The naval base at Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
Diarmuid's warship slowly pulled into the port.
Standing beside him now were Rosinante, Hina, the boy Law, and Drake.
To be honest, Diarmuid had nearly forgotten about Drake back on Minion Island. Just as his warship was about to set sail, the boy, clutching a gunshot wound on his chest, stumbled over and shouted things like, 'Hey, I'm not on board yet,' which caught Diarmuid's attention. He initially thought the guy was a lost Marine. Only after getting him on board and asking did he learn the boy was the son of Diez Barrels, named Drake.
At the same time, Diarmuid also learned that the boy was already a user of an Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit. That alone made him worth nurturing. However, he wasn't interested in training children, so he planned to hand him over to Zephyr upon return, letting him continue to put his residual energy to good use. Thus, he brought Drake back to Marineford.
As for that fellow Vergo, he was basically banished. Diarmuid didn't plan to kill him, but he wouldn't look after him anymore either. He'd keep him around as a liaison. Anything difficult or inconvenient to handle could be delegated to him to arrange for Doflamingo to do.
Although Doflamingo wasn't a good person, he was a very useful tool for Diarmuid. Even though Diarmuid already controlled many 'black ops' assets outside the Navy, such as Queen Stussy, Smoker, and even Jinbe, Hancock, and Nico Robin, when it comes to such matters, the more the merrier. Having more people handle these black jobs reduces the risk of exposure.
It had been many years since Rosinante had returned to Marineford, the Navy Headquarters. As he stepped off the warship and stood on the port, looking at the familiar sights of Marineford, his heart was filled with emotion and excitement, but also shame and hesitation.
"Diarmuid-nii, is Admiral Sengoku truly not very angry?" Rosinante asked Diarmuid the question one more time.
"How should I know if he's angry? Why don't you go see him yourself? Why act brave but not own up to it?" Diarmuid said grumpily. Then, he grabbed Law again, hoisting him up like a garbage bag, and walked toward the Fortress of Justice in Marineford.
Law struggled and shouted, "Put me down! What are you going to do?"
"It's because of you, you wretched brat, that Rosinante is now in limbo, with his promising future completely ruined by you! Aren't you ashamed?" Diarmuid continued, gripping Trafalgar Law by the collar.
Hearing Diarmuid's words, Law fell silent. Because he knew Diarmuid was right. He now understood Rosinante's true identity. Rosinante had a 'good big brother' like Diarmuid, an Admiral, and his foster father was Sengoku, another Admiral, who was rumored to become the Fleet Admiral soon. Rosinante himself had spent several years undercover in the Donquixote Family. Logically, even if he didn't have great merits, he certainly had suffered greatly, and his seniority was established.
With connections, backing, relations, and seniority, even if his strength was slightly lacking, he would still have an immeasurable future at Navy Headquarters. But because he met an "early grave" like himself, Rosinante—no, Cora-san—had thrown away everything he had.
Now, forget about promotions or getting rich, he might not even be able to be a Marine anymore, possibly even facing jail time in Impel Down. It was all his fault. Therefore, he felt immensely guilty.
"It's not Law's fault. I chose this myself," Rosinante reassured him.
"Shut up," Diarmuid cursed irritably.
Soon, the group arrived at Admiral Sengoku's office.
Diarmuid, also an Admiral, naturally didn't need to be too polite. He tossed Law directly onto Sengoku's desk. "Here, the Op-Op Fruit you wanted."
Sengoku looked at Diarmuid helplessly. This was a massive mistake on his part, and Diarmuid, a fellow Admiral, had helped him clean up the mess. He naturally knew the full story. Without Diarmuid, Rosinante would likely be dead right now, and Sengoku owed Diarmuid a huge favor. However, since they were both Admirals now, he couldn't repay it yet, but he would surely do so once he became Fleet Admiral.
Ignoring Diarmuid, Sengoku first glanced at the troubled Trafalgar Law, then looked at Rosinante, who was standing by the door, too embarrassed to enter. He finally sighed, "Come in."
Rosinante nodded and walked in.
Hina cheerfully poured Diarmuid a cup of tea. "Aren't we supposed to be serious?"
"Aren't we watching a show here? I want to see if our future Fleet Admiral Sengoku will uphold justice and sacrifice his only foster son with fairness and impartiality, or if he'll commit malpractice. As an Admiral of the Navy, I naturally have to supervise this." Diarmuid stated self-righteously.
Sengoku glared at Diarmuid, Rosinante looked at Diarmuid with a touch of helplessness, and Law remained unresponsive. Diarmuid ignored their looks and continued to sit there, sipping his tea.
Sengoku stopped paying attention to Diarmuid and looked at Rosinante. "Rosinante, you truly disappoint me... This is what I have to say to you as a Navy Admiral. We cultivated you for so many years, sent you to infiltrate the Donquixote Family, and held so many expectations for you. Yet, in the end, for your own selfish reasons, you ruined the Navy's years of planning and this mission entirely. The Op-Op Fruit..." At this point, Sengoku glanced at Law. "Am I supposed to report this boy to the top now?"
Rosinante lowered his head in shame, having nothing to say.
