The military town of G-7 was a bustling place now, with a variety of buildings nestled together, completely safe with tens of thousands of Marines backing them. Most of the people living in the town were Marine family members, so their sense of belonging to the Marines was naturally strong.
As the battleship entered the port, merchant and fishing vessels all made way for it. Standing on the deck, Diarmuid had a cigarette between his lips, looking at the military fortress with its countless cannons in the distance.
A sense of satisfaction filled him. Even though he had stepped down as G-7's base commander, its current strength was all thanks to him. Every time he came here, he felt a sense of familiarity.
In contrast, the place he once called his hometown in the North Blue felt completely alien. It had vanished from his memory.
After the battleship was moored, Diarmuid calmly walked down the gangplank and saw Gion and Saul waiting for him. Saul's rank had now returned to Rear Admiral.
Far from the politics of Marine Headquarters, G-7 was a purer place, free from all the messy stuff. All they had to do was keep the lid on the Calm Belt project. As a result, the air of justice here was quite strong.
Of course, Saul didn't seem to care about the tens of thousands of pirate prisoners in the Calm Belt.
What Diarmuid didn't know was that over the past two years, Saul and Robin had become good friends, bringing the story back to its starting point. But this time, the tragic separation from the original story would likely never happen. And Robin probably wouldn't learn Saul's unique laugh either.
When Gion saw Diarmuid, her eyes lit up with joy and a smile. She took a few steps forward.
Saul, understanding the situation, stayed back.
But before Gion could greet him, Diarmuid asked, "Where's Doberman?"
Gion's face stiffened, and she said, a little annoyed, "In the Calm Belt."
"Is that so? Get ready, I plan to transfer him to Headquarters for development," Diarmuid nodded.
Even though Gion knew Diarmuid was talking about business, she was still displeased. "After all this time, the first thing you want to talk to me about is another man?"
Diarmuid was taken aback, then he laughed. "Oh? Is our 'Marine's Flower' getting jealous?"
"I'm starting to question my taste. Why would I ever fall for a guy like you?" Gion grumbled but quickly composed herself. She wasn't the type of woman to hold a grudge. "Why are you suddenly transferring Doberman back to Headquarters? He's doing a great job at G-7. I've always thought he was a perfect foreman; the prisoners are terrified of him."
Diarmuid flicked his cigarette ash. "It's about time he was promoted to Vice Admiral. Now, it's natural for him to go back to Headquarters to build up his resume for a couple of years, and then..."
Diarmuid paused, and a smile appeared in Gion's eyes. "So you're planning for him to take over G-7?" she said, pleased.
"Of course. That was my plan from the start," he said. He glanced at Saul in the distance and continued, "After Doberman's done, I'll have Saul take over G-7 and officially reinstate his rank as Vice Admiral. I'll have him run it for a few more years so it's completely branded as mine. When he returns to Headquarters, I'll find a way to get him back in command of the Giant Squad. Then my influence at Headquarters can grow even more."
Gion nodded. She had no comment on Diarmuid's plan; she was more interested in something else.
"So, after two more years, I can go back to Headquarters, right?" Gion asked with a smile.
"Yep. I have some things to set up for you then," Diarmuid replied.
During the Reverie in Mariejois, Diarmuid often talked with Kong, Sengoku, and Zephyr. As the true power players of the Marines, their thoughts and ideas would affect the entire organization. Their conversations had a strong focus on the New World.
According to Sengoku, he planned to rebuild a Marine base in the New World to strengthen the Marines' influence. The temporary name for this base was G-5.
In reality, the G-5 unit had existed for a long time and was a very old Marine base. But before Diarmuid's transfer from the North Blue to Marineford, G-5 had been effectively destroyed by the pirates in the New World. This time, it was a relaunch.
Diarmuid wasn't sure what the specifics of the G-5 reconstruction would be. But he remembered from the original story that G-5 was known as the 'Marine's Dump.' It was where all the problem children of the Marines from all over the world gathered.
Their wild, violent nature fit perfectly into the environment of the New World. They operated as Marines but acted more like wild, evil pirates. The only difference was that their targets were also pirates.
In G-5, private executions were rampant. Resisting orders from Headquarters and slaughtering pirates without trial were commonplace.
But strangely, even with all these issues and with Headquarters cutting off their funding, forcing them to survive in the New World by maintaining their unit with confiscated loot, G-5 was one of the few Marine bases in the New World that had the strongest combat power and the most influence.
This was insane and showed just how twisted the New World was.
Even though Diarmuid was an Admiral, his primary responsibility was still in the first half of the Grand Line and the Four Seas. But he knew that the Marines' focus would definitely shift to the New World in the future. He needed a direct fighting force there.
