Inside the cabin, Diarmuid was holding a book and reading it. In his other hand, two small stones orbited one another, suspended by the power of gravity. It was a bizarre sight.
"Admiral!"
Just then, Hina opened the cabin door and called out.
Diarmuid looked up at Hina. "Hold on, Hina. This isn't my office in Marineford. What if I were doing something embarrassing? You bust in and then what? Do I kill you to keep you quiet, or…?"
"Or I could just let you see me doing something embarrassing, too. With dirt on each other, neither of us has to worry about the other spilling secrets," Hina said in a frank manner.
A look of surprise appeared in Diarmuid's eyes. "What's with you? You're getting more and more shameless."
Was she openly flirting?
Hina said nonchalantly, "I learned it from you, Admiral. To get strong, you first have to be shameless."
"Makes sense," Diarmuid nodded.
Hina then quickly continued, "Admiral, Vice Admiral Onigumo's ship has spotted the uninhabited island."
Diarmuid's eyes lit up. He stood and said, "Good. Success or failure depends on this!"
Meanwhile, on the uninhabited island, Benn Beckman was perched at the top of a tree, holding a spyglass and looking out at the sea.
Just as Onigumo had spotted the island, Beckman had also seen the ships gradually appearing on the horizon.
"A merchant fleet in a dump like this?" Beckman chewed on a piece of gum, muttering to himself as he lowered the spyglass.
He didn't think much of it.
It was a bit strange. The two islands to the east and west of them, which were only a three-day journey away, had bustling smuggling rings and black markets. Any merchant fleet would normally choose to go there first. Why would they come to a desolate place like this?
He didn't overthink it, though. He just assumed the group was trying to take a shortcut through the Calm Belt, gambling for a huge profit.
This kind of thing was common. Although the Calm Belt was dangerous, with the lure of huge profits, many merchants were willing to take the risk.
Just as Beckman was about to climb down the tree, he suddenly paused, a deep frown on his face. He picked up his spyglass again and looked at the merchant fleet appearing on the horizon.
He observed them carefully but found nothing out of the ordinary. So where did the faint sense of unease come from?
"Is it just my imagination?" Beckman murmured.
Just as he was about to dismiss the absurd thought, he noticed a small detail. His expression changed instantly. "Yasopp!"
Yasopp, who was leaning against another tree trunk and sleeping, was startled by Beckman's shout and nearly fell.
"What is it?" Yasopp asked quickly.
"See those ships over there? I suspect they're Marines. Take a shot and see what happens!" Beckman said in a low voice.
Yasopp quickly raised his spyglass to look, then mumbled, "They look like merchant ships. How can you tell they're Marines?"
However, as he spoke, he dismantled his pistol and assembled it into a long-barreled sniper rifle.
"On the surface, there's nothing wrong, but look closely at their sailing formation. Does it look familiar?" a glint of intelligence shone in Beckman's eyes.
Yasopp froze for a moment. He looked closer, then said in surprise, "You're right. It looks a bit like a Marine Headquarters fleet formation…"
"It's not 'a bit like it,' it is it! They're most likely Marines, and they're probably coming for us. Take the shot!" Beckman said without hesitation.
Beckman's intelligence was undeniable. Even with Vice Admiral Onigumo's nearly perfect disguise, Beckman had spotted the oddity in the fleet's formation.
This was a detail that would be instinctively overlooked by most people. After all, who would pay attention to how a fleet was arranged?
Not even Diarmuid had noticed this flaw.
On the deck, Vice Admiral Onigumo, dressed as a merchant captain, was directing his men, disguised as sailors, to navigate the ships toward the uninhabited island.
Suddenly, Onigumo stiffened. His hair instinctively transformed into an arm, reaching out and grabbing a bullet in mid-air.
His expression instantly changed. He knew his action had likely exposed something.
On the island, Yasopp put away his rifle. "They're definitely Marines. A person's instincts are hard to hide… The guy probably used a Rokushiki secret art called Life Return?"
"Let's go, we need to inform Shanks!" Beckman had no time to ponder these questions. He immediately jumped down from the tree.
Soon, Beckman and Yasopp disappeared.
At the same time, on the merchant fleet, Diarmuid received a Den Den Mushi call from Vice Admiral Onigumo.
"It was just a natural reaction. Don't blame yourself. Since we've been discovered, there's no need to hide anymore. Give the order: full-speed ahead for the whole fleet!" Diarmuid didn't scold Onigumo but simply gave his orders.
Soon, the small fleet of armed merchant ships began to accelerate, heading toward the uninhabited island.
Meanwhile, on the island, Beckman and Yasopp found Shanks.
"What? The Marines?" Shanks was taken aback. "How did they find us here?"
"How they found us isn't the problem right now. The question is, do we fight or retreat?" Beckman interrupted Shanks' confusion and asked directly.
Shanks pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's retreat. We camped here specifically so we could quickly retreat into the Calm Belt and escape a pursuit if we were ever discovered. Even though it's the Marines instead of the Big Mom Pirates, it's basically the same thing. There's no need for us to fight a death match here. We'll just circle back through the Calm Belt."
