Stussy had no intention of stopping Diarmuid from trying to weaken Cipher Pol's standing with the World Government and the Gorosei. Cipher Pol wasn't her agency, she wasn't even its leader yet, so why would she care?
She had to secure her own interests first. If she ever got to the top, with Diarmuid as her ally, they could twist the narrative however they wanted. For now, those thoughts were for a later date.
Stussy was starting to feel a sense of urgency. Her top priority was to take control of a new external organization called "Pleasure District." Once she held that power, she would be a high-ranking official with a large force at her command. She'd be able to handle any situation with confidence.
After tipping Stussy off about Dragon, Diarmuid didn't dwell on it. He chuckled and said into the Den Den Mushi, "I was just going to chat, but I didn't expect our little side conversation to be more important than my main reason for calling."
"Oh? What was your main reason for calling, Diarmuid-san? Does G-7 need my help?" Stussy asked with a playful tone.
"That's not it, and to be honest, G-7 is a top-secret project for the Marines," Diarmuid said with a laugh.
Stussy was momentarily stunned. 'Something's happening there? Why would it be top-secret? It's just a Marine base,' she thought. But she didn't ask any questions.
If Diarmuid hadn't said anything, it meant the matter had nothing to do with her or her interests, so there was no need to ask. It was the same way Diarmuid never pried into Cipher Pol secrets that didn't concern him. They had a mutual understanding.
"Oh? Then what do you need my help with?" Stussy asked with another laugh.
"Two things. The first is official: if you get any information on Douglas Bullet, let the Marines know. We're getting ready to take out that madman."
This was a small request, and Stussy agreed immediately. "No problem. If we get any intel, I'll send it directly to you, Diarmuid-san."
"Thank you, Stussy-san," Diarmuid said with a cheerful laugh.
He paused for a moment, then continued, "The second thing is this: my sword, Nagasone Kotetsu, was broken during my fight with Charlotte Linlin. I'm without a blade. You guys in Cipher Pol have some wild connections. If anyone is looking to sell a famous sword, please let me know. I'm doing quite well for myself right now, hahahaha…"
'I'm a Marine Vice Admiral and an Admiral Candidate, a top-tier force in the Marines. My sword is broken, and it's perfectly reasonable for me to apply for an internal subsidy to buy a new one. It's just the normal process for a Marine to get new gear, except my gear is a little expensive. As the G-7 base commander, I can even arrange this myself. So, yes, I'm quite well off. It's all within the rules,' he thought.
"Hehe, of course. Rest assured, Diarmuid-san, I will find you a good sword," Stussy replied with a laugh.
"Thank you," Diarmuid said, nodding.
They chatted a bit longer, then, with nothing else to say, they wished each other well and hung up their Den Den Mushi. At the same time, Diarmuid's warship slowly pulled into the port.
Gion and Doberman, along with a team of Marine soldiers, were waiting for him. When Diarmuid stepped onto the dock, he saw them and was lost in thought for a moment.
"Is something wrong, Vice Admiral?" Doberman asked, looking at Diarmuid's distant expression. "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking that life is like sailing against the current, if you don't advance, you retreat. Lately, because of my success against Roger and Shiki, I've gotten a little too arrogant. I thought everything was under my control, but now I see how inflated and ignorant I was." Diarmuid reached out and patted Doberman's shoulder.
Doberman was confused. 'What was Diarmuid getting so emotional about?'
"Tell me, am I qualified to be a Marine Admiral?" Diarmuid suddenly asked.
Doberman answered immediately, snapping to attention and saluting. "In my opinion, you are more than qualified. If the man who captured the Pirate King and arrested Golden Lion Shiki isn't qualified to become an Admiral, how can the rest of the Marines be convinced?"
Gion, who was standing nearby, looked at Diarmuid in surprise, not knowing what had gotten into him.
Diarmuid nodded at Doberman's words, then looked at Gion. "What about you, Gion?"
Gion shook her head. "Not now. But once G-7 proves to be a success and you get even stronger, then it's just as Doberman said, if you don't become an Admiral, the Marines will be hard-pressed to accept it."
"That's right. Once G-7's results are in…" Diarmuid nodded in agreement. Gion's words were more objective, while Doberman seemed to be a die-hard loyalist.
