Just as Borsalino finished speaking—
Suddenly, several Den Den Mushi began ringing.
The sound made Borsalino, Kuzan, and Gion all pause.
Because all three of their Den Den Mushi were ringing at the same time.
Something had happened.
The three exchanged glances.
This must be serious.
Otherwise the calls wouldn't have come simultaneously.
At that moment Momonga was pinned under Diarmuid, taking punches to the head.
The ringing Den Den Mushi interrupted their sparring.
Not just them—
Everyone watching turned toward Borsalino's group.
"Admiral Sengoku?" Borsalino said as he answered the call.
Beside him, Kuzan and Gion also answered theirs.
As expected—
Kuzan was contacted by Vice Admiral Garp.
Gion by Chief Staff Tsuru.
After exchanging a few quiet words, all three of their expressions became extremely serious.
Soon they hung up.
Looking at each other, they said simultaneously,
"Looks like things just got troublesome."
"Let's go. Mission first."
No one else knew what had happened.
But judging by their expressions—
It was definitely something big.
Then Borsalino looked at Diarmuid.
"Diarmuid."
"You're coming with us."
"We have a mission."
Diarmuid froze for a moment.
Then he immediately stood up.
"Yes!"
Inside, he was completely confused.
Didn't you just say I didn't need to take missions for a while?
The fight hasn't even finished and now I'm being sent out?
At the same time, he wondered—
What exactly happened?
"I'm heading out," Diarmuid said to Momonga with a grin.
Momonga rubbed his swollen cheek and waved.
"Go already."
"We'll finish this next time."
Even as he said it, Momonga knew something.
In pure hand-to-hand combat—
He probably wasn't Diarmuid's match.
Still, he wasn't discouraged.
After all, martial arts wasn't his main focus.
If anything, he believed he had more talent in swordsmanship.
His future path wasn't decided yet.
Soon, Diarmuid followed Borsalino, Kuzan, and Gion out of the hall.
Since he wasn't very familiar with Borsalino or Gion, he quietly asked Kuzan,
"What happened?"
Kuzan glanced at him before answering softly.
"According to the intelligence we just received…"
"The Roger Pirates have returned to the New World."
Diarmuid nodded, still puzzled.
"So?"
"They've entered and left the New World several times already."
"What's the big deal?"
For ordinary pirate crews, the Grand Line was a one-way road.
They had to follow the Log Pose.
Turning back was almost impossible.
But for top-tier pirate crews, the Grand Line was far less restrictive.
They could travel back and forth relatively freely.
Most pirates stayed in the New World once they arrived there.
Because the New World was pirate territory.
Outside of it was Marine-controlled waters.
But the Roger Pirates were different.
They wandered all over the world.
One day they might be in the New World.
The next they might cross the Calm Belt and appear in one of the Four Blues.
Their movements were completely unpredictable.
The Marines had long been investigating what they were up to, but no one had figured it out yet.
Of course—
Diarmuid knew.
Because the Roger Pirates were searching for clues to the final island — Laugh Tale.
"That alone wouldn't matter," Kuzan continued.
"But intelligence says Golden Lion Shiki is planning a massive war against the Roger Pirates."
"If we move fast enough…"
"We might catch them during their clash."
"For the Marines, that would be a perfect opportunity."
Diarmuid froze.
Suddenly he understood what was about to happen.
The once-mighty Flying Pirate Fleet—
Shiki's great armada—
Was about to be destroyed.
Others might not know.
But he certainly did.
Because this was the event recorded in history.
The battle that was about to happen—
The Battle of Edd War.
Right now, it was Year 1496 of the Sea Circle Calendar.
The Battle of Edd War happened in this same year—though Diarmuid didn't know the exact date.
Judging from the situation now…
It must be early in the year.
Originally, the Roger Pirates should have been finished at Edd War.
Golden Lion Shiki had prepared thoroughly. By all rights, he should have been able to wipe Roger's crew out completely.
But fate had other plans.
What Shiki never expected was that Gol D. Roger was practically the chosen son of destiny.
Right in the middle of the naval battle, a massive storm appeared.
Because of his Float-Float Fruit ability, Shiki was extremely vulnerable during a storm at sea.
He was completely overwhelmed.
Not only was the Flying Pirate Fleet almost entirely destroyed—
Shiki himself suffered a disaster.
A ship's rudder smashed into his head and got stuck there.
It couldn't even be removed.
From that moment on, the rudder lodged in his skull would weaken him for the next twenty years.