Shanks was the captain, and his orders were absolute. Once he spoke, the members of the Straw Hat Pirates quickly gathered their important belongings and began boarding the ship, leaving the miscellaneous stuff behind.
But just as the pirates were about to board, Beckman grabbed Shanks. "We'll go first. You hide on the island and stay put."
"What do you mean?" Shanks asked, confused.
Was this the captain providing cover while the crew escaped?
Hadn't they gotten it backward? Wasn't he supposed to run first while Beckman and the others provided cover?
"The Marines disguised themselves as a merchant fleet and found our exact location. It's clearly a well-organized and premeditated attack. When Yasopp tested them, that guy was able to instinctively grab a bullet from that far away. He's at least a Vice Admiral. And based on the formation, I predict there might even be a Marine Admiral hidden in that fleet. Over a month ago, Admiral Diarmuid made a high-profile entrance into the New World and then went quiet. I thought he was just watching to see what the Big Mom Pirates and Kaido were up to. Now, it looks like he might be on one of those ships…" Beckman said in a serious tone.
Shanks' expression hardened in shock. "Diarmuid? He's a tough one…"
"That's why we're splitting up. We'll take the ship into the Calm Belt. The Marines will probably think we all fled inside since we only have one ship. They'll likely all follow us in. This way, you'll be much safer here. Once we've shaken off the Marines, we'll come back for you," Beckman said calmly.
Shanks' expression became serious. "How can I? I'm the captain! There's no way I'm going to hide here alone while you all take the risk!"
"There's no time for you to be so sentimental! If you feel that bad about it, we'll leave you a lifeboat. Once the Marine ships have passed, you can follow them and maybe launch a pincer attack from behind…" Beckman said without hesitation.
"I think…" Shanks was about to say more.
Beckman cut him off. "I don't care what you think, I care about what I think!"
After saying this, he ignored Shanks and quickly went to make the arrangements.
Shanks was completely bewildered. Who was the captain here, him or Beckman?
But there really was no time for bickering. After thinking it over, Beckman's plan, though a bit risky, was the best way to ensure Shanks' safety. He had even planned a backup pincer attack. Given Shanks' strength, if he suddenly attacked the fleet from behind once they had confirmed their location with a Den Den Mushi, he could probably sink a few ships and turn the tide of the battle.
Soon, under the observation of the Marine fleet, the Red Force of the Straw Hat Pirates sailed out from the uninhabited island and headed for the Calm Belt in the distance.
Upon receiving the news, Sakazuki immediately ordered Onigumo to give chase.
Diarmuid's ship, at the very back of the fleet, had just emerged from the horizon.
As his ship passed the uninhabited island, Diarmuid stood on the deck, looking at the lush greenery. He suddenly said, "Bring me my sword."
A short while later, Hina came over, holding Diarmuid's cursed sword, Kokorowatari.
Diarmuid didn't take the sword from her but instead grabbed the hilt directly. While Hina held the sheath, he drew Kokorowatari.
A strange, eerie, and dark cursed aura instantly spread from his hand, forcing Hina to take two steps back.
"Admiral, what are you going to do?" Hina asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Our ships can't catch the Red Force. Their ship is much faster than our ordinary armed merchant ships. So, to corner the Red Hair Pirates, no, the Straw Hat Pirates, we have to keep them on the run, turning this into a long chase. We're well-stocked, but who knows how long their ship can last? Before that, I'll cut off their escape route and lock them inside the Calm Belt," Diarmuid said.
He paused for a moment, then smiled. "Besides, who knows what's hiding on that island?"
As he spoke, Diarmuid swung the sharp blade of Kokorowatari toward the uninhabited island.
An invisible slash, powered by gravity and air pressure, instantly cut through the sea. The moment it touched the island's shore, it sliced the coast in two. The force of the slash didn't diminish at all; it continued to cut into the ground, extending deep into the island.
It seemed as if Diarmuid's single strike was meant to split the entire island in half.
At the same time, a massive shadow fell from the sky.
"Tengai Shinsei…" Diarmuid murmured softly.
Two giant meteors descended from the heavens, aimed directly at the island.
After he was finished, Diarmuid casually slid Kokorowatari back into the sheath Hina was holding.
He was just making a statement, firing the first shot of this chase and warming up. There was no true hidden meaning.
But the very next second, as he put the sword back, an incredibly powerful aura erupted from the island. Then, two slashes shot up into the sky, cutting the falling meteors in half.
Diarmuid froze and looked toward the island.
Hina's eyes gleamed with excitement and admiration. "Admiral, you're amazing! You were able to predict that?"
Predict what?
Oh, did I just say that someone might be hiding on the island?
Composing his shocked expression, Diarmuid adopted a look that said "I knew it all along" and calmly waved his hand. "It's nothing. This is just a basic operation for a Marine Admiral. There's no need to be surprised. Follow me closely and learn. Once you've mastered a third of my skill, I'll feel confident in sending you out to sea."
"Yes, Admiral!" Hina replied excitedly.