Upon hearing the names Taro uttered, King Neptune paled in shock and couldn't help but look at Jinbe.
"Jinbe, you..."
King Neptune assumed that Jinbe had ultimately chosen to contact the Big Mom Pirates, leading to the current scene.
"No, I haven't gone yet!"
Jinbe was equally shocked; understanding King Neptune's implication, he shook his head firmly in denial.
He had indeed planned to use that poneglyph to trade for the Big Mom Pirates' protection of Fish-Man Island, but the emergence of that "fairy tale" had caused him to temporarily set the idea aside.
"King Neptune, you all must return to the plaza immediately and question those officers about the situation!"
Taro turned around and looked at the Neptune Royal Family. "Among them, someone must know something!"
The moment Taro saw that woman present, he had already guessed how the opposition had infiltrated Ryugu Palace to rescue Vander Decken.
Given Ryugu Palace's design, it was naturally difficult for an average person to invade, but it was relatively much easier for an object to be smuggled in.
Furthermore, the thing that had infiltrated Ryugu Palace was merely a mirror!
That woman, who had eaten the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, possessed an ability—the "Mirror World"!
She could establish a connection with any mirror she had touched and travel through them at will.
By choosing different mirrors, she could reach any location she desired; such an ability was truly Heaven-Defying!
Therefore, all she had to do was send a mirror into Ryugu Palace.
And mirrors were an essential item in a place like Fish-Man Island, which was home to countless beautiful mermaids.
Against her ability, the defenses of Ryugu Palace were essentially non-existent.
Taro instantly understood the method they used to rescue Vander Decken.
But the question now was: why were these people from the Big Mom Pirates doing this?
He believed King Neptune wouldn't be double-dealing; it was impossible for him to hedge his bets by contacting Taro while also colluding with Big Mom.
noah was still falling, and Taro didn't have time for more consideration as he flew upward.
King Neptune understood the consequences of noah crashing down; without hesitation, he called his children to return to the plaza.
The Three Princes followed King Neptune back without delay, but Shirahoshi stayed behind. Amidst her hesitation, Jinbe had already bypassed her to chase after Taro, so she bit her lower lip and followed as well.
After Taro landed on noah's deck, Baron Tamago and the others showed no sign of panic.
Pekoms, the Lion-man, pulled out a stack of files and flipped through them quickly. After finding Taro's file and carefully comparing it with the photo, he said:
"Hmm... this person really is Marineford Headquarters Vice Admiral Taro, gao~"
Baron Tamago took the hot drink from his head and took a small sip.
"Pekoms, didn't we already know his name?"
As he spoke, he gave Taro a polite, ritualistic bow.
"Vice Admiral Taro, a pleasure to meet you. Good afternoon!"
Baron Tamago's movements and tone were extremely gentlemanly, which caught Taro off guard for a moment.
"Why are you here?"
Taro frowned as he looked at them and asked, "Has Hody Jones's New Fish-Man Pirates joined you?"
Before Baron Tamago and the other two could speak, Vander Decken burst into a wanton laugh.
"Ba-hahahaha! Taro, you didn't expect this, did you? Hody joining the Big Mom Pirates... ba-hahahaha, I suppose so!"
Taro's heart sank; things were becoming increasingly complicated.
The old witch-like woman beside them, however, shouted at Vander Decken:
"Is a piece of trash like Hody even worthy of being Mama's subordinate? This is just a transaction! Don't think too highly of yourselves!"
Although the woman's voice was somewhat raspy and unpleasant, the information she revealed improved Taro's mood slightly. He looked at her and offered a thin smile.
"Sorry, what was your name again?"
At that moment, Jinbe and Shirahoshi arrived. The Blue Fatty answered Taro's question.
"She is the eighth daughter of the Charlotte Family, the Minister of Flour, Charlotte Brulee!"
Shirahoshi, not considering that Taro's small frame couldn't possibly hide her massive body, cowered timidly behind him. She poked her head out with an aggrieved expression and looked at Baron Tamago and the others.
"Are you... are you all in league with Hody?"
"Hehehehe, Shirahoshi! You see this..."
The moment Vander Decken saw Shirahoshi, he forgot Brulee's mockery and instead cried out in excitement. However, before he could finish his sentence, he was slammed onto the deck with a loud 'bang'.
"Gravity Command!"
Taro drew a section of Raiu, and as Internal Energy surged and underwent mimetic transformation, two strands of bluish-purple Qi twined around his wrists. Immense gravity suddenly crushed Vander Decken into the ground.
"Vander Decken, you have no right to speak here!"
Taro spoke coldly. After finishing, his gaze swept over Brulee and the other two, finally settling on Baron Tamago.
"Based on what Brulee said, Hody made a deal with you, right?"
He knew that although Brulee was a direct descendant of the Charlotte Family, the actual combatants were Baron Tamago and Pekoms; Brulee's Devil Fruit Ability was of a supportive nature.
"I don't care what kind of deal you made. Now tell me! Are you planning to fight me?"
As he spoke, Taro drew Raiu another section, and the gravity spiked abruptly.
Boom!
The deck beneath Vander Decken creaked and shattered into countless cracks.
Finally, it collapsed completely. The massive gravitational suppression on Vander Decken was so intense that he couldn't even make a sound before falling straight through.
"You... are you threatening us? Threatening a member of Big Mom's Family?"
Brulee roared at Taro, pointing her finger in shock and rage.
Pekoms looked at Taro in shock, thinking he had misheard.
He raised his hand to adjust the sunglasses on his face. His funny and somewhat cute beady eyes were filled with disbelief.
Taro was in no mood to mock Pekoms's beady eyes; he just stared at Baron Tamago.
"A threat? You can interpret it that way if you like. But is this your answer?"
Brulee was about to speak again, but Baron Tamago blocked her with his cane-sword.
"We have fulfilled our agreement by bringing Vander Decken out. However, looking at Hody's state, it seems he won't be able to fulfill his promise!"
As he spoke, he placed the hot drink back on his head. "We will be leaving shortly!"
Before Baron Tamago's words had even faded, Brulee was already jumping in protest.
"No way! I only came out with you because I believed you when you said Fish-Man Island had delicious snacks. I'm not going back without getting my snacks!"
Pekoms also looked at Baron Tamago in surprise, not understanding why his partner would decide to leave so easily!
Hearing this, Jinbe was furious and questioned coldly:
"Delicious snacks? For the sake of some snacks, you would actually bring disaster upon Fish-Man Island!"
Does it seem completely unreasonable?
Big Mom is exactly that kind of neurotic!
Taro sighed. That crazy woman, Charlotte Linlin, had destroyed more than one island just because of snacks!
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