Led by Robin, Spandine and Who's-Who soon arrived at a secluded, detached villa after leaving the Rainbase Casino.
Since entering the villa, Spandine hadn't said a word.
Nico Robin smiled at his reaction and spoke: "Relax, it's very safe here."
Only then did Spandine open his mouth: "You brought me to stay in a place like this? Won't Crocodile say anything?"
"If he asked me to bring people like you to stay in a room full of wiretaps, he'd have a brain problem. Don't worry, he's not that stupid, and neither am I. We both know exactly what you people do," Robin said calmly, waving her hand dismissively.
Spandine nodded, but still winked at Who's-Who.
Who's-Who nodded quickly, then twisted his neck. His body gradually grew larger, and fur quickly sprouted as he transformed from human form into his Hybrid form.
"Ancient Zoan?" Robin looked at Who's-Who with some surprise. It was clearly a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, and judging by the sharp fangs, it wasn't hard to recognize him as a Saber-Toothed Tiger! Ancient Zoan users were quite rare, and Robin observed him with curiosity.
Who's-Who didn't say anything, but crouched down. His nose kept sniffing around, and he quickly scented the entire house. Before long, he returned to his human form and reported to Spandine: "Sir, there are no problems."
"You can smell that?" Robin asked in astonishment.
"Who do you think I am? I'm a professional. If you're not lying, your identity should be a Marine intelligence officer, right? Haven't you seen this kind of skill?" Who's-Who boasted with some swagger.
Robin looked at his nose, then at the house, wondering what scent the guy had used to make his judgment.
"Never seen it. On our Marine side, we use this..." Robin said, pulling out a small black ball, no bigger than a fingernail, from her pocket.
She flicked the small black ball, and it instantly transformed into something resembling a fishing rod or a cat teaser toy. Robin casually waved it around to demonstrate: "A detector. Science makes progress..."
Who's-Who looked at the small black ball, then at Robin, his expression highly embarrassed. After a slight pause, he grumbled: "Our CP agencies don't have a Special Science Group... Besides, machinery can't be trusted. A person must rely on themselves..."
Robin looked at Who's-Who with amusement, dangling the cat teaser-like object in front of him. Surprisingly, perhaps his Saber-Toothed Tiger ability really did have this side effect, as Who's-Who's eyes instinctively followed the object.
This sight made the inwardly scheming Robin laugh out loud.
"You bastard!" Who's-Who reacted with annoyance.
"Hehehe, my apologies. I just couldn't resist experimenting. As compensation, I'll give this to you..." Robin offered the 'cat teaser' in her hand, suppressing her laughter.
Who's-Who hesitated, but eventually reached out his hand.
Spandine, standing nearby, shot an annoyed look at his embarrassing subordinate, but said nothing more.
Once Robin and Who's-Who completed the transfer of the 'cat teaser,' Spandine finally said: "Wait here for me. Keep an eye on her. I need to confirm her identity."
Who's-Who, having received his order, immediately straightened his expression and responded sharply: "Yes."
Spandine nodded, turned, and walked toward the courtyard, pulling out his Den Den Mushi.
…
At the same time, in Port Nanohana, Alabasta, Diarmuid's small assault ship slowly docked. Although it was a Marine vessel, it wasn't very conspicuous. As one of the affiliated nations and a key stop along the first half of the Grand Line, Marine warships frequently moved in and out of Alabasta, which was quite normal.
Not far from the assault ship, Diarmuid already spotted a battleship belonging to Marine Headquarters.
"Whose ship is that?" Diarmuid asked Hina beside him.
Hina examined it closely, then said: "It looks like Dalmatian's?"
"Dalmatian?" Diarmuid was stunned.
Most standard Marine Headquarters warships looked identical, but the flagships of the various Marine bigwigs and Vice Admirals usually had some small differences. Arrogant, high-profile guys like Garp had a dog head figurehead on the bow of his ship. Issho, in the original story, simply wrote his name 'Issho' on the sail. Gion's warship had pink sails, and Sakazuki's ship deck had a scorched, dark-red hue. In short, whether high-profile or low-profile, they all had some subtle differences.
It was rare for someone like Diarmuid who didn't have a true flagship, simply grabbing whichever ship was available and having no distinguishing features whatsoever. Hina, as his secretary, was quite knowledgeable about these things, allowing her to quickly identify the ship.
"Yes, it should be Dalmatian," Hina confirmed.
"Why did that guy come here? Passing through, or on a mission?" Diarmuid rubbed his chin.
"Who knows? Maybe just for resupply. Isn't that normal? Should I ask? Should I contact them?" Hina asked again.
Diarmuid waved his hand: "No need. The Fleet Admiral knows my whereabouts, but he hasn't issued me any deployment order, which means the situation in Alabasta doesn't require too much intervention from us. We'll just watch the show."