However, Sengoku's tone quickly changed: "But as your father, Rosinante, you upheld goodness. You did not abandon a life in need. You sacrificed everything—your future, honor, and merits—to wholeheartedly save a young life. I am very gratified and proud...."
As soon as Sengoku's words fell, Rosinante burst into tears. He was a twenty-six-year-old man, yet he cried like a child.
Law beside him was also tearful, instantly filled with gratitude for Sengoku, whom he had never met. See? Only a person like this could raise such a wonderful person as Cora-san!
Diarmuid looked at Sengoku with some surprise. He initially thought Sengoku was just speaking platitudes to comfort Rosinante, but looking at Sengoku's genuine look of gratification, Diarmuid realized he meant what he said.
"Humans are truly complex beings..." Diarmuid muttered softly, then stood up. "I'm off, I'm off."
Hina looked at Diarmuid curiously. "Admiral, it's just getting started. Aren't you going to watch?"
"No, I'm not watching. It's pointless," Diarmuid waved his hand. Then, without even saying goodbye to Sengoku, he turned and left the office. At the doorway, he saw Drake, who had been waiting there.
Diarmuid glanced at Drake. "When you were on the ship, you said you wanted to be a Marine. Was that true?"
"It is!" Drake said without hesitation. However, he also felt uneasy, as his background wasn't good. His father was a Commodore who defected from Marine Headquarters and became a pirate. It would be normal for Diarmuid to simply reject him and tell him to get lost.
However, after sizing him up for a moment, Diarmuid said to Hina, "Hina, take this boy to Zephyr-sensei. Tell him I recommended him as a promising young talent."
"Yes, Admiral," Hina quickly nodded.
Drake was stunned for a moment, then a strong sense of gratitude welled up in his heart. He said excitedly to Diarmuid, "Admiral Diarmuid, I will definitely become an excellent Marine and not disappoint you!"
"I never had any expectations for you in the first place, so how can you disappoint me? Just be a good person and don't stray like your father. That's all I ask of you. Understand?" Diarmuid walked past Drake, patting him on the shoulder.
"Yes, Admiral!" Drake immediately replied.
Then Hina looked at Drake with a smile. Even though the guy was nineteen years old, he looked like a five or six-year-old child now. "Come on, let's go see Zephyr-sensei," Hina said with a smile.
The reason Drake was so grateful to Diarmuid was that Diarmuid had recommended him to Zephyr. He had spent time in Marineford and heard many rumors. Back when his old man was still a Marine, he would curse while drunk, saying things like if he had been a student of Admiral Zephyr, he wouldn't have been humiliated to such an extent.
Clearly, becoming Zephyr's student would cleanse his background. No one would ever be able to use his father against him again. At the same time, being Zephyr's student represented a huge network, resources, and connections. Upon graduation, all the Navy's high-ranking officers would be his senior brothers and sisters. Wasn't this the fast track to becoming a high-ranking officer?
Hina took Drake to find Zephyr, and Diarmuid went back to his office to catch up on sleep.
Meanwhile, Sengoku handled Rosinante's matter.
Firstly, the mission assigned to him by the World Government was definitely ruined. Normally, Rosinante would be dead, but Sengoku couldn't bear to send Rosinante to his death, so he had already arranged for Rosinante to be incarcerated in the great prison of Impel Down for at least five years. After his release, he would not be able to continue being a Marine. His Navy career was over.
As for Law, he certainly couldn't be handed over to the World Government. Because Sengoku also clearly understood that if Law was handed over, his fate would only become worse. Those people in Mariejois would use every possible means to brainwash the boy into a tool, eventually forcing him to offer his life to those damned people by performing the Perpetual Youth Surgery.
No way. My son Rosinante risked his future and his life for this boy. I finally rescued him. Am I going to push him back into that abyss? Wouldn't Rosinante's sacrifice be for nothing? Would I even be a decent man, Sengoku? Therefore, Sengoku simply pretended the Op-Op Fruit never existed. Go to hell, Mariejois.
Moreover, without realizing it, Law had come to view Rosinante as a father figure because Rosinante loved him, protected him, and saved him. And since Rosinante was Sengoku's foster son, Law naturally held a good impression of the Admiral. Combined with the words Sengoku had just spoken... Strangely, a grandfather-grandson dynamic had formed between them.
Just as Garp always wanted to find a successor, Sengoku also hoped his junior could become an excellent Marine. Rosinante's career was now ruined, so what about Trafalgar Law?
In short, Sengoku casually asked Law if he was willing to become a Marine.
Before this, Law would definitely have refused because he had no good feelings toward the Navy, and combined with the tragedy of Flevance... he deeply hated the World Government even more.
But now, he suddenly recalled Diarmuid's words on the road. He, Trafalgar Law, had ruined Cora-san's life, and ruined Cora-san's bright future at Marine Headquarters. He was the reason Cora-san had to go to jail in Impel Down. He owed all of this to Cora-san! He had to retrieve all the things Cora-san had sacrificed and given up for him!
So, Law agreed to Sengoku's proposal without hesitation, shouting loudly, "I want to be a Marine!"