The moment Diarmuid noticed Rosinante sneaking off the warship to rescue someone, his first instinct was simple:
Pretend I didn't see anything.
If the kid wanted to get himself killed, that was his own problem.
Doing something like this in such a dangerous moment was asking for disaster.
But just as that thought formed—
A sudden sense of danger rose in Diarmuid's mind.
Because he realized something important.
Rosinante wouldn't die in this incident involving the Marines' attempt to capture Golden Lion Shiki.
In fact, Rosinante would live for many more years.
Although he would eventually die on Minion Island, that would happen far in the future.
In simple terms—
Even if Rosinante was acting recklessly right now…
He wouldn't die.
The moment this thought appeared, Diarmuid's mind began racing.
He had no memory of Sengoku and Zephyr fighting Shiki in the North Blue.
But that was normal.
This wasn't a manga anymore.
He was living in a real world.
He couldn't possibly know everything.
So he had no idea what kind of dangers or opportunities this event might bring.
For example—
The warship that currently seemed so safe…
Was it actually safe?
He couldn't be sure.
But there was one thing he could be sure of.
Rosinante wouldn't die in this event.
If he thought about it in reverse…
Then perhaps the person who seemed like the biggest liability—Rosinante—
Was actually the safest person to be around.
So staying close to Rosinante might actually be the safest option? Diarmuid concluded.
Truthfully, Diarmuid was quite cunning.
Life had taught him to be that way.
He wasn't particularly noble.
If anything, he was a self-preservationist.
In dangerous situations, he wouldn't rush to sacrifice himself for others.
He preferred surviving.
Within seconds, several thoughts flashed through his mind.
He quietly stepped backward until he reached the edge of the deck.
"Diarmuid? What are you doing?" a Marine brigadier general asked suspiciously.
From the outside, Diarmuid's behavior looked a lot like he was trying to run away.
But Diarmuid remained completely calm.
With a serious expression, he replied,
"Sir, Rosinante somehow got off the ship. He's over there."
"Admiral Sengoku asked me earlier to look after him."
"So even though it's dangerous, I have to bring him back."
The brigadier paused.
He looked toward the ruins and indeed saw Rosinante.
The officer immediately cursed inwardly.
What is that kid doing?!
Does he want to die?!
But he also knew Rosinante's relationship with Sengoku.
They were extremely close.
He couldn't just ignore it.
At the same time, with two Admirals already fighting, he was the highest-ranking officer remaining on the ship.
He couldn't leave his post.
The rest of the Marines were also preparing for battle.
Thinking about it…
Diarmuid, who wasn't officially part of Headquarters yet, was actually the only one free.
"Fine," the brigadier said. "Go bring him back. Be careful."
"Yes, sir!"
Diarmuid immediately acknowledged.
Then he vaulted over the edge of the deck.
The warship was tall, but even if Diarmuid wasn't especially powerful, he certainly wasn't weak enough to fear jumping down from a ship.
He landed, bent his knees to absorb the impact, and quickly checked the situation.
Sengoku, Zephyr, and Shiki were still locked in battle.
None of them had noticed what was happening here.
Without hesitation, Diarmuid sprinted toward Rosinante.
"Hey! Kid! What the hell are you doing?!" Diarmuid grabbed Rosinante and dragged him up angrily.
"Brother Diarmuid… he's still alive… we can save him…" Rosinante stammered anxiously.
"I saw his hand move…"
"Do you even realize what you're doing?! This island is full of criminals! Even if he dies, it's just one less villain in the world! Now come back with me—it's dangerous here!" Diarmuid scolded him.
"But he's still alive…" Rosinante insisted.
"No matter if he's good or bad… shouldn't the Marines save people in situations like this?"
"If he's guilty, he should be judged and punished later…"
"You actually make a lot of sense," Diarmuid cursed.
Then—
Slap!
He smacked Rosinante across the face.
Rosinante clutched his cheek, staring at him in shock.
"Listen, kid," Diarmuid growled while grabbing his collar.
"You're not wrong."
"But you're not a Marine yet, so you don't have that responsibility."
"And the world isn't that simple."
"Most of the time, the world doesn't care about what's right."
Just as he finished speaking—
Shiki's wild laughter echoed from the distance.
"Zehahahahaha! That's enough, Sengoku! Zephyr!"
"I admit you two are troublesome."
"But I'm not interested in deciding the outcome here today."
"Just wait! In a few years, I'll crush the Marines and the World Government alike!"
"This world belongs to pirates!"
"It belongs to me!"
Shiki retreated rapidly into the sky.
Sengoku and Zephyr frowned, about to respond—
But Shiki suddenly raised one arm slowly.
