Marco's refusal was unexpected for Taro, and he frowned.
"Why are you so wary of me?"
It wasn't just Marco; everyone, including Aokiji, was very wary of Taro.
Today's events had given them too many shocks, and the mist surrounding Taro seemed to have been partially unveiled.
However, Taro's identity made them even more apprehensive!
Marco narrowed his eyes and looked at Taro for a while.
"Whatever you want to ask, say it here!"
Taro fell silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding group.
"I want to know, did Whitebeard leave anything behind all these years?"
Miss. Bakkin was obsessed with obtaining Whitebeard's 'legacy',
the thing that Blackbeard and the Whitebeard Pirates Remnants were looking for in their final battle.
All of this indicated that Whitebeard had indeed taken something from God Valley.
Then there were the other crew members of Rocks—'Beasts' Kaido just happened to go to Wano Country, making Onigashima his base and refusing to leave.
Big Mom's children born before the God Valley Incident still looked somewhat human, but those born later became increasingly bizarre, clearly indicating she had also discovered some secrets.
Taro didn't believe that Whitebeard had gained nothing!
"Pops didn't bring anything back!"
Marco didn't hesitate for a second, his tone stiff.
Taro's brow furrowed. After thinking for a moment, he looked directly into Marco's eyes.
"You told me before that you only started following Whitebeard 28 years ago. Shortly after you joined, there should have been another person who boarded the ship in the same year. Is there any connection between these events?"
Hearing this, the others furrowed their brows in thought, but Marco's expression changed drastically. He knew exactly who Taro was talking about!
Kozuki Oden!
"How do you...?" Marco's eyes sharpened, he dodged the question for a moment, then shook his head.
"Don't make wild assumptions. His joining the ship had nothing to do with what happened at God Valley!"
Taro, however, felt it wasn't that simple. Wano Country and the Giant Kingdom were closely related, and the Kozuki Clan of Wano Country were the ones who crafted the poneglyphs.
Kaido went to Wano Country with a purpose. Whitebeard clearly had no interest in the One Piece, yet he happened to end up there as well... and now you're saying there's no connection?
Taro scrutinized Marco with a suspicious gaze, his expression becoming increasingly serious.
Feeling a bit unsettled by Taro's stare, Marco spoke stiffly.
"When he first wanted to board, Pops firmly disagreed. We had no purpose in going there; you're just making baseless guesses!"
Taro raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when Izo, the 16th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, jumped out.
"I can prove that Marco isn't lying to you. Everything he said is the truth!"
Taro glanced at Izo and then looked away.
"Oh, you're that Retainer of Kozuki Oden, right? Your words only prove that Kozuki Oden indeed didn't know about what happened back then. However, as for whether Whitebeard knew..."
"I still have to ask you, Marco!" Taro stared at Marco.
Marco looked directly at Taro.
"And if I say I don't know?"
Before he finished speaking, all the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates gripped their weapons and went on high alert.
The situation suddenly became tense and oppressive.
Taro's gaze swept over each of them, then he glanced at Aokiji and Crocodile, shrugging.
"It seems we're done for today!"
"I haven't gotten everything I wanted to know, and you won't get any information from me either. Let's leave it at that!"
Aokiji frowned deeply and spoke slowly.
"Taro, the confusion in my heart still hasn't been answered."
Taro waved his hand and glanced at Marco.
"I can't even figure it out myself, so how can I give you an answer!"
As he spoke, he beckoned, and thunderstorm streaked through the air as a green light, piercing straight into the throat of the frozen 'Dictator King'.
Puchi!
With a muffled sound, thunderstorm pierced through the throat, carving a hole straight through Pizarro's neck.
Bang!
The ice crystals shattered. Pizarro died before he could utter a single word.
thunderstorm then circled in the air and slashed once more toward the 'Colossal Battleship' San Juan Wolf.
After this group had dallied for so long, Wolf surprisingly hadn't thought of running away. His expression remained foolishly cute, and he didn't react much to Taro's attack.
Aokiji moved his feet and leaped into the air, an extremely cold frost shooting from his palm toward thunderstorm.
Taro leaped up at the same time Aokiji moved, blasting a Nether Dog directly at him.
Aokiji dodged in the air, his eyes cold.
"Taro, are you trying to silence them?"
Taro curled his lip in disdain, his tone cold.
"I was planning to kill all of the Blackbeard Pirates anyway. How is killing them now considered silencing them?"
"If you insist on thinking that way, then fine!"
"After all, they've been listening for so long; they know too much!"
After the two landed, Taro stared intently at Aokiji.
"The Blackbeard Pirates must die!"
"If you interfere again, we will be enemies, Kuzan!"
Aokiji's eyes instantly darkened as the frost beneath his feet began to spread. Taro's Internal Energy also surged forth; a battle was imminent.
While the two were in a standoff, thunderstorm had already slashed through the sky with countless blade lights.
"Awoo, awoo!"
Hearing San Juan Wolf's screams behind him, Aokiji's eyebrows twitched violently.
That big oaf was the only one on the scene who had heard what Taro and Rocks said.
If he died, as long as Taro was unwilling to speak, he might never get his answer!
"Ice-Ice Fruit Awakening!"
[Ice-Ice Fruit Awakening learned successfully!]
The ice beneath Aokiji's feet spread rapidly, turning everything in sight into a snowy wasteland in an instant. Cold winds howled, kicking up snow everywhere.
Even the lightning flashing down from the sky seemed to be frozen.
The sound of thunder also became crisp, making a "crackling" sound.
Taro stared at Aokiji, his tone serious.
"Have you thought this through, Kuzan?"
Previously, in Taro's mind, Avalo Pizarro and San Juan Wolf were just two minor characters.
They knew nothing of the past history; no matter what they heard, it would be like listening to gibberish.
Moreover, they were definitely going to die, so it didn't matter what they heard.
He just hadn't expected Aokiji's confusion about the path ahead to be such a deep obsession that he would even resort to fighting him!
Just then, San Juan Wolf suddenly let go of the hand covering his mouth.
"Taro is the leader, the Leader of the D.!"
"You are actually...!"
Aokiji was completely shaken, shocked by San Juan Wolf's final words.
Crocodile and Marco were also shocked.
Taro's eyes instantly turned cold.
Fuck!
thunderstorm sensed Taro's anger. In an instant, the green light flared brilliantly, shattering the frozen air. The entire sky darkened, without a single trace of light.
A massive green Slash streaked through the air, cutting San Juan Wolf in half at the waist!
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.