As dusk fell, the atmosphere at the Marine Club was growing quiet.
Boss Cripple was the same as ever, not seeming to have aged at all, in fact, he looked even younger.
A life away from the front lines really was easy. However, due to the Great Pirate Era, or perhaps the Headquarters being especially busy lately, coupled with the Ohara incident and the Buster Call mobilization that required at least 10,000 Marine soldiers to prepare for deployment, the bar was much emptier than usual.
Only Diarmuid, Sakazuki, Onigumo, and Yamakaji were sitting in a corner, drinking.
Boss Cripple didn't bother them. Seeing the lack of business, he did them a favor, hung a "closed" sign on the door, told them to help themselves to drinks and just leave the money when they were done, and promptly went home to bed.
Truth be told, Diarmuid rarely drank with Sakazuki. He'd only done it two or three times at most. He accepted the invitation today mainly to gauge Sakazuki's attitude toward the World Government—it was a kind of test.
Even though he'd heard from Kuzan that Sakazuki had nearly gotten into a shouting match with Sengoku over this, and had been cursing out the World Government, Diarmuid had an impression that Sakazuki and the World Government's relationship was quite good later on.
After all, during the future struggle for the rank of Admiral, Sakazuki received strong support from the World Government, which was what allowed him to take the position. Diarmuid would be a fool to believe that Sakazuki wasn't involved with the World Government in some way.
But that was all twenty years in the future. Right now, Sakazuki wasn't even an Admiral candidate; he was just a Vice Admiral. Given his personality, he wouldn't stoop to sucking up to the World Government, and even if he wanted to, the Gorosei probably wouldn't bother with a "small-time figure" like him. Even Diarmuid, an Admiral candidate, hadn't met the Gorosei yet.
As for how Sakazuki and the World Government would eventually connect, Diarmuid guessed that the World Government was drawn to Sakazuki's rigid style. The World Government also wanted to create rifts and conflicts within the Marines to keep them in check, so they probably started to court him slowly.
Even so, Sakazuki still maintained his bottom line. At least while Sengoku was an Admiral, he never did anything that would harm the unity of the Marines. The conflict only truly escalated during the fight for the Admiral rank.
To put it simply, Diarmuid's goal today was to pull Sakazuki to his side and prevent any potential unsavory ties with the World Government from forming later on.
After a few drinks, Diarmuid finally spoke. "What are your thoughts on this Ohara matter?"
Sakazuki was silent for a moment before replying, "Wipe out evil completely."
Diarmuid took another drink, then asked with a knowing look, "You want to eliminate all of Ohara? Including the people who aren't scholars?"
Sakazuki didn't bother to hide his thoughts and spoke bluntly. "What we're about to do, even if it's under the banner of justice and world peace, will inevitably breed hatred. Ohara is the island of scholars. From the Admiral's tone, it seems the Buster Call is unavoidable. These scholars are going to die. The Gorosei are just going through a formality. The scholars' relatives and friends might be among those you call 'civilians.' During the Buster Call, they might be afraid and disassociate themselves from the scholars, but once it's over, that fear will turn into hatred. Who's to say they won't learn how to read the ancient script in the future? Who's to say that driven by hatred, they won't release ancient weapons or other calamities?"
Sakazuki's words left Diarmuid speechless for a moment. Before Diarmuid could even react, Sakazuki's voice deepened. "That's one thing. Second... who's to say there aren't scholars hiding among the civilians? As they say, you must wipe out evil completely. If we show any leniency in this matter, all our past sacrifices will have been for nothing!"
Seeing Diarmuid's silence, Sakazuki continued, "Diarmuid, even though you're close with Kuzan, I know you're not as muddled as he is. You understand what's at stake. I've always thought our methods are similar and that we should be like-minded."
'What is this? Sakazuki is acting like Dragon now? "Like-minded"?!' Diarmuid was shocked.
But Sakazuki's words were sound. Diarmuid was indeed a ruthless man, as shown by the horrible conditions of the prisoners in Impel Down. Because of this, Sakazuki saw Diarmuid as someone who would do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.
Moreover, everything Diarmuid had done so far was for the overall good of the Marines. When you put it all together, wasn't Diarmuid someone who would do anything for the sake of the Marines' interests?
That made him no different from a person who would do whatever it takes for justice. So it wasn't wrong to say they were like-minded.
Diarmuid quickly regained his composure. 'Wait... Wasn't I supposed to be the one pulling Sakazuki to my side today? How did he end up trying to get me to join him?'
"It's not the same, Sakazuki. What you're saying makes sense, but what we're about to do would stain the Marines' reputation. I won't lecture you on the justice you hold, but a rigid tree is easily broken. What you're doing is too brutal!" Diarmuid said in a low voice.
Sakazuki hesitated, then asked, "Then what do you think we should do?"
If it were anyone else, Sakazuki would have ignored them, especially someone like Kuzan. But Diarmuid was different.
On one hand, Sakazuki genuinely believed Diarmuid was a talented man and had a sharp mind. On the other hand, he also wanted to get closer to Diarmuid today, to become partners.
