The moment Borsalino finished speaking, a Den Den Mushi began ringing.
Hearing the sound, Borsalino, Kuzan, and Gion were all stunned because all three of their Den Den Mushi started ringing at the same time.
Something's wrong!
The three of them looked at each other, and the same thought crossed their minds.
Something big must have happened for all of their Den Den Mushi to ring at the same time.
At that moment, Momonga was on the ground, with Diarmuid on top of him, raining down punches on his head.
The ringing Den Den Mushi interrupted their sparring match.
Not just Momonga and Diarmuid, but everyone else who was watching turned to look at the three of them.
"Admiral Sengoku?" Borsalino said as he answered the Den Den Mushi.
Next to him, Kuzan and Gion also answered theirs. Sure enough, the people calling them were Vice Admiral Garp and Chief of Staff Tsuru, respectively.
After a few quiet words, the expressions on Borsalino, Kuzan, and Gion's faces all turned very serious.
A moment later, they hung up their Den Den Mushi, looked at each other, and said, "It looks like things are about to get troublesome. Let's go, the mission is a priority."
The others didn't know what had happened, but from the looks on their faces, they knew it had to be something big.
Just then, Borsalino looked at Diarmuid. "Diarmuid, come with us. It's time for a mission."
Diarmuid was stunned. He quickly stood up. "Yes, sir!"
He was very confused. Didn't he just say to stay here and train and not worry about any missions for a while?
How did I get a mission before my fight was even finished?
At the same time, he was also wondering what big event had happened.
"I'll be going now," Diarmuid said with a smile to Momonga.
Momonga rubbed his bruised and swollen cheek and waved his hand. "Go on, let's finish this next time."
Even though he said that, he knew in his heart that he might not be a match for Diarmuid in terms of fighting.
But he wasn't discouraged. After all, he wasn't a martial artist. If anything, he thought he was more talented in swordsmanship.
He hadn't decided which path he would take in the future.
Soon, Diarmuid followed the three of them out of the gym.
Since he wasn't very familiar with Borsalino or Gion, Diarmuid thought for a moment and whispered to Kuzan, "What happened?"
Kuzan looked at Diarmuid and whispered, "According to the information we just received, the Roger Pirates have returned to the New World not too long ago."
Diarmuid nodded but still asked, a bit confused, "So what? The Roger Pirates have been going in and out of the New World for a long time now. What's the big deal?"
For ordinary pirates, the entire Grand Line was a one-way street. They had to sail by Log Pose, or it was extremely dangerous.
Therefore, from the moment they entered the Grand Line, they had only one path to take.
But for the top-tier pirate crews, the Grand Line didn't have as many fatal threats, so it was normal for them to freely sail in and out of it.
However, most pirates, after entering the New World, rarely came back out.
This was because the New World was the domain of pirates, and it was difficult for the Marines and the World Government to manage things there. But outside the New World was the territory of Justice, and the Marines could target them at any time. So even though the New World was more dangerous, it was, in a way, more freeing for them.
But the Roger Pirates were different. They were running around the world. One day they could be in the New World, and the next they could be crossing the Calm Belt and heading to the four seas. A few days later, they might show up on the Grand Line again.
In short, their whereabouts were unpredictable, so it was not surprising for them to appear anywhere.
The Marines had also been investigating what they were up to, but they hadn't been able to figure out their intentions.
But Diarmuid knew the reason: they were looking for clues to the final island, which would be later named as Laugh Tale.
That's why they were running all over the world.
"If it was just the Roger Pirates, it would be no big deal. But apparently, Golden Lion Shiki is planning a war against the Roger Pirates. If we act fast, we might be able to catch them in the middle of their fight. This is a great opportunity for us Marines," Kuzan quickly explained.
Diarmuid was stunned when he heard this. He suddenly understood what was about to happen.
The mighty Flying Pirates, Golden Lion Shiki's great fleet… were about to be wiped out.
How could he not know what was about to happen when others didn't?
This was the Battle of Edd War, wasn't it? The one about to happen in the story?
It was now the year 1496 of the Marine calendar, and the Battle of Edd War happened in this year. Diarmuid just didn't know what time of year it was.
Now it seemed it was at the beginning of the year!
At the Battle of Edd War, the Roger Pirates should have reached their end. Shiki had made ample preparations and could have easily wiped out the Roger Pirates right then and there.
Unfortunately, man's plans can't compete with the heavens. Shiki never expected that Roger was a destined son, who miraculously had a huge storm appear in the middle of the naval battle.
Because of his Devil Fruit ability, Shiki was powerless in the storm and was completely defeated. Not only was his great pirate fleet almost completely annihilated, but he himself also suffered a terrible fate.
He got a ship's wheel stuck in his head and couldn't get it out.
