With a cigarette dangling from her lips, Belle-mère pulled out her wallet.
Then, as if to show it off, she opened the wallet and waved it in front of Diarmuid. "See? Aren't they adorable? These two little angels, they saved me. It's thanks to them that I was able to survive that brutal battlefield. They redeemed me…"
Diarmuid looked at the wallet and saw a photo clipped inside.
It was a picture of the three of them—mother and daughters. Belle-mère was holding Nojiko, who in turn was cradling a small baby. Nojiko's eyes looked at the camera with a hint of confusion, while Belle-mère was beaming. The tiny baby, Nami, was reaching out her hand to touch Nojiko's hair.
Looking at the photo, Diarmuid couldn't help but smile. He nodded and said, "They truly are little angels. Very cute."
"So, Admiral, you must understand why I absolutely must retire, right? If I continue to be a Marine, I won't have enough time to properly care for them," Belle-mère said with a happy smile as she put the photo away.
"Hahaha, that reason leaves me speechless. You are an outstanding Marine, and we really don't want you to retire during your prime. But since you've put it this way, it would be heartless for me to try and stop you…" Diarmuid shook his head, a helpless smile on his face.
"Thank you, Admiral!" Belle-mère raised an eyebrow in gratitude.
"After you retire, have you thought about what you'll do? The sudden adoption of two children means the expenses won't be small. The Marines will provide you with a certain resettlement fee, but that won't be enough without a stable income," Diarmuid asked.
"Speaking of that, my hometown is not far from here. It's called Cocoyasi Village. Thanks to the East Blue being a peaceful sea, the village is doing quite well. When I was a kid, my family were tangerine farmers, and I'm pretty interested in that, too. After I retire, I plan to go back and start a tangerine orchard or something... It should be enough to support the two little ones," Belle-mère replied after some thought.
At this time, there was no Captain Nezumi in the East Blue yet, and Arlong was still just a thug in the Fish-Man District. Fisher Tiger either hadn't been captured and made a slave yet, or he hadn't performed his feat of burning down Mariejois. So, Cocoyasi Village was in a good state, free from Marine oppression and the brutal rule of Arlong's crew.
The fact was, before Arlong came to the East Blue, Belle-mère and the villagers lived a good and happy life.
Thinking of this, Diarmuid asked, "Regarding that, are you interested in living in Marineford?"
"Marineford?" Belle-mère sounded surprised.
"That's right. As you probably know, Marineford has a residential area where many retired Marines live. Most of the families of active Marines are also there. It's a very prosperous and harmonious place, since everyone is connected to the Marines in some way. Most importantly, it's the 'Great Pirate Era' now. Even in the East Blue, you must have noticed the number of pirates is increasing. It's getting very unsafe. If you were to go to Marineford, your three family members would have a much better guarantee of safety. And perhaps…" Diarmuid paused, then chuckled softly. "...the two children you adopted could one day become Marines themselves and inherit your dream of becoming an Admiral."
Diarmuid had no interest in training opponents or testing if Monkey D. Luffy truly had destiny on his side.
He couldn't deny that, because of his past life, he felt a certain fondness for the future Straw Hat Pirates. But this wasn't a reason for him, as an Admiral, to let them become pirates.
When Garp had asked him to look after Ace, Diarmuid had been thinking about how this new generation of talents like Ace could follow a path that would benefit the Marines. To be honest, if he simply wanted to eliminate the Whitebeard Pirates smoothly, he could just ignore this matter and let Ace continue to be a pain for his biological father.
But Diarmuid felt a little annoyed. It seemed beneath him to have to manipulate a boy with an already tragic background to deal with Whitebeard. Couldn't he handle Whitebeard without Ace's involvement? Besides, wasn't there also that great son, Teach?
At the same time, he had to admit that Garp was right. Even if he and Garp believed that the bloodline on Ace's body wasn't a sin, the best path for Ace in this life would still be to join the Marines.
So, Diarmuid often wondered if he should wait for Ace to get a little older, then "capture" him and let Zephyr-sensei teach him for a few years, so he could grow up to be an excellent Marine. This way, his friendship with Garp would be meaningful, and he wouldn't have to watch the old man's hair turn white while sending his black-haired son to his grave.
Besides, what could be more interesting than raising the son of the Pirate King to become an excellent Marine?
And it wasn't just Ace. Diarmuid had already pulled Nico Robin out of that line of fire, and the little girl was now focused on how she could quickly become a competent Marine. So... guiding Nami to become a Marine didn't seem like a big deal, either. And maybe later on, he could even guide Luffy to become a Marine. While that kid was a complete idiot with a stubborn streak, his talent was undeniable.
