In the year 1501 of the Pirate Era, two months after Diarmuid's return, the G-7's expansion was complete. All that was left was to fortify the base. Since the initial blueprint already included these plans, it wasn't a difficult project. All they had to do was fill the newly built base with cannons and other defensive structures.
Doberman seemed to have found a new talent for himself. He had a knack for managing the Impel Down prisoners and had officially become the G-7's head of engineering, commanding four thousand prisoners who were working with fiery enthusiasm.
In his office, Diarmuid was busy drafting his plan for developing the Calm Belt. He had left all matters of recruitment to Gion. The three countries within the G-7's jurisdiction were fully supportive of the Marines' work.
While the Great Pirate Era hadn't reached them yet, it was always a good idea to prepare for a rainy day. A stronger G-7 would be better at protecting their waters in the coming days, so Gion's recruitment efforts, backed by a large amount of Berries, were going smoothly.
Pere pere pere…
The Den Den Mushi on the desk rang. Diarmuid looked up. It was a call from Admiral Sengoku. He put down his pen, picked up the Den Den Mushi, and asked with a chuckle, "Admiral Sengoku? Do you have a mission for G-7?"
"Diarmuid? Did you order seventy warships from Headquarters? Two thousand heavy cannons? And twenty thousand units of ammo and gun reserves?" Sengoku asked, his voice filled with shock.
Diarmuid laughed. "Yeah. But do you really have to personally check on all the logistics, Admiral? You must never get tired…"
Sengoku was speechless. Logistics were handled by a separate division. He was only keeping an eye on G-7 because it was Diarmuid's base. He and the Fleet Admiral had been waiting for Diarmuid's grand plan for the Calm Belt, but half a year had passed with no progress.
Then, on a whim, he checked and found that this guy had ordered seventy warships and a mountain of weapons and ammo. The warships alone were worth 14 billion Berries. With the cannons and ammo, it all added up to over 40 billion Berries. Admiral Sengoku was completely dumbfounded.
"Where did you get all that money? I remember G-7 only had about 10 billion Berries when you took over! But Headquarters has already received almost 40 billion Berries worth of gold from you! Did you already find a gold mine in the Calm Belt? Diarmuid, it's not a good habit to keep secrets!" Sengoku demanded.
"My Calm Belt development plan is still in the writing phase. I haven't really started yet. I sent three warships a few days ago to scout for a suitable island to build a transit station. Next, I plan to find some geological experts to go with them and see if the islands have any mineral resources," Diarmuid said with a laugh.
"You haven't started yet?" Sengoku asked with suspicion.
"Not at all. How could I ever hide something like that from you, Admiral?" Diarmuid laughed again.
"Then where did you get all that gold?" Sengoku asked, utterly confused.
"I went to the sky islands and found the legendary City of Gold of Shandora. I brought the whole thing back to G-7. It's right next to the base, guarded by two thousand Marines. It's an entire city made of gold. I'd estimate its value at over a trillion Berries. To put it simply, G-7 won't have money problems for the next decade. A few dozen billion Berries is just chump change," Diarmuid said smugly.
"..."
"What did you say? The City of Gold?!" Sengoku was completely lost.
"Yeah!" Diarmuid replied.
The legend of the City of Gold was still a popular story on the sea, about how it was connected to "Liar" Noland from four hundred years ago. But no one had ever found the legendary treasure, so people had just come to see it as a funny tale.
But now, Diarmuid was suddenly saying he found the City of Gold and had gained an entire city's worth of gold. The G-7 base had gone from a pauper to a millionaire?
"You're not joking, are you?" Sengoku asked, still in disbelief. How could this kid be so lucky? He just went on a little trip and found the City of Gold?
"Why would I joke about this? If you want to see the magnificent City of Gold, you're welcome to visit G-7 anytime!" Diarmuid laughed.
"How did you know about the City of Gold?" Sengoku asked again.
"Huh? I reported this to Headquarters two years ago, didn't I?" Diarmuid said, confused.
"What? I don't remember that!" Sengoku was even more confused.
"That's impossible. I specifically wrote a report for you. Do you remember that time you told me to find my own funding for that nonexistent organization? I submitted two reports to you. One was about the Jewel Ice Sheet containing the treasure of the Kano Kingdom's Happo Navy, and the other was a secret message about the City of Gold on the sky islands.
"But then I went with Vice Admiral Garp to clear out the Jewel Ice Sheet. The organization had enough funding, and I even gave a huge sum of money to Headquarters, so I didn't bother looking for the City of Gold. When I came to G-7 and found that I was in desperate need of money, I remembered the legendary treasure and took my men to the sky islands myself…" Diarmuid explained.
Sengoku: 'What the hell are you talking about?'
He vaguely remembered the incident. Diarmuid had indeed reported something like that. But he had dismissed it as a legend, a fairy tale. Who would believe that Diarmuid would say he was going to find the City of Gold and actually find it? He thought he was just messing with him! But he was actually serious?
