The warship sailed across the ocean. On the distant horizon, an island had appeared: Enies Lobby, one of the Three Great Strongholds of Justice and the current headquarters of CP9.
On the deck, Diarmuid's arm was in a cast and sling, and he was wrapped in bandages, making him look quite a bit worse for wear. However, his movement wasn't restricted. He had prepared for the possibility of severe injury or defeat on this mission, so he had brought a large number of powerful medical Devil Fruit users from Marineford.
It had been a little over a week since his battle with Katakuri at Long Ring Long Land, and his physical condition was much better now. Most of his injuries were 70-80% healed; only his broken arm was serious and would require a few months to fully recover.
Diarmuid was very satisfied with this battle. Not only had it shown him just how strong he was, but defeating Katakuri had also given him immense self-confidence.
Even though he was a transmigrator, he had been struggling for a long time after arriving in this world. Combined with the mysterious nature of his "cheat"—the Iron Will was a given, but he still had no idea what the black core inside his body was—he wasn't able to rise to power quickly.
Because of this, he had been a bit timid in this dangerous world. He only truly started to take off after he was taken to Marineford, but he still felt a little uncertain about whether he could hold his own.
Now, he was no longer timid. Defeating Katakuri was just the beginning. He was going to keep winning until he stood at the very pinnacle of this world. Only then would his journey to this beautiful but brutal place have been worthwhile!
As he stood in the sea breeze, these thoughts swirled in his mind. Before long, he heard light footsteps behind him.
"Rear Admiral Diarmuid, your injuries haven't fully healed. It's not good for you to be out here in the wind." Stussy walked up to Diarmuid with a smile. Although her administrative rank was higher than his, she didn't dare to put on airs in front of him. Her tone was respectful.
This was normal. In this world, one should always show respect for the strong.
Diarmuid smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Stussy-san."
Stussy nodded, looking at him with a grin. "I heard that Rear Admiral Diarmuid is the Deputy Chief of the Marineford Intelligence Division and that you once predicted the Roger Pirates' rise to power and disbandment. That's truly amazing. I never knew that on top of being so strong, you also possessed such high intelligence."
Diarmuid looked at Stussy strangely, wondering why she was buttering him up.
Stussy was genuinely surprised. After leaving the Orphanage, she had been trying to find out more about Diarmuid's background and experience. She had recently received some detailed intelligence, and she was shocked by what she saw—this man was not only a powerful fighter, but he was also incredibly smart.
Her inquiries had also attracted the attention of other members of the CP organization, who now wanted to see if they could get Diarmuid to work for them. They were even willing to make him a member of CP0.
Just as Diarmuid had tried to poach Stussy to the Marines at the orphanage, the CP agency was always trying to poach talent from the Marines. After all, they were "sister organizations" under the same boss, fighting for justice!
"I don't believe your talents are being fully utilized in the Marines, Rear Admiral," Stussy said. "After all, the Marines care about seniority. No matter how incredible you are, you have less experience than Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino, so your room for promotion is limited. But our CP agency is different…"
She paused before continuing in a low voice, "If Rear Admiral Diarmuid is willing to join the CP agency, our boss is willing to personally speak with Fleet Admiral Kong and have you transferred directly to CP0 as a Senior Action Commander.
"I've never heard of such an offer before. You probably know that all members of CP0 have an administrative rank equivalent to a Marine Vice Admiral, and a Senior Action Commander is on par with an Admiral candidate. In a couple of years, as you grow stronger, our CP agency can offer you even more."
Stussy's sincerity was undeniable. It was a far cry from Diarmuid's vague promises at the Orphanage, where he had offered nothing but empty words.
Now, Stussy was offering him a truly generous deal. If Diarmuid agreed, he would go directly from a Rear Admiral to an Admiral candidate, a huge leap in rank. It seemed the CP agency was desperate to add a valuable, high-level fighter to their ranks.
Of course, Diarmuid was tempted. But in the end, he simply smiled. "Stussy-san, if you had said those words to me three years ago at Marine Branch 103 in North Blue, I probably would have agreed without hesitation. But unfortunately, you're too late."
He was right. Due to the "old ailments" of the Marine system, it was impossible for him to be promoted as quickly as he deserved. The future three Admirals only received their promotions more than ten years from now, after Fisher Tiger's rampage.
