"Second Lieutenant Taro," a soldier ran out from the Marine Soldiers. It was the Marine Sergeant accompanying Taro. "Please let go of Colonel Nezumi first, there are still..."
Taro glared at the Sergeant. "Didn't you hear what he just said? Hm?"
The Marine Sergeant shrank his neck in fear. "He is a Colonel, after all, and you are currently only a... I think it would be better to report this to Headquarters for handling."
Taro pondered for a moment, nodded, and said, "What you said makes sense..."
"But he blocked my way for no reason, and now I'm very angry."
"If you get angry and don't vent, it's bad for your health, so..."
Saying this, Taro suddenly exerted force on his hands, slammed Colonel Nezumi onto the ground, and immediately followed up with a series of Street Fighting Moves, quickly beating Colonel Nezumi until his face resembled a pig's head.
Taro let out a breath and stretched his wrists. "Venting complete. Fall in!"
"Wait a minute!"
Taro was about to leave when Nami suddenly called out to him.
"Are you a Marine?"
Taro looked at Nami with a hint of complex emotion, while Luffy and the others were somewhat wary.
He sighed. "Yes, my name is Taro. As you can see, I am a Marine."
Seeing that Nami wanted to speak, Taro smiled and stopped her. "Today is a happy day. Go ahead and cheer and celebrate. We won't disturb you."
After Taro finished speaking, he turned and left.
"Second Lieutenant Taro, but they are..." The Marine Sergeant hesitated.
Taro did not stop walking and continued toward the sea. "I know, but I'm in a good mood today, so let's not talk about anything depressing."
He then turned his head back, looked at the Main Crew, and showed a brilliant smile. "We will meet again!"
Hearing the waves of cheers rising behind him from afar, Taro smiled even more happily... Lying on a deck chair on the Marine ship's deck, Taro still had a smile in his eyes. What a huge harvest.
Although he didn't learn Zoro's Swordsmanship, he learned some of Luffy's and Sanji's Moves. More importantly, avoiding conflict with the Main Crew was crucial.
Inside the Marine ship's resting room, Colonel Nezumi woke up. He grabbed the den den mushi. "Hello, hello, is this Marine Headquarters?"
On the other side of the den den mushi, a lazy voice responded, "This is Marine Headquarters."
"This is Colonel Nezumi of Marine 16th Branch, Marine ID 00733. Listen closely..."
"List a pirate wearing a Straw Hat named Luffy, along with his four subordinates, as enemies of our government..."
"Furthermore, there is a Second Lieutenant in the Marine named Taro who is colluding with the Straw Hat crew..."
"Now, send the photos over."
"Headquarters received. We will verify the situation as soon as possible and report it to superiors for processing."
Colonel Nezumi hung up the den den mushi with a 'click' and laughed sinisterly... "Dong, dong."
At Marineford, the door to the Fleet Admiral's office was knocked upon. Sengoku lifted his head from the desk piled high with documents, glanced at Garp snoring on the nearby sofa, and sighed helplessly:
"Enter."
"Report, Fleet Admiral! Urgent information has been sent back from the 16th Branch!" A Marine Soldier pushed the door open, saluted, and reported loudly.
"Speak."
"Colonel Nezumi of the 16th Branch has exposed Second Lieutenant Taro of Marineford for colluding with pirates. These are the photos and Colonel Nezumi's report."
The Marine Soldier said this while handing over a set of Materials with both hands.
Sengoku suddenly stood up from his seat, snatched the documents, and quickly flipped through them, his expression becoming volatile.
He waved his hand, signaling the Marine Soldier to withdraw, and seeing Garp still sleeping soundly with his mouth open, he roared, "Garp!"
Garp's snoring abruptly ceased. He woke up groggily and yawned widely, saying, "Ararara":
"Sengoku, what are you yelling about?"
Sengoku slammed the documents onto the desk. "Look at this! This is the Marine you said had the Potential to be an Admiral, and in the blink of an eye, he's mixed up with pirates!"
Garp was stunned for a moment before realizing Sengoku was talking about Taro. He stood up from the sofa, took the documents, and looked through them, making sounds of admiration ("Tsk tsk") as he read.
"This kid actually managed to defeat Arlong,"
"His companions look alright."
Sengoku watched Garp flipping through the documents and listening to him muttering to himself, a row of black lines appearing on his forehead. His expression darkened slightly. "What exactly are you talking about?"
Garp gave a faint "Oh," skipped the information regarding the Straw Hat Pirates, and looked at the information afterward. "I don't see anything in these photos. Isn't Taro just sitting honestly on the side?"
"He didn't do anything, and this isn't enough to prove he colluded with pirates."
Sengoku grew even angrier at Garp's attitude. "Didn't you see him assaulting a superior officer and retreating without fighting a pirate?"
Garp waved his hand casually. "Sengoku, he's just a Second Lieutenant. Didn't you question his strength before?"
"Facing a pirate who could defeat Arlong, Strategic Retreat is understandable, right?"
"As for assaulting a superior officer, there's probably more to the story. We can just ask him when he gets back."
Garp didn't take any of this seriously. It was just a branch Colonel. Taro was a Second Lieutenant at Marineford appointed by him, so hitting the Colonel was fine; it wasn't a big deal anyway.
Sengoku's hair stood on end from anger. "You..."
Garp raised his hand and pressed it down. "Now, now, don't get excited, old buddy. Hearing only one side leads to ignorance. Let's wait to hear what Taro has to say before deciding."
Sengoku turned his face away from Garp, snorted, and pondered with a frown while looking at the calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall beside him, which read "Reigning Justice."
"Don't worry. Once you meet him, you'll know. He's a very good young man and wouldn't intentionally cause trouble."
Garp continued to comfort Sengoku.
"Fine, then I'll give him a chance." Sengoku snorted coldly again, looking at the indifferent Garp as he spoke... Marineford.
"Did you hear? Taro is coming back soon."
"Who is Taro?"
"The light of the marines! You don't know that?"
"The Marine Recruit who supposedly has Admiral-level strength?"
"I heard his strength is above that of an Admiral."
"Yes, that's what I heard too."
"Can newcomers nowadays be that strong?"
"He's not just any newcomer; he's a powerhouse who made Hawkeye retreat defeated."
"That's right, a whole ship full of Marine Soldiers saw it."
In the corridor, a group of Marine Soldiers huddled together, noisily chatting and gossiping.
Two chore boys nearby were listening with pricked ears: a short, slightly chubby guy with pink hair, and a tall, skinny guy with yellow hair.
The two exchanged glances, both seeing shock and envy in the other's eyes.
"What are you all noisily arguing about?"
A commanding voice sounded, immediately followed by a burly figure appearing.
He was tall, with distinct facial features and a resolute expression. He wore a wine-red uniform, had a pink rose tucked into his left breast pocket, and was draped in the great cloak symbolizing the rank of Marine Admiral.
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