The last time Diarmuid came to the New World, he didn't get to see much of it. The Marines were on a forced march the entire way, rushing to the Edd War Sea to take advantage of the Golden Lion's great fleet.
This time, the trip to the New World was much more leisurely.
Fleet Admiral Kong's battleship sailed smoothly and steadily toward the G-1 Marine Base.
Even on a tour of inspection, Kong was still very busy. He stayed in his cabin, using a Den Den Mushi from time to time to contact Sengoku at Marineford and discuss many important matters.
The fax machine in his cabin never stopped running. It was almost always transmitting documents as long as the Fleet Admiral was in there.
Compared to the busy Fleet Admiral, Kuzan and Diarmuid had a much easier time.
Kuzan had set up a lounge chair on the deck. He was wearing an eye mask, and since the weather was nice, he just lay there, pretending to nap in the sun.
Diarmuid sat beside him on a small stool, holding a fishing rod and enjoying the scenery as he fished.
He now understood why a high-ranking Fleet Admiral still needed escorts for his trips. To put it simply, they were there to handle the trivialities of the voyage so that they wouldn't disturb him while he worked.
"Kuzan, how much longer until we get to the G-1 Marine Base?" Diarmuid suddenly asked.
Kuzan, who was feigning sleep, heard the question but didn't take off his eye mask. He said in a relaxed voice, "What's wrong? Can't handle the boredom? Most voyages on the sea are like this. They sound amazing, but in reality, they're incredibly boring. As a veteran, I'll give you some advice: get an eye mask or something. Sometimes, you just sleep, and you're there when you wake up…"
"I'll pass. I'd rather practice my sword swings than sleep. To be honest, I think you'd be a lot stronger if you weren't so lazy." Diarmuid retorted.
"You, the fisherman, are in no position to lecture me. What you're doing isn't lazy?" Kuzan shot back unhappily.
"At least I can bring some food for the ship's crew. All you're doing is daydreaming. We're not the same." Diarmuid replied bluntly.
"But you're a rookie, and you haven't caught a single thing so far!" Kuzan said, snatching off his eye mask.
"That's because I'm just starting. You get better with practice. Can you say the same about sleeping?" Diarmuid said, using his twisted logic.
Kuzan, who was infuriated, couldn't win the argument and could only glare at Diarmuid.
A moment later, they both suddenly burst out laughing.
Just as Kuzan said, sailing on the high seas sounded like a fun adventure full of romance.
But in reality, it was nothing like that. It wasn't uncommon to sail for ten days in a row without seeing an island. No matter where you looked, it was just the vast, endless sea. The chances of anything interesting happening were very low.
Instead, all that was left was boredom and loneliness. In this environment, you had to find something to do to keep from going crazy.
Kuzan chose to sleep, and Diarmuid decided to try his hand at fishing.
Because of this, when they were bored, the two of them would start trading playful insults to make the monotonous voyage a little more fun.
"So, how much longer until we get there?" Diarmuid asked again.
He was just a Commodore brought along by Kuzan. He didn't even know which way the G-1 base was, and he wasn't in charge of the travel arrangements, so he really had no idea.
Kuzan, on the other hand, no matter how relaxed he seemed, was the one in charge of the ship's arrangements.
"Almost there, almost there," Kuzan said helplessly.
"Just give me an accurate answer," Diarmuid grumbled.
Kuzan looked at the sun in the sky, estimated the time, and then said, "We'll get there by the afternoon at the latest."
"That's great," Diarmuid said, his mood instantly lifting.
After sailing for over ten days, the best news anyone could hear was that they were finally arriving at their destination.
Just then, the fishing rod in Diarmuid's hand suddenly trembled. His eyes lit up, and he laughed. "Finally caught one!"
As he spoke, he jerked his wrist, pulling the rod up with a surge of raw power. After the durable fishing line quivered, a silhouette was pulled out of the sea.
The creatures in this sea were strange and colorful. The fish Diarmuid had just pulled out had a large, sword-like fishbone on its head. It looked incredibly vicious. The fish was about as big as a Marine lifeboat, and its teeth were so prominent that its lips couldn't even cover them. It was clearly a powerful creature.
"Arara, a Bluefin Broadsword Fish. Its meat is delicious. Is this your first catch? You've got some really good luck, kid!" Kuzan said with a smile.
As soon as he said that, the Bluefin Broadsword Fish suddenly swung its tail in mid-air, accelerating toward Diarmuid with its sword-bone head, looking extremely fierce.
"Hahahahaha, you're pretty feisty!" Diarmuid said, laughing. He gave his wrist a shake, and a strange force was transferred through the fishing rod. The ferocious Bluefin Broadsword Fish was suddenly suspended in mid-air by the invisible force, and it couldn't get down no matter how much it struggled.
