Taro's mouth twitched.
"Old man, when I said 'like me', I meant my character and personality!"
Then, he curled his lips in disdain and grumbled in his heart.
Damn it, so what if you're tall and built like a tank? Is that supposed to be impressive?
Garp raised his fist and glared at Taro.
"Are you badmouthing me in your head?"
Taro shrunk his neck and gave an awkward smile.
"How could I? How would I dare?"
As he spoke, he quickly changed the subject.
"Old man, but I have an agreement with Teacher Zephyr. He might..."
Garp unclenched his fist. He could hear that Taro's tone had softened, meaning there was room for negotiation.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Zephyr can quit the Marine, but you can't!"
Taro's mind raced, and he put on a troubled expression.
"Teacher Zephyr isn't in good health. If he quits the Marine and forms a Neo Marine on his own, and Marineford decides to move against him, then..."
Garp glanced at Taro and waved his large hand dismissively.
"Don't worry. As long as he doesn't enter the Grand Line and only operates in the Four Seas, Marineford can turn a blind eye and leave him alone."
Taro raised an eyebrow, looking skeptical.
"Teacher Zephyr has taught more than half of the Marine officers. His resignation would have an extraordinary impact. Will those people agree?"
A flash of regret and disappointment crossed Garp's eyes.
"What's so extraordinary about it? Zephyr's experience has already proven that the 'Justice' he upholds doesn't work."
"How much influence do you think he still has in the Marine after all these years?"
Sighing, Garp continued.
"Those officers no longer believe in Zephyr's Justice! If they had to arrest or kill Zephyr, they might shed tears of regret... but asking them to walk Zephyr's path again? That's absolutely impossible!"
So, Zephyr quitting the Marine won't even cause a ripple?
Holy crap, the Marine is just a bunch of "Kizarus"!
Akainu gave the order, Kizaru did the deed, and Aokiji dug the grave.
Thinking of the plot from the movie, Taro felt even more sorry for Zephyr.
But there was nothing he could do. In truth, even Taro didn't agree with the Justice Zephyr used to insist on, let alone the other Marine officers.
Ideals must eventually face reality!
"Sakazuki cares more about your influence in the Marine. As long as you don't quit, everything is negotiable."
Seeing Taro remain silent, Garp spoke up again to reassure him.
"Aside from Zephyr, if you have any other requests, you can bring them up."
Taro wasn't in a hurry to make demands; instead, he asked:
"Does Sakazuki know that the World Government suspects I'm related to Wang Zhi?"
Garp's expression was calm. "He knows. He knew even before I did!"
As if sensing what Taro was thinking, he added,
"I know what you're thinking. Although he has a 'better to kill an innocent than let a culprit go' personality, that's towards pirates."
"You're a Marine. With me here, what are you afraid of him for?"
Haki!
Hearing the confidence and pride in Garp's tone, Taro secretly gave him a thumbs-up.
"In that case, I want jurisdiction over the route from the Florian Triangle to Long Ring Long Land!"
Garp nodded without hesitation.
"No problem. You're the G4 Base Commander, and the Sabaody Archipelago is an enclave under your rule. It's perfectly reasonable for you to want to connect them. Anything else?"
Taro shook his head. "No! Just that!"
Garp raised an eyebrow and glanced at Taro with some surprise. His lips moved, about to speak, but his gaze shifted to the depths of the forest.
Taro froze for a second before following his gaze.
A figure slowly emerged from the forest: Rob Lucci.
His face was pale, his aura gloomy, and his white uniform was somewhat tattered. It seemed he had also been injured in the previous battle with Moria.
Lucci first shot a wary glance at Garp before looking at Taro.
"Vice Admiral Taro, I'd like to talk to you. Is that alright?"
Taro also glanced at Garp first. Seeing the old man looking indifferent while picking his nose, he nodded slightly.
"Sure."
He was somewhat curious about what this Leopard-man could want at a time like this.
Seeing Taro agree, Lucci actually seemed somewhat relieved and retreated back into the forest.
Taro frowned slightly. Something was off with Lucci!
He had only taken two steps when Garp's voice drifted from behind him.
"He's panicked!"
Taro paused, thought for a moment, then turned around with a smile.
"Hehe, I understand!"
...The two of them went a hundred meters deep into the forest before Lucci stopped.
"Vice Admiral Taro, back at Enies Lobby, you could say you saved us..."
"'Could say'?" Taro interrupted Lucci.
Lucci's breath hitched. "You did indeed save us!"
Only then did Taro nod in satisfaction.
Lucci waved his arm. From behind a tree, the giraffe Kaku walked out, holding the tall man's corpse upside down, and tossed it into the center of the clearing.
Taro stared at the CP0 member, who was as dead as could be with a massive hole in his neck, his expression slightly stunned.
"Vice Admiral Taro, as newcomers to CP0, we weren't even qualified to be involved in this incident. If I said we were also the ones being set up, I wonder if you would believe us?"
Lucci looked at the man's corpse, his tone cold.
"This man was a veteran CP0 member. He might have had a hand in it, so I killed him."
Taro chuckled and shook his head.
"Does it matter if I believe you or not? Since I'm still alive, someone has to die!"
Kaku's face changed drastically, and Lucci's breathing became heavy.
"I wonder who Vice Admiral Taro wants dead?"
Taro glanced at Lucci, his tone playful.
"Oh? You want to help me kill someone?"
Lucci's eyelids lowered, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.
"Yes."
Taro stared at Lucci for a while before looking at Kaku again.
He stared until the giraffe's gaze shifted away, then let out a light laugh.
"I heard that while you were evading the Marine manhunt, you were finally exposed because you saved a town being raided by pirates?"
Both Lucci and Kaku were stunned. Lucci asked in confusion,
"Why are you bringing this up...?"
Taro waved his hand casually, his tone quite blunt.
"You aren't qualified to take responsibility for this matter. Besides, if I want someone dead, I'll do it myself."
As he spoke, he turned to leave.
"I hope you all take care of yourselves!"
Lucci and Kaku looked at each other, somewhat bewildered.
Then, Taro's voice drifted back again.
"Oh, right. I'm a bit curious. Why were you hunting down that person named Wan Luo?"
Lucci stared at the departing Taro, hesitating for a moment.
After a moment's hesitation, Kaku answered:
"Holy Land Mary Geoise was recently scouted from the air. The Gorosei determined that Wanluos Group, who possesses special detection abilities, are the masterminds!"
Lucci's eyes flickered. He understood that Kaku had answered quickly to protect him.
If anyone were to be held accountable for leaking this information,
it would be Kaku who spoke, having nothing to do with Lucci.
"Oh!"
To their surprise, Taro's pace only faltered slightly. With a faint response, he left even more hurriedly.
Lucci and Kaku were left completely bewildered.
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