On the streets of Alubarna, Diarmuid glanced at the scorching red sun, then at the sudden emptiness of the streets. He asked, somewhat puzzled, "What's going on these past two days? Where did everyone go?"
Just a few days ago, this city was bustling with prosperity, with a continuous stream of merchant caravans and even major jewelers hosting exhibits.
Why had it become like this today?
Just then, Vergo walked over from a distance. "Admiral, Alubarna is about to face trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" Diarmuid asked.
"Word is that a massive number of rebels and sand pirates, tens of thousands strong, have gathered near Yuba. They are planning to attack Alubarna!" Vergo reported gravely.
A look of understanding flashed in Diarmuid's eyes. He murmured, "Is Crocodile finally making his move? The Sand Crocodile that lurked in the desert is finally showing his fangs..."
However, Diarmuid quickly shook his head. "That Cobra is good in every way, except he's too soft-hearted. The news of this has spread throughout the streets, and he's even let people leave. Is he afraid he won't lose badly enough?"
Normally, when something like this happens, the news should be locked down, and preparations for war should be ramped up. The citizens in the city could serve as reserves for the defense. Even if they weren't on the front lines, they could help transport supplies or cook meals.
Furthermore, throughout Alabasta, the reputation of the Nefertari Family has already been thoroughly ruined by Crocodile.
Only the citizens of Alubarna, who lived close to Cobra, could still understand that their king was not so worthless.
Yet, he himself let go of the people who were finally willing to support him.
And what about the standing army of Alabasta? Their families must be inside Alubarna. Now that their family members have fled, what reason do they have to desperately defend the capital?
Loyalty?
That's nonsense!
A once incredibly prosperous city had, in just two or three days, become extremely desolate simply because of the news of the impending war.
After walking a few more steps down the street, Diarmuid asked, "Is there any news of the Revolutionary Army in Alubarna? Didn't Dragon ally with Cobra? How could things turn out like this, even with him here?"
"No news. In fact, I haven't seen anything related to the Revolutionary Army these past few days," Vergo shook his head.
"How strange..." Diarmuid clicked his tongue, but ultimately didn't ask any more questions.
Changing the subject, Diarmuid asked, "Have you found any intelligence regarding the Devil Fruit inheritance technology that Doflamingo mentioned exists in Alabasta?"
"No, but it should be in the hands of the Nefertari Family. I've confirmed that, just as Young Master said, the Zoan abilities of the Jackal and the Falcon have been passed down through the Nefertari clan for hundreds, even thousands of years," Vergo explained.
"With such powerful technology, they still managed to let Alabasta be reduced to this state. I truly admire these Nefertari people," Diarmuid said with clear contempt.
After a brief pause, Diarmuid added, "This technology is very valuable. The benefits it can bring to us Marines are incalculable. Taking advantage of this period of turmoil, and with Spandine giving us cover, we need to find a way to get our hands on this technology."
"Understood, Admiral," Vergo nodded in response.
Originally, Diarmuid hadn't planned on getting too involved in Alabasta's affairs.
But now that he was a user of the Dark-Dark Fruit, he was very interested in Crocodile's ability. Although Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit ability is heavily countered, it is undoubtedly a powerful Logia-type ability. Otherwise, it wouldn't have allowed Crocodile to become one of the pirates who could fight anyone to a standstill, eventually rising to the position of Warlord of the Sea.
Moreover, the guy was genuinely a bastard, and Diarmuid had no moral qualms about dealing with him. Since he was already in Alabasta, he decided to make Crocodile the first sacrifice for the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit!
On the other hand, since he had successfully evolved into a dual-fruit user in front of Doflamingo and demonstrated overwhelming power, Doflamingo was now completely cemented in Diarmuid's camp.
The most direct evidence was that when Diarmuid heard Doflamingo's made-up story to fool Teach, he casually asked about the Jackal and Falcon in Alabasta.
Doflamingo quickly told him everything he knew about the matter.
The Nefertari Family truly possessed technology capable of controlling the rebirth of Devil Fruit powers!
Although Diarmuid could seemingly achieve this feat on his own with the Dark-Dark Fruit, could one man compare to a fully mature, established technology?
The Marine system is enormous. If he had to personally handle all these details, he'd be exhausted to death.
So, acquiring the technology was essential!
Therefore, Diarmuid decided to interfere slightly with the events in Alabasta.
As Diarmuid and Vergo were chatting and walking down the street, a swirl of yellow sand suddenly blew past, and Diarmuid's footsteps halted.
Vergo was momentarily stunned and confused, but he quickly reacted. He sharply turned his head, seeing a figure that had appeared behind him without him realizing it.
If that person had wanted to, the vulnerability of exposing his back would have been enough to take him out.
The figure wore a deep green trench coat and a hood that obscured most of his face, though some red markings were faintly visible on his skin.
"Monkey D. Dragon..." Vergo took a deep breath and said gravely.
"When did you spot me?" Diarmuid asked without turning around.
Looking at Diarmuid's back, Dragon smiled. "Did you really think such a low-level disguise wouldn't be noticed? I even feel like you weren't trying very hard to hide, just casually fooling around... Did you think wearing local clothes would make you unrecognizable? Diarmuid?"
"From the very beginning?" Diarmuid asked instead.
"More or less," Dragon replied vaguely.
"Then, have you been monitoring me this whole time?" Diarmuid asked again.
"How could I? If I monitored you, wouldn't you notice? I wouldn't do anything so tactless. I heard you were on vacation, and you certainly look very leisurely, so I refrained from disturbing you," Dragon said with a chuckle.
Diarmuid finally turned around and looked at Dragon. He asked, slightly puzzled, "Then why are you suddenly appearing here today?"
