Whether or not he married Vivi, Taro was bound to overthrow Lord Imu sooner or later.
Therefore, his decision to be with Vivi didn't involve much consideration of other factors.
Zephyr initially felt it was inappropriate by instinct, but after seeing that Taro still held onto his original intention despite knowing the enemy he would face, he felt relieved instead!
After laughing for a while, he looked at Taro intently for a moment.
"In that case, I won't be the villain! Taro, congratulations!"
"Hehe," Taro gave a mischievous laugh and scratched his head. "Teacher, once Vivi sets the date, I'll invite you to drink the wedding wine!"
Zephyr's eyes flickered. "If I go to the Grand Line again, won't it cause trouble for you?"
Taro waved his hand dismissively.
"What trouble could there be? Those CP0 lapdogs aren't allowed in my jurisdiction now. Besides, your fleet doesn't need to come over; if they overreact, it'll just make them look petty!"
Zephyr naturally didn't want to miss his most valued student's engagement ceremony, but he still hesitated.
"After all, there was an agreement before..."
Taro grabbed Zephyr's arm. "Oh, agreement or no agreement, no contract was signed. At most, it's just maintaining a mutual understanding now!"
"If the time is right, they'll want to tear up those agreements more than anyone!"
Saying that, he gave a mocking laugh.
"They are very aware of this, and so am I! Please, don't worry!"
How could suspicion and jealousy be so easily eliminated?
When weak, set aside disputes; when strong, claim it's been ours since ancient times!
This is the truth, no matter which world it is!
Naturally, both Taro and the World Government understood this logic!
Taro simply lacked the strength for now, and the World Government had its own reservations!
Once Taro's physical strength caught up with these native pirates and his Internal Energy became more abundant,
Or once the World Government finished its deployment and made up its mind,
Then, both sides would be eager to see who could flip the table faster!
Since Taro had spoken so bluntly, Zephyr no longer had any misgivings.
"Very well, I will definitely be there when the time comes!"
"Roughly when will it be?"
Taro thought for a moment and said uncertainly,
"Vivi is a very decisive girl; her decisions are always firm. I think... it should be next month?"
"October?" Zephyr murmured, his tone somewhat strange.
Taro was stunned for a moment. "Is there... some arrangement in October?"
Zephyr waved his hand. "No, nothing! I just recalled some past events!"
Taro was curious. "Oh?"
"You kid, you're curious about everything!"
Zephyr chuckled. "The day after tomorrow, October 1st, is the 22nd anniversary of Roger's execution!"
This could be considered a piece of gossip!
Taro remembered that Ace was the same age as him, born in the sea calendar year 1500, over a year after Roger's death.
"October 3rd is the day Garp became the 'marine hero'!" Zephyr added with another sigh!
Taro's eyebrows twitched. "The God Valley Incident? The day the Rocks Pirates were wiped out?"
Zephyr was a bit surprised. "Oh? Garp told you?"
Saying that, he didn't wait for Taro to answer and laughed first.
"Ah, Vegapunk told me that those people suspected you had connections with the Rocks Pirates. It's only natural that Garp would tell you about what happened back then!"
Taro didn't explain further. From Zephyr's words, he could tell that the friendship between Zephyr and Vegapunk was not simple.
Considering Vegapunk gave the pacifist to Zephyr, there was likely another story between the two!
"Teacher, do you really not know Dr. Vegapunk's plans?"
Taro couldn't help but ask once more.
Zephyr shook his head. "It's not what you think. Between us, most of the time, I only know what he chooses to tell me. He rarely answers what I ask!"
Taro's lip twitched. Right, that guy was just like that!
However, because of this, Taro felt a bit more balanced; at least it proved Vegapunk didn't treat him any differently!
He really treats everyone the same, haha!
"By the way, I remembered something. When I went to see Vegapunk before, he told me that the kid Kuzan had gone to see him!"
Zephyr suddenly slapped his forehead, looking like he had just realized something.
"Since you're in the Marine, have you received any intelligence regarding Kuzan lately? Where is he? What is he doing?"
When Taro and Zephyr first met, Zephyr mentioned that there was a guy who, like them, loved drinking Sherry.
Later, Taro knew Zephyr was referring to Aokiji!
"No, after he left the Marine, no one has seen him again!"
Speaking of Aokiji, that guy had vanished for two whole years.
In the original story, he didn't reappear until he saved Smoker from Mingo, and then, not long after, news spread that he had joined the Blackbeard Pirates!
Blackbeard?
As Taro thought about it, a flash of inspiration hit him.
Holy crap! Reiju mentioned their agreed-upon date was in five days, right?
Five days from now is October 3rd! The day the Rocks Pirates were destroyed!
What does Blackbeard mean by specifically choosing this day for the decisive battle with the Whitebeard Pirates Remnants?
These guys, why is every single one of them deliberately trying to create a sense of "Legacy" from others!
Shanks's behavior and bold personality are imitating Roger!
Blackbeard's ship is called the "Saber of Xebec," and his base is on Pirate Island—he's paying tribute to Rocks!
Of course, in others' eyes, Taro is also imitating Garp in every way!
Zephyr saw Taro deep in thought, his brow furrowing deeper.
"Hmm? What are you thinking about now?"
Taro snapped back to reality, his eyes lowered as he said softly, "Nothing..."
Zephyr frowned, his tone carrying a hint of anger.
"You brat, do you think I'm old and useless? Is that why you're deliberately hiding things from me?"
Taro gripped Zephyr's arm and shook his head repeatedly.
"How could that be? I just remembered the Blackbeard Pirates. Aside from that old woman, the other two who contacted the Germa Kingdom were Blackbeard's men!"
"He's been lying low ever since he went deep into the New World. His sudden appearance this time has me a bit concerned!"
Saying that, Taro smiled.
"Teacher, don't worry. I'll deal with Blackbeard myself!"
Zephyr stared at Taro for a while, somewhat puzzled.
"I've heard about your attitude towards that pirate. I'm actually quite perplexed—why do you seem to 'target' him so excessively?"
Taro snorted disdainfully.
"At first, I just simply disliked him. Now, I've found that he seems to be involved in many things!"
"If I let him expand his influence, he will definitely become an obstacle to what I want to do in the future. So, I cannot tolerate him!"
Hearing that it would cause trouble for future matters, Zephyr stopped asking and nodded.
"In that case, if it can be resolved early, resolve it as soon as possible!"
Taro chuckled.
"Of course!"
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