"This is…" Sengoku's face changed.
"Twist," Shiki said softly.
His grin widened.
In the next instant—
A strange invisible force swept outward.
The Marine warship that had been calmly docked in the harbor was suddenly grabbed by that power—
And twisted like a piece of rope.
The massive ship was crushed into a giant spiral of metal and wood.
"SHIKI!!!" Zephyr roared in fury.
He kicked off the ground and shot upward like a cannonball.
In his rage-fueled burst of speed, he reached Shiki almost instantly.
Shiki barely had time to react.
He crossed his arms, coating them with Armament Haki—
But Zephyr's punch still slammed him from the sky into the ground, smashing a massive crater.
"Buddha's Wrath!"
Sengoku roared as he struck with a massive shockwave from afar.
Meanwhile, Diarmuid stared at the twisted wreck of the warship.
A cold sweat ran down his back.
Holy hell…
If I hadn't been clever enough to leave earlier, I'd be dead right now.
He glanced at Rosinante in his grip.
Looks like even someone like Rosinante…
If you think about things in reverse, he might actually save your life.
At that moment, Sengoku's shockwave blasted Shiki away.
Shiki rolled across the ground for more than ten meters before crashing into a pile of ruins.
And unfortunately—
Those ruins were very close to Diarmuid and Rosinante.
Damn it! I shouldn't have praised this walking disaster! Diarmuid cursed.
That teammate-sabotage aura isn't a joke!
Without thinking, he grabbed Rosinante and ran.
At the same moment, Shiki pushed aside the rubble covering him and wiped the blood from his mouth.
He had taken two heavy hits.
They hurt—but they weren't serious injuries.
His grin remained as arrogant as ever.
"Oh?" Shiki glanced toward them.
"Looks like a couple of stragglers."
Rosinante didn't matter.
He was just a kid.
But Diarmuid was clearly wearing a Marine uniform.
"As a farewell gift," Shiki sneered,
"I'll kill every last subordinate you two bastards have!"
Seeing Sengoku and Zephyr chasing after him, Shiki no longer bothered fighting.
Instead—
He shot toward Diarmuid and Rosinante.
Even without turning around, Diarmuid felt a terrifying pressure.
It was as if a savage lion were hunting him.
The feeling was unmistakable.
He didn't even need to look back.
It had to be Shiki.
Am I going to die? Diarmuid thought.
But only for a moment.
Then determination flashed in his eyes.
Yes—
He feared death.
Yes—
He was cunning and selfish.
But when the moment to gamble his life arrived—
He never hesitated.
Just as Zephyr had judged:
In battle, Diarmuid was ruthlessly decisive.
"Get lost, kid!"
Diarmuid suddenly hurled Rosinante far away.
Keeping Rosinante nearby at a moment like this—
That cursed teammate-sabotage aura would probably guarantee death.
As soon as he threw Rosinante aside, Diarmuid stomped the ground and skidded to a halt.
His body spun sharply—
And he faced Shiki head-on.
As Diarmuid turned around, Shiki's fierce and domineering figure was already right in front of him.
"Draw—"
Diarmuid reached for the Nagasone Kotetsu at his waist.
But unfortunately, the blade had barely left the scabbard by three fingers' width when Shiki's famous sword Kogarashi pierced straight through his chest.
"What a disgusting sense of justice," Shiki said with disdain as he looked at him.
"Even at the moment of death, you throw the kid away to protect him?"
"Are all you Marines this brave?"
Although the strike hadn't pierced the Marine's heart, Shiki was experienced enough to know from the feel of the blade that it had completely punctured Diarmuid's lung.
With such a wound, a normal person would lose the ability to fight immediately.
Nine times out of ten—they would die.
Shiki didn't think highly of Diarmuid at all.
From that brief exchange, it was obvious.
This Marine was nothing but a complete rookie.
Otherwise he wouldn't have been stabbed before he even had the chance to draw his sword.
Without wasting any words, Shiki pulled Kogarashi from Diarmuid's chest and stepped past him.
In his eyes, this insignificant Marine wasn't worth another glance.
He was heading for the last kid.
But just then—
He heard something.
"Tiger…"
A flash of cold steel appeared in the corner of his vision.
The sharp killing intent within it gave Shiki a brief sense of danger.
Although Shiki was extremely powerful, he wasn't built like monsters such as Kaido or Charlotte Linlin.
His body was still fundamentally human.
If he was caught off guard, he could be injured by bullets or cut by blades.
Otherwise, during the Battle of Edd War, a ship's rudder wouldn't have ended up embedded in his head.
So this sudden flash of steel genuinely made Shiki feel threatened.
In the next instant—
A spray of blood burst into the air.