When Diarmuid returned to the Oasis Hotel, the first thing he saw was the back of Rob Lucci.
Lucci was seated on a lounge sofa in the hotel lobby, reading a newspaper. He wore a neat black suit and a small fedora. Crucially, he had acquired another pigeon somehow on the journey and kept it by his side. The bird seemed surprisingly intelligent, standing on his shoulder and "reading" the newspaper with him.
As Diarmuid and Hina approached from the side, Diarmuid noticed a briefcase placed beside Lucci.
The moment his eyes fell upon it, Lucci seemed to sense something. He instinctively looked up toward Diarmuid and Hina, his eyes filled with caution and alertness.
Undoubtedly, while the man appeared relaxed and leisurely reading the paper, his guard was actually very high.
But upon seeing Diarmuid's smiling expression, the wariness in Lucci's eyes rapidly vanished, and his originally indifferent expression brightened with pleasure.
He immediately stood up, put the newspaper down, and prepared to give a salute.
However, Diarmuid waved a hand, stopping him before he could. "Alright, alright, don't expose our identities. I'm here on vacation."
Lucci smiled, then scratched his head. "Yes, Admiral."
"Come on, let's go upstairs and talk in the room first," Diarmuid gestured.
Soon, the three were back in Diarmuid's room.
Hina naturally poured them all tea, while Diarmuid and Lucci sat across from each other on the sofa, beginning their conversation.
"When I sent you out, you were still just a kid. In the blink of an eye, you've become such a fine young man," Diarmuid said with a tone of emotion.
Lucci smiled. "Really?"
"What, has no one ever told you that?" Diarmuid asked good-naturedly.
It seemed that despite Lucci's outwardly cold demeanor, his personality had actually developed to be quite cheerful.
After pretending to think for a moment, Lucci nodded seriously. "Quite a few people have told me I'm handsome."
"But compared to me, you're still lacking a little," Diarmuid said narcissistically.
Following that, both men burst out laughing.
After the laughter subsided, Diarmuid asked, "So, how are you feeling? Lately?"
Lucci fell silent for a moment, then replied, "I feel a bit strange, to be honest. The atmosphere on the Whitebeard Pirates' ship was great, and I integrated quite well. I got along fine with everyone there. For this kind of thing to happen so suddenly, even though I was mentally prepared for it, I still feel somewhat ashamed..."
Lucci spoke honestly about his state of mind, and Diarmuid listened intently.
After a long while, once Lucci had finished describing his feelings, Diarmuid said, "Perhaps it's a bit inappropriate for me to say this, as I've never been an undercover agent or anything. Anything I say might sound like I'm giving advice without having been in your shoes. But Lucci, I still hope you understand that this was just a mission. Your true identity is a Marine. Of course, people have emotions, so I'm not going to demand that you act a certain way. I think it's time for you to take a break. Feel free to travel anywhere you want, anywhere you can relax..."
Lucci smiled and nodded when he heard this. "That's what I was thinking, too. I was actually going to ask for leave. It looks like I don't need to now?"
"Hahaha, I've approved it directly," Diarmuid laughed.
Next, Diarmuid continued, "So, once your vacation is over, what do you plan to do?"
"What do you mean, what do I plan to do?" Lucci asked, a little confused.
"I mean, which department do you want to join? I want to hear your own ideas about your future career path in the Marines," Diarmuid said earnestly.
Lucci had risked his life for so many years to find the Dark-Dark Fruit, and he had successfully brought it back.
Diarmuid naturally wouldn't mistreat him, so he placed great importance on Lucci's own wishes.
Lucci was silent for a long time, then said, "Is there a more laid-back position? I don't think I'll be able to adjust in a short time..."
"I see..." Diarmuid murmured, reaching up to rub his chin upon hearing this.
Then Diarmuid continued, "In that case, my original plan was to send you to the Marine Academy for a period of adjustment after you returned. How does that sound? The Marine Academy should be a relatively relaxed place, and you have a good relationship with Zephyr-sensei. He often mentions you to me..."
"Zephyr-sensei? It's been so many years since I saw him, I truly miss the old man," Lucci smiled.
After thinking about it, Lucci nodded. "That sounds good. I'll go to the Marine Academy first, then?"
"Mhm. I'll arrange for you to be an instructor. You can spend some time as a teacher at the Academy for now," Diarmuid said with a smile.
"Understood, Admiral," Lucci replied, sounding satisfied.
"Well then, I hope you can rediscover your proper state at the Marine Academy, Lucci... No, Vice Admiral Rob Lucci," Diarmuid looked at Lucci seriously.
Hearing this, Lucci first froze, then his expression became complicated, showing emotion, relief, and various other feelings. Ultimately, it transformed into a smile, and he looked back at Diarmuid earnestly. "Yes, thank you, Admiral."
Afterward, Diarmuid chatted with Lucci about many things—mostly mundane topics, along with some interesting anecdotes from the New World and the Whitebeard Pirates.
