The mission regarding the Op-Op Fruit ultimately failed. Sengoku was summoned to Mariejois and harshly reprimanded.
However, since Doflamingo was involved, the World Government somewhat understood what happened. Furthermore, Sengoku was an experienced veteran and quickly deflected most of the blame. The World Government was somewhat in the wrong as well; if they hadn't concealed the Op-Op Fruit's true purpose, Sengoku wouldn't have ended up in this situation. In the end, it was just a scolding, nothing serious, and no major repercussions.
As for Trafalgar Law, the Op-Op Fruit user, he was completely concealed by Sengoku. Law was not sent to be trained by Zephyr; instead, Sengoku seemed intent on personally raising this "adopted grandson."
Early in the morning at Diarmuid's house in Marineford.
Diarmuid, wearing only a pair of shorts, was standing at the sink, brushing his teeth. His body displayed solid, well-defined muscles, giving him a very attractive look.
Just as Diarmuid finished brushing and started washing his face, Gion stumbled in, still looking half-asleep. She was wearing a plain white short-sleeved shirt—Diarmuid's shirt, to be precise. The shirt seemed a bit long on Gion, falling just to her thighs. As a result, Gion didn't appear to be wearing any pants, and her straight, pale, eye-catching long legs were right there, visible to Diarmuid.
Diarmuid merely glanced at her and looked away. They were already like an "old married couple," and he didn't care about a single look.
Gion acted as if she hadn't seen Diarmuid, or perhaps didn't care about him at all. She walked straight into the bathroom behind the sink, leaving the door open, and groggily sat down on the toilet.
Even after Diarmuid finished washing his face and turned off the faucet, he could still hear the sound of flowing water...
"Hey, the one sitting on the toilet over there, who calls herself the Navy's Flower, could you please maintain some image? I'm still here, and you're peeing!" Diarmuid complained helplessly as he picked up his towel and wiped the water from his face.
Sure enough, a goddess isn't ultimately a fairy; she has to eat, drink, and relieve herself too.
Outwardly, Gion was always glamorous, known as the Navy's No. 1 Beauty with countless admirers. Only after she and Diarmuid confirmed their relationship a few years ago did people stop bothering her. But in reality, once she moved in with Diarmuid, she quickly showed her true colors.
For example, she was very lazy. Besides making herself look beautiful, she couldn't tidy up anything else. The moment she came home, she would toss her clothes and pants everywhere. When it was time to wear them, she'd frantically search. Sometimes she couldn't even find her pajamas and would just grab Diarmuid's clothes to wear, like now.
Also, she slept poorly. Even though they would go to sleep neatly side-by-side, Diarmuid would wake up to find Gion either tangled up with him like an octopus or having completely stolen all the blankets, leaving him uncovered. It was only because of his good constitution that he hadn't caught a cold yet.
And then, she seemed to have evolved to a point where she felt no need to maintain her "goddess" image in front of Diarmuid. Sometimes Diarmuid would get off work later than her, and upon returning home, he'd see Gion sitting on the sofa, her inseparable sword Konpira lying on the floor. She'd be holding a romance novel in one hand while casually picking her toes with the other.
Or, when Diarmuid was quietly reading the newspaper in the yard, Gion would walk past him while watering the lawn and let out a perfectly natural, loud fart, not feeling awkward or embarrassed in the slightest.
In short, in front of Diarmuid, Gion had completely dropped any sense of image or the "goddess" aura. She did whatever felt comfortable.
Of course, Diarmuid had gradually grown used to Gion's ways. Though he felt she was becoming more and more unrestrained, there was always a sense of warmth in it. He knew it meant their relationship was close enough that there was no need for pretense.
After finishing up and flushing the toilet, Gion walked up to Diarmuid. She bumped her hip against Diarmuid's waist, pushing him away from the sink. She then turned on the faucet and started washing her hands. "A person has three urgent needs, you know. When you wake up, you immediately need to pee. Should I hold it in...?"
"You make a compelling point," Diarmuid retorted.
After washing her hands, Gion started washing her face and brushing her teeth. While squeezing toothpaste, she asked, "There aren't any meetings today, and Headquarters seems quiet. Are you going to the office early?"
"No rush. Not going to the office today," Diarmuid replied. He then turned and walked out of the bathroom.
Outside, Diarmuid brewed himself a pot of tea, found a clean white short-sleeved shirt to put on, and then started rummaging for clean pants.
Just then, Gion stuck her head out of the bathroom while brushing her teeth. "So, you're taking a vacation? Since you're not in a hurry to leave, wait for me a bit. I'll make you a grand meal for breakfast! We haven't eaten breakfast together in a long time."
Diarmuid put on his pants and said with a smile, "Sounds good. What are you making?"
"Butter toast, hot milk, coffee?" Gion considered it, then replied with a cheerful smile.
"What kind of 'grand meal' is that?!" Diarmuid glared at Gion.
Gion retracted her head, rinsed the toothpaste foam from her mouth, and poked her head out again. "You can't eat anything too greasy in the morning! This is quite rich already, alright?"
Diarmuid ignored her, opened the bedroom door, and prepared to step out to retrieve the newspaper by the courtyard gate.
Gion hadn't expected him to leave and thought Diarmuid was throwing a minor tantrum. A blush flashed across her face, and she suddenly called out, "Hey."
