In the office of the G-7 base commander, Diarmuid watched the departing figure of Vergo after giving him a task. Diarmuid felt a little helpless; why was this guy so clueless?
'I've hinted at it so many times! Why aren't you going to Doflamingo to get a famous sword for me? Don't you want to get ahead? I swear, I'll send you to mine in the Calm Belt right now!'
'And the Chief of Staff and Stussy are the same way. It's been so long, and nothing. Ugh, a famous sword is hard to come by.'
Putting aside his devious thoughts, Diarmuid picked up a document, read it, and signed his name.
Everyone in G-7 was his own person, so no one would jump out and cause trouble for him. This made handling procedures and matters very smooth for Diarmuid. He just had to tell his subordinates his ideas, and they would draft the documents for him to sign. There wasn't much for him to do, and soon a stack of documents was signed.
Diarmuid stood up and poured himself a cup of tea. He turned to look at the nautical chart hanging on the wall.
Life at G-7 was almost completely calm. While his reputation might not have been enough to shake the Four Seas, it had certainly made a name for itself among many strong individuals. As a result, even rising stars of the Great Pirate Era like Crocodile, Gecko Moria, and Doflamingo didn't dare cause trouble in G-7's waters.
Veterans like Crocodile and newcomers like Doflamingo had already entered the New World. Moria was probably close to doing so, and based on the timeline, once he got to the New World, he'd be looking for trouble with Kaido.
But that didn't have much to do with Diarmuid. If it did, it would be that Moria might steal the black blade Shusui from Wano. Diarmuid might then arrange for him to "contribute" it to him. If Moria wasn't willing, Diarmuid would just kill him.
G-7 only had to deal with small, ignorant pirates, so there wasn't much commotion. The New World, however, was said to be in complete chaos.
The Big Mom Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates had been fighting a series of battles, throwing the entire New World into disarray. A few other great pirates were also joining in the fun.
The new pirates flooding into the New World were even more reckless and brutal. Many of them challenged Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin, only to be wiped out or absorbed into their crews. Only Kaido remained quiet and unseen.
As Diarmuid was thinking about these random matters, there was a knock on his office door. After he answered, Gion walked in, followed by a somber-looking but determined young boy.
"What are you thinking about?" Gion asked after she came in, sitting on the sofa and casually taking a sip of the tea on the table.
Diarmuid's eye twitched slightly. He wanted to tell her, Hey, that's my tea! But seeing Gion's nonchalant expression, he decided against it. It would just make him look petty, and she would most likely just tease him about it.
"Nothing, just trying to figure out the current situation," Diarmuid said, shaking his head. He then looked at the boy standing at the door and smiled. "It's been a while, Lucci."
At the sound of his name, the boy quickly spoke, "Thank you for your care, Diarmuid-san!"
That boy was indeed Rob Lucci, whom Diarmuid had snatched from Stussy at the orphanage years ago. For the past few years, he had been training under Zephyr. Zephyr was very fond of Lucci, a talented and hardworking student, and took great care of him.
Zephyr's original plan was to send Lucci to the Marine Academy once he was a little older. With him and Diarmuid backing him up, Lucci would surely have a great future in the Marines.
Lucci had thought he would follow that path, but not long ago, Diarmuid had called him in early. Gion had personally gone to Headquarters and requested Lucci from Zephyr.
"It's nothing; you earned it yourself," Diarmuid said with a smile. He beckoned for Lucci to come and sit, so he wouldn't have to stand. Lucci hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded and sat down across from Diarmuid.
"How old are you this year?" Diarmuid asked.
"Ten," Lucci replied softly.
But he didn't look like a ten-year-old kid at all. He felt more like a teenager of fourteen or fifteen. This wasn't just because of his good physical development under Zephyr's guidance. Lucci was also far too mature for his age; his demeanor didn't feel like he was only ten. And when you think about it, he had already given off a mature vibe back at the orphanage.
"Ten, huh… Still just a kid," Diarmuid said with a smile, reaching for a teacup from under the table to pour some water. Lucci, being observant, immediately picked up the teapot and began to pour for him.
After taking a sip of tea, Diarmuid asked again, "Do you have any thoughts about your future?"
This wasn't a question you'd normally ask a ten-year-old, but Lucci didn't seem to find anything wrong with it. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "My original plan was to follow Sensei's arrangements and go to the academy. I'd be satisfied if I could one day become a pillar of the Marines, like you, and dedicate myself to justice. But since you called me in, you must have a plan for me, right? So my current thought is to follow your arrangements!"
Diarmuid's eyes lit up. He had to admit, this kid was very mature and knew what to say. He was good at earning people's trust.
"I do have an idea and a plan for you, but it's very dangerous, and it's going to take a long time… maybe ten, twenty years," Diarmuid said softly.
