Taro first glanced at the bomb's timer; there were only 10 seconds left. He shouted down at the people below, "Hurry up and find a place to hide, the bomb is about to explode!"
Then, he activated his Falcon Form once more, cautiously channeling a wisp of pale-blue Internal Energy to envelop the shell before flapping his wings and soaring into the high sky.
Below, Nami, Vivi, and the others all stared up with wide, astonished eyes.
Taro flew upward with all his might, piercing through the cloud layer. Estimating the time in his head, he suddenly flipped his body, positioning the bomb above himself, and then deactivated his transformed state.
"Mutton Shot"
With all his strength, he kicked the bottom of the bomb. The bomb suddenly accelerated from the kick, soaring even higher into the sky, while Taro used the counterforce to plummet toward the ground.
Just as he was about to transform again, a thunderous "BOOM" echoed out, and the intense shockwave of the explosion slammed into his body.
It's over!
Taro was shaken by the powerful impact, coughing up a large mouthful of blood. Lacking the sturdy physique of the native pirates, he felt like he was a goner! The blinding flash of the explosion instantly stripped him of his sight. Taro's head slumped to the side, and he lost consciousness mid-air.
After trekking all the way, Capital City Alabasta finally appeared in Igaram's line of sight, filling him with a surge of excitement.
Right then, a sudden, intense flash of light streaked across the high sky. Even through the clouds, the light was piercingly bright. Igaram instinctively squinted his eyes. Then came another thunderous roar. Once the light faded, Igaram looked up again, his eyes widening in shock.
In his vision, a black dot was falling from the high sky, trailing a white line as it passed through the mist and clouds.
Igaram watched the rapidly approaching black dot with slack-jawed amazement. Just as he was about to dodge—"BOOM"—the object slammed directly into him, burying him in the sand. The immense force created a sand pit dozens of meters in diameter in the desert.
"Gah!" Igaram spat out a mouthful of blood. Enduring the pain, he pushed away the charred, black object pressing down on him.
Only then did he realize it was actually a person!
The body was pitch black all over, still smoldering with smoke. Large patches of hair and beard were scorched away, and almost no healthy flesh could be seen on the exposed skin.
Igaram was stunned. He checked the person's breathing—he was actually still alive!
He had actually survived such an explosion!
...The crowd in the square was dumbfounded by that earth-shattering explosion. The members of the Straw Hat Pirates had been shocked since Taro first appeared on the clock tower. It wasn't until the explosion rang out above the clouds that they exchanged complex glances and sighed.
Tashigi, her face drenched in tears, wailed toward the sky, "Lieutenant Taro!"
The Marines who were in the middle of evacuating saw this anomaly and turned back to run toward the scene.
At this moment, Crocodile had also been defeated by Luffy, sent flying high into the air before crashing heavily back into the square.
A single drop of water fell from the sky, followed by more and more droplets.
It's raining!
Outside the city, a mountain-shaking, sea-tsunami-like cheer erupted!
"Sergeant Tashigi..." A Marine Soldier ran over, looking worriedly at Tashigi, whose face was soaked with either tears or rain.
"Report the situation here to Colonel Smoker. In the name of the World Government and the Marine, strip Crocodile of his title as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and arrest all members of Baroque Works, including Crocodile."
"Finally... report to Colonel Smoker that Lieu... Lieutenant Taro... has been killed in action!"
"Huh?! Yes, ma'am!" The Marine Soldier cried out in surprise, then immediately gave a military salute and turned to relay the message... "Hmph, I see," on the Marine's artificial rain ship, Smoker puffed on his cigar while listening to the soldier's report. "Tashigi did well!"
"Colonel Smoker, there's one more thing!" The Marine Soldier hesitated.
"Hmm?" Smoker let out a grunt. "Speak!"
"It's about Lieutenant Taro," the soldier said with some trepidation, trembling as he spoke. "Lieutenant Taro... he... he has been killed in action!"
Smoker stood up abruptly. However, before he could speak, Hina, who was beside him, shouted in fury first, "What did you say? Say that again!"
"Co... Colonel Hina, Lieutenant Taro has been... killed in action!"
"That's impossible!" Hina roared, her face a mixture of panic and heartache.
"What happened?" After the initial shock, Smoker tried his best to calm down and began to learn the details of the event... On the outskirts of Capital City Alabasta, Igaram carried Taro on his back toward the royal city. Rain fell on the two of them, accompanied by the distant cheers.
"Cough, cough." Taro coughed twice and slowly woke up. His vision gradually cleared, and the sharp pain throughout his body helped him regain some consciousness. "Holy crap, I'm actually not dead!"
Hearing the movement on his back, Igaram turned his head. "I'm also very surprised. To think you could survive such an explosion!"
Taro finally noticed he was being carried. "Uh? Curly hair? You're that guy from the Palace Guard... You have a wife who looks exactly like you... What was her name? Uh, I can't remember."
As Taro muttered, Igaram didn't take offense. He gave a laugh, "It seems you're in decent shape, being able to say so much in one breath and even think about all that..."
"My name is Igaram, Captain of the Royal Guard."
"Ah, right, Igaram, I remember now." Taro had a sudden realization. Then he noticed something—wait, my condition isn't right. My injuries are much lighter than I imagined.
Although his whole body was in pain, Taro could feel it was just the burning sensation from high temperatures. No bones were broken, and his internal organs seemed fine.
What's going on? Divine protection from my skills?
Taro could only think of this because the Minor Formless Skill's Internal Energy, granted by the [Peerless Martial Forest Master] System, didn't even require the host to deliberately Cultivate; it circulated through his meridians on its own at all times.
"Igaram, put me down. I can manage on my own." Taro patted Igaram's shoulder, signaling him to let him down.
"Though I don't know what happened, if that explosion had occurred in the Capital City, the consequences would have been unthinkable."
Igaram bowed to Taro. "Thank you for your generous assistance. Please, you must tell me your name!"
Taro hopped a little distance away and waved his hand. "Don't do that, don't do that. My name is Taro."
"Mr. Taro, please come with me to the Capital City. Your Majesty the King will surely be very grateful to you. He will be very happy to see you."
"And your injuries still need treatment."
Taro thought to himself, If I see him again, it'll be to collect a debt. I doubt he'll be able to stay happy.
Shaking his head, Taro said slowly, "I still have things to do, so I must leave. No need for thanks; it was just part of my duty."
"As for King Cobra, I will go see him at the appropriate time. I won't disturb him this time."
Igaram wanted to persuade him further, but Taro had already waved his hand and walked toward the east. He still had one promise left to fulfill.
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