Hearing the shout "Thunder Bagua," not only was Taro stunned, but Katakuri was also shocked.
He also recognized that this move was one of the ultimate techniques of Kaido of the "Beasts," a former crewmate of Mama and one of the "Four Emperors."
Kaido was also on this island!
This caused Taro and Katakuri to end their "Haoshoku clash" with mutual understanding.
"Bang, bang, bang~"
A series of sounds rang out as a whole line of trees in the forest were snapped by the shockwaves.
Taro's pupils contracted slightly, and immediately after, a pink figure flew backward out of the forest.
Donquixote Doflamingo!
Mingo looked a bit disheveled now, with traces of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Holy crap, why is Kaido beating up Mingo?
Taro was completely bewildered.
Mingo flew back dozens of meters more before performing a backflip in mid-air and landing staggeringly.
He hunched his body slightly, his entire being exuding an aura like a wild beast as he stared fixedly at the forest.
Taro and Katakuri also had serious expressions; Kaido's appearance here made things much more complicated.
Both of them simultaneously pushed their Observation Haki to probe deep into the forest.
However, the results of the probe left them even more confused.
After thinking for a moment with furrowed brows, Taro's expression relaxed, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Katakuri gave him a faint glance before continuing to look toward the forest.
"Rustle, rustle~"
The sound of boots stepping on fallen leaves approached.
The one walking out of the forest was surprisingly not Kaido, but Redfield!
the solitary red looked to be in very poor condition, panting heavily.
Even with his Bat-Umbrella Sword acting as a cane, his pace was still extremely slow.
Perhaps it was a matter of mindset; despite being in the same sunless Impel Down,
Redfield's thirty-plus years of imprisonment had somehow made him look several times older than cellmates who had been locked up for over twenty years.
Taro sighed inwardly; he'd been locked up until he got sick!
This was also the downside of Awakening innate Observation Haki—witnessing too much of the ugliness in people's hearts.
With a slightly weak mindset, one would go straight into depression!
" 'Red Count' Patrick Redfield?"
Katakuri identified Redfield's identity in one go, which surprised Taro a little.
As expected of a Yonko Commander, he still remembers the solitary red!
"Where is Kaido?"
Katakuri naturally noticed Redfield's poor physical state, so he didn't care much about this "true legend" pirate; he was more concerned about where Kaido was.
Redfield did not answer Katakuri's question.
Looking at the paintbrush in Redfield's hand, Taro also figured out what that "Thunder Bagua" just now was all about.
However, he didn't intend to speak out. Redfield's main body might not be a big threat right now,
but with that brush, he was still a bug-level existence.
At a time like this, he couldn't afford to be loose-lipped!
Mingo stared hatefully at Redfield for a good while before slightly tilting his head.
"Kaido isn't on the island; what happened just now was an illusion he created!"
Taro actually detected some shame and anger in Mingo's tone, which left him bewildered.
In fact, the reason Mingo's tone was like this was because he had clearly just suppressed the overburdened Red Count.
But then, a Tanuki suddenly popped out of nowhere and turned into the shape of a paintbrush.
Redfield took that brush and made a few strokes on a leaf, surprisingly creating a "Kaido."
What was even more exaggerated was that the "Kaido" actually possessed powerful strength comparable to the real body!
Mingo, who already had a trace of dread toward Kaido in his heart, was caught off guard. In a moment of mental lapse, he was hit squarely in the chest and abdomen by a "Thunder Bagua."
At this moment, Mingo's fingers moved constantly, with several thin strings weaving back and forth inside his body to stitch up his ruptured internal organs.
"Don't let this old fellow touch your head; he can read memories!"
Mingo had lingering fears, his words carrying a hint of panic.
That was the feeling of all one's deepest secrets being touched.
The boundless hatred for this world hidden in the depths of his heart had been exposed to Redfield.
To him, this was as terrifying as having his negative emotions washed away by Vice Admiral Tsuru!
"Pfft~"
Taro followed Mingo's words and thought about it; an image of Mingo getting a "head pat" surfaced in his mind, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Cough, cough!"
He immediately realized it was bad and quickly suppressed his smile, coughing twice.
Veins bulged on Mingo's forehead as he turned his head back toward Taro with a distorted expression.
Taro coughed again, his tone serious.
"Cough, I wasn't laughing, I was coughing just now. You saw it, my injuries are quite heavy!"
Mingo's face turned even darker. He gave a cold snort and turned back.
Redfield had not spoken since walking out of the forest until now; it seemed his previous battle with Mingo had taken a lot out of him.
"Hand that thing over, and I'll let you leave!"
His voice was still a bit weak, yet very firm.
"Fuffuffuffu, the legends on this island do make it seem like that thing exists, but whether it's truly here, I wouldn't know."
Mingo laughed wantonly. Having repaired his internal organs, his injuries were under control; he now had confidence and backbone.
"You've been looking for that thing for a long time too. You must have visited many islands with such bloodthirsty legends; don't you understand?"
Redfield looked at Mingo and, after a while, nodded.
"In that case, you also sent out a subordinate. Where is he?"
Mingo's expression became terrifying upon hearing this, but his tone carried self-reproach.
"I was careless this time. Ever since I heard you were also looking for that thing, I knew we would meet one day. So, I've been planning for a long time."
"Unfortunately, I still underestimated you. As expected of 'the solitary red,' even after being imprisoned for over thirty years, your strength is still terrifying!"
As he spoke, his palm clenched slightly, his fingers curving and trembling a bit, his tone becoming icy.
"However, you hurt my family, so you are destined to die!"
Taro was secretly shocked listening to this.
Damn, are the plans of these nation-stealing pirates always this big from the start?
It was only now that Taro finally understood Mingo's entire plan.
Sicily Island had a legend of a bloodthirsty monster; this was an island where that fruit might appear.
And for some reason, Mingo had also set his sights on that fruit, which led to a conflict with Redfield.
At the same time, because of his cooperation with Caesar, he had also stirred up a conflict with Taro.
If he could defeat both Redfield and Taro on this island at the same time,
then not only could he solve two problems once and for all,
but the powerful strength he displayed would also deter those restless old fellows in the World Government.
Even if he didn't kill Taro, it wouldn't have too much of an impact on him.
He had the dual status of the King of Dressrosa and a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea as a protective charm.
He also had the "Secret Treasure" of the Celestial Dragons as a life-saving straw!
As long as this matter wasn't exposed and there was no solid evidence, the World Government wouldn't do anything to him based solely on Taro's word.
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