And because of this, the ship's wheel in his head led to a rapid decline in his strength over the next two decades, turning him from the world-dominating Golden Lion into a miserable old man who couldn't even use much Haki.
He was eventually beaten to a pulp by the Straw Hat Pirates, who also came from the East Blue… and almost died on the spot.
The legend of a great hero had ended.
"That's right. This might be our chance as the Marines to take out both pirate crews in one fell swoop," Gion said excitedly.
Diarmuid nodded, agreeing with her statement.
It was true. If the Marines could make it in time, no matter if Roger could escape or not, the Marines would definitely be able to take care of Shiki.
But in his memory, it seemed that even though the Marines were eager, they ultimately didn't make it to the battle?
That made sense.
The Marines had estimated that the war between Shiki and Roger would last for three days and three nights. But in the end, a storm appeared not long after the fight began, and the outcome was decided quickly. The Marines didn't have time to get involved, and the fight was over by the time they arrived.
"I can't believe the first mission I get at Marineford is such a huge one…" Diarmuid said with a smile.
Kuzan laughed. "What, are you scared? I can talk to Sengoku-san and let you train peacefully at Headquarters."
Diarmuid shook his head. "I'm not scared. On the contrary, I'm very excited."
As he spoke, the group entered the massive Fortress of Justice. Soon, they saw a group of Marines standing in the hallway in front of Fleet Admiral Kong's office.
The most noticeable one was a giant Vice Admiral. Diarmuid recognized him at a glance.
This was Kuzan's good friend, Vice Admiral Jaguar D. Saul.
The one who would later play a big role in the Ohara Scholars incident.
His state was very similar to Kuzan's. He was leaning against the wall, yawning.
Besides him, Diarmuid also saw Akainu, Sakazuki, who would later become one of the three Admirals along with Borsalino and Kuzan.
Sakazuki was standing in the hallway with his arms crossed over his chest, wearing a Marine cap, and staying silent.
Before Borsalino and Kuzan could go up and say hello, the office door suddenly swung open.
A very muscular, imposing middle-aged man walked out.
He was wearing a black suit and a Justice coat, and the coat had the Vice Admiral epaulet on it.
Diarmuid recognized this guy at a glance. This was the Marine Hero, Monkey D. Garp.
"Hey! Garp, I'm not finished talking!" a furious roar came from inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Although Diarmuid couldn't see who it was, he knew the voice belonged to the current supreme commander of the Marines, Fleet Admiral Kong.
"Even though you haven't finished, I've heard enough!" Garp laughed and closed the office door.
"You bastard!!!"
Even with the door closed, Diarmuid and the others could still hear the furious roar of the Fleet Admiral inside.
But perhaps many people were used to Garp's antics because no one was surprised. On the contrary, many of them even had a smile on their faces.
"Garp-san, did you reject the promotion to Admiral again?" Kuzan asked with a laugh.
Garp walked toward them, laughing. "Hahahaha, Vice Admiral is good enough. If I become an Admiral, I'd have to be like Zephyr and Sengoku. I don't want that."
Before Kuzan could respond, the office door opened again, and Chief of Staff Tsuru and Admiral Sengoku walked out.
"The first thing I hear when I come out is you talking bad about me, you bastard?" Sengoku complained with some annoyance.
"Hahaha, Tsuru-chan, count me in when you go. I'll come with you on the ship," Garp said to Tsuru, ignoring Sengoku.
Tsuru said without changing her expression, "No way. You'll definitely tear the ship to shreds."
"Don't say that," Garp said without any embarrassment.
As the three of them walked ahead, the Marines in the hallway naturally followed. Diarmuid, of course, followed behind Sengoku.
"Hey, Garp, you should've heard me just now. I'm handling this Shiki thing…" Sengoku said, glancing at Garp.
"Hahahaha, don't worry, you can have all the credit," Garp said nonchalantly.
"You bastard, that's not what I'm talking about," Sengoku yelled in annoyance.
But he also knew that if it was just Shiki, Garp might listen to his advice. But if Roger was involved, no one could stop him. In the end, Sengoku just gave up on the crazy Garp.
The group quickly boarded a Marine ship, and it soon sailed out of the harbor.
It was only then that Sengoku looked at Diarmuid with a smile. "Long time no see, Diarmuid. How have you been?"
Diarmuid also smiled. "Thanks for your concern, Admiral. I've been great."
"Good. I was originally thinking of letting you train here at Headquarters for a while, but then I thought, even though this mission is very dangerous, if we succeed, the credit will be huge. It might help you build a solid ground, so I asked Borsalino to bring you along," Sengoku said with a smile.
It was clear that he was taking good care of Diarmuid.
"Thank you, Admiral!" Diarmuid said, nodding quickly.
"Just be careful out there," Sengoku added as a final reminder.