Katakuri knew that even though his Mochi-Mochi Fruit was a Special Paramecia-type that allowed him to turn his body into elements like a Logia-type,
a Slash imbued with Advanced Armament Haki would still cause him fatal damage!
Brulee, I'm sorry, I lost!
Suspended in mid-air, Katakuri slowly closed his eyes. The scarf around his neck was already crumbling into shreds under the edge of the blade.
Beneath the scarf was the mouth with its torn scars that he had been unwilling to expose to anyone for decades!
"Clang, clang, clang, clang~"
The imagined death did not arrive; instead, a series of sounds like iron being struck reached his ears!
Katakuri opened his eyes in great surprise, only to see dozens of giant fists striking that Sword Qi.
"Bang! Bang, bang, bang~"
At the very moment the Sword Qi was about to cut through Katakuri, it was knocked off course by several inches, slashing straight into the nearby wall.
After slicing through dozens of walls in succession, it finally exploded with a thunderous roar!
"Boom! Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle~"
Katakuri fell heavily to the ground, landing on his back and sliding back dozens of meters against the floor before coming to a halt!
Brulee went from despair to rekindled hope. Her tearful face was so full of pleasant surprise that it looked somewhat distorted.
Her slightly dull mind couldn't figure out why Taro had done this.
So, she simply stopped thinking about it. Brother Katakuri was still alive; that was all that mattered!
"Brother Katakuri!"
Brulee screamed Katakuri's name as she ran over, kneeling beside him and supporting his arm.
Seeing blood still constantly oozing from her brother's mouth, Brulee spoke with a sob,
"Brother, how are you?"
Before Katakuri could answer,
"Clack, clack!"
The sound of sandals treading on the ground drifted over.
Brulee's expression tightened. She scrambled up from the ground and spread her arms wide, shielding Katakuri.
"You are not allowed to come over here!"
Taro was covered in sweat, and his vision was slightly blurred. He didn't stop walking, merely wiping the sweat from his face with his hand.
Katakuri lay on the ground, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
"Brother!"
Brulee turned her head in shock, calling out to him, before turning back to watch Taro warily.
Taro walked up to Brulee and beckoned, and thunderstorm flew back into his hand.
Brulee closed her eyes, waiting for death!
"Shing~"
A crisp sound rang out!
Taro sheathed his sword. "Please move aside!"
He spoke in a relaxed tone.
Brulee opened her eyes in surprise and looked down at Taro, not understanding what he was trying to do.
Taro was getting a little impatient. Being face-to-face with someone this much taller than him was truly unpleasant.
He gave Brulee a disdainful shove, pushing her to the side.
Then, he looked down at Katakuri lying on the ground for a moment and suddenly broke into a playful smile.
Heh, the feeling of looking down on someone really is quite satisfying!
He envied the height of the pirate natives for a while before slowly sitting cross-legged on the ground and saying softly,
"I said before, there are some things I want to ask you. If you're dead, who am I supposed to ask?"
Katakuri frowned and coughed up more blood; it seemed his internal injuries were quite severe.
He didn't answer Taro's question first, but instead said,
"Up until now, the Marine bounty posters have always shown my previous appearance. Now that you see me like this, you don't seem surprised?"
Taro hadn't expected Katakuri to be obsessing over such a question at a time like this. He froze for a moment before smiling kindly.
"I have face blindness. I can't tell what's handsome or what's beautiful!"
Anyway, no one is more handsome than me, and no one is more beautiful than my wife!
He silently added in his heart.
Katakuri wasn't stupid; how could he not hear Taro's excuse? His chest heaved again, and blood overflowed from the corners of his mouth.
Taro's cheek twitched, and he set aside his joking mood, his expression becoming more solemn.
"Don't get angry. Why carry such a heavy idol burden?"
"Forget you, even that brother of yours called Snickers—I know exactly what he looks like!"
He remembered that among the Sweet Commanders, there was also a Minister of Biscuit who'swept away hunger and returned to his true self'.
Taro's words caused both Katakuri and Brulee's expressions to change. Their appearances were considered secrets even within the Family. How did a Marine like Taro know?
"Cough, cough, cough... his name is Cracker!"
Katakuri said after a bout of coughing.
Taro blanked for a second, his expression a bit awkward. He had been brainwashed by Snickers and remembered the name wrong!
But anyway, they're both biscuits, so it's probably about the same, right?
He waved his hand. "That's not the point. You should answer my question first!"
Katakuri stared at Taro for a moment. "What do you want to ask?"
"Does your pirate crew's intelligence System have any information on the recent movements of the Whitebeard Pirates Remnants?"
Taro asked point-blank.
Katakuri's brow furrowed. "You Marines want to interfere?"
This didn't make sense!
Shouldn't the Marines be happy to see fighting between pirates, especially in the New World where the World Government's control is weak?
As long as it wasn't an Alliance, the Marines would rather the pirates beat each other's brains out, right?
Taro, however, heard a deeper meaning in Katakuri's words, and his tone became even more serious.
"So, you really do know? Where is the location of their decisive battle?"
"We won't tell you!" Brulee took advantage of Katakuri's moment of thought to speak first, screeching.
Taro tilted his head, his sharp gaze staring directly at Brulee. His terrifying Aura scared Brulee into retreating repeatedly.
"I wasn't asking you. Don't interrupt!"
Then, he looked back at Katakuri.
"This is something I want to ask, and it has nothing to do with my status as a Marine!"
Katakuri also gazed at Taro. After a long time, he finally spoke.
"There's no harm in telling you. We didn't plan to interfere anyway. No matter how chaotic this sea becomes, we aren't the ones who will have a headache over it."
Pirates were egoists; that was easy to understand.
"Deep in the New World, there is an island named Narikude. You can go there and take a look!"
Narikude?
Taro had never heard of this place. However, if both sides chose this place for a decisive battle, there should be some deep meaning behind it!
"Is there anything special about this island?"
Katakuri hadn't expected Taro to ask this. Normally, wouldn't one ask for the specific coordinates?
His eyes shifted as he said in a heavy voice,
"This island is the island where Whitebeard first established his pirate crew!"
Taro thought for a moment and asked,
"What does this island have to do with Rocks?"
Brulee was confused, but Katakuri's expression changed drastically. He sat bolt upright despite his injuries.
"How do you know about that?"
Taro shrugged. "Have you forgotten my relationship with the marine hero Garp?"
That punch!
Katakuri's face darkened significantly, and he gave a weak huff.
After a while, he said,
"Even with the God Valley Incident, that island isn't something he should know about!"
Taro's brow furrowed at those words. When the Rocks Pirates were destroyed, Katakuri would have been around 10 years old; perhaps he really did know some secrets.
"Is there anything else special about that island?"
Katakuri's eyes lowered.
"It is not only Whitebeard's starting island..."
"It is also the burial place of Rocks!"
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