Zephyr's worldview of over seventy years collapsed; the talent of the kid before him was simply unheard of.
"Hey, Teacher Zephyr, where are you going?"
Taro tested his Armament Haki for a while, and just as he finally settled down, he saw Zephyr turning to leave and quickly chased after him.
"Don't follow me, I want to be alone!"
Zephyr said in a muffled voice without looking back.
How could Taro be willing? He had just learned two types of Haki and hadn't even properly thanked Teacher Zephyr yet.
"Don't, let me walk with you!"
"No need, I'll calm down by myself!"
And so, with casual conversation, the two of them unconsciously walked up the sandy hills by the sea.
A solitary grave stood on the hilltop, with a standard Marine saber thrust into the mound. A Marine cap hung from the hilt, and the grave was covered with fresh flowers that still looked vibrant, as if someone often came to pay their respects.
A stone tombstone stood at the head of the grave, engraved with:
"Marineford Lieutenant — Tomb of Taro"
"sea calendar? — 1520"
Zephyr stared at the tombstone for a moment, then turned back, looking at Taro with a strange expression.
Taro: "..."
Holy crap, older sister figure, are you kidding me? Why is my grave still here? And it looks like someone visits it every day?
"Hahahaha!"
Zephyr suddenly burst into laughter, laughing until tears almost came out. Taro had no choice but to laugh along awkwardly for a while.
"Teacher Zephyr, listen to me, this is a misunderstanding..."
...The next day, Elmar.
"Princess Vivi, for certain reasons, I won't be staying in Elmar for long. This is a Special District Development Plan; I'll leave the rest to you!"
Taro looked at Vivi and then took a stack of papers from his robes and handed them to her.
After Vivi took them, she flipped through them a few times and frowned. "I'm only responsible for supervising the work. Why are you giving these to me?"
"Also, this 'Elmar's First Five-Year Plan,' the content in here is too outrageous, isn't it?"
Taro laughed. "No, no, no, the things on there are very basic; just follow them. Besides, this is your country after all; it's much more convenient for you to do it than me."
Then he looked at Zephyr and Ain again and took out another set of documents. "Teacher Zephyr, please put some effort into transplanting the vegetation from Small Garden with Ain. As for the ideas on avoiding invasive species, I've written them down there as well."
Finally, Taro looked at Binz. "Binz, your ability is the key to managing the desert. It would be such a waste to use the ability to accelerate plant growth only for combat. Please do your best."
After distributing the previously prepared materials to everyone one by one and answering a few of their questions, Taro nodded solemnly.
"Then, I'll leave the Elmal District to everyone. I'll be back soon."
After Taro finished speaking, he bowed to the group once more and strode away. Outside, Mike had been waiting for a long time.
"Rear Admiral, Admiral Aokiji has ordered our unit to assemble in the waters near Enies Lobby as soon as possible!"
Seeing Taro come out, Mike quickly stepped forward and said.
"Enies Lobby, huh!"
Taro sighed. "Understood, let's go."
On the ship, Mike briefed Taro on the mission situation.
"Rear Admiral, this mission was suddenly ordered by Admiral Aokiji. Previously, five Headquarters Vice Admirals were ordered to go, I don't know why..."
Taro also frowned. He remembered that during the Buster Call on Enies Lobby, only five Vice Admirals' fleets were present. It was indeed strange that Aokiji suddenly ordered him to go.
"Which Vice Admirals?" Taro asked softly.
"They are Vice Admiral Momonga, Yamakaji, Doberman, Onigumo, and Stoloberry!"
Mike responded immediately.
"Whose subordinates are they?"
Mike didn't expect Taro to ask this and was stunned for a moment.
"Uh, Vice Admiral Onigumo and Vice Admiral Doberman are under Admiral Akainu. Vice Admiral Stoloberry is under Admiral Kizaru. Vice Admiral Momonga belongs to Admiral Aokiji, and Vice Admiral Yamakaji is under Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Taro didn't expect Mike to be so well-informed and gave him a surprised look. Not bad, Old Mike!
Then he thought for a moment; he should be considered Vice Admiral Garp's subordinate.
Was Aokiji bringing me along a coincidence, or did he have other plans?
If I'm included, all the top brass of Marineford will have units involved. If it's a coincidence, it's too much of one.
A test?
Taro knew that as an Admiral, Aokiji's justice wasn't as absolute as Akainu's. Both he and Kizaru had a history of slacking off to various degrees.
What exactly was Aokiji's intention?
"Order the departure, head to the assembly point as quickly as possible!"
"Yes!"
..."Report, Vice Admiral Yamakaji, Rear Admiral Taro has sent a message, he wants to see you."
Yamakaji, who had a large beard and was smiling with a cigar in his mouth, was stunned for a moment, then his smile grew even brighter.
"He's here? Please, bring him in!"
After speaking, he also stepped out of the cabin and stood at the bow.
Before long, Taro emerged from the clouds, dove straight toward the deck, and landed gracefully in front of Yamakaji.
This display caused a round of admiration from Vice Admiral Yamakaji's subordinates.
Yamakaji's smile deepened. "Rear Admiral Taro, I finally get to meet you. I've heard much of your great name!"
Although it was Taro's first time meeting this Vice Admiral, he had already learned some information from Mike and knew he was always cheerful, so he expected his warm attitude.
Moreover, there was Taro's special relationship with Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"Vice Admiral Yamakaji, a pleasure to meet you!" Taro said, giving a military salute.
"Haha, no need for formalities!" Yamakaji waved his hand. "It's my honor to perform this mission with you!"
"Your name is like thunder to the ears in all of Marineford."
Taro was a bit embarrassed, and after a few polite words, he said seriously, "Vice Admiral, I was just wondering, why was I suddenly ordered to come for this mission?"
"I don't understand either. Last time I participated in a Buster Call mission, there were only five Vice Admirals and ten warships. Perhaps Admiral Aokiji has other considerations this time?"
Yamakaji's brow furrowed slightly before quickly smoothing out. "Don't think too much about it. This kind of mission is very simple, no need to worry."
Taro frowned. It seemed the Vice Admirals executing this mission weren't clear on Aokiji's plans. This was going to be difficult.
Then Taro remembered Yamakaji saying he had participated in a Buster Call mission once, so he couldn't help but ask, "Vice Admiral, you mean the one 20 years ago, at..."
Vice Admiral Yamakaji's expression changed, and he quickly stopped Taro from continuing, then looked around cautiously. "Rear Admiral Taro, that name cannot be mentioned!"
Taro curled his lip and stared at Yamakaji. "Then do you think that mission was just?"
The smile on Yamakaji's face finally faded, and his expression became somewhat stiff.
"I heard that Akainu even destroyed a..." Taro continued.
"Say no more, Rear Admiral Taro. We are Marines; following orders is enough!"
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