plan was fundamentally sound. Diarmuid had already learned from Robin that Crocodile was indeed wielding the power of an Ancient Weapon.
Thinking of this, Diarmuid looked at Crocodile with a hint of pity. The man was truly cursed with bad luck. In the original timeline, he ran into the Straw Hat Pirates and got a lesson in humility from the "Protagonists of Destiny." Now, he had run into Diarmuid and the Dark-Dark Fruit... talk about a raw deal.
"Do you really think I care about 'achievements'? What, if I catch Vivi, do I suddenly become Fleet Admiral?" Diarmuid said mockingly.
What did Nefertari Vivi matter to him? To Mariejois, she might be invaluable, but to Diarmuid, she was useless. Her value didn't even come close to Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit. There was no way Diarmuid would let him go for her.
Crocodile faltered. He realized that for someone at Diarmuid's level, "merit" wasn't much of a temptation. Those who reached the rank of Admiral didn't lack achievements; they didn't need one more gold star. Further advancement was usually a matter of internal politics and coordination.
Seeing Diarmuid unmoved, Crocodile turned to Doflamingo and the others. "At the very least, you lot need her... Your mission this time was to capture the Nefertari family! You are Warlords of the Sea, after all—"
"Ahem, apologies. I am a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters," Jinbe interrupted with a cough.
Hancock rubbed her nose and added, "Former Captain of Marine G-7 Branch, current Warlord of the Sea, and concurrently a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters... Boa Hancock."
In the top-secret files of the Marines, any officer who transitioned into the Warlord system was often surreptitiously promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral.
Crocodile stared at Jinbe and Hancock, completely stunned. What the hell...
Then, he turned a look of utter disbelief toward Doflamingo. Don't tell me you're a Marine too?
"Ahem..." Doflamingo coughed awkwardly. "Don't get the wrong idea. I've never been a Marine. I'm a dyed-in-the-wool pirate who became a Warlord. However, my relationship with the Marines has always been very friendly. Oh, and if you must know, my younger brother is Fleet Admiral Sengoku's foster son, and my most trusted subordinate is a Marine Rear Admiral..."
Crocodile nearly spat in Doflamingo's face. To hell with you!
That's basically being a Marine! What kind of freaks and monsters did I summon this time? In the end, you're all Marines? I'm the only actual pirate here?
What is wrong with the Warlords of the Sea? Has everyone in this world become this devious? What happened to honor among thieves?
"Mihawk..." Crocodile suddenly shouted, then demanded half-crazed, "What about Mihawk? Is he a Marine too?"
"Ah, no." Jinbe shook his head honestly. "Of the ones you summoned, Mihawk is the only one who isn't one of ours."
Crocodile felt a tiny flicker of relief. At least I didn't fail completely... at least I brought in one person who wasn't a Marine.
Then, Crocodile froze as a thought struck him. "Of the ones I summoned? You mean the other two, Smoker and Bartholomew Kuma, are also Marines?"
Diarmuid didn't feel like explaining further. He said with a chuckle, "Crocodile, surely you didn't think the Warlords of the Sea was a pirate organization?"
Crocodile wanted to scream, Is it not supposed to be?!
But looking at the situation, even a fool would realize that the Warlords were essentially an auxiliary branch of the Navy. These Marine bastards were too sinister! If he guessed correctly, out of the seven Warlords, only he and Mihawk were actually pirates.
The Seven Warlords... and five of them are Marines?
At this moment, Crocodile felt true despair. He gave a sudden, hollow laugh. "To think it came to this. In the end, it was my own poor judgment..."
"Any last words?" Diarmuid asked.
Knowing so many Marine secrets, Crocodile knew he was a dead man. Now that his chips were gone and his fate was sealed, he regained the composure of a true great pirate, showing no signs of cowardice.
After a moment's reflection, Crocodile looked at Diarmuid. "I have no last words. A man like me shouldn't have any, right? But at the very end, I have one doubt: What is your actual ability?"
Crocodile had no sons or heirs, so he didn't care about a legacy. Before dying, he simply wanted to know what Diarmuid's power was.
He said it was gravity... but what kind of gravity swallows an Ancient Weapon's attack?
Diarmuid was silent for a moment before speaking. "You might not believe it, but since it's your final question, I'll tell you. Not long ago, I became a dual-ability user. In other words, I am currently both a Paramecia-type Gravity-Gravity Fruit user and a Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit user. The power I used earlier was from the Dark-Dark Fruit..."
"Dual abilities!?" Crocodile's instinct was to scoff.
But he realized there was no reason for Diarmuid to lie to a dying man, and the man had indeed manifested the power of darkness.
Crocodile burst into laughter. "Hahaha! To fall at the hands of a dual-ability user... I suppose it's not too humiliating. Come then, satisfy your twisted humor and kill me yourself..."
Crocodile thought Diarmuid was being sadistic, as there was no reason not to have killed him already.
Diarmuid summoned a swirl of darkness in his hand. "It's not about 'humor.' One of the most unique abilities of the Dark-Dark Fruit is the power to seize the Devil Fruit abilities of others. You've already experienced a taste of that, Crocodile. After you die, your Sand-Sand Fruit power will be taken into our custody..."
Crocodile's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
But he didn't have time to speak. The darkness in Diarmuid's hand formed a claw, which plunged into Crocodile's chest, seizing his heart.
Thick dark energy erupted from Diarmuid's hand. The light in Crocodile's eyes grew dim, blood staining his lips and nose. After a long while, his piercing gaze fixed on Diarmuid before his breathing finally stopped.
Sir Crocodile, the Great Pirate, Warlord of the Sea, and Desert King, had died at the hands of Diarmuid.
None of them felt like mourning. Doflamingo looked on with anticipation and asked, "How is it?"
"Bring the fruit over, quick!" Diarmuid commanded.
He could already feel his dark element capturing something. Since this was his first time doing this, he didn't know how long the effect would last and couldn't afford to dally.
Hina quickly spread a wide variety of fruits across the table, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Diarmuid withdrew his hand, stained with blood and dark energy, from Crocodile's chest. His fist was clenched tight, as if holding something invisible. He moved his hand over the fruit on the table. When he passed over an orange, the invisible power in his hand flickered.
Diarmuid's eyes lit up, and he thrust the power into the orange.
To the amazement of everyone watching, a perfectly ordinary orange began to sprout the eerie, swirling patterns of a Devil Fruit. After a few breaths, it had transformed completely.
"This is... the Logia Sand-Sand Fruit!?" Jinbe exclaimed.
"Indeed. It seems the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit really can seize the abilities of others. It truly is the most evil power in history..." Diarmuid picked up the Sand-Sand Fruit and looked at it, speaking with a voice full of complex emotion.