In an instant, Sengoku was filled with regret. His little oversight had cost Headquarters at least a trillion Berries. That was an entire city made of gold! It might even be two or three trillion, or more! And with the City of Gold's fame as a four-hundred-year-old legend, its value as an antique would only increase!
"Ahem, Diarmuid. Headquarters did receive your report. To be honest, I was just about to assemble a fleet to investigate the sky islands. I didn't expect you to get there first…" Sengoku's tone suddenly became much gentler.
Diarmuid instantly became wary. 'I don't believe a word you say.'
That old geezer is a trickster!
"Is that so? What a shame. You should have told me earlier, Admiral…" Diarmuid said, pretending not to understand.
Sengoku paused. "How about this? There's a saying, 'finders keepers.' Headquarters is in a very tight financial spot. I think we should split the City of Gold…"
"Admiral Sengoku, according to Headquarters' regulations, based on the new base laws of 1497, a Marine base has financial autonomy. Seized funds can be used for the base's military expenses. I haven't used a single Berry for myself, so I haven't violated any laws. According to the regulations, Headquarters can't…" Diarmuid quickly cut him off. 'I finally struck it rich, and you're trying to rob me before I can even enjoy it? Have you no humanity?'
"I saw your development plan. G-7 is planning to increase its forces to fifty thousand. You've already finished most of the fortifications. With the City of Gold, you'll have enough money to last for twenty years. Why do you need so much? You can't even spend it all. How about you hand it over to Headquarters? I'll let you keep two hundred billion Berries for G-7's development. That's enough for a few years, isn't it?" Sengoku proposed.
"Two hundred billion? Admiral, the City of Gold is worth at least a trillion Berries. I even think it's worth at least two trillion. You want to take nine-tenths of it and only leave me two hundred billion? Is that fair? How about this: I, Diarmuid, am a filial son. Headquarters is my home, and everyone should take care of it. I've decided to donate three hundred billion Berries in the name of the G-7 base as a show of our goodwill. How about that?" Diarmuid said quickly. Even though he hadn't figured out how to spend all that gold and knew he probably couldn't spend it all in fifteen years, he still didn't want to give it away!
Sengoku listened to Diarmuid's stingy words, so angry he almost pulled out his beard. "Diarmuid! Do you want to get fired?! I'll transfer you back to Headquarters right now! I'm telling you, you're giving up that City of Gold whether you like it or not! Don't get me mad, or I won't even leave you two hundred billion!"
Diarmuid: 'Are you kidding me?! You can't win with logic, so you're going to resort to force?'
"Admiral, you're an Admiral! You're the embodiment of justice! You should be upholding fairness and justice on the seas! Are you really going to rob your own subordinate of his money?! When did the Marines become a military that does this?! What about the law?! Where's the justice?! What about your reputation of decades, Admiral Sengoku?!" Diarmuid cried out indignantly.
"What do I need a reputation for?! Hand over the City of Gold, and you can do whatever you want with my reputation! I'm putting my dignity aside! As for the Marines and the law, you're using Impel Down prisoners as slaves, and you're talking about law?! You can talk all day, but you're still giving the bulk of that City of Gold to Headquarters!" Admiral Sengoku said without any shame.
Is this what a Marine Admiral is supposed to be like? He's willing to throw away his reputation and dignity for the greater good of the Marines?
"So you're just going to rob me?" Diarmuid said sadly.
"Yes, I am robbing you!" Sengoku said with righteous conviction. He then lowered his voice. "Diarmuid, you're not going to stay at G-7 forever. You're someone who will become an Admiral eventually. When that happens, you'll return to Headquarters anyway, right? So if Headquarters gets stronger, you get stronger. Trust me. I'll keep this money for you, like a savings account. When you become an Admiral, you can spend it all… Okay?"
Diarmuid: 'What the hell? This is the same old trick my mom used to use to get my New Year's money! She said she'd give it back to me when I grew up, but I crossed over to this world, and I still haven't seen it!'
"Fine, I'll keep four hundred billion Berries!" Diarmuid said, his voice hard. He realized Admiral Sengoku was so shameless he had no chance of keeping the City of Gold for himself. He knew he couldn't spend all the money anyway, and Admiral Sengoku had a point.
He wouldn't stay at G-7 forever. He would eventually go back to Headquarters to become an Admiral and a Fleet Admiral. In the end, whether Headquarters used the money to strengthen the military or saved it for him, it would eventually fall into his hands.
He was mentally prepared that the City of Gold couldn't stay with him forever. The gold was useless if he couldn't spend it. But in the hands of Headquarters, it would quickly be converted into powerful assets that would benefit the entire Marine force.
He just didn't expect Admiral Sengoku to have such a talent for being a pirate.
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