Dragon finally held back his anger and touched his cheek. He said with a sigh, "No, it was nothing. I just got it on a whim."
"On a whim?" Diarmuid chuckled and nodded. "Well, you've got some style."
Apparently not wanting to talk about his strange face tattoo, Dragon changed the subject. "Speaking of the Warlord of the Sea system, do the Marines have any authority over it?"
"Why do you ask?" Diarmuid looked at Dragon.
"Well, I just think the Marines can't possibly be indifferent to something like this, can they?" Dragon said with a laugh.
Diarmuid was silent for a moment before saying, "Of course not. As for the extent of our authority, it's not convenient for me to tell you. But I can tell you that if the Marines don't agree…"
At this point, Diarmuid pointed at Moria. "A pirate like him would have a hard time becoming a Warlord of the Sea."
Moria frowned. Clearly, Diarmuid was looking down on him. But he didn't get angry.
Since his defeat at the hands of Kaido, Moria had matured a little, at least to the point where he no longer thought he was the strongest.
Seeing that Moria wasn't reacting, Diarmuid stopped looking down on him and said, "Not long ago, the World Government was preparing to recruit the Blood Plague, Craster, into the Warlord of the Sea system…"
"Craster?" Dragon frowned. "They're really falling into depravity. They're even recruiting scum like him?"
Unlike Craster, Moria hadn't done anything unforgivable. At worst, he had dug up Ryuma's grave in Wano Country, but that was it.
Craster, however, was an evil man who had committed massacres more than once. Of course, Dragon couldn't have any illusions about a man like that. If he had met him, he would've jumped out to eliminate him for the sake of the people.
"Yeah, truly depraved," Diarmuid said with a laugh. After a slight pause, he continued before Dragon could say anything, "So we, the Marines of justice, naturally can't tolerate something like that happening…"
Dragon was stunned for a moment before he said, "I see. Is that why you appeared in the New World?"
"That's right. I've already taken care of that guy. He'll be living in Impel Down from now on…" Diarmuid said calmly.
Dragon wasn't surprised that Diarmuid had defeated the Blood Plague. Instead, he said with interest, "So you're saying that if someone wants to become a Warlord of the Sea, they first have to get past the Marines, is that right?"
"Something like that," Diarmuid said with a chuckle.
Dragon then stood up, adjusted the towel around his waist, and walked out of the hot springs pool, heading toward Diarmuid.
Diarmuid didn't move, just watched as Dragon walked over to him and calmly entered his pool. The two of them were now in the same pool.
"So, if I asked you to help me get a Warlord of the Sea position for someone, could you help me out?" Dragon asked with a smile.
Diarmuid glanced at Moria in the distance. "I doubt it's for him, right?"
"No, I should be taking Moria with me for the next few years," Dragon said calmly, not trying to hide anything.
"Is that so? That's dangerous. Compared to a low-key guy like you, he's not someone who can hide in a crowd with just a hood and a trench coat…" Diarmuid teased.
Before Dragon could speak, Diarmuid continued, "Since it's not Moria, it must be that guy, right? The former king of the Sorbet Kingdom, Bartholomew Kuma."
"I knew I couldn't hide it from you…" Dragon said, touching his nose.
"So that guy is a pirate on the surface but is actually one of your Revolutionary Army members?" Diarmuid said with a chuckle.
"Didn't you already have that suspicion back then?" Dragon didn't deny it.
"So, what do you want to get a Warlord of the Sea position for him for?" Diarmuid asked after thinking for a moment.
"To revolutionize the World Government requires the efforts of many people. Of course, I hope to gain more power…" Dragon said softly.
"More power?" Diarmuid raised an eyebrow, not understanding.
"That's right. Ideals are a form of power, but without enough military strength to back them up, they won't be able to achieve anything big," Dragon said without hesitation.
"As expected of someone who came from the Marines. You have a very clear understanding of this," Diarmuid said, nodding with a smile.
Although Dragon was changing the world with his ideals, he was also very clear that without a foundation of strength, everything was just an illusion.
"So?" Diarmuid asked again.
"When I appeared in Ohara, I was not actually there for the Ancient Weapons." Dragon explained.
"I thought about it later, and I think I can understand what you were doing," Diarmuid said, nodding in agreement.
"Although I didn't plan on looking for Ancient Weapons, I do believe we need some new means to counter the World Government. Speaking of which, have you heard of the lineage factor theory?" Dragon suddenly asked.
Diarmuid was stunned for a moment before saying, "Dr. Vegapunk?"
"I knew you would. I heard you fought Charlotte Linlin because of it…" Dragon said with a chuckle.
However, Diarmuid's expression changed slightly. He frowned. "Even though I fought Charlotte Linlin, it wasn't a small commotion, but afterward, the Marines implemented a confidentiality policy. I don't think you have any ties with the Big Mom Pirates… So, where did you hear about it?"
Dragon seemed a bit amused, touching his chin. "Diarmuid, I came from the Marines. Don't tell me you think I only recruited you?"