Diarmuid paused and turned to look at Gion. "What do you want?"
"How about... I'm an addition to the breakfast?" Gion said, a little bashfully. After a short pause, she pulled her head back inside the doorway, and her voice came through again. "Does that count as a grand meal?"
Diarmuid was momentarily stunned. Is this woman trying to seduce me first thing in the morning?
After thinking it over, Diarmuid closed the bedroom door. It wasn't about the newspaper; it was mainly because skipping breakfast isn't healthy. Health comes first.
Hearing the door close, Gion poked her head out again, only to see Diarmuid sitting back down on the edge of the bed, taking off the clothes he had just put on.
"What are you doing?" Gion asked, bewildered.
"What do you think?" Diarmuid glared at Gion, then added, "Of course, I'm waiting to eat breakfast!"
"Hahahahahaha... You dirty old man," Gion burst into laughter.
"This is for the sake of my health. As an Admiral of the Navy, if I'm healthy, I can do more things and better serve the whole world. Therefore, this isn't just a personal matter, but a matter for the entire world. Sigh, do you understand now? It's official business..." Diarmuid said shamelessly.
Two minutes—no, two hours later.
Diarmuid opened the bedroom door again and walked out. He stretched, walked across the living room to the front door, and opened it. The smell of green plants in the courtyard, along with fresh air, rushed into Diarmuid's nose, invigorating him.
"Looks like the weather is nice," Diarmuid muttered, glancing at the cloudless sky over Marineford.
He then walked to the courtyard gate, where a newspaper lay in the mailbox. He grabbed the newspaper and turned to walk back inside.
Upon entering the house, Gion was already toasting bread in the toaster, and the table was set with various jams.
Diarmuid didn't say anything. He quietly sat down on the living room sofa, opened the newspaper, and started reading.
Whether there was a major event could be seen from the front-page headlines. If the front page was filled with celebrity gossip and entertainment, it meant nothing big was happening.
Today also seemed relatively uneventful. The headline stated that Charlotte Katakuri, the commander of the Big Mom Pirates, had defeated Ice Witch Whitey Bay, an independent captain under the Whitebeard Pirates. Later, Squard the Maelstrom Spider arrived in time to rescue Whitey Bay, and the Big Mom Pirates claimed victory in this small-scale battle.
Lately, there had been continuous small- and large-scale skirmishes between the Big Mom Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and the Whitebeard Pirates, with wins and losses on both sides. Thus, Diarmuid didn't pay too much attention to the news and didn't take it seriously.
"Anything major happening?" Gion brought the bread spread with jam and butter, along with the hot milk, to the coffee table in front of the sofa, asking curiously.
Diarmuid folded the newspaper. "No, just Big Mom and Kaido's alliance fighting with the old man Whitebeard again."
"Still the same old things, huh..." Gion commented casually, then picked up a piece of toast and began eating.
"Speaking of which, I heard Admiral Sengoku say yesterday that the top brass is pushing for action regarding Fisher Tiger and the Revolutionary Army again," Gion suddenly recalled, mentioning a serious matter.
"Ah, judging by the time, it's about half a year away. I wonder if Jinbe has handled it yet?" Diarmuid said casually.
"Probably soon?" Gion responded.
Not continuing the topic, Gion asked, "Are you going out?"
"Yes, going to the New World this afternoon," Diarmuid nodded, taking a bite of toast and a sip of milk.
"What for?" Gion asked curiously.
"To see Smoker. That guy wants the Gold-Gold Fruit. And Dragon. I have some business with him," Diarmuid said softly.
There was no need to elaborate on Smoker; the Gold-Gold Fruit was meant for him. Originally, the Gold-Gold Fruit alone wouldn't have required Diarmuid to make the trip himself—he could have sent anyone. But Dragon happened to schedule a meeting with him, something about discussing how to retrieve the treasures buried beneath the Red Line. Figuring the heat had died down by now, Diarmuid agreed and prepared to travel to the New World.
Gion nodded, not asking for more details. Instead, Diarmuid took the opportunity to ask, "How about you? Since you're free, why don't you come with me?"
Gion considered it, then shook her head. "No. I'm busy arranging for Doberman to step down as the G-7 Base Commander and transfer back to Headquarters. Since that fellow Vergo can't accompany you anymore, you really do need a capable aide like Doberman. Who should we assign to G-7 then?"
Diarmuid had no objections to Gion's arrangements. It was indeed time to bring Doberman back. He said casually, "Saul? If he's suitable, I can readjust him back into the Vice Admiral ranks. Let him run G-7 for two years, then transfer him back to command the Giant Unit again."
"Saul won't do. Though he's very strong and qualified, that guy isn't sharp enough. G-7 doesn't need a powerful Vice Admiral to hold the fort; it needs a smart Vice Admiral to oversee it, making coordination easier," Gion shook her head.
Diarmuid couldn't argue with that. Swallowing the bread in his mouth, he pondered. "Then transfer both Doberman and Saul back, and you arrange for Momonga to take over as the G-7 Base Commander. He was previously in charge of matters in the Calm Belt area, so he's not unfamiliar with it. If we send him, we can both be at ease."
"Momonga?" Gion thought about it, then nodded with a smile. "Alright."
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