Lucci hesitated. He wasn't afraid of danger; he had known since he was a child that danger always came with opportunity. But the time commitment made him hesitate.
Ten years? Twenty years? He had only been alive for ten years himself! What was going to take so long? What could it possibly be?
Diarmuid didn't rush him. After a moment of thought, Lucci asked, "Is it for personal use? Are you not going to let me officially join the Marines?"
"It's a mix of both, but I do plan to let you join the Marines. In fact, if you agree, I'll arrange for you to officially join the Marine ranks today," Diarmuid replied after thinking for a bit.
Lucci thought for a moment, then straightened his chest. "Please give me your orders, Diarmuid-san!"
After all, Diarmuid had shown him great kindness and even recommended him to study under Zephyr. This was a tremendous favor. Without Diarmuid, he might have been taken in by the CP agencies.
Lucci had lived within the Marines for four years and had a deep emotional attachment to them, especially since Zephyr had been so good to him. In this environment, how could he have any good feelings for a place like the CPs? He wouldn't.
What's more, Diarmuid was being completely honest with him, consulting with him as an equal. How could he refuse?
Even though he didn't know what the plan was, it likely had some of Diarmuid's own self-interest mixed in. But from what Diarmuid had said, it was something that would also benefit the Marines. A mix of public and private.
Lucci also cared deeply about joining the Marine ranks immediately. He really wanted to become a true Marine.
"Hahahaha, I was going to try to trick you, but seeing how sincere you are, I can't bring myself to do it," Diarmuid laughed loudly. After a short pause, Diarmuid continued, "Here's the deal. I'll tell you what the plan is. If you agree, you'll follow my arrangements. If you don't, that's fine. You're a talented kid, and as long as you work hard, you'll succeed eventually. I'll still take care of you. In that case, you can go back to Headquarters, follow Zephyr-sensei, join the academy, and work your way up in the Marines, step by step…"
Lucci was moved and nodded seriously. "Yes, Diarmuid-san."
"Alright. I plan to have you join SWORD, the top-secret special unit of the Marine Intelligence Division. You'll be a sleeper agent, heading to the New World to join the Whitebeard Pirates and try to become a member of the Second Division," Diarmuid said.
Lucci was dumbfounded. What in the world? He would officially join the Marines, but then immediately go to the New World to become a pirate?
After a moment of shock, Lucci asked, "Diarmuid-san, are you planning to make a move on the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"It's bound to happen eventually, but like I said, this is a long-term undercover mission. Publicly, it's to gather intelligence on the Whitebeard Pirates. Privately, I also want you to do something for me," Diarmuid said with a smile.
Sending a sleeper agent to the Whitebeard Pirates was a public matter, as it would provide intelligence.
As for why he chose Lucci, an adult would raise more suspicion among the Whitebeard Pirates. Lucci was just a kid but was very talented. This would both lower their guard and allow him to show his skill and quickly establish himself. Also, a kid like him was unassuming, which made him very safe.
As for the private matter, it was to have Lucci keep an eye on that ambitious man, Teach.
Diarmuid was very interested in the Dark-Dark Fruit. He had always been curious. Was it the Dark-Dark Fruit that could contain the power of two Devil Fruits? Or was it Teach's special body structure? Or was it a combination of the two? There was no answer, and even Teach himself was gambling with his life when he tried it.
But either way, one thing was certain: the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit not only severely countered other Devil Fruit users, but it could also be used to steal abilities if one had the right methods.
If Diarmuid could master this, he could further strengthen the Marines. There were many powerful Devil Fruit users locked up in the great prison of Impel Down. If he could properly utilize the Dark-Dark Fruit, the Marines' strength would surely increase significantly.
And what's more…
Thinking of this, Diarmuid touched his chest. Although it was not visible, he knew his body was also special. There was a black core inside him that he didn't know the purpose of.
If the Dark-Dark Fruit really did have some special property and could allow him to be a dual Devil Fruit user… with gravity in one hand and darkness in the other, wouldn't he be invincible? He could even create a Planetary Devastation to seal away Whitebeard and sink the old man into the sea.
If it wasn't possible, that was fine, too. It was better than the ability falling into Teach's hands. In any case, it was something that would benefit the Marines.
But the Dark-Dark Fruit wasn't easy to find, so Diarmuid was preparing to intercept it. He would send Lucci to the Whitebeard Pirates, and when the Dark-Dark Fruit appeared, he would arrange for it to be intercepted before it got to Blackbeard.
This wasn't something that would happen overnight. Just as Diarmuid said, it might take ten, or even twenty, years to see results. That was why he told Lucci all this.
After a long silence, Lucci looked at Diarmuid with a serious expression. "Everything for justice!"
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