Hawkeye's expression grew a bit more solemn,
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea system has been in place for nearly twenty years. Would the World Government agree?"
"They will." Taro nodded decisively and firmly.
Hawkeye's dual-pupils contracted sharply. He quickly thought of something and stared at Taro.
"It seems your Marine is about to acquire some kind of powerful force!"
Holy crap, that's impressive. You can even guess that?
Taro lowered his eyelids to hide his shock. He neither confirmed nor denied it, remaining silent.
Hawkeye nodded again. "I see."
"Do you actually care about this status?" Taro's lips curled up.
Hawkeye didn't speak. He just gently swirled his wine glass, then made a clinking gesture.
"As the stake for our duel, stay here for two days and do some work with me!"
Taro raised an eyebrow, sensing something off in Hawkeye's tone.
"I still have things to do..."
Hawkeye tilted his head back and downed the wine in one go, then looked at Taro with burning eyes.
Taro cursed inwardly and also drained his glass in one gulp... Grand Line, G4 Base.
The exterior of G4 Base resembled a small Impel Down. On its towering walls, dark cannon muzzles pointed toward the sea.
Inside the dock, five Marine warships were anchored quietly.
Commodore Hina, acting as the Vice Base Commander, was waiting with her subordinates.
Taro dropped down from the clouds and landed on the pier.
"Haha, Hina, I'm here!"
Hina first gave a formal military salute before showing a smile.
"Didn't you say you'd arrive two days ago?"
Taro's mouth twitched. "Sigh, don't mention it. I ran into an acquaintance on the way."
His tone was a mix of helplessness and irritation.
"I thought I was going to his place as a guest. Who knew that besides getting into a fight, I'd end up farming for him for two days!"
"Huh? Farming?" Hina was stunned, deeply confused. "Hina doesn't understand!"
At the thought of Hawkeye forcing him to farm, Taro felt a sharp pain in his groin.
He curled his lip. "It's nothing, just the stakes for losing a fight."
Hina immediately grew tense. "Are you hurt?"
Taro quickly waved his hands and spun around. "Not hurt. I just spent two days farming to pay off the gambling debt!"
Then, he looked at Hina and the others behind her, like Fumbudhi and Jango, and smiled.
"I heard about the situation at G4 from Mike. You've all worked hard during this time!"
Hina shook her head, her tone quite relaxed.
"It's no trouble. Our jurisdiction is very peaceful now. Once the pirates heard you were being transferred as the G4 Base Commander, they stopped using this route!"
Taro's mouth twitched. Pirates these days really were getting worse with each generation; they had no spirit to face challenges head-on!
No wonder no great pirates had emerged in the past two years.
Fumbudhi and Jango had been unhappy because of the ambiguous relationship between Taro and Hina.
Now, in the blink of an eye, Taro had become their superior and was even praising them nonchalantly. They felt as disgusted as if they had swallowed a fly.
"I don't need your praise..."
"Exactly, you bast—"
"Ouch, ouch!"
Hina directly kicked backward, sending the two flying, and then said:
"There's news about that pirate you mentioned!"
Taro was startled, then quickly realized who she meant. His tone became urgent.
"Edward Weevil? Where is he?"
...Alabasta, Capital City Alabasta.
"King Cobra, I've come this time to ask you about a few things."
In the great hall, Taro first bowed to Cobra before nodding to Igaram and Chaka.
Cobra, however, looked displeased, his tone disappointed. "Taro, why have you suddenly returned instead of being with Vivi?"
Taro didn't catch the oddness in Cobra's tone. He waved his hand dismissively.
"Vivi has people to receive her. I'm the G4 Base Commander now, and I've come back to take up my post."
His tone grew more urgent. "No, no, that's not important. Your Majesty the King, I want to know if you recognize this."
Taro pulled a small cloth pouch from his robe, opened it, and revealed several red and black capsule pills.
Cobra was initially furious upon hearing Taro say "Vivi isn't important" and was about to berate him.
He froze upon seeing the pills, then stood up from his throne and walked down, his face growing increasingly solemn.
"This... this is?"
Taro didn't hesitate, his tone very blunt.
"This is energy steroids, a medicine kept for generations by the Ryugu Royal Family of Fish-Man Island that can boost strength for a short time."
Cobra picked one up to examine it, then looked at Chaka, the Guardian God of the Kingdom. Lowering his eyes, he said in a deep voice:
"What do you want to know?"
"It seems you recognize this!" The exchange of looks between Cobra and Chaka hadn't escaped Taro's eyes. Now, his tone became much more serious.
"This thing's effect is very similar to 'mighty water.' I want to know if there's any connection between them?"
Cobra put the energy steroid back, pondered for a while, and then shook his head.
"As for what connection there is between them, I don't know!"
Taro's brow furrowed instantly. Cobra's reaction clearly indicated he knew some inside information but wasn't telling him. This was strange. "Does Your Majesty have some concerns?"
Cobra sat back down on his throne and gave a broad wave of his hand.
"It's not that I have concerns; I truly don't know. The history left by our royal family only records that such a thing existed!"
"Oh? These two things come from the same place?" Taro's heart stirred.
For the Sand Country to record the history of Fish-Man Island's energy steroids further proved there must be a connection.
"Perhaps," Cobra replied curtly.
Cobra's reticence made Taro even more suspicious. He thought for a moment. "Your Majesty, could you give me some 'mighty water'?"
Cobra stood up in shock. "What are you trying to do? 'mighty water' is not for drinking!"
Holy crap, that sentence sounds a bit familiar.
Taro frowned in concentration, thinking back carefully. After a good while, he finally remembered.
Back when Neptune gave the fierce medicine to Taro, Taro had blurted out, "The fierce medicine can't be eaten,"
To which Neptune replied, "It seems you really do know."
At that time, having drunk quite a bit of wine, Taro hadn't thought there was anything wrong with that exchange.
Now that a similar conversation had occurred again, he suddenly realized there was something off about it.
Taro frowned and thought for a long time. Suddenly, his expression turned solemn. He stared at Cobra and asked in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, was the original purpose of 'mighty water' not for drinking?"
Cobra was startled by Taro's words. His pupils shrank slightly, but he quickly feigned composure and said casually,
"What else can water be used for if not for drinking? I don't understand what you're saying!"
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