That night, after dinner, Diarmuid returned to the dormitory and took a shower.
He had just walked out of the bathroom wearing only his boxers when Momonga suddenly wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"Diarmuid!"
"Heading to the sparring hall tonight?"
Momonga asked with a grin.
Diarmuid laughed and nodded.
"Yeah."
"Great!"
"I'm joining too."
"Let's fight tonight."
"Strawberry told me he already lost to you."
"That was just technique," Diarmuid said modestly.
"I still have plenty to improve."
At that moment the door opened and Strawberry walked out.
"A win is a win," he said calmly.
"Let's go."
"I'm curious whether Momonga will lose to you too."
Soon the three of them headed together to the sparring hall.
Perhaps the seas had been unstable recently.
Either way, the hall wasn't crowded tonight.
Only about ten people were there.
But Diarmuid was surprised to see that besides their class, some graduates had also arrived.
One of them was someone he knew very well—
Kuzan.
Standing beside Kuzan were two others.
One was Gion, who had invited him to the sword match earlier.
The other was a man with a distinctly laid-back, slightly sly expression.
Borsalino.
This was Diarmuid's first time meeting him.
He looked quite young.
But the aura of sly laziness already surrounded him.
Just standing there made him seem unreliable.
Kuzan spotted Diarmuid and waved happily.
"Hey, Diarmuid!"
"Long time no see!"
Diarmuid walked over with a smile and looked him up and down.
"Looks like your leg has healed."
"Yeah," Kuzan grinned.
"I was discharged two days ago."
"Finally got a long vacation."
Gion looked surprised.
"You two know each other?"
Unlike Diarmuid, who had come from a North Blue branch, Gion, Kuzan, and Borsalino had all started their careers at Marine Headquarters.
All three had strong backgrounds.
Kuzan was a graduate of the third Officer Training Class and a direct student of Zephyr.
His superior was the Marine Hero Garp.
Combined with his powerful Logia Ice-Ice Fruit, anyone could see he was destined for the Marine high command as long as he didn't mess things up.
Gion herself was a swordswoman.
She was extremely close to Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Marine Headquarters Chief of Staff.
Her future was also very bright.
As for Borsalino—
He worked directly under Admiral Sengoku and was a graduate of the first training class.
Already a Vice Admiral, he was firmly part of the Navy's core strength.
Gion's surprise wasn't because Diarmuid lacked status.
It was simply because he had only recently arrived from the North Blue.
He shouldn't have known anyone here.
Kuzan explained with a grin.
"We shared a hospital room before."
"I see," Gion nodded in understanding.
At that moment Borsalino looked at Diarmuid with a strange tone.
"Oh my… so you're Diarmuid?"
"Admiral Sengoku mentions you quite often."
"Nice to finally meet you."
Borsalino's tone sounded a little irritating, but Diarmuid knew it wasn't malicious.
That was simply how he talked.
"Good evening, Vice Admiral Borsalino," Diarmuid replied with a smile.
Borsalino nodded, then added,
"Admiral Sengoku also asked me to pass along a message. He said you don't need to take on any missions for now. Just focus on training here for the time being."
A look of realization crossed Diarmuid's face.
So it wasn't that he had been forgotten.
Admiral Sengoku had simply been looking out for him behind the scenes.
Kuzan and Gion were both slightly surprised by this.
So Diarmuid had quietly established a connection with Sengoku already?
From the looks of it, he would likely become one of Sengoku's direct subordinates in the future.
As for this kind of special treatment, neither of them found it strange.
After all, they themselves were members of this sort of "privileged circle."
They had also benefited from similar advantages before.
Naturally, beneficiaries rarely object to such things.
"Yes, understood. Please convey my thanks to Admiral Sengoku," Diarmuid replied with a smile.
"Alright, enough about that," Kuzan said with a grin.
"I heard you're stepping up tonight, so I came to watch."
"Make sure you win, Diarmuid."
"If you perform well, I'll transfer you under my command."
"Don't worry—my unit rarely gets missions."
"Even if Admiral Sengoku stops looking after you, you'll still have plenty of time to train."
Diarmuid rolled his eyes.
"No thanks. Following you around doesn't seem like it leads to much of a future."
"Hahaha!" Gion laughed.
"He's right, Kuzan. You're far too lazy."
"Diarmuid works hard. Don't drag him down."
Despite not interacting much before, Diarmuid could already tell something about Gion.
She was beautiful, yes—but her personality was incredibly straightforward and bold.
"Hey," Kuzan protested.
"No matter what, I'm still more hardworking than Borsalino."
"Oh?" Borsalino raised an eyebrow.
"What exactly do you mean by that, Rear Admiral Kuzan?"
"I'm a Vice Admiral, you know."