The once-dominant Golden Lion slowly deteriorated into a miserable old pirate who could barely even use Haki.
Eventually, he would be beaten down by the Straw Hat Pirates, who also came from the East Blue.
Thus ended the legend of a once-great tyrant of the seas.
"That's right," Gion said excitedly.
"This might be the chance for the Marines to eliminate both pirate crews in one move."
Diarmuid nodded in agreement.
If the Marines arrived in time, then regardless of whether Roger escaped—
Shiki would definitely be finished.
But in Diarmuid's memory, the Marines had rushed there aggressively yet still missed the battle.
Which made sense.
According to Marine estimates, the clash between Roger and Shiki should have lasted three days and three nights.
Instead, the storm ended everything very quickly.
By the time the Marines arrived, the fight was already over.
"I didn't expect my first mission after arriving at Marineford to be something this huge," Diarmuid said with a grin.
Kuzan laughed beside him.
"What? Afraid?"
"I can tell Admiral Sengoku to let you stay at Headquarters and train."
Diarmuid shook his head.
"I'm not afraid at all."
"Honestly… I'm excited."
As they spoke, they had already entered the massive Fortress of Justice.
Soon they arrived outside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Several Marines were already gathered in the hallway.
One of the most noticeable figures was a giant Vice Admiral.
Diarmuid recognized him immediately.
This was Jaguar D. Saul.
Kuzan's close friend.
The same giant who would later play a crucial role in the Ohara Incident.
Saul leaned against the wall, yawning lazily—his attitude surprisingly similar to Kuzan's.
Besides him stood another familiar figure.
Future Admiral Sakazuki.
His arms were folded across his chest as he stood silently in the hallway, wearing a Marine cap.
Before Borsalino or Kuzan could greet anyone—
The door to the Fleet Admiral's office suddenly burst open.
A tall, powerfully built middle-aged man strode out.
He wore a black suit beneath a Justice coat, with the epaulets of a Marine Vice Admiral.
Diarmuid recognized him instantly.
Monkey D. Garp.
"Hey! Garp! I'm not finished speaking yet!" a furious voice roared from inside the office.
Even without seeing him, Diarmuid knew the voice.
It belonged to the Marines' highest authority—
Fleet Admiral Kong.
"Maybe you're not finished," Garp laughed loudly,
"but I've heard enough!"
He slammed the door shut.
"YOU BASTARD!!!"
Even with the door closed, Kong's furious shout could still be heard.
But no one seemed surprised.
Many Marines even smiled.
Everyone was used to Garp's unruly behavior.
"Garp-san," Kuzan asked with a grin,
"did you refuse the Admiral promotion again?"
"Hahaha!" Garp laughed.
"Vice Admiral is good enough!"
"If I become an Admiral, I'll have to sit around like Sengoku and Zephyr."
"I'm not interested."
Before Kuzan could reply, the door opened again.
Two figures stepped out.
Tsuru, the Chief Staff Officer.
And Admiral Sengoku.
"The moment I step outside, I hear you talking behind my back again," Sengoku complained irritably.
"Hahaha!" Garp laughed.
"Hey Tsuru, if you're heading out, save me a seat on the ship."
Tsuru replied calmly,
"No thanks. You'd probably wreck the ship."
"Don't be like that," Garp said shamelessly.
The three Marine leaders began walking down the hall.
The gathered Marines followed behind them.
Naturally, Diarmuid ended up walking just behind Sengoku.
"Hey Garp," Sengoku said with a glance,
"you heard earlier that the Shiki situation is my responsibility."
"Hahaha! Relax!" Garp waved his hand.
"All the credit is yours."
"That's not the point, you idiot!" Sengoku snapped.
But he knew something very well.
If this mission only involved Shiki, Garp might listen.
But if Roger was involved—
No one could stop him.
So Sengoku simply gave up arguing.
Soon everyone boarded the warships.
The fleet quickly departed the harbor.
Only then did Sengoku turn to Diarmuid with a smile.
"Long time no see, Diarmuid."
"How have you been?"
"I'm doing well, thank you for asking, Admiral," Diarmuid replied.
Sengoku nodded.
"Originally, I planned to let you stay at Headquarters and train for a while."
"But after thinking about it…"
"This mission is extremely dangerous."
"However, if it succeeds, the merit will be enormous."
"It could help you build a solid foundation for your future."
"So I had Borsalino bring you along."
It was clear Sengoku was taking special care of him.
"Thank you, Admiral!" Diarmuid said quickly.
"Just make sure you stay alive," Sengoku added.
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