Van Augur, nicknamed "Supersonic", was momentarily surprised, but immediately raised his gun again. Smoke rose from the muzzle as another bullet fired toward the rapidly approaching Taro.
Taro immediately climbed in altitude and flew into the clouds.
Van Augur realized things were going south; this "bird-man" seemed harder to deal with than he had imagined. He stowed his gun, took several leaps across the rooftops, jumped down to the ground, and rushed toward the center of town.
Swoosh!
Taro was incredibly fast, the sound of him breaking through the air like a shrill whistle as he dove directly from the sky. Van Augur was startled and raised his gun to fire, but Taro dodged it easily. Before he could fire again, Taro's foot had already slammed into his face.
Van Augur let out a scream and sent flying sideways, but he quickly scrambled up from the ground, shouting in shock and rage, "Who are you?"
Taro snorted disdainfully. "When you were attacking me, why didn't you ask who I was first?"
If there was any group of villains in the pirate world who represented true evil, it was the Blackbeard Pirates. Taro had no favorable feelings toward this bunch.
"This is fate. How can a person know when they might be hit by a sudden bullet?" Van Augur raised his gun and fired a shot almost without needing to aim.
At such a close distance, with his own strength, this bastard is definitely dead, Van Augur thought to himself.
Taro had been on guard since Van Augur started speaking. Seeing him raise the gun, Taro immediately used Moonwalk to leap into the air, bringing a heavy Mutton Shot down onto Van Augur's head.
The immense force sent Van Augur crashing down with a "crack," forcing him to his knees as his kneecaps shattered under the massive impact.
"Ah..."
Van Augur, dizzied by the strike, had just regained some clarity when he felt a piercing pain and screamed out.
"I'll kill you! I'll definitely kill you!"
Taro already intended to kill him, and now he was even less inclined to be polite. You're a sniper who let a warrior get into close quarters, and you still dare to speak such arrogant words?
"Collier!"
"Epaule!"
"Longe!"
"Tendron!"
"Poitrine!"
"Gigot!"
A series of continuous kicks landed one after another on Van Augur's body, and he quickly went limp under the assault.
Taro stepped on his face and spat, "You think you can kill me?"
Van Augur's breath was already faint. He let out a labored wheeze, his eyes gleaming with malice. "If you kill me... my Captain... won't... won't let you off."
Taro ground his foot down harder. "Death is at your door, and you still dare to threaten me?"
With that, he slowly drew his saber, intending to slay Van Augur with a single stroke.
"Stop!"
A furious shout rang out, attempting to halt Taro's movement. Hearing this voice, a flicker of joy flashed in Van Augur's eyes.
Taro released his foot and stepped back, but his eyes remained fixed on Van Augur, looking at him with slight mockery.
The joy in Van Augur's eyes finally turned into terror as he suddenly realized something. Just as he was about to scream, he felt himself flying up.
Then, he saw Taro's face filled with killing intent, and he saw his terrified and angry Captain and companions dozens of meters away. Finally, he saw his own body kneeling on the ground.
Taro's blade swept across, splashing blood everywhere. Van Augur's head soared into the sky, his eyes wide with terror and disbelief.
Thud, thud-thud.
Van Augur's head fell to the ground, rolling quite a distance before stopping at the newcomer's feet.
Only after slaying Van Augur did Taro look up at the approaching group.
The leading middle-aged burly man had a rugged appearance, with frizzy black hair tied in a bandana. His skin was dark, his chest was bare, and a wine bottle and several pistols were tucked into his waist. His fingers were covered in gemstone rings, and he was currently looking at his companion's head by his feet in shock and rage.
It was indeed Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach. Beside him were several familiar faces, though Taro couldn't recall their names.
There was a tall, thin man with a cane, a sickly old man, and a burly man wearing a yellow and black striped hood.
Taro found the hooded man most familiar; he remembered that during the Dressrosa Arc, this guy had fought against Sabo and been beaten like a dog.
"Ah..."
Blackbeard let out a roar. "Who are you? How dare you kill Van Augur!"
Taro was extremely wary of Blackbeard in his heart, but his face remained unmoved as he snorted disdainfully.
"Tch, so his name was Van Augur. He attacked me for no reason and I killed him in return. He can only blame his own lack of strength."
Taro sheathed his blade. "What does it matter if trash like this dies?"
Hearing Taro's arrogant words, Blackbeard actually calmed down, but the others beside him couldn't stand it.
The burly man shouted "Waaaaah!" and was about to charge, but Blackbeard reached out to stop him.
"Burgess, wait a moment." Blackbeard held back the burly man and then looked at Taro.
"I am Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach. You haven't told me your name yet?"
Blackbeard spoke while looking at Taro with an unreadable gaze.
Taro chuckled. "What, if I'm a pirate with a high bounty, are you planning to capture me and claim a reward from the Marine?"
"Trading me for a position among the Seven Warlords of the Sea? Tsk tsk, what a fine plan!"
As soon as Taro finished speaking, the expressions of the Blackbeard Pirates changed drastically.
This was exactly what they were currently doing, but they hadn't found a suitable target yet. Now, their plan had been laid bare by this young man in a single sentence!
Blackbeard's face was grim. He pondered for a moment before suddenly speaking, "You really do know a lot, Zehahahaha!"
Taro frowned as he watched Blackbeard burst into laughter. He knew Blackbeard's strength, and he knew that beneath that rugged exterior lay an ambition and craftiness beyond imagination.
After laughing for a while and seeing that Taro didn't speak, Blackbeard continued, "Although I still don't know who you are, if you join us, I can overlook the fact that you killed Van Augur."
As soon as he finished, his companions looked at him in disbelief. The burly man he called Burgess couldn't help himself first. "Captain! You..."
Blackbeard didn't look at Burgess, still staring at Taro, waiting for his response.
"You really are a 'qualified' Captain. Your crewman gets killed, and you're still thinking about recruiting the enemy. As expected of you, Blackbeard."
Taro chuckled with mockery.
"Zehahahaha! Life is a gamble; there will always be losers and winners. In the end, whether one lives or dies is left to the heavens."
Blackbeard laughed wildly again, his eyes filled with a burning determination and persistence.
"In this world, only surviving is victory."
"Come! Let us stand at the pinnacle of this world together!"
Blackbeard said, extending a hand to invite Taro.
Taro looked at Blackbeard and sighed inwardly. This was Blackbeard.
To achieve his goals, he could endure in silence for decades and kill his own companions without hesitation. Now, he could just as easily invite the enemy who killed his crewman to join him.
"I refuse!" Taro said firmly.
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