After chatting for a while, Diarmuid glanced at the time.
"It's about time."
"You guys keep talking. I'm heading up."
After greeting them, he turned and walked away.
Only then did Borsalino speak quietly.
"You were wondering why I came tonight, right?"
"To be honest, that kid really caught Admiral Sengoku's attention."
"He asked me to observe his performance."
"If it's good enough, then when the time is right, he'll be assigned to my ship."
In the original timeline, Borsalino would gradually shift toward the Marine neutral faction.
But right now, he was still very much part of Sengoku's camp.
Sengoku had personally raised him.
While serving as a Vice Admiral, he also acted as Sengoku's Admiral aide.
Normally, when Sengoku went on missions, Borsalino accompanied him.
So when Borsalino said this, Kuzan and Gion immediately understood.
As long as Diarmuid proved himself—
He would become a member of Admiral Sengoku's faction.
His future would be extremely bright.
As for the so-called "stage," there wasn't actually a formal arena.
Momonga was already warming up.
There were no gloves or protective gear either.
This was essentially real combat sparring.
No rules.
As long as weapons weren't used.
Victory was decided when one side surrendered or could no longer stand.
Diarmuid removed the Justice coat draped over his shoulders and tossed it onto a nearby chair.
He also took off his outer jacket, revealing the white training vest underneath.
His physique was clearly visible beneath it.
While not the exaggerated muscles of a bodybuilder, it was still powerfully built and imposing.
"Nice physique," Kuzan commented with a grin.
Borsalino, however, was far more shameless.
"Gion," he said lazily,
"aren't you always annoyed by that guy Tokikake constantly confessing to you?"
"Why not just end his hopes and get a boyfriend?"
"I think Diarmuid would be pretty good."
"Decently handsome, bright future…"
"And a great body."
Gion glared at him irritably.
"Senpai, please mind your own business."
"I have no interest in romance right now."
"What an unlovely response," Borsalino chuckled.
Meanwhile, Diarmuid finished warming up and walked toward Momonga.
Momonga stopped his stretches and approached him.
Standing face to face, both of them raised an arm and lightly bumped fists.
"Don't hold back," Momonga said with a smile.
"I'd actually prefer if you went easy on me," Diarmuid replied.
There was no referee.
The moment they pulled their fists back, both stepped away simultaneously.
The sparring match had begun.
Neither attacked first.
Both waited for the other to make the opening move.
After circling cautiously for a moment—
A fierce glint flashed through Diarmuid's eyes.
His foot slammed against the ground as he lunged forward, launching the first attack.
Momonga's footwork was extremely agile.
As Diarmuid rushed in, Momonga sidestepped and threw a heavy punch toward Diarmuid's head.
Diarmuid tilted his head and twisted his body, dodging the strike.
At the same time, he countered with a punch aimed directly at Momonga's chest.
Momonga reacted quickly.
He grabbed Diarmuid's arm and halted the punch.
Then he swung his other arm like an iron rod and smashed it hard into Diarmuid's chest.
The heavy blow made Momonga smile slightly, thinking he had gained the upper hand.
But watching from the sidelines, Strawberry sighed helplessly.
Having fought Diarmuid before, he understood his rhythm very well.
If Momonga let his guard down even slightly, Diarmuid would drag him into a disadvantageous tempo.
And this might just be the beginning.
Sure enough—
Momonga had expected that hit to at least interrupt Diarmuid's attack.
But it didn't.
Diarmuid seemed completely unfazed.
As if he felt no pain at all.
Even after taking the blow, he didn't hesitate.
His elbow shot forward instantly, slamming into Momonga's chest.
"Cough—!" Momonga gasped.
Before he could retaliate, Diarmuid hooked his arm around Momonga's neck.
At the same time, he trapped Momonga's leg and pushed backward, trying to throw him to the ground.
Momonga had no time to think.
He grabbed Diarmuid's neck as well to keep from falling.
Then he drove his knee upward and slammed it hard into Diarmuid's stomach.
Diarmuid's face flushed red—
But his movements didn't stop for even a moment.
He endured the knee strike and forced Momonga down to the ground.
"Doesn't that guy feel pain?" Kuzan asked in surprise.
Momonga's counterattack had been extremely effective.
For most people, that knee strike would have caused hesitation.
Momonga could have broken free and regained the initiative.
But Diarmuid simply ignored it.
Beside him, Borsalino spoke quietly.
"According to Admiral Sengoku…"
"Diarmuid has already undergone pain resistance training."
"In the North Blue, when he fought Golden Lion Shiki, his chest was pierced completely through."
"His lungs were severely damaged."
"Even in that condition, he still delivered the most effective counterattack possible."
"He nearly cut Shiki's head off."
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