"I always tell people that the Fleet Admiral is my idol. He has supported me greatly over the years. I owe my position as an Admiral today largely to the Fleet Admiral and the support and care of all my colleagues..." Diarmuid said with a chuckle at the dinner table, speaking to Sengoku and others.
"You scoundrel, isn't it a little late to be flattering me now?" Sengoku asked, holding his wine cup with a smile.
It was clear he was in excellent spirits, having achieved the pinnacle of the Marines, the rank of Fleet Admiral. He now genuinely commanded forces numbering in the millions, a man who could order thousands of heads to roll with a single decree.
The inauguration ceremony had concluded.
The ordinary reporters and general audience members who had attended the event had gradually dispersed.
However, the VIPs still needed to sit down and have a meal together.
Many prominent figures were seated at the table now: Queen Stussy of the CP agencies, Morgans, the president of the World Economy News Paper, Queen Otohime of Fish-Man Island, and several affiliated kingdom monarchs Diarmuid didn't know personally but had heard had good relations with the Marines.
Naturally, the main protagonists were the Marine brass.
"Hahaha, what flattery? I'm speaking from the heart," Diarmuid retorted, laughing loudly.
Sengoku replied with deep sentiment, "While I certainly took care of you, it was only because you, Diarmuid, possess the ability and talent..."
Following this, not only Diarmuid, but also Borsalino and Sakazuki took turns praising Sengoku.
The atmosphere at the table was convivial. Today was a good day: Borsalino had become an Admiral, and Sengoku had become Fleet Admiral. They naturally became the primary targets of the drinking toasts.
Even Morgans boldly approached them and poured drinks for the two of them.
The meal and drinking continued late into the night.
Virtually all the Marine heavyweights ended up thoroughly drunk.
Diarmuid was no exception. He lost consciousness, completely unsure of what time it was when he finally blacked out.
When Diarmuid next opened his eyes, it was already noon the next day.
The headache brought on by the hangover made him open his eyes uncomfortably.
Familiar ceiling, familiar environment, familiar mattress.
It seemed he had been sent home last night.
Without giving it much thought, Diarmuid clutched his head and sat up on the bed. Then, he casually glanced over and, sure enough, saw another figure.
Gion must have been drunk too, right? Yesterday was a really happy day, hahaha.
Pink long hair was spread out on the pillow...
Wait?
Pink long hair?
What the hell?
Doesn't Gion have black long hair? When did she dye it?
Diarmuid's hangover instantly vanished. He cautiously lifted a corner of the blanket and saw the delicate face haphazardly covered by the sheets.
Then, Diarmuid's face froze.
Hina?
What in the world happened?
Swallowing hard, Diarmuid dared not make any noise, lest he wake the sleeping Hina.
He crept out of bed and saw his own clothes along with Hina's dark red suit from yesterday scattered on the floor. Diarmuid took a deep breath, gently opened the door, and stepped out.
In the living room, he saw Gion humming an unfamiliar tune while slicing fruit and dropping the pieces into a juicer, apparently preparing juice.
Seeing Gion, Diarmuid became even more confused. What exactly is going on?
He had just assumed Gion had also been drunk last night, and he had been brought home by Hina, resulting in some accidental incident.
But looking at Gion now, she didn't seem drunk at all!
As if hearing the movement behind her, Gion turned around. Looking at the bewildered expression on Diarmuid's face, she smiled and asked, "Awake?"
"Uh, awake..." Diarmuid replied instinctively, then regained his composure and asked hesitantly, "Inside..."
"Has Hina woken up?" Gion asked again.
"No... she's still sleeping," Diarmuid frowned, then pressed, "What on earth happened?"
Gion didn't answer the question, just shot Diarmuid a look. After tossing the fruit pieces into the juicer, she asked again, "Are you feeling better?"
"Uh... much better," Diarmuid answered guiltily.
He quickly walked behind Gion and whispered, "Did I do anything bad last night?"
Gion turned her head to look seriously at Diarmuid, "You did!"
"Shit!" Diarmuid instinctively let out a low curse. Then, he rubbed his messy hair, sounding like a scumbag trying to shift blame as he said to Gion, "You weren't drunk, couldn't you have kept an eye on me?"
"When Hina got drunk, she clung to your back like an octopus. I couldn't pull her off, and she unconsciously used her power to lock herself onto you..." Gion explained, sounding helpless.
"And then?" Diarmuid swallowed and asked.
"And then? Then I could only leave both of you in the room. I was going to get you some hot water to wipe away the smell of alcohol, but when I brought the hot water back... you two... were already..." As Gion spoke, a look of embarrassment came over her face.
Diarmuid: "???"
Could this kind of thing happen when someone is drunk?
After a moment of hesitation, Diarmuid looked at Gion with a nervous expression, "Why aren't you angry?"
He knew Gion was already aware of his ambiguous relationship with Queen Stussy outside, but he had never been overly intimate with Stussy in front of Gion.
But this time was different. Although it was Hina, Gion witnessed it firsthand.
Logically, shouldn't Gion be furious?
How could she be humming a tune and making juice?
Could her relationship with Hina really be that good?
As Diarmuid was pondering this, Gion said with a slightly embarrassed expression, "You... you were shouting my name at the time."