He had his sights set on G-5 and was preparing to make Gion its commander. He was confident that with Gion's strength and ability, she could lead G-5 to be even more outstanding than in the original story.
But right now, Gion had no idea that when she returned to Headquarters, she wouldn't be by Diarmuid's side for long before this heartless man sent her to the New World to work.
Hehehe~ Gion felt a little giddy inside. Once she was back at Marineford, she could spend every day with Diarmuid. It was a lovely thought.
"Let's go. Standing in the port all day isn't a good look," Diarmuid said with a laugh.
He took a step forward, and Gion, happily fantasizing about her beautiful future, followed closely behind.
"Saul, did you gain some weight?" Diarmuid teased, looking at Saul's massive, imposing figure. "Tahahaha, maybe. It's easy living at G-7. There aren't many complicated tasks or chores, so I eat well and sleep well. Naturally, I've gotten much stronger," Saul said with a laugh.
"I was going to give you a vacation, actually. Kuzan has been asking about you a lot and wanted to go out with you, but it seems you're not that busy, so never mind," Diarmuid said, waving his hand playfully.
"Kuzan? It's been a while since I've seen him. How is he doing?" Saul asked with a laugh, not caring about the vacation.
"He's doing great. Compared to me, Sakazuki, and Borsalino, he's the one with the least pressure. He's relaxed all day. He's been studying philosophy recently..." Diarmuid said with a laugh.
"Philosophy?" Saul paused. "Is he okay? Did someone mess with his brain on a mission?"
"Don't worry. Admiral Sengoku is going to get on his case when he gets back. He won't be lazy for long," Diarmuid said with a smile.
Saul laughed at that. At Headquarters, there were only two people who could keep Kuzan in line and on his toes: Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp. But Garp wouldn't usually get involved. In fact, he'd probably join Kuzan in being 'lazy.' So it was only Sengoku who constantly pushed Kuzan.
Diarmuid and Saul chatted in front. Hina, who hadn't been able to get off the ship right away to handle the following matters, caught up to them. She was now walking behind Diarmuid and Saul, whispering with Gion. From the laughter coming from the two beautiful women, it seemed they were getting along well.
Upon entering the G-7 base building, Diarmuid saw a little girl holding a book titled Command is also an Art. She was walking toward the door.
Command is also an Art was a Marine military book that talked about simple command techniques in naval battles. Of course, the book was widely circulated within the Marines and wasn't classified. But generally, only ambitious Marines would read it, as command was a privilege of officers.
Diarmuid was taken aback, then he recognized the little girl. It was Nico Robin, whom he had saved from Ohara. She had changed since then. Because she wasn't treated badly and was well cared for by Gion and Saul, Robin's quality of life at G-7 was much better than when she was shunned in Ohara.
As a result, she had grown up healthy and looked very energetic, but her personality was still somewhat calm. At the same time, because of her difficult childhood, she seemed a little mature for her age.
When Diarmuid saw Robin, she also saw him for the first time in a while. Her eyes showed a mix of surprise and fear. But she quickly composed herself, moved aside in the corridor, and stood against the wall.
"Good afternoon, Diarmuid-san."
Diarmuid nodded, then crouched down and gently ruffled Robin's dark hair. Robin's gaze shifted slightly, as if she were afraid he would hurt her.
"Don't be scared. I have no intention of hurting you," Diarmuid said softly.
Robin nodded, then said, "I know. If you wanted to hurt me, I wouldn't be alive. The fact that I have this life at G-7 is because of your kindness to me."
Robin was very smart. She knew that Gion and the others were initially kind to her because she was the child Diarmuid brought back. Now, of course, they had grown to care for her.
After a slight pause, Robin continued, "But... but I'm still scared." After all, Robin had witnessed Diarmuid destroy all of Ohara!
Diarmuid sighed. He didn't explain anything. Instead, he asked, "I heard from Gion that you want to join the Marines?"
Robin's expression became a little tense. She asked with some hesitation, "Is... is that not allowed?"
Diarmuid saw her reaction and smiled. He gently pinched her chubby cheek and said softly, "The Marines open their doors to all those with a heart of justice. Even I have no reason to stop a child from wanting to join the Marines. If you have that ambition, I look forward to seeing you become an excellent Marine, or even a Marine officer, in the future."
Diarmuid's encouragement seemed to give her courage. Robin couldn't help but ask, "If I do, will I be able to save my mother?"
Diarmuid didn't show any surprise. He nodded seriously. "Yes."
Hearing such an affirmation and promise from a Marine Admiral, a glimmer of hope appeared in Robin's eyes. She said very earnestly, "Then I will work hard for that!" At that moment, she suddenly realized that Diarmuid wasn't so scary after all.