The harbor of Marine Branch 113, North Blue.
Early that morning, the base commander Colonel Mild was already waiting at the docks with his men.
As one of the only two colonels in the base, Diarmuid naturally stood there as well.
They were waiting to welcome important figures from Marine Headquarters.
Mild was a man in his forties with a stern appearance.
In reality, he was somewhat cunning.
In terms of strength, Diarmuid had already surpassed him.
But Mild's seniority still carried weight, so the command of the entire base remained in his hands.
The relationship between the two men was fairly good.
At first, Mild had been wary of Diarmuid, afraid the young man might seize his authority.
Later, however, he realized that Diarmuid had no interest in the power of Branch 113 at all.
His heart was set entirely on Marine Headquarters.
And this opportunity was exactly what he had been waiting for.
From that perspective, Mild was very supportive of Diarmuid.
If Diarmuid successfully transferred to Marineford, then no one in Branch 113 would threaten Mild's authority anymore.
"Diarmuid, you have to perform well this time," Mild said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder. "You're the youngest and most promising colonel in the entire North Blue."
"I'll do my best to prove myself," Diarmuid replied with a smile.
Truth be told, the situation in the North Blue had been deteriorating more and more.
In fact, the situation across the whole world wasn't great.
The Marine branches in the Grand Line and the forces at Marineford might still maintain some integrity.
But throughout the Four Blues, the Marines had largely fallen into corruption and decay.
For example, the Colonel standing beside Diarmuid—Mild.
Diarmuid knew that Mild had accepted plenty of bribes and abused his authority for shady dealings.
But Diarmuid didn't care.
After all, he hadn't joined the Marines for justice.
He simply wanted to survive more comfortably.
Just as the two of them chatted casually, a massive Marine warship slowly appeared on the distant horizon, sailing toward the harbor.
The combat strength of Marine Headquarters and Marine Branches existed on completely different levels.
Just by looking at the ships, the difference was obvious.
The warships of the North Blue branch weren't particularly large—roughly the size of an armed merchant vessel.
At best, they could carry around a hundred Marines.
The firepower of branch warships was equally lacking.
But the warship from Marine Headquarters in the distance was an entirely different story—it radiated overwhelming intimidation.
First of all, it was enormous, easily deserving the title of a giant battleship. From what Diarmuid knew, each Headquarters warship could carry at least a thousand Marines and was equipped with an extremely powerful weapons system.
There was even a rumor that a Buster Call fleet, composed of ten Headquarters warships, could completely erase an entire region.
One could easily imagine the difference between them.
Even though the Headquarters warship was massive, its sailing speed was still several times faster than the branch ships of the North Blue. Before long, the enormous vessel bearing the Marine flag arrived at the harbor from the distant horizon.
Once the boarding ladder was lowered, several figures walked down from the ship.
Unlike the branch Marines of the North Blue, these high-ranking officers from Headquarters all wore the Justice coats, exuding a powerful aura of authority.
Among them, Diarmuid recognized two people immediately.
They were two Admirals of Marine Headquarters.
"Buddha" Sengoku and "Black Arm" Zephyr.
Strictly speaking, Zephyr was no longer an active Admiral.
Several years ago, during a mission, he had shown mercy and released a group of pirates. Not long after, those very pirates slaughtered his entire family.
The tragedy left Zephyr mentally devastated. Believing he could no longer carry out the responsibilities of an Admiral, he stepped down from the front lines and chose to serve as a Marine instructor instead.
So now, he retained the rank of Admiral only in name.
The other man, Sengoku the Buddha, was a different story entirely.
He was still an active Admiral of Marine Headquarters, and in the future he would even become the Fleet Admiral.
However, the person Diarmuid was truly interested in wasn't Sengoku—it was the retired Admiral, Zephyr.
After stepping away from the front lines, Zephyr had established the Marine Officer Training Camp system.
Simply put, although it was called a "training camp," it was essentially a military academy designed to cultivate elite Marine officers.
Its location was Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Zephyr had plenty of experience in this area. Even before leaving the front lines, he had experimented with similar training methods.
And those experiments had produced several monsters.
Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan.
All three would eventually become the highest combat power of Marine Headquarters—the Admirals.
Later on, Zephyr would go on to train countless elite Marines.
In fact, many of the future Vice Admirals, Rear Admirals, and other top Marine officers were his students.
His achievements in training talent were astonishing.
Without question, in Diarmuid's eyes, Zephyr was the perfect teacher.
If he could follow Zephyr's guidance and gain his support, becoming stronger would almost be inevitable.
