The journey was smooth and uneventful. Diarmuid breathed a sigh of relief when his warship finally docked at Marineford. As soon as the ship was secured, Fleet Admiral Kong immediately sent the news he had been holding for days to the World Economy News Paper.
"Big News" Morgans, who was enjoying a lavish meal, was stunned when he received the report from the Marines.
What is this? he thought. Are things changing this abruptly on the high seas now? With no warning at all, the Pirate King, Roger, who had been missing for two years, had been captured by the Marines?
Morgans hadn't seen any major movements from the Marines recently. This has to be a joke, right?
And Rodriguez Diarmuid?
If Morgans remembered correctly, he had just been promoted to Vice Admiral not long ago. Could he really have captured Roger?
However, when he saw the photo the Marines had sent of a shackled Roger, Morgans no longer had any doubts. After all, the Marines had no reason to lie about something like this. He immediately began printing a special edition to get the explosive news out to the entire world.
At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, inside Fleet Admiral Kong's office, Sengoku, Diarmuid, Sakazuki, and Kuzan were all reporting. After hearing Sengoku's report, Kong gave Diarmuid a stern look. "Don't you dare pull a stunt like that again."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral," Diarmuid said, standing at attention and saluting.
Kong was truly afraid. Not of anything else, but that that bastard Garp would lead Diarmuid astray. He thought back to how Kuzan had been such a good kid but was almost led down the wrong path by Garp. Thankfully, by following Sengoku, Kuzan had been brought back in line.
"I've received the directive from the top regarding Roger. Prepare for the execution. It will be in Loguetown in the East Blue. Isn't that Roger's hometown? His legendary life began there, so we will arrange for it to end there," Kong ordered. "Sengoku, this is your responsibility. Don't delay. The news of Roger's capture has already been released. The entire world will know in two days. We must move quickly before something changes. Make it happen."
The decision to execute Roger in Loguetown was a deliberate move by the Marines. It was a clear message to the world, a display of the Marines' power. It said, no matter where you were born or how famous you become, if we have our eyes on you, we can decide where you die. It was a very arrogant statement, but the Marines had the power to back it up.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral," Sengoku replied.
Kong nodded. "The mission to capture Roger is now classified as a top-secret matter. Everyone here is to keep silent. We will not speak of this again. The official story is that the Marines meticulously planned and executed this mission, and Vice Admiral Rodriguez Diarmuid bravely led the charge to capture Roger in the South Blue. Do you all understand?"
As soon as Kong finished speaking, everyone responded in unison. "Yes! Everything for Justice!"
Diarmuid was delighted. With the Fleet Admiral's words, no one would dare to take credit for his accomplishment. And it was clear that Kong intended to promote him. After living at Marineford for a few years, Diarmuid's name wasn't very well known on the high seas. Now was his time to become famous.
However, he then remembered something else. The newspapers would soon be filled with the news of Roger's capture. But because of his interference, even though he took the credit, things had changed. Vice Admiral Garp, who should have been at Marineford, was now stranded in the South Blue at Baterilla Island.
So what about Shiki? he thought. If things followed the original timeline, that bastard Shiki would almost certainly come to Marineford to cause trouble. In the original story, Sengoku and Garp worked together to fight Shiki for three days before finally capturing him at Marineford. But now Garp isn't here…
That's fine, he decided. Compared to Garp, my abilities are a better counter to Shiki. I've been sharpening my blade for years. It's time to get my revenge for what happened in the North Blue!
He still remembered how Shiki had stabbed him through the chest. He hadn't forgotten that debt. He hadn't had a chance before. Shiki had escaped at the Edd War, and Diarmuid was weaker then. But now, while he might not be on the same level as the top-tier powerhouses like Shiki, Diarmuid was confident that he could break a few of Shiki's teeth!
If Shiki dared to come to Marineford, he would be there to crush him and send him to Impel Down to rest.
While Diarmuid was thinking about this, Fleet Admiral Kong continued. "We will deal with the rewards for capturing Roger after the execution. The execution is the most important thing right now, and there must be no mistakes."
Within the Marines, it was clear that Diarmuid had single-handedly captured Roger, but to the rest of the world, the Marines had captured Roger. Because of this, many people besides Diarmuid would get credit. Diarmuid had already made a list of his own. For example, he could use this opportunity to get Doberman promoted to Rear Admiral.
After the meeting, Sengoku was left alone to discuss the execution with the Fleet Admiral. The others, with nothing more to say, left the office together.
