"I told you not to disturb me, just let me die in peace!"
Just as he stepped into the pitch-black Infirmary, Taro heard Magellan's despondent voice.
Domino wanted to announce him, but Taro shook his head at her and whispered, "No need, you go out first. I want to have a private chat with Magellan."
"Taro? What are you doing here?" Magellan recognized Taro's voice now; his brow twitched slightly as he looked toward the door.
Taro walked quickly to Magellan's side, pulled over a chair and sat down. He didn't say a word, just stared at him.
Magellan stared back at Taro. After a long while, he frowned and looked away. "What on earth do you want?"
"You blinked first, you lose!" Taro laughed heartily, pointing at Magellan.
Magellan looked at Taro's behavior and was stunned for a moment. Smelling a hint of alcohol in the air, he said irritably:
"Taro, did you come here to act like a drunkard? Is playing such a boring game really that fun?"
"Hehe, I'm not drunk!" Taro rubbed his cheeks to clear his head a bit.
"I just heard you wanted to commit suicide to atone, so I came to see the show. Is the time set? What's the method?"
Taro frowned and tapped his forehead. "Let me think. With your physique, ordinary blades probably won't work very fast, and you're immune to poison. This is tricky."
"How about you jump into the sea? You're an Ability user, so jumping into the ocean should kill you pretty quickly, and it's painless..."
Magellan flew into a rage and interrupted him. "Are you here specifically to mock me?"
Taro wasn't afraid of Magellan's anger and even flashed a smile. "What, want to hit me? Can you even move right now?"
"You!...Humph!"
Seeing Magellan fall silent, Taro didn't want to provoke him further. "Strictly speaking, I'm also responsible for this. If you commit suicide to atone, wouldn't I have to cut off one of my own arms too?"
"Warden Magellan, we're comrades who fought side by side with a life-and-death friendship. You wouldn't want to screw me over, would you?"
Magellan snorted again. "I'm the Warden of Impel Down. You were just here for support. What does taking responsibility have to do with you?"
"When the Sixth Level criminals escaped, I was right there. One guy walked out right in front of us! Did you forget?"
Taro shook his head and chuckled.
"Impel Down needs you to deter the riffraff. Hannybal is good, but his intimidation factor against the prisoners isn't as strong as yours!"
Magellan frowned and looked at Taro for a long time before sighing. "But, so many criminals..."
Taro waved his hand to stop Magellan from continuing.
"Even more escaped from Marineford. Marineford suffered heavy losses this time. If you quit now, it would really be adding insult to injury."
"How about this, let's make a promise. Stop being so dramatic. I guarantee I'll kill Shiliew within six months to vent our anger, okay?"
Taro stared at Magellan, waiting for his response.
Magellan raised an eyebrow but didn't speak.
"Three months, I can't do it any faster. I'm still injured myself!" Taro gestured with three fingers.
Magellan sat up abruptly as if suddenly revitalized, slamming a massive fist into Taro's shoulder.
"It's a deal!"
Taro was dumbfounded. "You can move?"
Magellan laughed loudly. "You were the one who said I couldn't move, I never said that!"
"You never intended to commit suicide to atone; you were setting me up?" Taro felt a bit resentful after being played.
Magellan shook his head and gave a sly chuckle.
"I really did intend to commit suicide before, but once I knew you were coming, I changed my mind."
Holy crap, where's your sense of responsibility? Where's that suicidal drive from the original story?
In that moment, Taro felt that these One Piece natives weren't just physically massive, they were also incredibly crafty.
"Fine, I'll keep my word. Just wait for my good news!"
Taro curled his lip and rolled his eyes at the sly fellow... Marineford.
"Taro's experiences before he was twenty?..." Vice Admiral Tsuru mused, her chin resting on her hands.
Garp thought Taro's involvement with Nico Robin had been exposed, but hearing Sengoku mention something else, he didn't take it seriously.
"I thought it was something important. How could Taro have anything to do with that pirate crew? Haven't you seen what Wang Zhi looks like?"
"They were wiped out over thirty years ago, and yet you're still afraid of that pirate crew? Those Celestial Dragons really are a bunch of trash, and the Gorosei too..."
Seeing Sengoku and Tsuru's expressions stiffen, Garp picked his nose and laughed. "Is that something I'm not supposed to say?"
"What do you think?"
"Ah, hahahaha, then I take it back. I never said it!"
Garp chuckled and then continued:
"Setting aside Taro's personality, just look at his build—do you think it's possible? That pirate crew was a gathering of monsters!"
Sengoku nodded with a grim face. "But the World Government is already suspicious. If it's not handled properly, I'm afraid..."
"What's there to fear? I'm heading back to the East Blue in a few days; I'll look into it then."
Garp still didn't care much and spoke sarcastically:
"Using such groundless rumors as an excuse to abandon the future of the Marines... that's exactly the kind of thing those people would do."
Vice Admiral Tsuru spoke up then. She was confident in her judgment of people.
"Taro is definitely not that kind of person. As for his experiences before twenty, I'll find an opportunity to ask him. The world is so vast; how many people can truly give a clear account of their origins?"
Sengoku hummed in agreement. "I don't think so either. Sakazuki and the others share the same sentiment."
"Forget it, let's not talk about that for now. There's something else I want to ask your opinion on."
Sengoku leaned forward, getting closer to his two long-time friends.
"It's about the candidate for the next Fleet Admiral after I step down. What do you think...?"
Before Sengoku could finish, Garp's head tilted back and he fell asleep instantly, even blowing a large snot bubble as he breathed.
Sengoku: "..."
He gnashed his teeth in frustration and finally turned his gaze to Vice Admiral Tsuru. She lowered her eyes and, after a long silence, spoke softly:
"Don't you already have the answer in your heart?"
"I'm asking if you think the World Government will agree," Sengoku asked in a low voice.
"Probably not. Those people, who overreact to the slightest thing, are in desperate need of someone who can stabilize the situation right now."
Sengoku heard this and his heart sank. "I know that too, but I still want to give it a try."
Vice Admiral Tsuru was silent for a long time, then sighed.
"These are troubled times. This sea will not be peaceful!"
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