He avoided asking about intelligence or other complex matters.
At this moment, Diarmuid simply wanted Lucci to relax. Even the Dark-Dark Fruit, right there in front of them, was not brought up by Diarmuid once.
In Diarmuid's view, after Lucci had worked so hard for so long, he shouldn't act too opportunistically, as it would make him seem heartless.
After they had both chatted until they were thirsty and had two cups of tea, Diarmuid's gaze finally settled on the briefcase next to Lucci.
Lucci suddenly smiled. "Admiral, are you finally unable to restrain yourself?"
"Hahahaha, you noticed that a while ago, didn't you?" Diarmuid laughed loudly.
"After all, you've been waiting for it for over ten years," Lucci said with a hint of emotion.
Diarmuid nodded, then asked, "Did I seem a bit hypocritical just now?"
Lucci shook his head seriously. "Absolutely not. Precisely because I know how long you've been waiting, I can understand the care and protection behind our casual chat just now, even more."
Diarmuid smiled, shaking his head. "Well, that actually makes me feel a little ashamed."
Lucci did not respond to this, but instead lifted the briefcase, placed it on the coffee table, and entered the code. The case quickly opened.
Inside, there was indeed a Devil Fruit. It was pale purple with bizarre patterns, and it was impossible to tell what kind of fruit it was supposed to be.
Diarmuid was a person who had read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia many times, so he instantly confirmed that it was, without a doubt, the Dark-Dark Fruit.
"You've worked hard," Diarmuid said abruptly.
"It was nothing," Lucci shook his head.
Next, Diarmuid raised his hand and reached for the Dark-Dark Fruit. Just as he was about to touch it, his brow furrowed slightly.
Lucci looked at Diarmuid with some confusion and asked, "Admiral? Is something wrong?"
Diarmuid shook his head and said softly, "Nothing."
With that, he took the Dark-Dark Fruit into his hands. At the same time, Hina, who was not far away, looked at Diarmuid strangely.
Lucci might not notice any change or anomaly because he hadn't been around Diarmuid for a long time.
However, Hina, as Diarmuid's personal aide, could clearly sense a subtle change in his state.
It was an aura of greed.
The moment Admiral Diarmuid reached out to touch the Dark-Dark Fruit, Hina could feel a sense of greed in her Admiral's eyes, a covetousness that seemed to make him slightly uncomfortable.
Suddenly, Hina seemed to recall occasional conversations between Diarmuid and Kuzan.
It seemed that a side effect of the Admiral's ability was a stirring sense of greed or craving for Devil Fruits?
What in the world is going on?
At the same time, Diarmuid was carefully examining the Dark-Dark Fruit in his hands.
He did feel that something was off with himself. He had always hidden a few secrets, such as his ability to consciously activate his Iron Will, which, under its effects, made him immune to pain.
Another example was the mysterious little black entity, that black core, inside his body. He had never understood what this thing was after all these years.
He could only faintly feel that, under the influence of this small entity, his physical condition was enhanced in various aspects.
For instance, although he never took particularly good care of himself and was quite rough, his appearance had always remained youthful.
Even though he was rapidly approaching forty, he looked only about twenty-five or twenty-six.
Another example was that no matter how severe his injuries were, he would always fully recover, and strangely, follow-up medical examinations never showed any residual effects. It was quite odd.
In short, so far, the unknown little black entity inside him had only brought beneficial effects. Therefore, after failing to understand it, Diarmuid had stopped trying.
It was only a few times, when he handled a Devil Fruit, that he would feel an aura of greed and a craving.
Initially, he thought it might be a side effect of his own ability, and he even specifically discussed it with Kuzan and other Marine Headquarters ability users.
However, the answers he received were varied and strange; the side effects of different ability users were all different. For example, Kuzan's was a very low body temperature, which could basically be described as a 'hibernation state.' Because of this, he wasn't very motivated to do anything, often appearing lazy and constantly dozing off.
So, he was never able to confirm what was happening.
In the previous instances of handling Devil Fruits, even the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit, the unknown craving and greed that originated from within him quickly dissipated.
It gave Diarmuid a feeling that, "This isn't the one I'm looking for."
This time, Diarmuid also felt that sensation just before touching the Dark-Dark Fruit. He hadn't thought much of it, but after actually picking up the Dark-Dark Fruit, he noticed the difference.
In the previous instances, the craving and greed quickly disappeared.
This time, however, the longer he held the Dark-Dark Fruit, the more intense this feeling of greed and craving became.
The little black entity inside his body, which hadn't stirred for years, also seemed to be stirring restlessly.
"What exactly is going on?" Diarmuid murmured, then slowly placed the Dark-Dark Fruit back into the briefcase.
Once the Dark-Dark Fruit was released from his hand, the sensation inside him gradually subsided.
"Admiral?" Lucci called out softly.
Diarmuid then snapped back to attention, smiling. "Nothing. I'm just feeling a little emotional, having finally gotten my hands on this Devil Fruit."