No matter how fast he was, he probably couldn't change that. Perhaps if he was lucky, he could be promoted alongside them, replace one of them, or even get the Marines to make four Admirals.
But even with that in mind, Diarmuid had no intention of leaving the Marines for the CP agency. The Marines were an independent military organization, albeit one with budget and protocol constraints. But Diarmuid could sense that leaders like Admiral Sengoku were trying to change things behind the scenes. He believed the Marines could be reformed.
The CP agency was different. While they had a similar administrative rank, they lacked the same independence; they were essentially the lapdogs of the World Nobles.
Unlike the Marines, who had enough military strength to resist the World Government to a certain extent, the CP agency had no such power. If he joined, he would truly be a dog.
Before, when he had no other option, he would have swallowed his pride for power, strength, and status. But now that he was doing so well in the Marines, why would he go to the CP agency and have to bow to others?
As for promotion, the Marines might have many restrictions now, but that would change. In more than twenty years, they would even hold the World Conscription, directly promoting wanderers like Fujitora to Admiral. It was clear how eager the Marines would be to change at that point.
Diarmuid was patient. After this battle, he was full of confidence. He believed that with a few more years, he could accumulate enough seniority and achievements to stand shoulder to shoulder with Kuzan and the others, or even surpass them. At that point, getting one of the Admiral positions would be no problem. And after the Summit War, he might even be able to become Fleet Admiral.
If he joined the CP agency, he might be promoted quickly in the short term, but would he be able to become the boss of the CP agency in twenty years? That was an open question.
Even if he couldn't get an Admiral position, he was sure he wouldn't be left behind by outsiders like Fujitora and Ryokugyu. He just had to be patient; he could still become an Admiral. When he thought about it that way, he would have to be insane to switch to the CP agency.
"I think you've made your decision too quickly, Rear Admiral. You should give it some more thought. If there's one thing our CP agency has, it's patience. If you ever have a change of heart, you must…" Stussy said, unwilling to give up.
"Hahaha, speaking of which, according to our agreement, when I become a Marine Admiral, Stussy-san will have to seriously consider joining the Marines, right?" Diarmuid laughed, cutting her off.
Stussy's face stiffened for a moment. She forced a smile and nodded. "Of course. I'm honored to be valued by you, Rear Admiral."
This woman is not to be trifled with. She has no shame, Diarmuid thought to himself.
Seeing that Diarmuid had no interest, Stussy gave up on the subject. The two chatted for a bit longer. As Diarmuid saw Enies Lobby getting closer, he said, "This was a pleasant collaboration. I hope to work with you again in the future, Stussy-san. Also, I feel like a noble aura is bursting from your forehead; you might be getting a promotion and a fortune soon. If my words prove true, please take care of me in the future."
Stussy blinked. What is this guy talking about now? What's with the weird fortune-telling stuff? But since he was wishing her well, she forced a smile and said, "I will, I will. You can count on me, Rear Admiral."
"Good. I'll leave the matter of Katakuri to you, Stussy-san. I hope you can save the Verex Kingdom," Diarmuid added. He said the last part with little sincerity.
His goal had been accomplished. Whether the Verex Kingdom lived or died didn't matter to him. He was just handing the political hot potato off to the CP agency to deal with. If they succeeded, he would get some of the credit; if they failed, he wouldn't get blamed. It was a win-win.
The warship docked at Enies Lobby for a while. Stussy and the other CP members left the ship, taking the defeated Katakuri, who was securely bound in Seastone handcuffs. Diarmuid didn't linger. He caught the just-in-time sea current and headed back to Marineford.
In the cabin, Zephyr was drinking tea. Given his status, he didn't need to see off someone like Stussy; in fact, she had come to him to pay her respects before she left. Zephyr had to admit that despite the awkward relationship between the CP agency and Marine Headquarters, Stussy knew how to play both sides without offending anyone.
"When we get back to Headquarters, you should rest and digest what you learned from this battle. It might even give you another boost in strength. Do you understand?" Zephyr said in a gentle tone as Diarmuid walked in.
Diarmuid nodded, then said with a hint of helplessness, "I'm afraid I won't get much rest. Admiral Sengoku has a special mission for me. As soon as Vice Admiral Garp returns, I'm to go with him to West Blue…"
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