'That's good,' he thought. 'It'll be a while before G-7's results are in. In the meantime, I'll take the final step toward achieving top-tier strength. Once my work at G-7 is complete and my strength is up to par, I won't just wait for an Admiral position. I'm going to fight for it! I'll challenge the World Government and the Gorosei!'
He stopped talking about it and started walking into the base with Gion and Doberman at his side.
"How have things been since I left? How are the projects coming along?" Diarmuid asked.
Doberman immediately replied, "Everything on my end is normal. We executed about 300 prisoners but replaced them all from Impel Down. We still have a total of 4,000 prisoners. The fortification project is almost done, and next, we'll begin building the military town."
He paused for a moment. "Unlike the expansion of the base, the military town will cover the remaining two-thirds of the island and will have to be built from scratch. We don't have enough manpower with only 4,000 prisoners."
Diarmuid nodded and looked at Gion.
Gion said, "The recruitment drive is finished. G-7 now has a total of 57,000 personnel, including logistics."
When Diarmuid heard that, he grinned. "Good. We have enough manpower now. I've already secured the warships and cannons. From now on, Doberman, you'll be in charge of supervising the military town. Gion, you'll be in charge of training the new recruits. We'll bring in 11,000 prisoners from Impel Down to get a workforce of 15,000 to start building the town. Once the new recruits are trained and have had some real combat experience, we'll bring in more prisoners from Impel Down to get a workforce of 30,000 to work on the Calm Belt development project."
"Yes, sir!" Gion and Doberman replied in unison.
Diarmuid nodded again and looked at Doberman. "Following this plan, how long do you think it will take to complete the military town?"
Diarmuid had no experience in construction, but Doberman had overseen the base expansion and fortification, so he was a veteran.
After thinking for a moment, Doberman said, "The military town will be big, but it won't be a particularly huge project since we only need to build the basic infrastructure and not everything for the future settlers. If we have enough manpower and work day and night, it should take about three years."
"Good. Then we'll work day and night!" Diarmuid said without hesitation. He didn't see the prisoners from Impel Down as people. All he wanted was results. He would work the prisoners to death as long as they didn't actually die.
The success of one general is built on the sacrifice of many. Doberman was a ruthless person himself. He saw himself as Diarmuid's aide, and Diarmuid treated him that way. He would die for Diarmuid. He had no problem using the prisoners to their breaking point.
If Diarmuid became an Admiral sooner, Doberman would also be promoted. He didn't have the ambition to become an Admiral Candidate, believing he lacked the potential and would only cause trouble for Diarmuid, but he did have the ambition to become a Marine Vice Admiral.
So, when Diarmuid gave his inhumane order, Doberman immediately replied, "Yes, sir! I will ensure the mission is completed!"
After giving Doberman his orders, Diarmuid looked at Gion. "You know we have over 400 billion berries, right?"
"Of course. Are you planning to spend it?" Gion asked with a smile.
"No. I just want you to know that G-7 isn't short on money. And I'll find ways to get more. The Great Pirate Era is already sweeping through this area. Kuzan recently failed to capture Crocodile, and based on Crocodile's movements, he wasn't too far from here. Even if he's faster than the new pirates, he's not that much faster. The swarm of pirates will soon…" Diarmuid said, pointing to the sea in the distance. "…fill up that place. As Marines, we must protect our jurisdiction. When that time comes, fight hard. Turn these new recruits into veterans in the shortest amount of time possible, and pick out the promising ones for special training!"
Gion understood Diarmuid's words.
The Great Pirate Era was about to reach G-7. G-7 had plenty of manpower, but they were mostly new recruits, so she should play it safe. But Diarmuid was ruthless, and the money he had was his way of telling her to use iron and blood to forge a strong army at G-7. He was telling her to send the new recruits into battle, and if they died, they could just use the money to recruit more.
Gion might not be as ruthless as Diarmuid, but she knew that in this era, no one could hide. This was the fate of everyone, and iron and blood would be the sound of the times.
She nodded. "Yes, I understand." After a moment, she chuckled. "Speaking of promising recruits, I actually found a good one in the draft. He was very enthusiastic."
"Oh? Really? Who?" Diarmuid asked with a smile.
"He's from the North Blue, just like you. His name is Vergo." Gion said with a grin.
Diarmuid was stunned. 'Who?'
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