Shakky's lips curled into a smile as she glanced at her three nervous companions at the neighboring table.
"The famous 'ink dragon' Taro actually has this kind of personality. It's truly surprising!"
Taro knew Shakky was an intelligence broker, so he wasn't surprised that she knew something about him.
"I'm just like this; those rumors from the outside world can't be trusted!"
Shakky lit another cigarette and took an elegant puff. "Is that so? You said you'd make up a purpose for me to hear. Have you finished making it up yet?"
"Well..." Taro hesitated, picked up his glass, took a sip, and then said, "The wine is good!"
Thump, thump, thump
The three people at the next table slammed their heads onto the table.
"Then let me ask you first." Shakky tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Your name is quite rare. Is it your full name?"
From a psychological perspective, Shakky's movement reflected inner anxiety.
However, as a commoner from his previous life, how could Taro understand that?
"Yeah, I'm called Taro. Is something wrong? Why do you ask?" Taro asked, confused.
Shakky stared intently at Taro for a long while before saying slowly, "It's nothing, just remembered an old friend from decades ago."
Taro raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment. In the original story, this bar owner seemed to have mentioned being a pirate for a period of time decades ago.
"Was that old friend of yours a pirate too?"
Before Taro could finish his sentence, Shakky's expression changed drastically, though she quickly regained her composure. "You really do know him."
Huh? Who do I know?
Taro looked completely bewildered.
"Speak, your purpose," Shakky's tone suddenly became cold. "After you're done, leave quickly!"
Taro was stunned. "What's going on?"
Seeing Shakky's expression grow increasingly cold, he added, "Is Uncle Rayleigh here?"
Hearing Taro mention Rayleigh, Shakky's heart sank, and she grew secretly wary. "If he is, so what? If he isn't, so what?"
The tone is all wrong. Is there another misunderstanding?
Taro quickly waved his hands. "No, I really mean no harm!" He sighed and then continued,
"I've met Rayleigh once, and I've also had dealings with the Straw Hat Pirates crew."
"Uh, of course, I also know about your relationship with the Straw Hat Pirates crew."
Taro pointed to the three people at the neighboring table.
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the bar became even more tense.
"Don't panic, I have no interest in arresting you."
Taro took another sip of wine. "Sigh, forget it, I'll just say it straight. After the Great Incident, Luffy was taken back to Amazon Lily by the Empress."
"With your intelligence network, you should be able to analyze this in a few days anyway. Please tell Rayleigh that if he wants to find him, go there!"
Taro tilted his head back to finish the remaining wine, set down the glass, and turned to leave.
"Thank you for the hospitality. Also, the rest of the Marine does not know about this, so please rest assured!"
The crisp sound of the doorbell rang as Taro drifted away.
"Auntie Shakky, he..." The mermaid one piece fan stood dazed for a long while before speaking.
Shakky extinguished her cigarette butt.
"Hachi, go find Rayleigh and bring him back. That old ghost must be hiding in some casino again!"
...Alabasta, Elmal District.
"Ain, when do you think Taro will be back?" Binz, wearing a bamboo hat, asked the girl beside him while stimulating plant growth.
A pink glow emanated from Ain's hand, reverting the fruiting plants back to seed form. She handed them to Binz, her brow slightly furrowed.
"I don't know. Why do you ask? Do you not want to follow Teacher Zephyr out to sea to hunt pirates anymore?"
"Uh, well..." Binz hesitated.
"Have you forgotten that scene from seven years ago?" Ain's voice was somewhat cold.
Binz quickly shook his head. "Of course I haven't forgotten. I will follow Teacher Zephyr my whole life; that will never change until I die."
He hesitated for a moment. "It's just, I feel... it would be better to hear Taro's opinion."
Seeing Ain about to retort, Binz quickly added weakly, "After all, leaving without saying goodbye isn't very good either!"
Ain let out a sigh. "You really like this kind of life, don't you..."
Binz felt somewhat ashamed, feeling as though he had betrayed Teacher Zephyr. Then he heard Ain continue,
"Alright, Binz, I'll go ask Princess Vivi for help and try to contact Taro to get him back as soon as possible."
Hearing this, Binz felt even more ashamed... Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Sengoku sat in a large chair, looking at the Fleet Admiral of the entire army, Kong, waiting for a reply.
Kong was very old, but his spirit was hale and hearty. With his thick arms crossed over his chest, he spoke in a low voice,
"Garp also submitted his resignation to me the day before yesterday, but his rank will be retained to train young Marine Soldiers."
"If you want to resign from the position of Fleet Admiral, you must do the same as him, Sengoku."
Sengoku lowered his head and nodded. "Mhm."
"In that case, I accept your resignation." Kong stared at the somewhat silent Sengoku and sighed,
"Sigh, the two men who have led the Marine on the front lines since the era of Roger are now both retreating to the second line. This will be big news!"
Hearing this, Sengoku's mood dampened further. "In today's world where pirates are being replaced by a new generation, how can the Marine still be made up of old soldiers?"
"The values of justice should also be passed down through the generations, Legacy to the young Marine Soldiers."
Kong raised his head slightly. "That sounds quite harsh!" Then, he stared at Sengoku again, his tone unreadable,
"Regarding your successor, the one you want to recommend is Aokiji, right?"
Sengoku noticed the reaction of the Fleet Admiral and sighed in his heart. He knew that the government higher-ups, including Kong, probably wouldn't agree to this proposal.
"Yeah, that's right!" Sengoku nodded. "However, more than that, what I want to know about is Taro!"
Speaking of this youngest and most potential rising star of the Marine, Sengoku felt some anger, his teeth clenched,
"Does the World Government intend to destroy the future of the Marine?"
Facing Sengoku's questioning, Kong remained unbothered,
"The future of the Marine? That's quite a high evaluation, Sengoku. If you think so too, then the Marine definitely cannot be handed over to him!"
Sengoku slammed the table and stood up, shouting angrily, "Just for that ridiculous reason?"
"Is that not enough? The Marine is the greatest reliance for maintaining world order. Sengoku, you must understand the consequences of a hidden danger occupying a high position in the Marine!"
Kong's tone was so flat it was almost cold.
Sengoku felt a sudden chill. "Taro has performed meritorious service for the Marine, and bled for the government..."
Kong raised his eyebrows and gazed at Sengoku,
"So what? The Gorosei won't care about that, and the Celestial Dragons certainly won't care about that."
"Rosward Saint's family, in particular, loathes him to the core. The fact that he is still alive is already his luck!"
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