After that, the stage was no longer Diarmuid's. With Sengoku at the forefront, he didn't need to say much.
Sengoku was a shrewd man himself; he seized the opportunity to argue extensively with the Gorosei, using the Doflamingo incident to secure some benefits for the Navy. Although they were all minor gains, it was better than nothing.
Ultimately, after continuous deliberation among the CP agencies, Marine Headquarters, and the Gorosei, it was decided to compromise with the wicked and despicable pirate Doflamingo: grant him the status of Warlord of the Sea and recover the Heavenly Tribute.
After concluding this matter, the group discussed other issues in the office, such as the situation in the New World.
When the time seemed right, Sengoku proposed his departure. After the Gorosei gave a few perfunctory words of encouragement, Diarmuid and Sengoku turned and left the office, preparing to implement the arrangements regarding Doflamingo's inauguration as a Warlord of the Sea.
As Diarmuid and the Fleet Admiral departed, Stussy looked at the Gorosei.
The Gorosei naturally noticed Stussy's expression and nodded. "Go ahead. Don't let the relationship get too strained."
Stussy smiled and nodded. "Please rest assured, my Lords. My relationship with Admiral Diarmuid was decent before, so he shouldn't hold a grudge. However, I should still try to smooth things over, lest it interfere with your plans."
The Gorosei were satisfied and nodded, thinking: This is the kind of loyal subordinate we favor!
After giving a few more instructions, Stussy also left the office to catch up with Diarmuid and Sengoku.
Diarmuid and Sengoku seemed to be waiting for her, standing at the elevator entrance. Before long, they heard the swift footsteps of the Queen.
"Slow down. We haven't left yet. Don't trip in those high heels," Diarmuid said cheerfully to the Queen.
Upon hearing this, Stussy felt relieved. It seems Diarmuid isn't angry.
Of course, wasn't I doing all this to cooperate with him?
"How was my performance? Pretty good, right?" the Queen asked with a smile.
Diarmuid glared at her fiercely, then said, "Just wait, you'll be the death of me! Hmph!"
Sengoku watched the two of them with amusement. Years ago, he was highly suspicious of Stussy but had absolute faith in Diarmuid, believing Diarmuid would never do anything awkward. But now, after all these years, Stussy had maintained a good relationship with the Navy and engaged in many secret collaborations, leading Sengoku to trust her far more. He could, to some extent, treat her as a semi-ally.
At the same time, he couldn't help but admire Diarmuid for managing to bring a high-ranking member of the CP agencies over to the Navy's side. You simply had to respect that.
Was it due to a 'honey trap'?
Thinking this, Sengoku looked at Diarmuid's handsome face and clicked his tongue. "What a pity..."
Diarmuid looked at Fleet Admiral Sengoku strangely. "Pity about what?"
"What a pity there aren't many other high-ranking officials like Stussy-san in Mariejois," Sengoku said cryptically.
If only I could let Diarmuid go out and turn all those people...
Diarmuid was bewildered. What is this old man talking about?Did he become Fleet Admiral and decide to start looking for romance?Is he eyeing someone in Mariejois?I need to jot this down and go report him to the Chief of Staff!
Sengoku didn't realize Diarmuid was complaining about him mentally. He looked at Diarmuid and Stussy and said, "I'm heading back to Marineford now."
Diarmuid cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed. "Ahem, about that. I think I'll stay one more day in Mariejois. The New World is so chaotic; Stussy must have some very important intelligence. I plan to 'burn the midnight oil discussing' things with her tonight..."
After a slight pause, Diarmuid added, "It's all business! Strictly business!"
Sengoku couldn't be bothered to expose Diarmuid, and he had no intention of objecting. On the contrary, he rather hoped Diarmuid could use his charm to secure Stussy as an important ally.
Therefore, he nodded. "Hmm, do as you see fit."
With that, he turned and stepped into the elevator.
Diarmuid watched the elevator doors close with a smile, then suddenly froze. Wait!I didn't get on the elevator!
Damn it!
…
Meanwhile, in the Gorosei's office.
The Gorosei were continuing their discussion about Doflamingo.
"That man is pursuing the Warlord of the Sea position, so he must want something. After being silent for so many years, is he finally going to start causing trouble for us?" The bald Elder's eyes flashed with ruthlessness.
"Have we tested them? Are the other members of the Donquixote Family not suitable?" The blond-haired Elder suddenly asked.
The bearded Gorosei shook his head. "We've tested them. They are not suitable. That bastard Doflamingo has the purest bloodline of the Donquixote Family. The others are somewhat diluted."
"Unless we extract and purify their blood, they cannot be used," the bald Elder added.
"Then it seems we still need to keep him around for a while..." The blond-haired Elder pondered.
After a moment's pause, he asked again, "Is it possible for Vegapunk's Lineage Factor technology to bypass these bloodline marks and directly activate Uranus?"
"We are having him research that in batches... But with his intellect, he might already be guessing something," the bald Elder hesitated.
