The smile that appeared on Taro's face made Mike relax a little,
Then, he continued, "One more thing: there's one position left in the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Headquarters has ordered a screening of successors among the pirates in the New World!"
Taro's smile vanished instantly, and his expression suddenly turned grim.
"Vice Admiral, how come you..."
"Mike, order G4 Base to report to me immediately as soon as they get any intelligence on a pirate named Edward Weevil!"
The guy who severed Teacher Zephyr's arm was about to start causing trouble!
Taro would never allow such a thing to happen!
His expression was cold, his entire Aura surged, and Killing Intent permeated the air, giving Mike a start.
Mike originally wanted to ask for details, but seeing this, how could he dare to hesitate? He quickly returned to the ship and contacted G4 Base.
"Commodore Hina, yes, that's the name, no mistake! From your tone, you seem to have heard of this pirate?"
"Ah, no, I didn't mean to pry!"
"Yes, the Vice Admiral only mentioned the name and said nothing else!"
"The other officers at the base have all been reassigned to Vice Admiral Tsuru's side?"
"Oh, alright, I will explain the situation to Vice Admiral Taro!"
The veins on Taro's hand gripping the hilt of his sword bulged, seemingly applying great force, and his face remained grim.
Mike cautiously approached Taro. "Vice Admiral, the order has been conveyed to Commodore Hina!"
Taro nodded without speaking. After a long while, he noticed Mike seemed to have more to say and turned to look at him. "Hmm?"
Mike straightened his posture and said quickly, "Vice Admiral, Commodore Hina said that the officers originally from G4 Base have been recalled by Vice Admiral Tsuru. Now... only Commodore Hina is left at G4!"
Taro was stunned for a moment, remembering that Vice Admiral Tsuru did indeed have many female officers around her later; they were probably these people from the G4 branch.
He rubbed his temples. "It doesn't matter. I didn't have any direct subordinates to begin with. I'm very relieved to have you all, though it's been hard on you!"
Taro's words deeply moved Mike. "Vice Admiral, you mustn't say that. It's all within our duty!"
He thought for a moment and suggested, "Vice Admiral, regarding Sherman and Grant, I feel that with their strength..."
Taro patted Mike's shoulder. "I understand what you mean. There's been a lot going on lately, and I don't have time for them. We'll talk about it later!"
Then his tone suddenly became solemn. "Mike, I've always valued you highly, haven't I?"
"Eh?" Mike was taken aback. "Yes, Vice Admiral!"
"Very well, Mike. Now I have a mission for you!" Taro hooked his arm around Mike's neck.
"You will be the director of our movie!"
"Huh?"
...Mermaid Restaurant.
To uphold the original intention that this contact was indeed a non-political activity, Neptune chose not to host Vivi at the palace, but instead selected a restaurant on Fish-Man District.
Taro's absence made the first meeting between the two parties a bit stiff and formal. Pell chatted with Neptune idly, but his eyes drifted to the side from time to time.
On the other side of the restaurant, the kind Mermaid Princess Shirahoshi was holding Princess Vivi in both hands, cautiously lifting her up to her face, constantly asking Vivi about life on the surface.
Taro had experienced this kind of thing before.
"Lady Vivi, are there really no forests in the desert? Isn't that just like it is here?"
"Eh? It's troublesome if the sunlight is too strong? No way, sunlight is so wonderful! We merfolk and the Fish-Man Race love sunlight the most!"
"Are sandstorms even scarier than the undercurrents at the bottom of the sea?"
"An oasis is a forest, is that right?"
Princess Vivi sat quietly in Shirahoshi's palm, answering the questions of this massive "little girl" with a face full of smiles.
Even if these questions sounded a bit naive and "ridiculous," she patiently described life on the surface... In the deep sea.
The giant Sea Kings were cruising as usual when suddenly, they all turned their heads toward Fish-Man Island at the same time.
Their eyes, as large as warships, were filled with shock, and then their massive bodies couldn't help but tremble, churning the seawater and stirring up powerful currents.
Their voices were full of terror and disbelief.
"Impossible! Two 'Kings' meeting... it shouldn't be the meeting of these two 'Kings'!"
"She shouldn't have appeared here. What is going on!"
"An anomaly! Fate has undergone an anomaly!"
The giant Sea Kings thrashed about, and a large area of the sea instantly boiled, their surging power churning the entire ocean!
"It's that human, it must be him!"
"He replaced the original 'King' position! He brought all of this!"
"What do we do now? The 'King' that our 'King' was destined to meet has disappeared!"
"It's changed, the era has changed, we can't see clearly!"
"What should we do now?"
The Sea Kings tumbled up and down in the water, appearing restless and uneasy, before finally looking toward Fish-Man Island once more.
"Find our 'King'; the 'King' will give us guidance!"
...Mermaid Restaurant.
The Grand Right Minister hurried in, looking anxious, but because Vivi and Pell were present, he hesitated and didn't speak.
Neptune noticed the Grand Right Minister's abnormality. "It's alright, speak plainly!"
Only then did the Grand Right Minister hurriedly report, "Your Majesty, an urgent report has come from Ryugu: large areas of undercurrents have appeared in the deep sea of the Calm Belt!"
Neptune's expression froze. "Hmm? Has the cause been identified?"
The Grand Right Minister shook his head dejectedly, then looked somewhat worried. "Your Majesty, this..."
Neptune waved his hand, stopping the Grand Right Minister's words; this matter could not be discussed in front of guests.
If the undercurrents in the Calm Belt didn't stop for a long time, they would eventually form a giant whirlpool at the bottom of the sea known as a "White Dragon," which possessed incredible destructive power.
Although uncommon, if undercurrents appeared across a large area of the sea, the formation of a "White Dragon" would likely be inevitable.
The Fishmen in the restaurant all knew this, and their expressions changed in unison; only Vivi and Pell were left confused.
"Oh, what's wrong with you all?" Taro stepped into the restaurant at that moment, sensing that the atmosphere was a bit off.
"Lord Taro..." Shirahoshi lowered Vivi and swam to Taro's side. "Large undercurrents have been generated in the Calm Belt!"
Taro looked blank. And then?
This was the Grand Line, and the Calm Belt was on either side of the Grand Line, quite a distance away.
"It's fine..." Taro thought nothing of it. He leaped lightly and sat on Shirahoshi's shoulder.
"Believe in yourself, Shirahoshi. Even if there's danger, you can protect Fish-Man Island!"
You are "Poseidon," after all; is there anything in the sea you can't handle?
Taro had full confidence in Shirahoshi.
Listening to Taro's encouragement in her ear and feeling his trust in her, Shirahoshi's heart gradually calmed down.
"Yes, Lord Taro, I will definitely be able to protect Fish-Man Island!"
"Haha, wonderful!" Taro said, patting Shirahoshi's shoulder.
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