When Admiral Diarmuid returned to Marineford, virtually all the high-ranking officers in Marineford were already in position.
Subsequently, a series of power shifts and personnel changes were quickly implemented.
Speaking of which, Diarmuid had told Jinbe, Dragon, and others that he was busy, but in reality, during these few days at Marineford, Diarmuid didn't actually involve himself in any of these matters.
Of course, it wasn't his place to intervene in the promotions of the Fleet Admiral or the Inspector General.
He could only potentially intervene in Borsalino's situation, but he didn't feel the need to.
The first thing Diarmuid handled upon returning to Marineford was the backlog of accumulated paperwork and the arrangement for Jinbe to become a Warlord of the Sea.
Diarmuid immediately submitted the report to Mariejois.
Mariejois had always entertained the idea of maintaining good relations with Fish-Man Island. The Gorosei and others had supported the previous series of collaborations between the Marines and Fish-Man Island.
The subsequent breakdown of relations had been quite awkward.
Now, Admiral Diarmuid put aside the slight friction between himself and Jinbe and made the magnanimous proposal for Jinbe to assume the role of a Warlord of the Sea, further promoting the improvement of relations between Fish-Man Island and the World Government.
Naturally, the Gorosei had no reason to disagree and quickly approved the matter.
However, since it wasn't suitable for Jinbe to jump into the spotlight and overshadow the Marines' major event at the current stage, Diarmuid planned to wait until Admiral Sengoku officially took office as Fleet Admiral and all Marine matters were settled before arranging Jinbe's ascension.
On the seventh day after Diarmuid returned to Marineford, the World Government's highest authority, the Gorosei, issued a supreme administrative order.
Fleet Admiral Steel Bone Kong was promoted to Commander-in-Chief of all forces under the World Government, overseeing all military affairs.
From this point on, the CP agencies, the Mariejois Army, the armies of various affiliated World Government kingdoms, Marine Headquarters, the Warlord of the Sea organization, and other related enforcement agencies nominally fell under the management of Commander-in-Chief Kong.
Of course, this was only nominal. For example, it was impossible for the CP agencies and the Warlords of the Sea to genuinely take orders from the Commander-in-Chief.
Commander-in-Chief Kong had already been mentally prepared for this and was unconcerned. As long as the Marines fully supported him, it was enough, as the Marines were the real powerhouse under Mariejois among the enforcement agencies.
Commander-in-Chief Kong was not planning to overtly integrate the power of the CP agencies and the Warlords of the Sea, as he knew very well that the higher-ups would not truly permit him to interfere with them.
Therefore, his main external goals were two-fold: first, to see if he could coordinate the armies of the various affiliated kingdoms to strengthen his influence, and second, to rebuild the Mariejois Army Department.
And his main internal goal, of course, was to secretly and strongly support the development of the Marines, giving them the green light for everything!
With Fleet Admiral Kong becoming the Commander-in-Chief, the position of Fleet Admiral naturally became vacant.
On the second day of Fleet Admiral Kong's promotion to Commander-in-Chief, a joint petition was submitted to Mariejois by a group of Marine heavyweights, led by Diarmuid and including Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, Garp, Gion, Tsuru, and even the retired Marine powerhouse Zephyr. They requested the approval of one of the current Marine Admirals, Sengoku the Buddha, to assume the position of the new Marine Headquarters Fleet Admiral!
This was an internal decision from the start. Aside from Sengoku, no one else currently had the prestige to take on the role of the new Fleet Admiral, not even Diarmuid.
Thus, the Gorosei didn't hesitate and immediately handed the petition over to the newly appointed Inspector General Kong to process.
This was also a favor to the Marines and the Commander-in-Chief, helping Commander-in-Chief Kong quickly establish his authority.
Commander-in-Chief Kong had already designated Sengoku as his successor when he was the Fleet Admiral.
Therefore, there could be no complications. In less than five minutes, Commander-in-Chief Kong finished reviewing the Marines' joint petition, signed his name on the final page of the document, and approved the matter.
Subsequently, the news that Admiral Sengoku would become the new Fleet Admiral swept across the world like a storm.
Countless newspapers were frantically running the story.
The World Economy News Paper, in particular, dedicated special editions to Admiral Sengoku for several days, listing all his accomplishments, big and small, since he joined the Marines as a youth decades ago.
Morgans was quite the character; he knew perfectly well that Sengoku was inevitably going to become the Fleet Admiral without any possibility of change.
Therefore, the World Economy News Paper brazenly started buttering up the soon-to-be new Fleet Admiral of the Marines, praising Sengoku to the high heavens, touting him as a once-in-a-hundred-years talent for the Marines.
This made Sengoku slightly embarrassed when going out these days, fearing anyone might praise him further.
Unlike Fleet Admiral Kong's promotion to Commander-in-Chief, which was handled very low-key with only a small mention in the newspapers, the Marines were different. The Marines had to constantly maintain their influence, and at the same time, to establish the authority of the incoming new Fleet Admiral Sengoku more quickly.
Marine Headquarters decided to hold a press conference during Sengoku's promotion ceremony and broadcast it globally.
Marineford had been incredibly busy recently, with most people working on this event.
A stage was set up in the Plaza of Justice, which could accommodate tens of thousands of people, and various related equipment was installed. Many people from different walks of life were invited to attend the grand ceremony.
Among them were many reporters, including the president of the World Economy News Paper, Big News Morgans, who personally attended. There were also kings of affiliated kingdoms who had good relations with Sengoku, and even Queen Otohime of Fish-Man Island personally came to Marineford to participate.
At the same time, the CP agencies, as the brother organization to Marine Headquarters, despite their usual conflicts, had to outwardly present an atmosphere of peace within the World Government for such an event.