After all, Sakazuki definitely intended to become an Admiral one day, and Diarmuid had already said more than once that he wanted to become an Admiral. Furthermore, Diarmuid was moving faster than he was; he was already an Admiral candidate.
Because of this, Sakazuki thought that the two of them might become equals someday at the rank of Admiral. He might be stubborn, but he wasn't an idiot. Getting on better terms with Diarmuid would be very beneficial to him!
Compared to his conviction about "wiping out evil completely" on Ohara, Sakazuki was willing to back down and listen to Diarmuid's ideas. If what Diarmuid said made sense, he wouldn't mind doing things his way.
"First, do you agree that the knowledge of Ohara is not inherently evil?" Diarmuid began.
Sakazuki thought about it and nodded. "Of course. Just like a weapon. It can kill, but whether it's good or bad depends on who holds it. A weapon is not evil on its own."
"So when we get there, we should first find a way to secure all the knowledge and take it with us. That will be good for the Marines' reputation," Diarmuid said with a slight smile.
"And then? That's just a detail. I'm asking about the people," Sakazuki said, nodding.
"As for the people, there's no need to discuss the scholars; their crimes are punishable by death, so show no mercy. But the general populace... they shouldn't be slaughtered indiscriminately," Diarmuid said gravely.
"So?" Sakazuki asked again.
"To be honest, there aren't many civilians. Ohara isn't a large island; it's a small island with mostly scholars. The general population could probably fit on one or two ships. Instead of 'wiping out evil completely,' it would be better to just keep them under surveillance. It won't take much effort," Diarmuid explained.
"Surveillance?" Sakazuki hesitated, then asked, "How would that be arranged?"
"Send them to the Calm Belt," Diarmuid said after a moment's thought.
In reality, the civilians of Ohara were mostly people who provided daily services to the scholars, such as food and supplies. The Calm Belt was in need of people like them, since the number of Marines and prisoners there would only increase, and their logistics would have to keep up. These people could be useful there.
Sakazuki understood Diarmuid's meaning. After thinking about it, he said, "Then we'll do it your way."
Diarmuid first suggested "confiscating" all the books and knowledge, and then proposed sending the people to the Calm Belt to be monitored. These two plans seemed unrelated, but Sakazuki knew that they would effectively eliminate the possibility of anyone ever learning about history and the ancient script again. The threat would be gone.
Diarmuid hadn't expected Sakazuki to be so agreeable and was slightly surprised.
The reason he got involved with the Ohara matter was, on one hand, to test Sakazuki's current mindset. If Sakazuki had insisted on being stubborn and wiping everyone out, Diarmuid wouldn't have challenged him directly. It wasn't worth it, as his goal was to win Sakazuki over.
On the other hand, he didn't mind acting like a "good Samaritan" if a few words could save lives, especially since it wouldn't take much effort. He was a Marine, after all.
Seeing that Sakazuki was so easy to talk to and clearly had a good opinion of him, Diarmuid felt a little relieved. He waved his hand. "We'll see when the time comes; we don't know the exact situation yet. Let's not talk about Ohara. We need to figure out what to do about your Admiral candidate position..."
Sakazuki looked at him strangely. "You're trying so hard to help me become an Admiral candidate? What's the deal?"
As if noticing Sakazuki's puzzled look, Diarmuid continued, "This isn't just about you; it's also about my own interests."
Sakazuki was silent for a moment before asking, "How so?"
"The fact that you couldn't get the Admiral candidate position shows the World Government has a problem with you. So I ask you, Sakazuki, have you offended the World Government lately?" Diarmuid asked.
Sakazuki shook his head. "No."
"That means the World Government's problem with you isn't personal; it's a problem with the Marines. If you can't even get the Admiral candidate position, then me becoming an Admiral in the next two years is a fool's errand, isn't it? Doesn't that affect my interests?" Diarmuid said bluntly.
Sakazuki's eyes lit up. He understood now. What Diarmuid said made perfect sense. He knew he hadn't offended the World Government recently, so this wasn't specifically about him. It was a clear attempt by the World Government to suppress the Marines. And the World Government suppressing the Marines would definitely affect Diarmuid's promotion to Admiral.
"You're right. You've always been smarter than me. Do you have a good plan?" Sakazuki asked immediately.
Diarmuid looked at him, surprised. 'You're this eager, and I haven't even said anything to win you over?'
It seemed Sakazuki had no ties to the World Government at all at this stage, and he probably harbored a lot of resentment toward them.
On second thought, many people in the Marines were against the World Government; they just didn't show it.
Sakazuki was a man with ideals and convictions. It was possible for him to compromise with the World Government, but he would never side with them or collude with them. His sense of Absolute Justice would never allow it.
With that realization, Diarmuid understood. He spoke directly. "I'm planning to find an opportunity to take a shot at the World Government. Are you interested in teaming up?"
Sakazuki froze, his expression changing slightly as he glanced at Onigumo and Yamakaji.
"Onigumo is your confidant, and Yamakaji is my closest friend. You don't have to worry," Diarmuid reassured him.
Only then did Sakazuki ask in a low voice, "How?"
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