"Wow, Vice Admiral Taro is truly as powerful as the rumors say!"
"He's so reliable, Vice Admiral Taro!"
"The Marine Soldiers under Vice Admiral Taro have suffered zero casualties so far. With Vice Admiral Taro here, we'll definitely be saved!"
...
...
The Marine Soldiers cheered, nearly moved to tears with excitement.
At this moment, after PX-5 identified Taro's identity, it relocked its target onto the pirates. Its large mouth opened, and a golden light gathered. After a short charge, it fired a laser beam.
Boom!
The laser swept across the ground, exploding instantly.
This laser attack method of the "Pacifista" was developed by the World Government's lead scientist, Vegapunk, based on Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit ability. Although its power was reduced, it was still formidable.
Eustass Kid, who had dodged PX-5's attack, turned his head and said to Law, "Stay out of this. Let me handle this Marine."
"Oh?" Taro looked at Kid, who was wearing goggles, had red spiky hair, and wore a dark red coat. He gave a mocking laugh.
"I remember you've attacked civilians, haven't you?"
Taro walked slowly toward Kid, stretching his body. "Whether it's one sheep or two, it's all the same. I'll deal with you first."
"Arrogant brat!"
Kid gave a sinister laugh and waved his left arm, attracting the scattered swords and guns around him to his hand, forming a giant mechanical arm. Then, he swung his arm.
"Repel!"
The giant mechanical arm instantly detached and flew toward Taro.
"Wave Slash!"
Taro leapt into the air and kicked out a slash. The powerful Sword Qi instantly shattered the giant mechanical arm into pieces. The momentum of the blade didn't diminish as it continued toward Kid.
Seeing his giant mechanical arm destroyed, Kid hurriedly dodged to the side. The Sword Qi slashed past, leaving a deep trench in the ground.
Taro's strike shocked the pirates once again. Kid's face grew even more distorted.
"As expected of the famous light of the marines, your strength is truly terrifying!"
The corners of Taro's mouth curled up slightly. "Praising me now? Are you planning to beg for mercy?"
Kid was furious!
Just then, a man wearing a blue and white striped hood and a deep blue shirt nimbly leapt into the air. After several flips, he lunged at Taro with two rotating scythes.
"Mihawk Slash!"
Taro glanced up at the figure and drew his blade in an upward stroke, sending out a slash through the air.
"Killer!"
Seeing the power of Taro's strike, Kid cried out his partner's name.
"Massacre Soldier" Killer didn't expect Taro to choose not to block but to counter with a slash. Startled, his attack faltered, and he hurriedly crossed his scythes in front of his chest.
Bang!
Killer's body resisted for only a moment before he was sent flying, crashing into the massive roots of a mangrove tree and falling down.
At this moment, both of Kid's arms turned into giant mechanical arms. With a roar, he slammed the two giant arms together, trying to crush Taro.
"Lions Share"
Taro leapt lightly and delivered a series of rapid kicks. Dozens of slashes flew out, shattering Kid's mechanical arms once again.
"Captain Kid, with only this much strength, you're not quite up to par!" Taro smiled and walked toward Kid with his blade in hand.
On the other side, PX-5 had already been heavily damaged by Kid and Law earlier. Now, Law had plunged a blade into its chest, destroying its internal mechanical structure and causing it to lose power.
"Hahaha, no matter how many times you shatter them, I can always gather them back together."
Although Kid's mechanical arms had been shattered twice by Taro, he didn't panic. He extended his hands, and the shattered blades and guns gathered once more, forming the giant mechanical arms again.
Taro didn't care and gave a contemptuous laugh. "Is that so? Then, can your body be gathered back together if it's shattered?"
"Ittoryu: Iaido - Lions Song"
Taro crouched down, holding his blade vertically at his side. He gripped the hilt in a reverse hold and swung. A flash of blade light passed, shattering Kid's mechanical arms again, and Taro appeared behind him.
"Crescent Moon Dune"
The moment Taro's right arm turned into a sand blade, he slashed at Kid.
"ROOM"
A low whisper came.
"Shambles"
A breeze swept through, and a translucent energy dome enveloped the battlefield between the two.
Kid's figure instantly disappeared, replaced by a massive figure. He landed a heavy punch on Taro's shoulder, causing Taro to stumble slightly and his sand blade attack to veer off course.
Taro frowned.
"Finger Pistol"
His index finger instantly pierced the opponent's chest, knocking him down. Just as he was about to follow up with a strike to end the man's life, he noticed a mark on the man's forehead.
"Hoof of the Soaring Dragon!"
This man was once a slave of the Celestial Dragons!
Taro's blade stopped at the man's collar, unable to cut down any further.
He sighed, sheathed his blade, and waved at the burly man, signaling him to leave.
Trafalgar Law, who had trapped Taro within the energy field, hadn't expected Taro's movements to be unaffected. Seeing Jean Bart about to be killed, he was anxious, but he was stunned when he saw Taro stop his attack.
But he quickly reacted. With a light flick of his left hand, several nearly invisible blade lights, as subtle as a breeze, slashed toward Taro.
His protective Internal Skill rippled. Taro easily blocked Law's cutting ability. This time, Law was so shocked he nearly jumped.
"Impossible!" Law cried out in disbelief.
Taro gave a calm smile. "Inferior skills lead to defeat. Nothing in this world is impossible."
After saying that, he looked at Law and Kid.
"Forget it. I'm not in the mood to hunt you down right now. Restore those Marines, and I'll let you go!"
Kid was still defiant, glaring at Taro, wanting to continue the fight. Meanwhile, Law hadn't recovered from the shock of his attack being ineffective.
The burly former slave named Jean Bart walked up to Law and whispered, "Just now... he could have killed me, but he chose not to..."
Law understood the meaning behind his words, but it only made him more confused.
"Why did you do that?" Law stared at Taro and spoke softly.
Taro shrugged indifferently. "I told you, I'm just not in the mood right now!"
"Hurry up. If my mood changes in a bit and you still want to leave, I might not agree then!"
Kid and Law's eyes flickered. After exchanging a glance, Law snapped his fingers toward the distant Marines, and a new "ROOM" space enveloped them.
After another flick of his fingers, the Marines' bodies began to recover, slowly reassembling into their original forms.
[Learning ROOM failed]
[Lack of essential medical knowledge, unable to learn]
Taro: "..."
Fine, the System discriminates against the illiterate. Those who know, know!
Taro felt a bit of regret, then waved his hand at Law. "That's it for this time!"
After saying that, he turned to leave. Then, a sentence drifted through the air: "Behave yourselves from now on. Don't harm innocent civilians, or else...!"
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