"We don't need your hypocrisy, you Marine dog! Captain Marco, don't believe his lies!"
"That's right! It was because of this guy that Pops was... by Squard..."
Squard's expression darkened at those words. Thinking of Whitebeard, his eyes instantly filled with tears.
Marco glared at the loose-lipped pirate. "What nonsense are you talking?"
After silencing the pirate, he and Shanks exchanged another look, then he stepped half a pace aside.
Taro nodded to the two of them, bowed slightly to the surrounding pirates, and dragged the sack to Whitebeard's tombstone.
"Fate is a fickle thing, making us enemies, but you are still worthy of respect."
"Today, I am here to pay my respects solely on a personal basis. I hope you can rest in peace."
"In my hometown, a long time ago, there was a custom of making an offering at a grave with the blood of an enemy!"
As Taro spoke, he untied the sack, grabbed Shiliew by the collar, and dragged him out.
"I haven't caught that bastard Teach yet, but as I said, I will kill every single member of the Blackbeard Pirates, one by one, sooner or later!"
"Today, let's start with him!"
By now, Shiliew had regained consciousness, but he was bound in chains and unable to move.
Released from the sack, he quickly scanned his surroundings. Hearing Taro's words, how could he not understand what Taro intended to do?
"Taro, you're a Marine, yet you're colluding with pirates! The World Government won't let you off! They'll definitely kill you!"
Facing death, even the cold-blooded Shiliew felt a surge of terror.
Taro's lips curled into a cold sneer. "Whether they can kill me or not, I don't know, and I don't care!"
With that, Taro lifted Shiliew high, kicked him twice behind the knees, and forced him to kneel before Whitebeard's grave.
Drawing thunderstorm with a reverse grip, he held it against Shiliew's neck.
"I only know that today..."
"...you will definitely die!"
With a forceful pull, blood instantly gushed out.
A gurgling sound came from Shiliew's throat, but he could no longer speak a word.
With another surge of strength, Taro severed Shiliew's head and held it in his hand. The headless corpse slumped, its waist bending as it remained in a kneeling position, devoid of life.
Taro's words and methods left everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates stunned; even the members of the Red Hair Pirates were shocked.
Shanks frowned slightly and was about to speak when he saw Taro bow to Whitebeard's tombstone.
"I'm sorry for making your funeral so bloody."
"However, I can't leave Shiliew's head for you. I promised another guy I'd bring it back to him!"
Then, he looked at Marco beside him. "I have some things I'd like to discuss with you in private. Is that alright?"
Seeing Marco just staring at him with burning eyes, Taro sighed again. "Captain Red Hair, you can come along too."
Hearing this, Red Hair led the way down the hillside, followed by Taro and Marco.
The three of them walked to a mill where a giant windmill turned gently in the sea breeze, making a rhythmic clicking sound.
"Gentlemen, there's a warship waiting for me offshore. Time is short, so I'll be brief."
"Regarding today's events, if possible, I ask Captain Red Hair to keep this hidden when you meet with the Gorosei."
Taro first looked at Shanks, and without waiting for a reply, turned to Marco.
"With Whitebeard dead, countless pirates will surely covet the islands under your control—especially Blackbeard. His current goal is the position of the Four Emperors."
"I hope you can proactively abandon those islands and try your best to avoid going to war with him..."
Seeing Marco's brow furrow as he prepared to interrupt, Taro quickly raised a hand and pressed down against the Void Realm.
"Let me finish. This is just a suggestion, not a demand. Whether you do it or not is up to you."
"The Marineford suffered heavy losses in the war against you and are temporarily unable to control the New World's waters. They would be more than happy to see infighting among pirates."
"Blackbeard has stolen the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, and his strength is no longer what it used to be. He will inevitably grow in power. I hope you can keep the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates in check and avoid pointless sacrifices."
"By the way, tell the Captains under your command to be careful too. There's a..."
At this point, Shanks and Marco could no longer contain themselves and shouted in unison to stop him.
"Just what exactly are you trying to do?"
Taro rubbed his forehead and said helplessly, "I just don't like Blackbeard and don't want things to go well for him. I find you guys more agreeable, so I'm telling you these things."
"Once I leave here, I'll deny ever saying any of this. I've never met you, and don't even think about using this to threaten me!"
Shanks's eyes turned slightly cold, and Marco stared with a frown. Taro sighed.
"Sigh, I didn't expect to run into you today, which led to all these complications. I have to go."
With that, he slowly backed away a couple of steps, cautiously creating distance between himself and the two. He remembered there was information about one more person he hadn't mentioned, but after a brief hesitation, he shook his head.
If he told them Ace was still alive, it would take ages to leave. Forget it, he'd tell them when there was another chance in the future.
"Goodbye, everyone!"
Having said that, Taro soared into the air and flew toward the open sea.
"Red Hair..." Marco watched Taro's departing figure and, after a moment of hesitation, asked, "Just what is that guy's objective?"
Shanks's sharp pupils narrowed. "I don't know either, but his hatred for the Blackbeard Pirates seems genuine."
Marco nodded. "That's true. At Marineford, I saw with my own eyes the slashes he used to attack those bastards."
"And the ruthlessness he showed when slitting Shiliew's throat just now!" Red Hair added. "At least for now, it seems he doesn't want to start a conflict with us."
"As for what he just said," Shanks mused for a moment before continuing, "just as he said, the key lies in what you decide to do."
It's actually quite taboo for outsiders to interfere in the internal affairs of a pirate crew. As one of the Four Emperors of the New World, Shanks naturally understood this, so he didn't offer an opinion.
Marco nodded and looked at the graves of Pops and Ace standing on the distant hillside.
"Thank you for today, Red Hair!"
..."Vice Admiral, Shiliew, he..." As soon as Taro landed on the deck, the Navy Captain hurried over, his face turning pale with shock at the sight of the head Taro was carrying.
"He attempted to escape, so I killed him on the spot!" Taro gave the Captain a flat look.
"Why? Do you have a problem with that?"
"No, no, not at all! A villain like him should have been killed long ago!" The Captain felt a chill on his neck under Taro's gaze and repeatedly denied it.
Taro gave an "mm" and handed him Shiliew's head.
"Pack it up. We'll hand it over to Magellan when we get back!"
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