Right after arranging things with Rob Lucci, Diarmuid was about to speak with Chief of Staff Tsuru to get Lucci into the Intelligence Division so he could start work.
Diarmuid had the authority to do this. After all, even though he hadn't been involved in those matters for a long time, in name he still holds the position of head of the "non-existent organization."
From that perspective, he still has a certain supervisory relationship with the Intelligence Department.
He hadn't even contacted Tsuru yet when the Den Den Mushi on his desk rang. Diarmuid, Gion, and Lucci all looked at it at once.
"Is that Admiral Sengoku?" Gion asked, surprised.
Diarmuid's brow furrowed as if he had a premonition.
'Looks like something's come up.' He thought. 'It's either Douglas Bullet or the Ohara incident, right?'
The Marines must have already concluded their investigation by now.
With that thought, he gestured for Gion and Lucci to stay quiet, then picked up the Den Den Mushi. "Admiral Sengoku? Is there something you need?"
"Diarmuid." Sengoku called out. After a brief pause, he continued in a serious tone, "By my authority as a Marine Admiral, I am ordering you to report to Marineford immediately."
Diarmuid was taken aback for a moment but quickly replied, "Yes, sir! All for the sake of justice!"
He didn't ask what the matter was. Sengoku's tone already told him that it wasn't something to be discussed over the phone. Any questions he had would have to wait until he arrived at Marineford.
Without much more conversation, Diarmuid hung up after a few pleasantries. He looked at Gion and ordered, "Get the ship ready and contact Impel Down. I need to pass through their territory."
"Yes, sir," Gion said, standing up right away.
Diarmuid turned to Lucci, giving him a slight smile. "You'll wait here at G-7. Once I finish with the mission Admiral Sengoku gives me, I'll come back to arrange your affairs."
"Understood, Diarmuid-san." Lucci said, showing no objection.
Soon, Diarmuid's warship left G-7, passed through Impel Down, and used the currents of the Justice Whirlpool to quickly reach Marineford.
As soon as he disembarked, he saw Kuzan waiting for him at the port. Diarmuid walked over in a few strides. Before Kuzan could even say hello, Diarmuid blurted out, "What happened? Is it Douglas Bullet?"
Kuzan shook his head. "No, there's been no sign of Douglas Bullet. I don't know the exact situation, but Admiral Sengoku is in a very bad mood. The situation seems serious."
"How so?" Diarmuid asked as they walked together.
"I wasn't the only one summoned," Kuzan said in a low voice. "Sakazuki, Saul, Dalmatian, all of us were called."
Diarmuid, Kuzan, Sakazuki, Saul, and Dalmatian, that was five Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals.
The first four were well known.
As for Dalmatian, he had been promoted to Vice Admiral a year ago, apparently from an earlier class at the Marine Officer Training Camp than Diarmuid. He was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Dalmatian. He seemed to prefer his hybrid form and was almost always in it. In the Marine Headquarters, he was nicknamed "Dalmatian." While his power wasn't top-tier, he was still quite strong.
After hearing Kuzan, Diarmuid paused. "Five Vice Admirals?"
"Five," Kuzan confirmed, his expression grim.
"Then that means Admiral Sengoku plans to use a… Buster Call?" Diarmuid asked.
Kuzan hesitated before finally replying, "I think so. A Buster Call…"
A Buster Call is the authority of a Marine Fleet Admiral or Admiral to indiscriminately obliterate a specific area. Once a Buster Call is activated, it mobilizes five elite Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals, at least ten battleships, over 10,000 Marines, and ten Rear Admirals to form a Buster Call Fleet.
The power of a Buster Call varies, depending entirely on the level of the Vice Admirals executing it. A fleet like this one was formidable; Kuzan, Diarmuid, and Sakazuki were all Vice Admirals with Admiral potential. Add Saul and Dalmatian, and this was an exceptionally strong Buster Call Fleet.
If Admiral Sengoku were to lead them himself, they could even take on the Whitebeard Pirates without a moment's hesitation. However, if it were just five generic Vice Admirals, there wouldn't be much to brag about.
At this point, Diarmuid had a pretty good idea of what this was about. In all likelihood, it was Ohara.
Without saying more to Kuzan, they quickly arrived at Admiral Sengoku's office. Sakazuki, Dalmatian, and Saul were already sitting inside. Sengoku himself had a dark expression, working through documents.
No one said a word.
Diarmuid and Kuzan weren't about to tempt fate by bothering him, so they sat down on the sofa, quiet and well-behaved.
The atmosphere was heavy. After about ten minutes, another person walked in, looking flustered. This man was different from all the Marines in the room. His demeanor was completely off.
Diarmuid and the others were silent and still, but they were as imposing as mountains. This guy, on the other hand, gave off a weak and insignificant vibe as soon as he entered.