Diarmuid: "???"
I was capable of that kind of maneuver?
I can't believe I was so clever when drunk!
Suddenly, Diarmuid understood a great deal. He must have been so drunk that he confused Hina for Gion in his familiar room.
When Gion discovered what was happening, he was already 'going at it' with Hina.
But crucially, Diarmuid, in his drunken state, was shouting Gion's name. Gion instantly realized he had mistaken the person.
In this situation, instead of getting angry, she felt a little guilty towards Hina.
After all, Hina had inexplicably taken the fall for her...
Diarmuid picked up the freshly squeezed juice and took a drink. Then, he entered the adjacent bathroom to quickly wash up. He found a set of new clothes in the closet, put them on, and headed out.
"I'm going to lay low for a few days, just in case Hina wakes up and tries to kill me..." Diarmuid said guiltily to Gion.
Gion looked at Diarmuid's pathetic appearance. She wanted to say something, but then, thinking of something else, she smiled and said, "Okay. Where are you going?"
"I think I'll stay with Zephyr-sensei for two days," Diarmuid decided after a moment's thought.
After speaking, he dared not linger any longer, afraid that Hina might wake up just then and slice him with a sword.
Soon after Diarmuid slipped away, Hina walked out of the room, her face flushed, glaring fiercely as she searched the room for someone.
Walking into the living room, she immediately saw Gion. The anger on Hina's face instantly disappeared, replaced by guilt.
She actually had some awareness last night; she hadn't completely blacked out like Diarmuid.
In reality, she could have pushed Diarmuid away and refused him, but inexplicably, she had gone along with it.
Hina remembered this, so seeing Gion gave her the guilty feeling of being caught in the act by the original partner.
"Up already?" Gion asked Hina without turning around.
Hina nodded awkwardly, "Yes, Gion-nee."
"You drank so much last night, come have some juice to clear the alcohol," Gion said, handing the juice to Hina.
Hina took the juice hesitantly.
Good heavens, what is this situation? I slept with your man last night, and now you're making me juice after I wake up?
Is it poisoned?
Feeling uneasy, Hina nonetheless drank the juice, then looked nervously at Gion, "Gion-nee, last night..."
As she spoke, Hina felt a slight ache in her lower back.
After all, it was her first time going through with such a thing!
After a pause, Hina clenched her teeth and declared, "Last night, I..."
"Alright, alright, don't say any more. Do you think I haven't known about your little crush all these years? If I truly cared, I would have had Diarmuid transfer you out long ago, instead of letting you stay as his secretary," Gion interrupted Hina.
Hina took a shy sip of the juice, her cheeks rosy.
"But even though I was mentally prepared, still..." Gion paused here, seemingly unable to describe her mixed feelings. Then, she shook her head and continued, "In any case, what's done is done. What are your intentions now? Are you going to stick with that jerk Diarmuid to the end, or have you finally achieved your desire and are ready to move on to a new target..."
Hina was momentarily surprised, then understood Gion's meaning. She opened her mouth, wanting to speak, but seeing Gion's eyes, she felt guilty toward her. Ultimately, she gritted her teeth, closed her eyes, and declared, "I am absolutely not changing targets! I'm sticking with the Admiral until the very end!"
"Hmph!" Gion snorted in displeasure, then reached out and tapped Hina on the head, "Then you listen to me from now on!"
Hina froze, then quickly hugged Gion's arm, flattering her, "Of course, I always listen to you, Gion-nee! I've always listened to you!"
"You said that yourself. If I ever find out you're conspiring with that vixen Stussy again, I'll be truly angry!" Gion glared at Hina.
"Mmm, mmm, I understand!" The unscrupulous Hina immediately abandoned Stussy.
After they chatted about this issue for a while, Hina asked curiously, "Where is the Admiral?"
"Him? He's completely guilt-ridden. He was afraid you'd wake up and try to stab him, so he ran off. Said he was going to stay with Zephyr-sensei for a few days to avoid the storm," Gion said with an amused expression.
Hina fumed at the news, "That irresponsible jerk! Can the monk run away from the temple? I don't believe he won't come back to work!"
…
Meanwhile, at Zephyr's home, Diarmuid took a sip from his teacup and looked at his sensei, "I really don't have anything wrong. I just wanted to come and stay with you for two days to deepen the bond between teacher and student..."
"Oh, cut it out. Do you think the old man believes a word of that?"
Zephyr gave Diarmuid a look, then asked, "What trouble did you stir up this time? Did you make Gion angry? I'm telling you, I've been through it all. Tell me honestly, and I'll analyze it for you. Maybe you still have a chance to be saved..."
Diarmuid looked at Zephyr with suspicion, but then thought, he's right. Although his sensei was currently alone, he had actually been married and had children before...
"Then I'll tell you..." Diarmuid said, hesitating slightly.
Zephyr nodded seriously, "Go on."
"I was drunk last night, and then Hina and I..." Diarmuid began to recount the story.
Zephyr stared at Diarmuid in shock. After a long silence, he patted Diarmuid's shoulder and said, "This time, you truly can't be saved. Prepare to die, kid."
"Wait, sensei!? I'm your most prized student!? Can't you think of another way!?" Diarmuid cried out in panic.