"I know there are components similar to Sea Stone in the White Sea of Sky Island, but the Sky Islanders seem to have another name for them!"
Taro rolled his eyes.
"Never mind whether I'm ignorant or not, finish telling me what you know first!"
Rocks looked at Zhou Chen, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Since you know that, don't you understand by now?"
"That island... it fell from above!"
Taro was dumbfounded. "What did you say?"
Pausing, he added in shock and suspicion, "You mean that island was originally part of that spaceship?"
Rocks narrowed his eyes slightly.
"It's far larger than you imagine! That place is just a part of it. Otherwise, why do you think the substance in Sky Island's White Sea, known as 'Pyrobroin', has the same properties as Sea Stone?"
"You should know that all the Sea Stone in this world comes from the same island, and the only craftsmen capable of processing Sea Stone are from Wano Country."
"Combined with what you know about Sky Island, don't you get it yet?"
"That island is the other path to Sky Island—High West!"
"High West?"
In the Skypiea arc, that name was mentioned by that pumpkin-growing knight to Luffy!
Taro was shaken. Now, he finally connected all the dots.
The Giant Kingdom, Sea Stone, Wano Country, and Sky Island—they were all linked!
"You mean that many, many years ago, extraterrestrial immigrants arrived in this world aboard a giant spaceship? They brought a massive amount of Sea Stone and suspended themselves in mid-air!"
"After the components of the Sea Stone dissipated, they turned into Sky Island clouds, capable of releasing energy just like the ocean!"
"The Sky Islanders processed those island clouds and built dwellings in the sky!"
"Afterward, they made contact with the ancestors of Shandora and Wano Country in this world. Later, because something happened, the spaceship disintegrated, and a part of it fell, becoming that island?"
Rocks' eyes flickered at those words.
"They didn't just have contact with Shandora and Wano Country; their footprints are on many islands across this world!"
"Despite having these island clouds, land is still indispensable!"
"No one wants to float in the sky forever!"
"Besides, they need to gather resources! For that, land is a necessity!"
Taro remained silent for a long while before asking,
"So, the Giant Kingdom was actually floating in the sky all along?"
Rocks looked up at the sky, a trace of fanaticism flashing in his eyes.
"'Gods' were meant to live in the heavens!"
Taro frowned. "This world doesn't need gods!"
"Gwahahaha!"
Rocks suddenly burst into laughter, bordering on madness.
"We originally possessed the most cutting-edge technology and changed the entire world. We are gods!"
"Why shouldn't we call ourselves gods?"
He roared loudly, then looked at Taro with a terrified gaze.
"You... you, Joy Boy!"
Taro's brow furrowed deeper. "What are you talking about? What Joy Boy?"
"I must kill you! Kill you, Joy Boy!"
Rocks roared even more frantically.
"The Joy Boy our clan has been waiting for cannot be you! Absolutely not!"
"Eight hundred years ago, it was because of that bastard's words—'this world doesn't need gods'—that our clan's glorious history became a thing of the past. I cannot let you live any longer!"
"Kill, kill you!"
Taro was stunned. He keenly felt that the information revealed in Rocks' words was significant, perhaps explaining part of the root cause behind the destruction of the Giant Kingdom!
As the leader of the d clan, if Joy Boy believed that "this world doesn't need gods",
And yet they themselves were called 'gods' by the world due to their incredible, miracle-like 'Devil Fruit abilities'!
This did indeed seem to create a paradox!
Not needing gods, yet ultimately becoming them!
Did Imu back then sense this change in Joy Boy's mindset and take advantage of the situation, playing both sides between the Giant Kingdom and the 20-Nation Alliance to ultimately seize the greatest benefit?
Otherwise, no matter how you look at it, the 20-Nation Alliance, with its low level of technological development, shouldn't have been able to stand against the Giant Kingdom!
Something must have gone wrong within the Giant Kingdom, and that problem must have originated with Joy Boy!
Taro was secretly alarmed. Holy crap!
Was the leader of the d clan played for a fool by Imu?
"Kill, kill!"
"We don't need a Joy Boy like you!"
"WE! DON'T! NEED! YOU!"
Rocks roared with all his might, and finally, he actually shattered Aokiji's ice!
He raised his arm high,
"Kill Taro!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of ice crystal explosions rang out, and Blackbeard's body was instantly torn apart, exploding into a mist of blood!
His head was sent flying into the air by the massive shockwave,
"Kill... Taro!"
"Thud, thud, thud!"
The head fell to the ground and rolled a few meters, eyes wide and bulging!
Rocks died with his eyes wide open in grievance!
Taro was deep in thought, extremely shaken. He hadn't expected that a casual remark would actually cause Rocks to explode in the middle of their conversation.
Unable to dodge in time, he was splattered with flesh and blood, looking exceptionally terrifying.
In the distance, Aokiji and the others heard Rocks' final, full-strength roar of "Kill Taro".
Turning around, they saw Rocks explode on the spot. Shocked, they leaped over and surrounded the area.
Looking at the blood-stained Taro, everyone's brows twitched wildly and their cheeks trembled.
After a long while, Aokiji finally spoke in a low voice,
"Taro, what is going on? Why did you suddenly kill him?"
Taro turned his head stiffly and whispered,
"If I said I didn't kill him, would you believe me?"
Aokiji's face instantly darkened, and the others' expressions changed as well, looking as if to say, 'Do we look like fools to you?'
Taro's mouth twitched.
"I'm telling the truth. I was having a friendly communication with him when he suddenly exploded. I didn't expect it either!"
Aokiji stared at Taro and took a deep breath.
"Are you trying to tell me that you just chatted him into exploding?"
Taro nodded with difficulty.
"Unbelievable as it sounds, it's the truth!"
"He really was exploded by the conversation!"
Hearing this, Crocodile was beyond furious and let out a roar,
"Taro, chatting can make someone explode? Do you think we're all idiots?"
Taro frowned, his gaze turning cold.
"I said, it's the truth!"
"Crocodile, do you want to try and see if I can chat you into exploding too?"
Crocodile's breath hitched instantly; he knew Taro was referring to his secret.
If Taro were to reveal it and he exploded, it would be from sheer rage!
He glared at Taro hatefully for a while, then snorted and turned away.
Seeing Crocodile back down, Marco and the others were even more shocked, their gazes toward Taro becoming more fearful.
Chatting... can also kill?
Then, Marco heard Taro's voice in his ear.
"Marco, I'd like to have a chat with you!"
Marco's body shuddered, his somewhat nearsighted eyes instantly turning sharp, without a moment's hesitation,
"That's quite unnecessary. I have nothing to talk to you about!"
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