This was about eliminating the Straw Hat Pirates from their very roots.
Hearing Diarmuid's words, Belle-mère was clearly intrigued. She didn't dislike the Marines; otherwise, she wouldn't have joined them and become a low-ranking Lieutenant. The only reason she wanted to retire was to take care of her two children. Compared to Cocoyasi Village, Marine Headquarters, Marineford, clearly had a greater advantage and provided a much more secure future for the two kids.
As for whether she would miss the East Blue or her hometown, that wasn't an issue. Belle-mère's family had passed away before she joined the Marines. So she had no attachments, only a few friends in Cocoyasi Village, like the village sheriff, Genzo. But she had still been determined to join the Marines and had even aspired to become a Marine Admiral, which meant she had always planned to leave the East Blue. An unexpected turn of events simply changed her path. Now that Diarmuid had made such an offer, it would be strange if she weren't moved.
"Is that really an option?" Belle-mère asked, hesitating.
Diarmuid smiled and nodded. "Of course. In fact, you're not the only one. There are five or six others who have applied for retirement this time who are also planning to go to Marineford. You can all go together."
Seeing Belle-mère still wavering, Diarmuid continued, "The educational resources at Marineford are far superior to Cocoyasi Village, too…"
When he said this, a look of determination flashed in her eyes. Before, she didn't have a choice. Since she was retiring, she had to return to her hometown. But now, Diarmuid's appearance gave her a new option, and that changed everything. Although she hadn't adopted the two children for very long, Belle-mère already considered them her own flesh and blood. She also wanted to be a more qualified and better mother.
What parent doesn't hope their child can receive a better education and grow up in a better environment to become an excellent person? In this respect, Cocoyasi Village was simply no match for Marineford.
If she agreed, she could take Nami and Nojiko to live in Marineford. The environment there was incredibly safe, the resources in every respect far exceeded those in the East Blue, and they could even build up connections within the Marines. When Nami and Nojiko grew up, they could join the Marines more easily if they wanted. It was very likely they would be able to join Marine Headquarters directly and perhaps… fulfill her own dream of becoming a Marine Admiral.
Of course, Belle-mère wasn't going to decide Nami and Nojiko's lives for them, but providing them with a broader platform was something she was very willing to do.
"Admiral, you are right. Marineford's resources are far superior to the East Blue and will be a great help for Nami and Nojiko's growth. What's more, as a Marine... or rather, a former Marine, I have never been to Marine Headquarters in Marineford. It's a bit of a regret. If it's truly possible, please let us go to Marineford!" Belle-mère said with a serious expression.
"Hahaha, now that I've offered, why would I go back on my word?" Diarmuid smiled and said, "You can go back and get everything ready. When the time comes, you can take my ship with the rest of your comrades. I'll be staying in the East Blue for a while; I'm on vacation, after all. When my vacation is over, I'll take you all back to Marineford."
A look of joy appeared in Belle-mère's eyes, and she nodded. "Yes, Admiral."
"I'd say we've got some good karma between us. I really like your two little cuties, even though I've only seen their picture... Once you get to Marineford, if you have any problems, feel free to contact me…" Diarmuid said, pulling out his Den Den Mushi.
Belle-mère was a little stunned, then unhesitatingly took out her own Den Den Mushi. "I've always heard that you have a bad temper, but today, I see that you are a very kind and gentle person."
Diarmuid was already offering to exchange signal frequencies with her, and Belle-mère didn't see any reason to refuse. From a practical standpoint, if she could maintain this connection and even turn it into a friendship, she would never be bullied in Marineford. And even without considering that, based on their conversation today, Belle-mère felt that Diarmuid was a great person to be friends with.
"My reputation has reached this far?" Diarmuid asked with a helpless laugh.
"Of course. They say that in your youth you captured many great pirates and that you even beat up the Fleet Admiral and the Marine Hero," Belle-mère said with a laugh after putting away her Den Den Mushi.
"That's just a rumor. When you get to Headquarters, you'll see that I, Diarmuid, am a young gentleman who is honest and reliable," Diarmuid said, rolling his eyes.
Afterward, he chatted with Belle-mère for a few more minutes, telling her she could also bring her relatives with her to Marineford. If she had any acquaintances or friends in Cocoyasi Village who wanted to go, he could help arrange it. This kind of thing was just a matter of a single word for Diarmuid. But after thinking for a while, Belle-mère shook her head with a smile and said there was no need.
At that, Diarmuid could only mourn silently for the Cocoyasi Village sheriff, Genzo.
That guy… you really have no chance! Just stick to your very promising job as the village sheriff.