Crocodile's composure suddenly shattered, leaving everyone in a state of bewilderment.
Taro glanced at Crocodile and shrugged.
"If you don't want to say it, then don't. Your past with Ivankov was at most just an interlude to what happened back then!"
Marco couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward.
"What about you and Pops? What happened between you two?"
"Heh, Hahaha! Why on earth should I tell you?"
Crocodile laughed with a twisted expression on his face.
"Roar hahaha, cough!" Rocks also started laughing, repeating a phrase Crocodile often said,
"Trust is the most useless thing in this world!"
Taro frowned. "During the God Valley Incident, did the Rocks Pirates fall apart even before being wiped out by Roger and Garp?"
He speculated this because Rocks, the Captain, was finished, and the second-tier members like Captain John, Silver Axe, and Wang Zhi were also finished.
Yet, the main forces like Whitebeard, Big Mom, Golden Lion, and even the apprentice Kaido lived very comfortable lives afterward; it was completely illogical!
"It wasn't falling apart, it was betrayal!"
Rocks roared, his expression filled with rage.
"Newgate, that bastard! He's a coward, a coward!"
Rocks' verbal abuse of Whitebeard made Marco and his group's expressions turn cold. If Taro hadn't been there, they would have charged forward to fight to the death long ago.
"Stop with the lamentations and get to the point!" Taro noticed the reaction of Marco and the others and gave a cold snort.
Rocks snarled,
"That bastard actually listened to Roger's words about how 'if they lose that thing, the King of the Celestial Dragons will go mad and destroy the world'! That coward, because of those words, sent that thing back! Coward!"
The King of the Celestial Dragons? Imu?
Roger knew such a person existed?
While the others looked on in confusion, Taro knew that a 'King' of the Celestial Dragons truly did exist!
However, if Roger knew, why didn't Rocks, who was also of the d clan, know? How could that be?
Based on strength at the time, Rocks should have been stronger than Roger!
"Not only that, he even gave up on rescuing me!" Rocks roared again,
Then, he actually glanced at Crocodile and sneered,
"And of course, there's this little... poor thing! Roar hahaha!"
"He cherishes his family? Hahaha, what a joke!"
Taro had a sudden realization and looked at Crocodile.
"Were you always with Rocks back then?"
Crocodile kept a dark face and said nothing.
A cruel smile appeared on Rocks' face, looking even more terrifying while soaked in blood.
"This little... poor thing used to admire me quite a bit, you know? He believed every word I said!"
With lightning speed, Crocodile reached out his right hand and grabbed Rocks by the throat, his demeanor frantic.
"Yeah, so let me, your admirer, kill you. You'd be very happy then, wouldn't you? Huh?"
Rocks looked at Crocodile with a mocking, contemptuous smile. Feeling the dehydrating power in Crocodile's hand, his smile grew even more triumphant.
Taro now roughly understood what had happened back then.
The Origin Factory was uranus!
Five hundred years ago, due to a certain event, Oars the Demon Ogre, who left behind the legend of the 'Nation-Puller', moved the Origin Factory from God Valley to this island.
However, what he moved was only a discarded shell. The most critical 'Implantation' core had been violently removed back when the Giant Kingdom was destroyed.
Furthermore, Imu had led the Celestial Dragons to develop a'special' method of using it.
Thirty-eight years ago, Rocks learned some of the truth about the Origin Factory and judged that the 'Implantation' core was still at the coordinates found in the factory logs.
After two years of investigation, he confirmed the location of God Valley. Given the large number of Celestial Dragons and their slaves on the island, Rocks became even more certain that the 'Implantation' core was there.
Subsequently, the God Valley Incident occurred.
And he actually managed to obtain the modified 'Implantation' core!
After that, Roger, who knew another part of the truth, likely felt the time wasn't ripe, or perhaps due to other considerations, decided to intervene and stop Rocks' mad actions.
Roger revealed some information and persuaded Whitebeard to turn against Rocks.
Ultimately, Whitebeard not only didn't take the 'core' but also abandoned the rescue!
This, of course, was equivalent to abandoning his son, Crocodile!
In the end, Rocks' conspiracy was crushed!
Perhaps out of guilt toward his son, Whitebeard focused his later adventures entirely on the goal of 'family'!
Thinking of this, a surge of nameless anger rose in Taro's heart.
"I'm just puzzled. You people of the d clan, if you're going to stir up trouble, just do it. Can't you share information with each other?"
"It's always one of you knowing a little, another knowing something else, then everyone acting on their own ideas and dragging each other down!"
"The World Government has been established for 800 years! 800 years! They've been acting against the natural order for 800 years and still haven't collapsed because you d clan members have been spoiling them!"
Taro had been perplexed long ago. Since ancient times, no dynasty lasts forever. By what virtue or ability could the World Government stand tall for 800 years without falling?
He previously thought it was because Imu and uranus were too powerful!
But now it seemed the d clan wasn't weak either!
Rocks messed around for his own selfish desires and could gather a group of people with their own agendas to seize the 'Implantation' core.
Roger and Garp were the cream of the crop among the d clan. With their charismatic personalities,
Even if they didn't directly overthrow the World Government, wouldn't loosening its foundations have been easy?
Yet, both of them had their own reservations and judged the situation based only on the 'truth' they individually understood,
And then took action.
The final result was that they restricted each other, allowing Imu and the Celestial Dragons to reap the benefits of their conflict!
It was just ridiculous!
Taro's outburst made everyone look at him with strange expressions.
They thought to themselves: You are also a member of the d clan and are hiding many things yourself. Isn't it strange to say such things now?
Rocks struggled to lift his head and stared into Taro's eyes.
"You are also of the d clan. Isn't your current behavior just like ours? You clearly know some things but are unwilling to speak?"
The corner of Taro's mouth twitched. "I'm not D..."
"Roar hahaha, you don't even dare to admit your identity as a d clan member. Why should I tell you what we were thinking?"
Rocks interrupted Taro and laughed mockingly.
Taro frowned. "Oh? So you mean you know?"
Rocks stared at Taro with a contemptuous expression and laughed without saying a word.
Taro's brow twitched violently, and even his cheek spasmed.
"Fine, as you wish. I admit I'm a member of the d clan, okay!"
Aokiji and the others breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Has he finally admitted it?
Rocks, however, pressed further: "What is your full name?"
Seeing their reactions, Taro's cheeks throbbed with pain.
Dammit, if I make up one lie, do I have to keep making them up endlessly?
"Dai D. Zhou Ze!"
"That is my full name!"
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