Despite that, he was a man in a high position. He was dressed in a black suit. Seeing the tense atmosphere, he didn't dare to speak. He gulped and carefully took a seat in the corner.
Diarmuid glanced at him, a faint smile on his lips.
It was Spandine, the head of CP9.
After Stussy was promoted to CP0, Spandine had smoothly taken her place as the chief of CP9. He was the kind of person who bullied the weak and feared the strong. He had no backbone.
But you couldn't underestimate him. He was a capable man, and in many ways, he was very good at his job. In recent years, it was said that CP9 had accomplished many things under his leadership.
He was a complete scoundrel, but a very capable one. He was highly trusted by the World Government and the Cipher Pol organization. In the original story, he had been the chief of CP9 for over ten years, and before he retired, he even managed to get his own buffoonish son, Spandam, appointed as chief of CP9.
It was clear that he had both connections and abilities. It was just a shame about his son, who tarnished his image.
Once Spandine arrived, Sengoku worked for another five or six minutes before finally looking up and scanning the room. "Is everyone here?"
As soon as he spoke, Diarmuid and the four other high-ranking Marines straightened up and puffed out their chests. "All for the sake of justice!"
Spandine was startled by the sudden show of force and mimicked them, "All for the sake of justice."
Sengoku's sullen expression softened slightly. He tapped on his desk and said, "I'm sure you've already guessed what this is about."
None of the Marines replied, but Spandine quickly spoke up, "The Gorosei told me to come and receive orders from you, Admiral Sengoku. I heard something about a Buster Call?"
"That's right," Sengoku said in a deep voice.
He paused and then looked at Saul. "It is a Buster Call. For years, the Marines and Cipher Pol have been searching for scholars who study the Poneglyphs. Not long ago, with Vice Admiral Saul leading the charge, the Marines finally found something. We have now confirmed the mastermind behind this long-standing and heinous crime..."
Sengoku tapped his desk again. "Although it's disappointing and unbelievable, the mastermind behind this incident is Ohara…"
Diarmuid's expression didn't change; he had known this for a long time. Sakazuki also remained impassive; to him, it didn't matter. You couldn't tell if Dalmatian's dog-like face showed any emotion. Only Kuzan and Saul's expressions darkened, as if they couldn't accept it.
"According to the law, the scholars of Ohara have committed a grave crime. No matter their intentions, their actions have endangered the safety of the entire world. This is especially true in this chaotic era, where such behavior is particularly vile! If we are not careful, they could bring the entire world to ruin.
"Therefore, based on their crimes, the World Government has issued an order: if necessary, I, Sengoku, will use my authority as a Marine Admiral to launch a Buster Call on Ohara! We must eradicate these scholars with malicious intent! You five will be the ones to carry out this Buster Call. Spandine, as a member of CP, I will give you the Golden Den Den Mushi. You will decide if and when to activate the Buster Call based on the final orders of the Gorosei!"
Diarmuid and the others still didn't say anything. Spandine gulped and quickly stepped forward to receive the golden Den Den Mushi from Sengoku. Once this Den Den Mushi was activated, it meant the Buster Call had begun, and a Buster Call could not be stopped.
After handing the Den Den Mushi to Spandine, Sengoku looked at the others. "Alright, that's everything. Go and prepare. You'll set off for Ohara the day after tomorrow."
"Yes, sir!" Diarmuid and the others replied in a deep voice. Then they walked out of the office one by one.
As soon as they were outside, Saul couldn't maintain his composure any longer. He looked down at Kuzan. "Is this really right?"
But before Kuzan could answer, Saul stormed off, leaving Kuzan standing there in shock. Diarmuid walked over and patted Kuzan on the shoulder, saying nothing, and then left with Sakazuki and the others.
"Sakazuki, I heard your promotion to Admiral has been held back?" Diarmuid asked as they walked.
Sakazuki's normally impassive face immediately twisted in annoyance. "Yeah," he said in a low voice.
"That's a shame," Diarmuid muttered.
Sakazuki shook his head, then said, "What can I do about it?"
Diarmuid glanced at him and didn't say anything else, shaking his head with a hint of regret. "There's nothing to be done for now, but this kind of thing needs to be resolved sooner or later. You'll just have to wait."
Sakazuki saw his expression and didn't continue the topic. Instead, he asked, "Want to get a drink tonight? I'm meeting with Onigumo."
Initially, Doberman was also a direct subordinate of Sakazuki's, but Diarmuid had intercepted him along the way. As for Onigumo, he was from the sixth class, just like Diarmuid. After graduating, he had followed Sakazuki and was now one of his trusted confidants. The two of them could be considered the leaders of the Marine's hawkish faction.
Diarmuid didn't refuse Sakazuki. He nodded. "The Marine Club?"
"Yeah, see you tonight," Sakazuki replied before leaving.
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