"It doesn't matter. What if he guesses? It's just a guess in the end... Hopefully, his Lineage Factor technology will mature soon," the sword-wielding Gorosei sighed.
"Indeed. At that time, we will no longer need so many 'bloodlines.' Not only can we finally move against the Nefertari Family, but we can also clear out those useless leeches on Mariejois and reduce our burden," the bald Elder said, a ruthless glint in his eye.
Uranus?
Bloodlines?
If Diarmuid were present, he would be utterly astonished.
He had long suspected that a major secret was hidden above Mariejois, and he strongly believed that the most mysterious of the three Ancient Weapons, Uranus, was likely hidden within Mariejois.
The Gorosei's statements now confirmed this belief.
The legend was true: the Ancient Weapon Uranus, capable of destroying the world, was in the hands of the Gorosei!
In reality, Uranus is an immensely vast spaceship, rumored to be the ultimate weapon brought by the Moon People in ancient times. It was somehow obtained by the Twenty Kings and has been passed down as their core secret and heritage ever since.
For reasons unknown, perhaps due to modification or some other principle, the activation of Uranus requires the combined bloodlines of the Twenty Kings to activate its operating system. Over the past eight hundred years, the bloodlines of many descendants of the Twenty Kings are no longer as pure as they once were, meaning very few individuals meet the standard on their own.
However, the highest level of Mariejois soon realized this problem. They later attempted to purify the blood: what they lacked in quality, they made up for in quantity. It worked.
This is why the Gorosei know that raising so many incompetent Celestial Dragons who only cause trouble is a frustrating matter, yet they are forced to maintain them.
Because the most precious thing they possess is the bloodline that has been passed down for over eight hundred years!
In times of necessity, collecting and purifying their blood can activate Uranus to destroy any enemy standing in their way!
Naturally, such an important matter requires dual insurance. They cannot rely solely on blood purification. Thus, within certain Celestial Dragon families, there are some remaining pure bloodlines. These pure bloods are even more valuable because their blood alone, without needing collective purification, can activate Uranus.
And Doflamingo is one of the rare pure bloods of the current Donquixote Family.
This is the reason why the Gorosei, despite being infuriated by Doflamingo, have repeatedly let him go. Even with backup methods, their cautious nature compels them to keep Doflamingo as a hidden card.
Doflamingo seems to have learned these secrets, which is why he acts so fearlessly when confronting the Gorosei!
What he doesn't know, however, is that Mariejois is currently weak on the inside but projecting strength. Uranus cannot be activated right now.
This is because the pure bloodline of the Nefertari Family, one of the descendants of the Twenty Kings, is missing. Even though the Nefertari Family still rules the Alabasta Kingdom, their bloodline is not flourishing. Only Nefertari Cobra and his daughter, Princess Vivi, remain. Neither of them possesses the pure bloodline, and their blood cannot be purified enough to meet the requirements.
The Gorosei had originally planned to secretly capture them and 'propagate the bloodline.' But by chance, they discovered Dr. Vegapunk's Lineage Factor technology.
This technology stunned the Gorosei.
Because once this technology truly matures, they will no longer need to rely on these so-called bloodlines to activate Uranus! They could bypass that step entirely and use the Lineage Factor technology to control the Ancient Weapon Uranus!
In that case, the Nefertari Family would hold no value.
In fact, Dr. Vegapunk's Lineage Factor technology did mature in the original story. It was due to the changes brought by this technology that they attempted the assassination of the traitorous Nefertari Family during the Reverie in Mariejois, though it seems they didn't succeed.
Furthermore, for this reason, the Gorosei no longer cared about Doflamingo and planned to eliminate him in Impel Down.
As for the large population of useless Celestial Dragons in Mariejois?
The Gorosei still held back from dealing with them. On one hand, the world has grown accustomed to these parasites over the years. If Mariejois suddenly moved against them, it would undoubtedly cause turmoil and suspicion. On the other hand, there was the same reason: the Gorosei cannot maintain only one means of activating Uranus. They must have contingency plans, or the consequences of any unforeseen problem would be disastrous.
Therefore, the Gorosei planned to slowly reduce the number of these parasites on Mariejois, aiming for a smooth transition. They would only retain a sufficient number of promising, non-useless young members as a backup, which would also significantly alleviate the burden these leeches place on Mariejois.
This is the secret hidden within Mariejois.
As if recalling something else, the bald Elder smiled and said, "We were fortunate that we placed Vegapunk at Punk Hazard, under the protection of the Navy's Science Unit, instead of forcibly bringing him to Mariejois to work. Otherwise, that great fire might have destroyed our hopes..."
Indeed, initially, placing Vegapunk within the Navy's Science Unit was a form of disguise. Later, after a period of transition, the Gorosei had intended to bring Vegapunk to Mariejois to focus entirely on researching the Lineage Factor technology.
However, they hadn't been able to implement the plan before Mariejois was breached by Dragon and Fisher Tiger, who then set the place ablaze... Thinking about it now still fills them with lingering fear.
Due to that incident, the Gorosei unanimously agreed to let Vegapunk remain with the Science Unit. It was safer there.