The Officer Training Camp system had already been running for several years and had produced a number of outstanding Marines.
Every so often, Zephyr would search the entire Marine organization for promising talents and bring them to Marineford for training.
And this time, his visit to the North Blue had the same purpose.
The group of high-ranking officers descended from the ship's ladder and stepped onto the dock.
Colonel Mild immediately stood at attention and saluted.
"Colonel Mild, Base Commander of Marine Branch 113 in the North Blue, reporting!"
Diarmuid followed suit and saluted as well.
"Colonel Rodriguez Diarmuid, Deputy Commander and Deputy Base Chief of Marine Branch 113 in the North Blue, reporting!"
This kind of introduction was common practice within the Marines.
Admiral Sengoku wore a warm, gentle smile as he nodded at the two of them.
"You've worked hard. The justice of the North Blue depends on people like you to uphold it."
"For Justice!" Diarmuid and Mild shouted together.
Meanwhile, Admiral Zephyr looked at Diarmuid carefully, his gaze filled with scrutiny.
"Diarmuid? You're the youngest Marine colonel in the North Blue?"
"Yes, Admiral Zephyr!" Diarmuid replied formally.
"Very good. The Marines need energetic young people like you," Zephyr said, stroking his chin. "The North Blue Inspector General has recommended you to Headquarters for the Officer Training Camp assessment. As far as I know, you're the only candidate nominated from the entire North Blue this time. You're not going to make my trip here a waste, are you?"
The Inspector General of the North Blue also held the rank of colonel.
However, he was the only colonel in the region who carried a Headquarters commission, which gave him authority to oversee the Marines across the entire North Blue.
Within the Marine system, such positions were extremely rare.
There were only four of them in total—one stationed in each of the Four Blues.
Later, with the rise of the Great Age of Pirates, that position would gradually lose its influence.
But for now, the Inspector General of the North Blue still had the authority to recommend candidates for Zephyr's Officer Training Camp.
This year, from the entire North Blue, only Diarmuid had been nominated.
Not because he was extraordinarily outstanding.
But because the Marines of the North Blue were simply too mediocre.
Originally, Diarmuid had assumed he would be summoned to Marineford to take the assessment.
Instead, Zephyr had personally traveled to the North Blue to evaluate him.
And for some reason, Admiral Sengoku had accompanied him as well.
Diarmuid felt no nervousness.
He knew that at times like this, confidence would earn more respect.
So he answered firmly,
"Yes. I guarantee I won't disappoint you, Admiral."
Although it was called an assessment, Diarmuid actually had no idea what the process would be.
At that moment, Colonel Mild spoke up.
"Admirals, perhaps you'd like to rest at the base first?"
But both Sengoku and Zephyr shook their heads immediately.
"No need," they said. "We have other matters to attend to and will be leaving soon. Let's begin the assessment now."
Once those two spoke, Mild had no room to argue.
He could only nod awkwardly and step aside.
Just as Diarmuid was wondering what the test would involve, Zephyr spoke.
"No need to overthink it. First, answer two questions."
"Why did you join the Marines?"
"And what is justice to you?"
Diarmuid was momentarily stunned before answering.
"I joined the Marines because I couldn't survive anymore. I thought that if I joined the Marines, I might be protected by them… and be able to live."
He didn't lie.
That was truly his reason.
He had not joined because he admired justice.
Zephyr said nothing, but inwardly nodded.
Before coming here, he had already reviewed all of Rodriguez Diarmuid's records.
The boy was a civilian.
His family had been destroyed by circumstances, leaving him alone. From the age of eight or nine, he had lived like a stray dog on the streets.
Eventually, when he could no longer survive on his own, he joined the Marines.
Starting as a lowly chore boy, he had climbed step by step to become a branch colonel over the past seven years.
There was no lie in what he had said.
"And what about justice?" Zephyr asked again.
Diarmuid still did not lie.
He shook his head.
"I'm sorry, Admiral Zephyr. I haven't found my justice yet."
"Hahaha! Lost, are you?" Zephyr suddenly laughed.
Diarmuid nodded silently.
Was he lost?
He really was.
"At least in those two answers, you pass," Zephyr said, patting his shoulder. "You're still young, so confusion is natural. But because you're young, your future holds endless possibilities. One day, you'll find your own justice."
This time, his tone was warm—like a kindly elder.
"Yes, Admiral Zephyr," Diarmuid replied softly.
"Alright then," Zephyr said casually, tapping his chest. "Let's see why you were recommended. Use all your strength and attack me."