Taro lowered his eyes, wondering which bastard had backstabbed him again.
Garp looked up slightly at the clouds where torrential rain was pouring down.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
After a good while, Taro shook his head and looked up.
"Old man, how can you fly?"
"Brat, what do you plan to do now?"
Garp happened to turn his head and speak at the same time.
They both asked at once and were momentarily stunned.
Finally, Garp said with a calm expression,
"With all this wind and rain, do you really not understand?"
Taro's eyes widened instantly.
"You mean... he's here too?"
Holy crap, did Dragon bring Garp here?
Seeing Taro looking around, Garp glared at him.
"Stop looking. I told him not to contact you again unless it's something urgent."
As he spoke, anger surged within him, and he let out a muffled grunt.
"Hmph, that kid is just asking for a beating!"
"Huh?"
Taro imagined a slipper print being slapped onto the other half of Dragon's face, and his gaze immediately became strange.
"When I first brought you out of the East Blue, you were still a simple Marine. Ever since you got mixed up with that kid... Sigh!"
Garp's expression suddenly became very dejected, and his tone grew low.
Looking at Garp's expression, Taro felt a pang of sympathy.
"Old man, I've always been the same Taro. I've never changed!"
Garp turned around and looked straight at Taro, his gaze shifting several times.
Finally, his gaze hardened.
"Taro, I... hope you won't look too deeply into this matter."
Taro stared blankly at Garp for a while, then lowered his head slightly, avoiding Garp's gaze.
"Vice Admiral Garp, back at the Sabaody Archipelago, I confessed my thoughts to you..."
"I'm still me. As for my status as a Marine, this time..."
Garp cut Taro off directly, his voice holding a hint of hope alongside the regret.
"You brat, I've dedicated my whole life to the Marines. Whether it's Dragon, Luffy, or Ace, I didn't teach them properly... which is why they... Now, are you going to quit the Marines too?"
Hearing this, Taro sighed inwardly. A tough guy like Garp probably hadn't shown this kind of emotion in his entire life.
Oh, maybe he was like this when he saw Ace in Impel Down.
Seeing that Taro had no intention of speaking, Garp thought for a moment and clenched his fists tighter.
"In the Marines, many people are already changing. That little girl just now is an example. Why are you in such a hurry? It's not yet time to take drastic measures."
Taro sighed to himself. In his previous plans, he hadn't thought he would have a showdown with the World Government so soon.
That was why he had dealt with the threat of White II in advance, to delay Zephyr's resignation from the Marines.
He just hadn't expected the World Government to be even more impatient than he was, setting such a massive trap by taking advantage of his conflict with Doflamingo.
Moreover, judging from the World Government's layout this time, they clearly didn't want him to leave this island alive.
"Old man, the current situation is already beyond repair. It's no longer a matter of what I want..."
Taro pondered for a long time before speaking softly.
"It can be repaired!" Garp interrupted Taro again, speaking very quickly.
"Those pieces of trash only have suspicions about you; they have no evidence at all. Give me and Tsuru some time, and we'll handle it!"
Taro looked up in surprise, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
"Old man, I'm curious. What exactly are they suspicious of and afraid of regarding me?"
"Wang Zhi!"
After Garp spoke the name, he looked at Taro.
"That's what they're worried about. Do you know this person?"
Taro was stunned for a moment. Wang Zhi?
Then, his eyes suddenly widened. Was it that name Sengoku mentioned in a meeting two years later?
Seeing Taro's reaction, Garp's heart sank, and his tone grew even deeper.
"It seems you really do know him!"
I do know him!
"But, old man, what does their fear of Wang Zhi have to do with me, Taro?"
"Besides, hasn't Wang Zhi already..."
Taro was completely bewildered. What does one have to do with the other? I don't quite understand.
Garp gave Taro a deep look and sighed.
"You know a lot!"
He paused, his tone becoming serious.
"Then I suppose you also know about the Rocks Pirates?"
Taro still couldn't figure out what Garp was trying to convey and became even more confused.
"Old man, I know about the Rocks Pirates. I've also heard of the battle at God Valley where you earned the title of 'marine hero'!"
"But what does that have to do with me?"
Garp's face was heavy, and his fists were clenched. There was a hint of hesitation in his heart, and he almost believed that Taro was related to the Rocks Pirates.
After a long time, he relaxed slightly, a hint of pain in his voice.
"Taro, how many people in this world do you think have names like yours and Wang Zhi's?"
Taro noticed the abnormality in Garp's tone and was stunned for a moment.
Wang Zhi was designed by that old thief based on the 'Pirate King of the Ming Dynasty,' Wang Zhi.
In the world of pirates, there probably aren't many with Celestial lineage, right?
So, what did Garp mean by asking that?
Holy crap!
Taro's eyes widened, his face full of bewilderment.
Then, he swallowed hard.
"They suspect that I'm related to Wang Zhi and the Rocks Pirates?"
Fuck, are they crazy?
Garp frowned slightly and asked in confusion, "Is it not so?"
"Nonsense, of course not!"
"I'm only 20 years old, and they were finished over 30 years ago! You were the one who did it yourself!"
"Isn't it ridiculous for you to come and question if I'm related to them now?"
Taro reacted strongly, his emotions agitated and his speech rapid,
jumping up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
I'm really pissed. These over-imaginative freaks must be insane.
Garp stared at Taro for a long time, and after confirming that Taro's reaction didn't seem fake, he asked again,
"Then how do you know about them?"
"Ah?"
The anger, surprise, and depression on Taro's face froze instantly, and he suddenly went quiet.
Crap!
How am I supposed to explain this?
Stop pretending and lay my cards on the table?
Taro's mind raced, sweat breaking out on his forehead only to be quickly washed away by the rain.
Calm down!
Taking a deep breath, he looked up and put on a frank smile,
"Oh, I thought it was something major. Old man, you didn't know?"
"Moria used to have a Shadow Zombie Army made of corpses he stole decades ago. Among them were Captain John, Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and those guys."
"I was a bit curious and specifically looked into it. Yeah, that's how I found out!"
Garp looked at Taro suspiciously, feeling like something was off.
"Really?"
"Truer than true gold!"
Taro nodded firmly.
"Old man, looking at me, do I look like I could be in league with those people?"
Garp stared at Taro for a long while before nodding.
"Well, with your thin arms and legs and small stature, your style is indeed quite different from theirs!"
"Huh? Why does that sound like an insult?"
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