Taro heard the name Vergo mentioned, his pupils constricted sharply, then he said in a flat tone,
"Oh? He's on this island?"
"Yes," Vergo said deeply.
"Have you seen him?"
Taro was even more curious; he didn't quite believe it, thinking it was one of Vergo's tricks.
Sure enough, Vergo shook his head, "Not yet!"
Seeing a trace of mockery appear on Taro's face, he continued,
"However, he must be somewhere on this island!"
Taro believed Vergo's words even less now and waved his hand dismissively,
"Then we'll talk when we see him. Mr. Vergo, you didn't invite me here just to say this, did you?"
Vergo heard the dissatisfaction in Taro's tone, and his heart sank,
"Vice Admiral Taro, do you know the man M. Caesar Clown?"
After saying that, he stared intently at Taro.
Taro thought to himself, Is he finally getting to the point?
"Vegapunk's former assistant, the Marine Science Unit's mad scientist, now a wanted criminal. Does knowing that count as understanding him?"
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he asked Vergo back.
Vergo nodded, "That's public information. Do you know anything else?"
From "Vice Admiral Taro" to just "you"?
The mockery on Taro's face grew even more pronounced, and he gave a light chuckle,
"Anything else? I do know some things. Why do you ask?"
Vergo leaned his bamboo stick on the ground, lowered his head slightly, and carefully adjusted his cuffs, his tone becoming colder,
"Is that so? Tell me about it!"
Hah, this time he even omitted the "you"?
Taro stood up from the ruins and walked down slowly, looking relaxed but secretly on guard,
"For example, I know where he is now and what he's doing!"
Vergo finished adjusting his cuffs before looking up at Taro,
"Is that all?"
Taro lifted his foot and shook his flip-flop to pour out the sand inside,
"Isn't that enough?"
"It's not enough!" Vergo leaned on his bamboo stick, his tone even more frigid.
Taro pressed his left hand against the thunderstorm at his side and shook his head slightly,
"If I said anything else, I'm afraid today's scene would be a bit unsightly!"
As soon as Taro finished speaking, Vergo's Aura surged, his gaze locked onto Taro, and the veins on his hand bulged from the force.
After a moment, just as Taro was preparing to counter an attack,
Vergo's Aura deflated, his arm relaxed, and he sighed softly,
"You really do know a lot, Vice Admiral Taro!"
Taro was slightly startled as Vergo spoke again,
"That's enough. I need to continue searching for Redfield's location. Goodbye, Vice Admiral Taro..."
With that, he leaped lightly, using Moonwalk to jump into the depths of the forest. His final words drifted back through the air,
"...if there's a chance!"
Taro narrowed his eyes, his expression cold.
A slow sound of footsteps on fallen leaves came from the forest, a rustling noise,
Doflamingo, looking like a flamingo, stepped out of the forest,
"Fuffuffuffuffu, Taro, long time no see! Seeing you is truly exciting!"
Taro shrugged nonchalantly, "Doflamingo, I don't feel much pleasure in seeing you!"
Mingo walked toward Taro with his hands in his pockets, walking with an arrogant stride.
The two stood less than two meters apart. Mingo, who was about 3 meters tall, looked down at Taro,
"You're not surprised by my appearance at all?"
Taro, who was only 190 cm tall, hated this perspective, but in this situation, he couldn't back down, so he simply didn't look at Mingo's face,
"Doflamingo, isn't it ridiculous for you to ask that now? How could you not know what I said to Vergo?"
Mingo pulled out a den den mushi and lightly hung up, "Taro, you really are clever!"
He gave a cruel laugh, "However, clever people rarely live long!"
Taro chuckled, "What a coincidence, I think you're a clever person too, Doflamingo!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Mingo raised his leg and kicked. Taro met him with a kick of his own.
"Boom, zzzzt!"
With a thunderous roar, Doflamingo's Pointed shoes and Taro's Supreme Grade Flip-flops collided in mid-air,
Haoshoku suddenly erupted, the air surged, and a howling gale swept up.
A streak of Black-red lightning and a streak of Blue-red lightning intertwined, making a "zzzt" sound.
The two competed in a "Haoshoku Clash" for a while, and since neither could gain the upper hand, they both withdrew almost simultaneously.
"Taro, I'm curious, what exactly are you trying to do?"
Mingo retracted his foot, his tone surprisingly calm.
Taro shook his head and gave a mocking laugh,
"You don't need to know what I want to do, and you should already know what I don't want to do!"
The veins on Mingo's forehead twisted. He suddenly grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, and laughed,
"Fuffuffuffuffu, a rookie who joined the Marine only a few months ago is already starting to preach justice?"
He tilted his head back, spread his large hands, and curled his fingers,
"That look on your face is truly nauseating!"
Taro gave a light laugh,
"I remember you said at the Marineford War that only the final winner can define 'justice,' so 'justice will prevail.'"
"Engaging in a war of words with me now doesn't seem like you, Doflamingo! Are you waiting for someone?"
Mingo was very strange today, not at all like his usual arrogant and unruly self, which made Taro very surprised.
If not for the "Haoshoku Clash" just now, Taro would have even suspected this was a Clone Mingo made out of strings!
Hearing Taro say this, the look behind Doflamingo's sunglasses sharpened, but he still didn't strike immediately,
"Fuffuffuffuffu, if I wanted to act, why would I need help from others? The reason I'm chatting with you is simply because of Monet!"
Taro was stunned for a moment and frowned, thinking for a while,
If that were the case, it seemed to make sense!
At least, until things became completely irreparable, Mingo cherished his family; that much was beyond doubt.
"Monet, she really is a pitiful girl!"
Taro sighed, then raised an eyebrow,
"I asked her to pass a message to you. You didn't make things difficult for her, did you?"
He laughed at himself first, "I'm being silly. The fact that you can say this already proves that Monet is doing fine!"
Then, for the first time, he looked up at Mingo's face,
"Doflamingo, regardless of what happens between us today, Monet passed the message for me, so I have to thank her!"
"The fact that you didn't make things difficult for her is also worth a thank you. So, thank you!"
Mingo's brow furrowed as he looked down at Taro and said coldly,
"Monet is my family. How I treat her is none of your business, outsider!"
Taro hummed in agreement, "Since we've finished talking about Monet, let's get down to business!"
"Doflamingo, I am very clear about your actions!"
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