Faced with Taro's confusion, Neptune said no more and simply left, leaving Taro completely dazed.
What the hell!
Being so secretive!
He pulled out a dose of fierce medicine and examined it closely, but since he was no scientific expert, he couldn't make heads or tails of it.
The only thing he could think of was the drug's effect: gaining immense power in a short time at the cost of a shortened lifespan.
This was very similar to the "mighty water" that had appeared in Alabasta.
Was there some connection between "energy steroids" and "mighty water"?
Both Alabasta and Fish-Man Island had poneglyphs, and both possessed a "secret medicine."
Furthermore, "Dark King" was highly likely hidden somewhere beneath the sands of Alabasta,
while "Poseidon" was confirmed to be Princess Shirahoshi of Fish-Man Island.
These two countries shared far too many similarities.
In the grand scheme of things, there seemed to be countless threads connecting them!
In an instant, Taro felt as though he had touched upon some "answers to the mystery" once again!
...Alabasta, Capital City Alabasta.
On the high terrace of the palace courtyard, King Cobra was staring blankly into the distance.
Igaram, the Captain of the Royal Guard, walked over with a cloak and gently draped it over Cobra's shoulders.
"Your Majesty, you must be missing Princess Vivi!"
He could see that the direction Cobra was facing was exactly where the Sabaody Archipelago lay.
"Ah, it's Igaram and Chaka!" Cobra glanced to the side before turning back.
"Vivi should have arrived at Fish-Man Island by now, right?"
Chaka, the Guardian God of the Kingdom, nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. According to the message Pell sent this morning, they will arrive at Fish-Man Island before noon!"
Hearing this, Cobra suddenly laughed. "Then Vivi must have met Taro by now, hasn't she?"
Igaram and Chaka's expressions stiffened instantly. "Your Majesty, have you still not given up on your previous idea?"
"Taro is a very outstanding young man!" Cobra turned around with a smile on his face.
"You all know how Elmar is developing currently. Besides, he isn't married, so what's the problem?"
Igaram's lip twitched. "Your Majesty, Her Highness Vivi seems to..."
Cobra waved his hand, cutting Igaram off. "That's just because they don't know each other well. This time is the perfect opportunity!"
Chaka was even more speechless. "Your Majesty, did you agree to Taro's request solely because of this?"
"Why else?"
Cobra looked back toward the Sabaody Archipelago. "It would be best if Vivi could directly conceive a..."
"Cough, cough, cough-cough!" Igaram and Chaka broke into a fit of violent coughing.
Cobra laughed loudly upon hearing the two coughing behind him.
However, a trace of sorrow lingered between his brows as he murmured:
"What exactly did the Alabasta Royal Family do to this world 800 years ago? At the World Conference in two years, I must finally get a clear answer!"
"Vivi, I'm sorry..."
Igaram and Chaka finally stopped coughing and, hearing Cobra's faint voice, asked, "Your Majesty, what did you say?"
Cobra withdrew his gaze and turned to walk toward the palace. "It's nothing, just some lamentations. I'm getting old; lately, I feel my health is declining. Just a bit of wind is enough to wear me out!"
"Let's go, let's head back!"
...Fish-Man Island.
Inside the captain's quarters of the "ink dragon."
Taro locked the large bag of fierce medicine in the safe, thinking about bringing it to show King Cobra the next time he returned to Alabasta.
Or perhaps he could ask Cobra for some "mighty water" to conduct a comparative study; he might discover something.
Then, he sat back down at his desk, preparing to write some documents.
The connection between the Sabaody Archipelago and Fish-Man Island was becoming increasingly close, so many plans had to be made in advance.
"Hmm?"
Taro noticed a photo frame on the desk; he remembered it hadn't been there before.
He flipped it over and took a glance, his lip twitching instantly. It was the chibi-style sketch Robin had drawn of him back then.
He recalled that the sketch had been folded and placed in the pocket of his casual clothes; it seemed Old Mike had found it, found a frame, and mounted it.
This guy really was good at everything except being a Marine!
Taro had forgotten all about it, mostly because Robin's portraiture was... hard to describe.
However, judging by the exquisiteness of the frame, Mike had clearly put some thought into it.
"Whatever, let it stay there!"
Taro rubbed his face, placed the frame at the edge of the desk, and refocused on writing the development plan... In the New World, the former G-1 Fortress, now the Marineford "New Marineford."
Because the new Fleet Admiral Akainu kept a grim face all day, the atmosphere of the entire Marineford had become much more solemn.
Expansion and renovations were being accelerated everywhere in hopes of making the place worthy of being the Marineford.
Inside the office of Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Navy Grand Staff Officer, a visitor arrived.
"Little sister, why have you come so suddenly?" Vice Admiral Tsuru poured a cup of tea for Momousagi, her brow slightly furrowed.
Momousagi crossed her legs and took a small sip of tea. "I heard the headquarters moved, so I came to take a look!"
Tsuru gave her a helpless glance. "This is just the former G-1 Branch; what's there to see? Tell the truth!"
Momousagi didn't rush to respond, leaning back on the sofa and looking out the window.
Tsuru's frown deepened. "Are you here for the Admiral position?"
Momousagi finally turned back, her lips curling slightly. "And if I am?"
"I don't actually believe that. You should know that the candidates for Admiral won't be finalized until the 'World Conscription' is over!"
Tsuru crossed her hands and rested her chin on them.
"The position of Admiral is a bargaining chip to attract the world's top experts!"
Momousagi straightened up and stretched lazily.
"I know. I'm not really interested in the Admiral position anyway. I've been an Admiral Candidate for so many years; I'm used to it!"
Then, her expression suddenly turned serious. "I came because I want to tell you something!"
"Hmm?"
"CP0 has been frequently visiting the Sabaody Archipelago these past few days. If I remember correctly, that kid is the commander of Sabaody, right?" Momousagi said gravely.
Tsuru's eyes sharpened momentarily, but she quickly relaxed.
Momousagi stood up from the sofa. "Knowing how much you value that kid, I came specifically to tell you. However, as for what CP0 is actually investigating, I have no idea."
After saying that, she walked toward the door, opened it, and then turned back to say,
"By the way, there seem to be a few new faces in CP0 lately!"
Long after Momousagi had left, Tsuru finally snapped out of her thoughts and grabbed a den den mushi.
"Garp, return to Marineford immediately!"
"His identity as a member of the d clan seems like it can't be hidden anymore!"
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