"Gehahahaha, Taro, look at the state you're in now. You can't even stand steadily, and you still talk about not letting me leave?"
Blackbeard laughed wildly and without restraint.
"If I want to leave, can you stop me?"
"In the face of my power, everything is pale and powerless! Gehahahaha!"
Taro spat out a mouthful of blood and looked at Blackbeard with disdain.
"Blackbeard, you're trash who will stop at nothing to achieve your goals."
"First, you killed your crewmate Thatch to steal the Dark-Dark Fruit. Then, you used Lafitte and Van Auger's bodies to block my attacks. And now, you killed your own 'father' to steal the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
"A piece of scum like you, who survives by abandoning his comrades at any moment, is worthy of talking about power?"
Blackbeard's laughter stopped abruptly. His face instantly darkened as he glanced at his companions, who were now wearing strange expressions.
"Don't let him sow discord among us. If I hadn't done that, do you think you could have survived such an attack?"
The expressions of the Blackbeard Pirates changed several times upon hearing this. In the end, they remained silent and still stood with Blackbeard.
Blackbeard's words were equivalent to admitting he had used two crewmates as human shields. Everyone looked at Blackbeard with revulsion.
However, Blackbeard, who had just suffered a social death, didn't care at all. He let out another loud laugh.
"Gehahahaha, this is the choice of fate! To pursue a dream, one must be prepared to gamble with one's life!"
"They... simply lost the bet!"
After saying this, he didn't dare to stay any longer and turned to leave.
Blackbeard's shameless words infuriated Taro. He raised thunderstorm, ready to attack.
Vice Admiral Tsuru stepped forward, placing a hand on Taro's back and gently stroking downward.
"Taro, let them go for now."
A peculiar energy swept through Taro's entire body, abruptly calming his anger. Taro turned back in surprise.
Vice Admiral Tsuru simply shook her head gently at him, not saying another word.
"Quickly, treat the wounded."
"The war... is over!"
Sengoku clenched his fists and shouted loudly.
Taro watched Blackbeard's retreating figure and tightened his grip on his sword hilt.
"Taro, I should have trusted your judgment."
Sengoku turned his head slightly to look at Taro and spoke softly.
Taro's anger remained unresolved. He sheathed his sword.
"Fleet Admiral, I'm tired. I need to rest."
After saying this, he turned and walked away, sitting down on a pile of rubble.
At that moment, on another pile of rubble, Donquixote Doflamingo answered a den den mushi.
"Moria's strength is insufficient to serve as a Warlord of the Sea. Keeping him would only tarnish the Warlord of the Sea's prestige. Kill him!"
"Hehehehehe, you guys are really cold-blooded!"
"Watch your tone, Doflamingo. The pacifists will assist you. That's all!"
Click
The den den mushi hung up.
Doflamingo stood up, revealing a cruel smile.
"Taro, your performance today was simply..."
Sherman approached Taro, who was resting with his eyes closed, and began speaking excitedly.
Taro was already enduring the pain of his Internal Energy sorting through his Meridians. Hearing Sherman's voice, he suddenly opened his eyes.
"So many people died, and you look happy about it?"
Sherman was startled by Taro's bloodshot eyes and icy tone. Benn also sensed Taro's poor mood and quickly pulled Sherman back.
"Vice Admiral, please rest well. We won't disturb you."
Saying this, he dragged Sherman away by force.
Taro closed his eyes again. But not long after, he sensed someone appearing beside him. Impatiently, he opened his eyes.
"What is it now?"
Only after speaking did he notice the space beside him was completely empty. No one was there. He couldn't help but frown.
Because he needed his Internal Energy to repair his Meridians, he had already shut down the automatic operation of his Observation Haki. But he had clearly felt someone nearby just now.
He grunted, enduring the pain as he reactivated his Observation Haki, but found nothing.
This only deepened Taro's suspicion. After a moment's thought, he clenched his fists, and his nearly depleted Internal Energy suddenly surged outward.
The overflowing Internal Energy fluctuated in front of him, outlining the silhouette of a person.
Taro was slightly taken aback. Wasn't this Moria's subordinate? That Pervert with the Clear-Clear Fruit, the Stitched-up Freak, the Lion-Man?
Up until now, Absalom had been very confident. He had been at Marineford for a long time without being discovered by anyone.
The Clear-Clear Fruit ability allowed him to move freely on this battlefield filled with powerful fighters.
Taro's sudden address startled Absalom so much he nearly jumped out of his skin.
He stiffly turned his neck to look at Taro, only to see Taro frowning, seemingly not having discovered him. He felt a bit relieved.
Who would have thought that shortly after, Taro would be staring directly at him. At this point, Absalom knew he had been discovered. A chill ran down his spine, and he shivered.
Taro instantly raised his sword, intending to kill this guy. He remembered this fellow ended up delivering himself to Blackbeard, letting that piece of scum Shiliew get the Clear-Clear Fruit cheaply.
Just as he mobilized his Internal Energy, a tearing pain shot through his internal organs, and blood surged into his throat.
Absalom also immediately sensed Taro's killing intent. Panicking, he fell to the ground and then scrambled forward on his hands and feet, quickly crawling out of the range of Taro's overflowing Internal Energy.
Suppressing the urge to slash out, unsure if he had hit anything, Taro could no longer sense the other's position. He swung out several more slashes in various directions.
"Don't move around recklessly when your internal injuries haven't healed yet." Vice Admiral Tsuru's voice suddenly came through. Looking at the fresh blood trickling from the corner of Taro's mouth, she comforted him:
"I know you're dissatisfied with Sengoku's decision, but there are circumstances you're not aware of. He has his own difficulties too!"
Taro was stunned for a moment. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Old Lady, what are you talking about?
Seeing Taro's confusion, Vice Admiral Tsuru walked over and took his hand.
"Come with me. Although the war is over, the situation the Marines face has become even more complex!"
Taro followed Vice Admiral Tsuru to a two-story building in the Residential Area. The building was actually more than two stories, but the upper parts were completely destroyed.
Now, this barely usable small building served as the Marines' temporary headquarters.
Sengoku, Garp, the Three Admirals, Momousagi, and a group of Headquarters Vice Admirals were all present. Vice Admiral Tsuru led Taro to sit beside Garp.
The small room felt very crowded with so many people inside, and the atmosphere was oppressive.
The silence lasted for a long time. Finally, Sengoku spoke.
"Impel Down has been breached. A large number of escaped prisoners are on the loose. Warden Magellan is seriously injured, and almost all the other guards are wounded."
"Here at Marineford, although we defeated Whitebeard, the headquarters is destroyed, and the Marine Soldiers have suffered heavy casualties."
"In this war... we have failed. I will take responsibility for this defeat!"
The room immediately became somewhat restless. Taro lowered his head, rubbing the hilt of his sword.
"My abilities are no longer sufficient to lead the Marines. I have decided to resign!"
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