Therefore, Queen Stussy, after finishing her business with Dragon, quickly rushed to Marineford to offer her congratulations and attend the Fleet Admiral inauguration ceremony as a representative of the CP agencies.
For a time, Marineford glittered with stars. The plaza, usually only occupied by Marines, was now filled with high-ranking officials and dignitaries from various countries, World Government bigwigs, CP members, reporters, wealthy merchants, and powerful nobles.
Even Bartholomew Kuma, as a representative of the Warlords of the Sea, rushed from Punk Hazard to Marineford, prepared to make an appearance.
…
In Diarmuid's office, Diarmuid was not dressed as casually as usual.
Today was the momentous day of Admiral Sengoku's promotion to Fleet Admiral, so he naturally had to dress formally.
He wore a stylish, perfectly tailored black high-end suit, and his sharp black short hair was neatly styled.
"Hahahaha, was Admiral Sengoku nearly driven mad?" Diarmuid said, laughing heartily while taking his 'Justice' greatcoat, which bore the Admiral epaulets, from the rack, wearing the handsome suit.
Hina, also wearing a dark red suit and draped in a 'Justice' greatcoat today, replied with a delicate laugh, "He nearly was! Admiral Sengoku even specifically contacted the Gorosei, begging them to step in and stop the farce."
"Hahaha, if those bastards had come, he wouldn't have been able to hold any proper ceremony today!" Diarmuid continued to laugh.
It turned out that in the morning, a Celestial Dragon suddenly heard that Marine Headquarters would be very lively today, with someone becoming the Fleet Admiral.
So, he wanted to come join the fun. When Sengoku received the news, he nearly spat up blood. If a Celestial Dragon came here, how could they have a proper ceremony? Would everyone globally broadcast bowing their heads? Given the temperaments of people like Diarmuid, Garp, and Sakazuki, it was even possible they might brutally beat up the Celestial Dragon on live broadcast!
Therefore, Sengoku shamelessly contacted the Gorosei, tearfully reporting the situation to them.
The Gorosei knew it was a big day for the Marines, and damaging the Marines' prestige wouldn't be good for the World Government either. So, they immediately agreed to handle it. It was said they quickly had someone place that problematic Celestial Dragon under house arrest.
Casually throwing the 'Justice' greatcoat onto his shoulders, Diarmuid prepared to walk out the door.
"Let's go. We can't be late. Today is Admiral Sengoku's... no, it's hard to get used to the change... Today is the main event for our new superior, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. We must not be late," Diarmuid said with a chuckle.
Hina checked her wristwatch and said, "We still have over an hour. We won't be late."
Of course, she was only reminding Diarmuid and had no intention of stopping him. She followed Diarmuid outside, opening the office door for him.
However, just as Diarmuid was about to step out, Hina suddenly called out, "Wait a moment, Admiral."
"What is it?" Diarmuid stopped and asked.
Hina took two steps forward, stood on her tiptoes, and reached for Diarmuid's slightly crooked tie. As she adjusted it, she said, "The entire place is swarming with reporters today. After Fleet Admiral Sengoku goes up, you'll be the most senior among the three Admirals. There will surely be many people wanting to interview you, so you must pay attention to your appearance and show off your most handsome side. Otherwise, I, your secretary, will be embarrassed too..."
Hina was on her tiptoes, seriously adjusting Diarmuid's tie, so she was very close to him. When she spoke, a faint fragrance wafted into Diarmuid's nostrils.
Diarmuid smiled, glancing slightly downwards. He could just see Hina's forehead near his chin.
Without a second thought, Diarmuid lowered his head slightly, tilted his chin, and tapped it against Hina's forehead.
Hina froze, looking slightly bewildered.
Just then, the tie was neatly adjusted. Diarmuid laughed loudly and patted Hina's shoulder, saying, "Handsome enough? Hahahaha!"
After speaking, Diarmuid stepped around Hina and walked out of the office.
Hina finally snapped back to reality, touching her head and cursing with shame and annoyance, "You bastard Admiral! You took advantage of me again! I'm going to report you to Gion-nee!!!"
"Hahahaha, you go ahead then. I'm leaving first!" Diarmuid called out without turning his head as he walked down the corridor.
Just as he passed Admiral Sengoku's office, he saw a similarly tall figure emerge from the opened door. This figure was wearing a yellow-striped suit and a 'Justice' greatcoat. Although he seemed formally dressed, he somehow looked incredibly sleazy.
Through the slightly ajar door, Diarmuid also saw people moving things inside.
The person in front of him was none other than Borsalino.
If one looked closely, they would notice that Borsalino's epaulets had changed from Vice Admiral to Admiral.
That's right, he was also taking office as an Admiral today and would attend Fleet Admiral Sengoku's promotion ceremony in his new capacity. Sengoku's office would naturally become his.
This was considered a relatively low-key affair. Whether it was Diarmuid or Sakazuki, their promotions to Admiral were handled smoothly and quietly. Borsalino wasn't particularly fond of standing out either, so it was the same for him.
As soon as Borsalino stepped out, he said to Diarmuid with an unsettling smile, "You need to watch your personal conduct, Admiral Diarmuid. Be careful not to get a complaint from Hina..."
Diarmuid rolled his eyes at Borsalino and said, "Did you get even more repressed and perverted after becoming an Admiral?"
"If you keep saying things like that, I might take it seriously..." Borsalino teased.
Diarmuid completely ignored the comment and instead asked directly, "Are you finished packing? Going together?"
"Mm, let's go together," Borsalino stopped joking and nodded.
Subsequently, the two Marine Admirals left together.
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