Diarmuid slowly and calmly stood up and drew the Nagasone Kotetsu from his waist. The blade flashed with a cold light.
"Secret Technique: Bone-Slicing Blade!" Diarmuid said, making something up on the spot. A cold flash of light shot from his blade.
A few slashes flew out, and then the Bluefin Broadsword Fish, which had been so fierce, was instantly dismembered. Its bones and organs were still suspended in the air, while the tender fish meat fell onto the deck in neat, orderly slices.
With the job done, Diarmuid sheathed the Nagasone Kotetsu and waved to a few Marines. "You guys, send this meat to the kitchen. We're having extra food tonight."
"Yes, Commodore Diarmuid!" The Marines quickly responded.
"I'm starting to think your ability and your swordsmanship are a perfect match. With that ability, even if your swordsmanship is a little half-baked, you can still pass as a swordsman, right?" Kuzan said with a laugh.
"It doesn't mean much. I'm not after a hollow reputation, nor am I obsessed with swordsmanship. All that matters is being strong enough," Diarmuid said, waving his hand, completely unbothered.
But after a brief pause, Diarmuid said with a hint of anticipation, "Speaking of which, we've never really sparred properly…"
When he said "sparred," he meant "fought."
Kuzan raised an eyebrow when he heard this. "Are you getting a little too full of yourself, kid? Do you want to fight me?"
Diarmuid smirked. "I said it's just sparring."
Just then, a hearty laugh came from not far away. It sounded powerful and uninhibited.
"Hahahahahaha, seeing you two so full of energy makes me think the Marines have a promising future! Kuzan, Diarmuid, if you two really want to spar, this old man will definitely watch!" Kong walked out of the cabin with a dignified and powerful stride, laughing as he spoke.
"Fleet Admiral!" Kuzan and Diarmuid said at the same time.
Before they could stand at attention and salute, Kong waved his hand dismissively. "No need."
Kong looked intimidating, but he was actually a very gentle old man. His fierce look was likely due to the scars on his face. But this also proved that this Marine Fleet Admiral was someone who had fought his way out of life-and-death situations.
Kong was now over fifty years old. In terms of physical condition, he was likely in his prime. Diarmuid knew very well that this powerhouse would continue to hold the position of Fleet Admiral for over a decade.
From his memory, it seemed that after the Mariejois arson incident and after Fisher Tiger, the slave liberator, was killed by Borsalino, Kong was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the entire armed forces and went to Mariejois.
Sengoku then became the Marine Fleet Admiral, and Borsalino, Kuzan, and Sakazuki were all promoted to Admiral.
It had to be said that Fisher Tiger was a crucial figure for the Marines, as he was a key part of the major change in the Marine leadership.
Diarmuid had never seen Kong in action, but judging by his body, which was as muscular as a wild beast's, and his powerful, domineering aura, he was undoubtedly a top-tier fighter.
"We'll be there soon, won't we?" Kong asked.
Kuzan quickly replied, "Yes, Fleet Admiral. We'll be there very soon."
"I heard from Sengoku that once you get back from this trip, you're going to be promoted to Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters. Kuzan, I've watched you grow up in the Marines, step by step. Don't let yourself get lazy after you become a Vice Admiral," Kong said with a smile.
Kuzan quickly nodded. "Yes, Fleet Admiral."
Diarmuid also understood what was happening. It meant that Sengoku had already paved the way for Kuzan and had everything ready. All he had to do was finish this trip and go back to become a Vice Admiral.
While he was a little disappointed that the gap between himself and Kuzan was about to widen, Diarmuid was happy for Kuzan.
After encouraging Kuzan for a few more moments, Kong looked at Diarmuid and said, "So you're the head of the sixth class? Looking at you is like looking at a young Sengoku, Diarmuid."
Every graduating class of the Marine Officer Training Camp had a final competition to determine their ranks. The one who performed the best and was the strongest would be named the "head" of their class.
There was no proof, but Diarmuid figured that if he hadn't shown up, Gion would have probably been the head of the sixth class.
As it was, he, Rodriguez Diarmuid, was the one, no doubt. Gion had to settle for being the runner-up.
Compared to two years ago, Diarmuid was much more open and less cautious. When he heard Kong's words, he smiled and said openly, "Sengoku-san says that to me all the time. It would be a great honor to become a man like him someday."
"That's not good enough. You should say you want to become even better than he is. That's how we make progress in the Marines. Each generation should be stronger than the last!" Kong said, patting Diarmuid on the shoulder in encouragement.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral, I'll do my best!" Diarmuid quickly replied.
After they had chatted for a bit, the lookout on the battleship's crows' nest suddenly yelled, "The G-1 Base is in sight!"
Diarmuid heard this and turned to look at the horizon. There was nothing at first, but after a moment, a black dot appeared in the distance. Without a doubt, they were about to arrive at their destination.
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