"What if it collapses?" Hina smiled.
"Crocodile shouldn't have the capability to do that..." Diarmuid chuckled disdainfully.
The moment he finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi in Hina's bag began to pere pere. Hina quickly took out the Den Den Mushi and looked at Diarmuid: "Admiral, it's Spandine."
"Answer it," Diarmuid said without turning his head, his gaze still drifting over Port Nanohana, seemingly fascinated by the customs of this ancient kingdom.
"Admiral?" Spandine's voice quickly came through the Den Den Mushi.
Diarmuid smacked his lips: "Spandine, have you ever been to Alabasta? The sun is really intense here. Should I change into local clothing and cover up to avoid getting a sunburn?"
As far as his eyes could see, almost everyone on the port was dressed in clothing similar to the desert-traveling garments of his previous life. Although it was scorching hot, they all wrapped themselves up tightly to avoid direct sunlight. He heard that wearing it this way actually kept one cooler.
At the same time, Spandine was a bit confused. He looked at his surroundings, walked a couple of steps toward the shade of a tree in the courtyard, and then replied: "I suppose I should, right?"
After saying this, he paused, then reacted with surprise: "Admiral, does this mean you're also in Alabasta?"
"Hmm?" Diarmuid was also a bit surprised, and followed up: "Also? Do you mean that you are also in Alabasta?"
Diarmuid had not been involved in the Alabasta situation at all, so he truly wasn't aware of the overall intelligence.
Spandine quickly said: "Yes, I arrived in Alabasta a few days ago, and I'm in Rainbase right now. Where are you?"
"I just arrived at Port Nanohana," Diarmuid said with a smile. What a coincidence.
Spandine, hearing this, rapidly said: "Then should I come to pick you up? Speaking of which, has something bigger happened in Alabasta? Or is there a more dangerous problem hidden in this country? Has this matter alarmed you? Does the Marine side require your personal intervention? I heard that a Vice Admiral from Marineford was in charge of this area?"
Upon learning that Admiral Diarmuid was in Alabasta, Spandine, who had been calm and composed, immediately panicked. In his mind, if Diarmuid participated in an operation as a Marine Admiral, there was no doubt that the operation was extremely dangerous and highly threatening. It often led to shocking major incidents.
He had originally felt quite good about coming to Alabasta, despite his reluctance. His meeting with Crocodile had gone very smoothly. But now, he was terrified.
Spandine's barrage of questions made Diarmuid laugh, realizing the guy had misunderstood. However, Diarmuid didn't want to scare him, so he said with a chuckle: "Alright, alright, don't be nervous and don't misunderstand. All these messy things in Alabasta have nothing to do with me. I've been on vacation and traveling for over two months now. I was just eating barbecue at Little Garden, which isn't far from here, and I received a plea for help from a troublesome woman. Ah, you should know her, the little girl you met at Ohara back then. She's now part of our Marine Intelligence Division. She found the waters in Alabasta too murky for her to handle, so she asked me for help. I just dropped by since I was passing."
Hearing this, Spandine sighed in relief, then smiled: "Nico Robin-san?"
"Oh? You still remember her name?" Diarmuid was somewhat surprised. Are all you intelligence agents this good? Remembering the name of a little girl you met once over ten years ago?
Spandine explained: "Of course. In fact, I've already made contact with her. Her current identity is Crocodile's assistant? I was a bit suspicious at first, but since you, Admiral, say so, then she must be fine. By the way, are you going to intervene in the Alabasta situation? How can I assist you?"
Spandine's wording was highly skillful, completely disregarding his orders from Mariejois—he just wanted to align himself with Diarmuid. He was constantly showing loyalty.
Diarmuid naturally understood his meaning, smiled, and said: "Stop flattering me and focus on your mission. I won't interfere much with the Alabasta situation. I'm just here to watch the excitement, and incidentally..."
Pausing there, Diarmuid's expression became slightly more serious: "Incidentally, to provide a safety net for you all."
Crocodile? Diarmuid didn't actually take the guy seriously, even though this was a desert kingdom, even though he was considered the Desert King here, capable of maximizing his strength and abilities. Diarmuid still didn't pay him much mind. The only one that Diarmuid was somewhat concerned about was Dragon.
Diarmuid didn't intend to obstruct Dragon here. He would let him play his game of wits and power against CP, Crocodile, and even the people from Headquarters. If there were no major issues, Diarmuid would consider it a vacation. If the situation changed drastically, and there was a risk of expansion, affecting the Marine's overall strategy or any other noteworthy problem, then Diarmuid might step in to contain it. It was that simple.
"With your word, I feel like I can let loose and go all out," Spandine flattered again.
"Hehehe, don't rely on me too much," Diarmuid teased with a smile.
Then, without even having to ask, Spandine revealed their CP agency's action plan without reservation, which Diarmuid listened to with great interest.