Sakazuki walked up to Diarmuid and forced a stiff smile. "You did well, Diarmuid."
To be honest, Sakazuki's smile was hard to look at; he looked better when he wasn't smiling. But Diarmuid could hear the sincerity in his voice; he wasn't trying to challenge him. Besides, their relationship had been good for the past few years, and Sakazuki had no reason to provoke him.
Given Sakazuki's personality and his view on Justice, he was probably genuinely happy that Diarmuid had captured Roger.
Diarmuid smiled back. "Thank you."
"I have other things to handle, so I won't stay long. If you have time, come by my place," Sakazuki said in a low voice.
Diarmuid didn't want to be rude. He happily replied, "Okay, I'll definitely come when I'm free."
Diarmuid had a fairly good understanding of people like Sakazuki. Sakazuki was undoubtedly a rare talent, a powerful and brave fighter. He was a good blade. If used correctly, he would be a great asset. Diarmuid knew that Sengoku would do a great job of this in the future, using him to become a cornerstone of the Marines.
And Sengoku's strategy was solid. The era under Sengoku's command was the peak of the Marines, as he was able to command all three Admirals so effectively. During the Battle of Marineford, the Marines seemed to have gathered all their forces, but that wasn't true. For example, candidates like Gion and others weren't there. Yet, they still managed to crush the Whitebeard Pirates, which proved the Marines' strength.
The Battle of Marineford was a strange affair, though. It seemed like everyone besides Sakazuki was just acting. But even with that, they still won, which further proved how powerful the Marines were.
Sengoku also seemed to have realized that Sakazuki was only fit to be an Admiral, not a Fleet Admiral. Sakazuki's temper was too volatile. A Fleet Admiral needed to be both cunning and capable, especially when shouldering the future of the Marines. A Fleet Admiral couldn't act on impulse.
But Sakazuki was a man who truly believed in "Absolute Justice." Sengoku was afraid that he wouldn't be able to control himself and would lead the Marines into a pit. That's why he had hoped the more composed Kuzan would take over the Fleet Admiral position. But Kuzan lost, and Sakazuki took the position.
In the beginning, Sakazuki's command was indeed a mess. The internal conflict of the Marines exploded. He even fought a Vice Admiral and forced Fujitora to stay away from the Marine base. They were both cursing each other out over the Den Den Mushi. This was unbelievable.
When Sengoku and Kong were Fleet Admirals, which Admiral would have dared to act like that? Which Fleet Admiral would have allowed such open conflict? This showed Sakazuki's shortcomings, but it was later proven that Sakazuki had changed.
During the Wano incident, Borsalino had tested Sakazuki's attitude, but Sakazuki didn't act on his rash impulses. He had clearly matured. It seemed that making a mistake could teach a person a lot.
Diarmuid's lowest goal was to become an Admiral, but his long-term goal was to become Fleet Admiral.
Currently, becoming an Admiral seemed within his reach, so he wasn't worried. He would take it one step at a time. He didn't need to think about becoming Fleet Admiral yet, but he knew it was a possibility.
So, he had always tried to maintain a good relationship with a Marine elite like Sakazuki, despite his personality flaws. If he could maintain this relationship, he might be able to unite all the internal forces of the Marines, just like Sengoku, and prevent infighting from dragging the Marines down. This was a good thing for Diarmuid.
After Sakazuki left, Kuzan came over. "You two have a good relationship, huh?" he said.
"Better than you and him. Seriously, you're both colleagues, how do you manage to be so at odds?" Diarmuid asked with a smile.
"What can I say? It just happened for no reason. I can't stand him, and he can't stand me. Our concepts of Justice are completely opposite, so it happened naturally. But there's nothing to be surprised about. Some people can get along instantly after meeting once, like you and me. And some people, no matter how much time they spend together, just can't stand each other, like him and me. It's just how things are. No need to look into it," Kuzan said, waving his hand.
"Hahaha, you're right," Diarmuid laughed.
"I'm not going to talk with you any longer. I have to get to work. I'm sure there's a lot to do, and if I'm lazy as Sengoku's aide, he'll never forgive me. We'll get a drink sometime. I'm out," Kuzan said with a smile.
"Sounds good. I have nothing to do right now, but I need to rest up after being at sea for so long. The Admiral might give me a chance to command a base somewhere. I'll see which one I like," Diarmuid said with a laugh.
The two then said goodbye and parted ways.
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