"Recruited… huh? What a disgusting way to put it," Diarmuid muttered, then said softly, "Is Borsalino one of your men?"
Dragon grinned and said with a meaningful look, "Who knows…"
He didn't deny it!
Diarmuid was shaken for a moment, but only for a moment. He suddenly laughed and said, "You almost got me there, you bastard. If Borsalino were really one of your men, you would have admitted it openly when I asked. This kind of evasive talk proves that he's not one of your men. Maybe he's just like me, turning a blind eye to you."
"Hahahaha, so I couldn't fool you?" Dragon laughed loudly. Just as Diarmuid had said, Borsalino was not a member of the Revolutionary Army.
Dragon wasn't skilled enough to trick an old schemer like Borsalino. But Borsalino was indeed one of the few people in the Marines who had some contact with Dragon… This was very thought-provoking.
"So you're saying you want me to arrange for Bartholomew Kuma to join the Warlord of the Sea system, and then you'll use that identity to have Bartholomew Kuma infiltrate the Marine's Special Science Group?" Diarmuid said. Then his expression changed. "Dragon, are you insulting me? I might have been lenient with you, but that's not a reason for you to provoke me. Who do you think you are? I'm a Marine Admiral!"
At this point, Diarmuid paused for a moment, looking at Dragon, and said word for word, "I can let you go and even keep some of your secrets because we were once friends and because your existence and the Revolutionary Army have some value to the Marines. But don't you forget, everything I do is based on the interests of the Marines. You want me to sell out the Marines' interests to you? That's going too far, isn't it?"
Looking at the enraged Diarmuid, Dragon didn't show any signs of tension or a change in expression. He shrugged. "Don't say that. I never said I wanted you to sell out the Marines' interests. In fact, you can view this as a partnership."
"A partnership? A partnership to leak the secrets of the Special Science Group to your Revolutionary Army?" Diarmuid said with a disdainful laugh.
"Diarmuid, times have changed. You should be able to feel it. To be honest, if I hadn't left the Marines so early and decided to create the Revolutionary Army, I might not have chosen to leave the Marines now…" Dragon suddenly said.
When Dragon left the Marines, Roger hadn't yet become the Pirate King and hadn't started the Great Pirate Era. At that time, no one could have predicted that the tide of the era would come so suddenly, stirring up the entire world in just a few years, and everything would undergo a massive change.
When Dragon left, he didn't see any hope for reform in the Marines. But now, when he looked back, he found that the Great Pirate Era was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Marines. That was why he said these words.
Diarmuid looked at Dragon with a meaningful gaze and said softly, "So?"
"There are many people with foresight in the Marines. You and I both know that, and you yourself are one of them," Dragon said softly.
"And?" Diarmuid still asked the same question.
"Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong, I believe that deep down, they both hope for change. What you've been doing recently shows some similar signs… Otherwise, you wouldn't be having such a big falling out with the World Government," Dragon said.
"What are you trying to say?" Diarmuid asked directly.
"Let Bartholomew Kuma join the Warlord of the Sea system. You can choose to tell Fleet Admiral Kong and Admiral Sengoku about this and see what they choose to do. Just consider it…" Dragon's eyes changed, and he said very seriously.
Before he could finish, Diarmuid finished his sentence. "Just consider it a secret alliance between the Marine brass and you, the world's most dangerous criminal? Dragon, you've got some guts!"
"Just as you said, in the context of this great era, our Revolutionary Army and your Marines are not mortal enemies at all. On the contrary, our existence is beneficial to each other's development, isn't it? Shouldn't we be cooperating more?" Dragon said without hesitation.
"Why don't you say these things directly to Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong? Why do you have to go through me?" Diarmuid looked at Dragon and asked.
Dragon chuckled and then said, "Although I can tell that they have their own ideas, the people of their generation are more about stability. Compared to them, people like you and I are the real radicals. To be honest, if you hadn't become an Admiral, I wouldn't have even considered a deeper collaboration with the Marines…"
"I gave you confidence?" Diarmuid asked with a hint of surprise.
"That's right, Diarmuid. I'm very good at observing people's hearts. Even though you've rejected me countless times, I can be certain that deep down, you have no respect for the World Government…
"But you became a Marine Admiral. Therefore, I have concluded that the relationship between the Marines and the World Government, under the guidance of a person like you, will definitely undergo a new change in the context of this great era. So, I want to place a bet on you, on this change. Isn't that reasonable?" Dragon said with a chuckle.
After a slight pause, Dragon's expression became a little cold. "If I win, I can get further secret support from the Marines. If I lose, I just lose a capable subordinate. Tell me, why wouldn't I bet?"
Diarmuid stared at Dragon in silence for a long time, then said with a sigh, "Dragon, you've become colder than you were before…"
Dragon's cold expression instantly crumbled, and he laughed. "I am the world's most dangerous criminal, after all… Diarmuid."
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