Taro was already a bit stunned, but hearing Dragon say this made him feel even more bewildered.
His jaw twitched a couple of times with a "clack-clack" sound before Taro stammered, "You, what do you mean by that?"
Dragon saw that Taro was a bit dazed. His gaze froze for a moment, and he lowered his eyes in thought. Soon, a look of realization appeared on his face, and he waved his hand, saying casually:
"I just heard that a genius of unparalleled talent had appeared in the Marines, so I was curious and came to take a look."
Then, his tone became much more confident and solemn. "Mr. Taro, are you willing to join the Revolutionary Army?"
"Eh...!"
As soon as Dragon finished speaking, the Marines and pirates in the plaza cried out in surprise once again.
Taro was dumbfounded. You're poaching talent? In Marineford, right in front of all these Marine big shots?
Now, the pressure was on Zhou the Country Bumpkin, and everyone's eyes focused on him once more.
Taro glanced down at the crowd in the plaza, then at the dark-faced Sengoku, before finally turning his hopeful gaze toward Garp.
Old man Garp, control your son! He's being so lawless that he's come here to poach people!
Garp, who had a mouthful of rainwater, finally snapped out of it. He spat out the water with a "pei pei," leaped onto the execution platform, and stood beside Taro.
As soon as Garp appeared, Dragon's Aura plummeted instantly, and the wind and rain weakened significantly.
Taro felt a bit relieved. You little punk, I might not be able to handle you, but your dad can. The slipper print is still on your face; now you know what pain feels like, right?
"Hmph, Taro, I also want to hear your answer!" Garp cracked his neck, his left hand rubbing the wrist of his clenched right fist.
Taro stumbled, looking at Garp in astonishment.
Holy crap, are you trying to drive me to my death too?
With his last saving grace having abandoned him, Taro was completely helpless. He steadied himself, his thoughts racing.
This is Marineford. If I defect now, I'll most likely be obliterated on the spot by all these Marine big shots. No, it's too dangerous.
Even if Dragon's strength is Heaven-Defying and the two of us could leave Marineford unscathed together, I'd still be pursued everywhere by the World Government. I'd definitely have to spend a few years on the run.
I'm just a salted fish who wants to live a stable life. Besides, my entire social circle is in the Marines, and I have a stable career in Alabasta.
Teacher Zephyr, Binz, and Ain are there too.
Right, and the cute Princess Vivi.
Hmm? Why did I think of Princess Vivi?
Taro shook his head, clearing the strange thoughts from his mind. He then looked at Dragon and shook his head firmly.
"I'm sorry, I'm doing quite well in the Marines. I have no interest in joining you!"
Hearing Taro's answer, before Dragon could even react, the tense Marines all breathed a sigh of relief and then burst into cheers.
"I knew it! Vice Admiral Taro would never join that damn Revolutionary Army," Mike laughed, grinning.
"Yes, yes, we all know. Can you let go of my hand first?" Sherman said dismissively, his eyes shining as he looked at Taro.
Mike then realized he was death-gripping Sherman's hand and let go awkwardly.
Sherman rubbed his hand, which was marked with finger indentations from Mike's grip, and said enviously:
"As expected of Taro. He stood up to Fleet Admiral Sengoku during the meeting, was the first to attack Whitebeard on the battlefield, and now he's directly rejected an invitation from the world's worst criminal."
"He's simply too strong!"
Sherman's words resonated with Mike and the surrounding Marines, who all nodded in agreement.
Dragon wasn't very surprised by Taro's refusal. He nodded and said, "In that case, let's leave it at that."
Taro: "..."
Damn it, last time in Alabasta, Luffy was the same when he invited me onto his ship. You two really are father and son; is your recruitment always this insincere?
"Dragon, what exactly is your purpose for being here?" Sengoku questioned sharply, glancing at Whitebeard. "Are you in league with pirates now too?"
Dragon was indifferent to Sengoku's anger and said calmly, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, whether you believe it or not, I just came to see Taro."
He paused before continuing, "And of course, to see my family and subordinates while I'm at it."
As he spoke, he glanced at Garp beside Taro, then toward Ivankov in the plaza and Luffy, who was being protected by the Okamas.
"You bastard! Not only did you not greet your own father, but you even said 'while you're at it'!"
Garp spoke through gritted teeth, though there wasn't much actual anger in his voice.
"Eh...!"
"Vice Admiral Garp is actually Dragon's father!"
"..."
The Marines and pirates cried out once more. There were too many bombshells in today's battle; one shocking revelation after another was leaving the 100,000-plus people in the plaza feeling overwhelmed!
Veins popped on Sengoku's forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot as if they were spitting fire.
"Dragon, do you take me for a three-year-old? Do you think I'll believe that?"
Dragon remained noncommittal, the corners of his mouth curling up. "Whether you believe it or not, what does that have to do with me?"
He looked at Taro again. "Nico Robin—I met her in the East Blue a few days ago and obtained some things from her."
I see. It all makes sense now.
So it was that little girl Robin backstabbing me!
Taro's eyes widened. He naturally understood what Dragon had gotten from Robin; he just hadn't expected her to hand those things over to the Revolutionary Army so quickly.
Even less did he expect Dragon to come all the way to Marineford just to see him because of those things.
"Oh, you mean that 'Devil Child'?" Taro's scalp tingled; he had to clear his name quickly!
Forcing himself to act normal, his tone was filled with regret and remorse.
"In Alabasta and Enies Lobby, she escaped both times. Those were my two biggest failures."
"It's not your fault, Vice Admiral Taro. In Alabasta, you were only assisting Commodore Smoker."
"And Enies Lobby was CP9's mistake. You were just following Admiral Aokiji's orders!"
Below the execution platform, Tashigi, whose face was covered in either tears or rain, shouted loudly.
Taro was the Sword God in her heart and the most outstanding Marine; she wouldn't allow him to talk about himself that way.
Taro was dumbfounded. He felt like the Marines were full of actors, traitors, and backstabbing experts. He looked awkwardly at the stiff-faced Aokiji and Smoker.
You two can understand how I felt when Mike backstabbed me now, right?
Thinking of this, Taro actually felt a bit of secret satisfaction. He then looked at the two with a hint of sympathy, and their faces instantly darkened.
When the other Marines heard Tashigi's words, they actually thought she made a lot of sense and chimed in together.
"That's right! It's not your fault, Vice Admiral Taro!"
Following that, Aokiji and Smoker's faces grew even darker.
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