"A huge war is about to break out, a chaotic battle involving hundreds of thousands, perhaps a million people. With you, a Marine Admiral, still wandering around Alubarna at a time like this, shouldn't I come over to say hello? And incidentally ask you what exactly you're planning?" Dragon asked, looking into Diarmuid's eyes.
Diarmuid scratched his head and said, "I really am just on vacation. But I have to warn you, you've bet on the wrong horse. The waters of the Nefertari Family run too deep. You won't be able to stop those Crocodile guys."
"Is that just because they have the support of Mariejois behind them?" Dragon asked solemnly.
"More or less," Diarmuid said softly.
"Sigh..." Dragon rarely sighed. He then continued, "I know the waters here are muddy, but time is not on my side, Diarmuid..."
Before Diarmuid could speak, Dragon looked at him with a slightly complex gaze. "You Marines are moving too fast. So fast that I feel like I'm suffocating."
Diarmuid pretended not to understand. "What is all this nonsense?"
"Are you pretending to be foolish when I know better?" Dragon rolled his eyes at Diarmuid and continued, "Smoker's collaboration with Stussy and the Amway Group, aren't the Marines standing behind them? Where do their vast supplies come from? The answer is undoubtedly the Calm Belt. Many of the Amway Group's unique products, I've checked, are only produced in the Calm Belt. And yet, you once served as the base commander of G-7, and every successive commander—Gion, Dalmatian, and now Momonga—are all your close confidantes. Ah, right, perhaps I haven't told you? Morley... our Giant Executive in the Revolutionary Army, the one who buried Mariejois's treasure beneath the Red Line..." Dragon recounted this like a storyteller.
"Oh? What about him?" Diarmuid asked.
At the same time, his expression was a little odd. Sure enough, Dragon knows about this?
"Morley was once imprisoned in Impel Down," Dragon suddenly stated.
Diarmuid: "???"
"Everyone thought Impel Down had been an unbreakable fortress for eight hundred years, and that no one had ever escaped. But Morley, in fact, is an escaped prisoner from Impel Down. So, I also know a few things about what you Marines have been doing inside Impel Down," Dragon said with a smile.
Diarmuid was genuinely surprised this time.
He recalled that this was true—the giant seemed to have been confined in Impel Down, and his final escape was classified as a 'disappearance' and never publicly announced. But wasn't that one hundred years ago?
What does that have to do with me?
However, since Dragon had revealed so much, Diarmuid no longer doubted it. Without sufficient evidence, Dragon couldn't possibly know about the events of Impel Down.
The fact that he knew meant it had been exposed to his sight.
"So, I'm putting too much pressure on you?" Diarmuid asked, slightly confused. Is this guy close to being driven mad by me?
"Yes. According to my estimation, your Marines will undergo a massive change in at most five years. At that point, there will probably be no power in this world that can stop you," Dragon nodded.
"Five years... is it?" Diarmuid smiled. It's already less than five years; it's within the next two years.
Then, Diarmuid asked, "So, are you saying you plan to stop me, or stop the Marines?"
"That would undoubtedly be like a rabbit trying to stop a sprinting horse. Moreover, what reason do I have to stop the Marines from carrying out their own form of justice? Honestly, if I could return, I would certainly join your plan," Dragon shook his head and said without hesitation.
"Then what exactly is your intention?" Diarmuid frowned.
"In my opinion, you are definitely going to open a new game board. And I, the Revolutionary Army, also want a seat at that new game. For that, I have to fight for more chips for myself and the Revolutionary Army, Diarmuid... You must admit that no matter how powerful the Marines become or what they achieve, the Marines alone cannot sustain and stabilize this world, correct?" Dragon said gravely.
"I think I understand what you mean. You've already changed your plans, haven't you? The previous talk about the Goa Kingdom was just to mislead me? You saw the massive wave that the Marines are about to create, you saw the world about to undergo an earth-shattering change. After eight hundred years, the rule that remained unshaken is finally going to be shattered by the rage of the Marines who have been imprisoned by tyranny. So, everything you're doing now is no longer for the sake of revolution, but to accumulate more power and join this new game board led by the Marines?" Diarmuid summarized after some thought.
Before Dragon could reply, Diarmuid continued seriously, "You think you can ride this wave and take the opportunity to establish a new governing authority? I'll tell you clearly, Dragon, don't even think about it. If you want to know why, it's because your Revolutionary Army isn't qualified!"
"It's precisely because we're not qualified that I'm in such a hurry. It's precisely for this reason that I need more chips. But don't worry, the decay and corruption of Mariejois are visible to all. I have no intention of establishing a so-called new ruling class... I just want to secure sufficient rights for the Revolutionary Army, to secure an opportunity and identity where we can openly express our opinions and will. And speaking of which, we've always cooperated happily on that front, haven't we?" Dragon said after a moment of silence.
Diarmuid looked at Dragon. After a long silence, he suddenly laughed. "You won't win. You are bound to lose in Alabasta, Dragon..."
"But one must try, mustn't one?" Dragon said with a hint of emotion.
"Alright, I have no desire to discuss these issues with you. Speaking of which, since you've shown up, how about I show you my new power? It's very interesting... Hahahaha," Diarmuid asked with a laugh.
"What? After winning that war in the New World, do you think you're invincible?" Dragon asked, looking at Diarmuid with amusement.
The heavy atmosphere that had settled between the two had now completely dissipated.
"I don't need to think I'm invincible; I already am! Do you believe I can take you down right now!?" Diarmuid said, as a dark aura began to emanate from his hand.
A look of surprise flashed in Dragon's eyes. "This... this isn't your ability, is it?"