Kureha still didn't respond to the information Taro revealed, appearing not to care.
Taro waited for a while, but seeing that Kureha had no intention of speaking, he felt quite helpless.
"Is it because I'm a Marine and not a member of the d clan that you can't tell me?"
Kureha took a bold swig of wine and stared at Taro from the side. "You could say that!"
Taro frowned. "Does Blackbeard hide deep secrets of the d clan?"
Kureha didn't expect Taro to blurt out such a judgment. Her expression turned serious, and she looked over solemnly.
"Knowing that I'm acquainted with Pirate King Gol D. Roger..."
"...and being involved with so many 'D's like Monkey D. Dragon, Portgas D. Ace, and Marshall D. Teach, and now asking about this—what are you trying to do?"
Kureha's reaction gave Taro a sudden realization.
It seemed Blackbeard's status within the d clan was indeed unusual; no wonder he became a boss.
This guy had plans to seize the Dark-Dark Fruit very early on, knew the location of the Rocks Pirates' base, and every move he made was purposeful.
Calculating and with interlocking plans—truly a chosen one!
Taro thought for a moment and waved his hand.
"You've misunderstood. I only want information on Blackbeard. As for the Will of D, Legacy, and all that, I have no interest!"
Kureha looked at Taro with burning eyes, seemingly judging how much of his words were sincere.
Taro thought for a bit and spoke again.
"Dr. Kureha, since you don't want to answer anything related to the Will of D, I'll change the question!"
"I've heard that people from the Snow Country don't need to sleep!" (PS: Luffy heard this in a bar as a child and later told Sanji.)
"So, is Blackbeard from the Drum Kingdom?"
This time, Kureha didn't hesitate and gave an answer immediately.
"No!"
Taro nodded. So, Blackbeard doesn't sleep because his body is different from normal people?
However, Kureha chuckled, somewhat mockingly.
"Tch, little guy, that's a ridiculous question. Do people in the Sakura Kingdom need to sleep? You came here so late; can't you sense it?"
Taro's brow furrowed instantly. His Internal Energy surged and spread out rapidly.
There were people here who needed to sleep!
His gaze darkened.
"In other words, the Drum Kingdom isn't a 'Snow Country' in that sense?"
Kureha didn't speak, a mysterious smile on her Face.
This was tricky. There are many Winter Islands in this world; which one, or ones, are the'Snow Countries' where people don't sleep?
"Was the previous user of Wapol's Nuke Nuke no Mi from the Drum Kingdom?"
Taro asked after some thought.
Kureha shook her head slightly and continued drinking.
"I don't know about that..."
"Don't look at me like that, kid! I'm a doctor, not a scientist. I have no interest in researching Devil Fruits!"
"Doctors only deal with facts and prescribe medicine accordingly. We don't make wild hypotheses like scientists like Vegapunk!"
Taro felt a bit disappointed. He had thought he could get some useful information from Kureha.
Now, it only confirmed that Blackbeard's body was a 'freak' of three-in-one.
While Taro was lost in thought, Kureha suddenly spoke.
"Kid, you said you have no interest in the d clan?"
Taro didn't understand why she was bringing this up again. He paused before nodding.
"Yeah, I'm really not interested. I'm only asking about Blackbeard to understand my opponent better!"
Kureha's eyes flickered, and she laughed.
"It's more than that, isn't it? Your attitude toward that pirate named Luffy seems quite unusual!"
Taro raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled.
"It's nothing special. It would be boring if he died too early, and there are some holes that only he can fill. No one else has the ability to find the answers! Why are you suddenly saying this?"
Kureha gave Taro a meaningful look. "Holes? Answers?"
Taro scratched his head.
"It's hard to explain in a short time. Just consider it me showing Face to Garp and Dragon. Anyway, I don't have any ill will toward him!"
"Taro, let's make a deal!" Kureha spoke again after a while.
Taro's body shuddered, and he shook his head firmly.
"No, I've said I'm not interested in participating in medical research!"
Kureha had a sinister smile, looking like an old witch trying to bewitch someone.
"I can tell you about some past events—ones you'll definitely be interested in!"
Hearing this, Taro hesitated. "About Blackbeard?"
"No, Dragon!" Kureha wagged her finger.
Dragon's past?
Taro was stunned for a moment but still shook his head. "If I wanted to know about his past, I could just ask him directly..."
Kureha didn't wait for him to finish and spoke directly.
"I met Dragon twenty-two years ago!"
"Twenty-two years ago? sea calendar 1498?"
"That was the year Pirate King Roger was publicly executed!"
Well, this successfully piqued Taro's interest. He asked cautiously:
"What's your deal?"
Kureha burst into laughter.
"Heeheehee! Kid, don't be so nervous. I just think your body is strange; I won't force you into research!"
As she spoke, her laughter died down, replaced by a serious and somewhat worried tone.
"The newspapers say the entire Straw Hat Pirates crew is dead, but when you mentioned the Straw Hat just now, your words told me that's not the case!"
"What I want to know is, how is the one called Tony Tony Chopper doing?"
Taro breathed a sigh of relief. "Is that all? You should have said so!"
"They're all alive. Chopper is currently training on an island, though I forget the name. All I know is that it's an island with many giant birds!"
Kureha's eyes lit up, then a smile appeared on her lips as she whispered.
"Is that so? That's good!"
Then, she nodded.
"Twenty-two years ago, Dragon was my patient. That's how I met him!"
A powerhouse like Dragon could get sick?
"What illness did he have?" Taro was curious.
Kureha shook her head slightly.
"Strictly speaking, it wasn't an illness, but an injury!"
"An uncontrollable, violent power was raging wildly inside his body!"
"And even today, that power is still affecting him!"
Taro was confused, unable to make sense of it for a moment.
Who could heavily injure Dragon? And the residual power still remains now?
What does this have to do with the timing of Roger's execution?
He carefully recalled "Roger's public execution" and Dragon's few appearances in his mind.
Suddenly, his eyes widened, and his lips trembled.
"You... you mean the... marks on Dragon's Face were left after that treatment?"
Holy crap! Taro was stunned!
He remembered that in Chapter 0 of One Piece, when Roger was publicly executed, there were no Slipper Marks on Dragon's Face.
Which means...
Dragon went somewhere after Roger died,
...was heavily injured,
...and finally came to the Drum Kingdom, which was still a Medical Powerhouse at the time, to seek treatment!
Then...
...he went to Marijoa and met her?!"
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