Taro was utterly speechless. Damn it, this is so unfair! I'm still a damn virgin!
The'seed' I was talking about is the spark of revolution, not the kind of'seed' you all are thinking of!
Taro never expected that Garp and Tsuru, these two old folks, would still have such impure minds at their age.
Oh, and there's Momousagi too, another 'grandma-level' character. All three of them are so improper.
Taro completely failed to anticipate that his simple, offhand remark would lead them to concoct an entire story in their heads, and the kicker is, at first glance, it actually sounded plausible!
What the hell with this 'Nico Robin and her child' nonsense, what the hell with 'Dragon being emboldened'—where did all this even come from?!
Taro stood there dumbfounded!
However, he was now in a bind. If he claimed he gave something else, it would be hard to make them believe it, especially since Dragon had personally come looking for him.
If he told the complete truth, it would be like driving a self-detonating truck—also not an option.
Slap Slap
Taro gave himself two hard slaps across the face, cursing inwardly: Taro, your mouth is truly damn wretched. When will you ever learn to curb your glib tongue?
Seeing Taro slap himself, Garp and the other two became even more convinced their guess was correct.
In the end, it was Vice Admiral Tsuru who felt the most sympathy for Taro. She let out a sigh.
"Slapping yourself now is useless. Since you've admitted there is truth to the matter, you should focus on thinking about how to handle the aftermath!"
"Admit? Admit to what?"
Taro looked around bewildered at this circle of elders. Seeing his reaction, Vice Admiral Tsuru snorted.
"Regretting it now, are you? With both mother and child in the hands of the Revolutionary Army, if they use them as leverage in the future, what do you plan to do?"
"Being involved with that woman alone would already put the World Government on alert. Now, with a child in the picture, if others find out, not only will your career in the Marines be ruined, but the World Government will have no tolerance for your little family of three!"
Taro felt utterly despondent. He never imagined his casual remark would lead these old folks to spin a whole series of bizarre events in their minds.
The crux of the matter was, he couldn't even explain himself.
Vice Admiral Tsuru looked at Taro's miserable face, sighed again, then turned her gaze to Momousagi, her eyes carrying a hint of pleading.
"Little sister, regarding this matter of Taro's..."
Momousagi waved her hand dismissively, casting another look of disdain at Taro.
"I can pretend I don't know about this matter. But I will tell little Tashigi. I won't allow this guy to keep deceiving her!"
Hearing this, Vice Admiral Tsuru's expression relaxed slightly. She exchanged a glance with Garp and nodded. "That will suffice. Little sister, Taro is young, he acted impulsively in the moment, and that's how he made this grave mistake..."
As she spoke, she shot a glare at Taro, signaling him to quickly state his position. Taro, with a woeful expression, said in a low, somber voice:
"I'm sorry to everyone. I was wrong. I am guilty. I will reflect on my actions. I will correct myself. I will follow Vice Admiral Garp faithfully and strive to be an outstanding Marine!"
After saying this, Taro slumped into his chair, head hanging low, wishing he could just die.
Hearing Taro's declaration, Vice Admiral Tsuru and Garp's expressions finally improved considerably.
"Garp, you are Dragon's father. He..."
Garp shook his head. "He won't use the lives of Nico Robin and her child to threaten Taro into doing anything. I'm certain of that. He's not that despicable."
"No, what I meant to ask is, is there any possibility you could intervene and get them back?"
Garp shook his head again. "Impossible. That brat has never listened to a word I say!"
His tone actually carried a trace of pride. Could you believe it?
Taro was dumbstruck, just sitting there listening to these two old folks deliberate on how to rescue his supposed 'child.' The more he listened, the more his expression became a spectacle.
"Sigh, then we'll just have to order all branches to search for traces of Nico Robin."
"I need to think carefully about how to persuade the World Government to change her bounty poster to 'capture only alive,' at least until the child is born..."
Vice Admiral Tsuru propped her chin on her hands, her gaze distant as she pondered.
Garp nodded, thought for a moment, and also said:
"That brat Dragon mentioned he found Nico Robin in the East Blue. That's my hometown. I'll make a trip back there in a few days, and I have some other matters to handle as well."
Then he punched Taro on the head again. "And you, kid, you're from the East Blue too. You're coming back with me this time!"
Taro knew Garp was going back to get beaten up. He dared not face Ace's foster mother, Dadan. The infamous scene of Dadan crying while beating up Garp was enough to bring tears to the eyes of those who heard about it and break the hearts of those who saw it.
"Vice Admiral Garp, can I not go?" Taro shrank his neck back, speaking softly, then looked pleadingly at Vice Admiral Tsuru for help.
"Let's not have this rascal go. We still need to properly resolve the situation with Tashigi!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru glared at Taro but ultimately spoke up for him.
Garp didn't insist further and sat back down.
"Now, tell us everything about you and Nico Robin. Don't leave out a single detail!"
Taro's heart, which had just settled, leapt back into his throat. Damn it, this is forcing me to make up a story!
After thinking for a long while, he finally said: "It was the first Sandstorm of 1520, arriving later than usual..."
Hearing Garp's heavy breathing, Taro coughed and cleared his throat.
"It was back in Alabasta. One day, I was camping out in the desert..."
Just as Taro was narrating—no, fabricating—the tale of his passionate, star-crossed love affair with Nico Robin...
Stussy of CP0 was also holding a meeting with Sengoku and the Three Admirals.
"In summary, regarding Taro, this is the instruction from the Gorosei!"
With no outsiders present, she removed her mask, revealing her beautiful face.
"Utterly absurd. It seems those old fellows have truly lost their minds."
After hearing Stussy's words, before anyone else could react, it was Akainu who first couldn't sit still, slamming the table and standing up.
Sengoku coughed twice and gestured. "Sakazuki, sit down first."
Akainu snorted coldly and turned to look out the window. Sengoku didn't mind and continued:
"I cannot accept the judgment that Taro has connections to that pirate crew simply because his name shares a characteristic with Wang Zhi's."
Hearing Sengoku say this, Akainu turned back and roared angrily:
"That pirate crew was destroyed nearly 40 years ago. Wang Zhi has been dead for over 30 years. And Taro is only 20."
"To even link them together—is this how CP0 conducts its intelligence work?"
"Tch, no wonder. That guy Dragon managed to come all the way to Marineford, and you in CP0 didn't have the slightest inkling. So this is where all your energy goes!"
Akainu truly lived up to his reputation as a master of taunts, letting loose a torrent of scathing remarks.
After a long silence, Stussy finally curled the corner of her mouth.
"Our intelligence indicates that Admiral Sakazuki has significant conflicts with Taro. It seems now our intelligence work indeed has considerable oversights!"
"However, this is an order, not a discussion! Gentlemen!"
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