Taro returned to Furen Island, and Vice Admiral Prody's heart finally settled back into his chest.
Garp had reminded him that Taro had a trouble-magnet physique—wherever he went, things exploded. He told Prody to notify him immediately if any abnormalities were found and to do his best to keep Taro alive!
This made Prody both annoyed and helpless. He scrutinized Taro carefully, and after seeing no issues, he raised an eyebrow.
"Is the Great Staff Officer's business finished?"
Taro was preoccupied and in no mood to delve into Prody's strange behavior, so he just nodded.
"Yeah. Vice Admiral Prody, thanks for earlier. I'll be imposing for one more night; I want to get some rest."
Vice Admiral Prody reacted coldly to Taro's thanks, waving his hand impatiently before turning to leave.
Taro didn't mind. Katakuri had told him many secrets from years ago, and that was what he cared about.
Crocodile actually had a connection to the Rocks Pirates!
Taro really hadn't expected this.
Whitebeard was a former member of the Rocks Pirates, and Old Sand was very hostile toward Whitebeard... In that case, Old Sand's relationship with the Rocks Pirates might be quite extraordinary as well!
Heh, Rocks, Roger, the Four Emperors, Luffy—the troublemakers among pirates really are endless!
In the office, Prody held the receiver.
"Old Garp, you were wrong this time. He didn't get into a fight! Totto Land is perfectly peaceful!"
As he spoke, he sounded a bit mocking.
"Hmph. A Navy Grand Staff Officer coming and going from the Big Mom Pirates' territory safe and sound without making a sound—quite the skill he has!"
Garp understood what Prody meant and laughed loudly.
"Old friend, that kid looks down on Big Mom's crew; he wouldn't collude with them. I can guarantee that!"
Prody gave a sneer.
"What does it matter if I believe it? Do you think Sakazuki or the World Government will?"
Garp fell silent, only speaking after a while.
"Don't spread word of this. I'll find that kid and get a clear answer."
Prody snorted coldly, "Understood."
Then, he hung up the phone.
Garp could hear his old friend's dissatisfaction and sighed inwardly.
He hadn't agreed with Tsuru's idea of forcing Taro to marry Hina in the first place.
And now Taro had aroused Prody's suspicion.
Sigh, getting these old fellows to support Taro is going to be even harder now!
...In a certain sea area deep in the New World, the current leader of the Whitebeard Pirates Remnants, "Phoenix" Marco, leaned against the ship's railing, his face gloomy as he looked down in thought.
"Flower Sword" Vista walked over slowly, sat cross-legged opposite him, and spoke softly.
"Are you worried about the upcoming decisive battle?"
Marco looked up briefly but didn't say anything.
Vista watched him for a while. "On the day of Pops' funeral, what exactly did that Marine named Taro say to you?"
Marco's expression finally flickered, and Vista, realizing something, nodded.
"It seems your worry really is related to what that Marine said!"
As he spoke, he gave a small smile.
"Actually, it's not just me; others can see it too, Marco!"
Marco's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Did everyone ask you to come and ask?"
"You are our leader now. Even if everyone doesn't say it, they're always worried when they see you like this. They aren't worried about the decisive battle the day after tomorrow; they're just worried about you!"
Vista looked at Marco with concern.
"What exactly happened?"
Marco was silent for a while, then shifted into a more comfortable position.
"What would you think if I told you that back at Pops' funeral, Taro warned me that someone would target the pirate Captains?"
Vista was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.
"Pops is gone; it's only natural for those ambitious pirates to covet our islands!"
Marco nodded. "That's true."
Then, he sighed.
"At the time, Taro told me not to have a decisive battle with Blackbeard!"
Vista frowned upon hearing this, feeling a bit dismissive and angry. "That guy is sticking his nose where it doesn't belong! Does he think we'll lose?"
Blackbeard has both the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit now, but he doesn't have many capable people under his command.
Although the Whitebeard Pirates Remnants lost many comrades in the Marineford War...
However, among the main combat forces, Little Oars Jr. was arrested by the Marines, Diamond Jozu lost an arm, and factoring in Ace's 'death' and Thatch being murdered by Blackbeard...
Out of the 16 Division Commanders, 12 are still at full combat strength!
Among the 43 Pirate Captains, 40 remain!
Comparing their strengths, on the surface, the Whitebeard Pirates Remnants are still stronger than the Blackbeard Pirates!
Even if Blackbeard has the bizarre Dark-Dark Fruit and the devastating Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
Furthermore, word has spread recently that Blackbeard is aggressively recruiting and expanding his influence.
Additionally, a few days ago, that old woman Miss. Bakkin, whom Marco had brought back to the Whitebeard Pirates' territory, suddenly disappeared.
This made the members of the Whitebeard Pirates sense danger.
"Marco, no one blames you for what happened with that old woman!"
Vista offered a word of comfort to the increasingly silent Marco.
"Whether or not Edward Weevil is Pops' biological son, it's a fact that the old woman has history with Pops. It was only right for you to save him from Taro!"
Marco looked up at the sky and whispered,
"That's not what I'm concerned about; it's Taro himself!"
"On the day of Pops' funeral, his attitude was very strange. He clearly had more to say when he left. Moreover, Red Hair also suggested at the time that I shouldn't..."
Vista interrupted Marco, his tone a bit stiff.
"Our pirate crew's affairs don't need outsiders meddling. Besides, avenging Pops is something everyone agreed on!"
"Marco, I must warn you: the decisive battle is unavoidable. Things must be settled—for Pops, for Ace, and for ourselves!"
Marco withdrew his gaze and looked directly at Vista. His eyes gradually grew determined, and he gave a short laugh.
"You're right. I've been too hesitant!"
"Things must be settled!"
With that, he stood up from the deck.
"Let's go. Gather everyone to discuss this!"
...After resting for a night, Taro's mental fatigue had eased significantly.
He left Furen Island early in the morning and rushed toward the site of the decisive battle.
Whether it's the Marines or the World Government, their control over the New World is very weak, and Narikude Island is another island beyond their control.
He needed to go and scout it out as soon as possible!
At the same time, in a certain town.
Crocodile, who hadn't appeared for a long time, was sitting by a fountain in a plaza, reading a newspaper.
Mr. 1, Daz Bones, stood straight-backed to the side in a black suit, his bulging muscles stretching the fabric tight.
"Aren't we supposed to be going to that place? What are we still doing here, Mr. 0?"
The cigar in Crocodile's mouth twitched.
"What's the rush? For a battle of this scale, we naturally have to choose the right moment to make our entrance, Mr. 1! Guhahaha!"
---------------------------------
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.