In the lounge.
Taro leaned back on the bed, organizing the intelligence he had gathered during this time; he felt himself becoming increasingly busy.
He needed to visit the spatial passage at the Enies Lobby waterfall to retrieve that newspaper and rummage through that pile of clutter to see if there was anything else useful.
Monkey D. Dragon seemed to hold some secrets regarding Marijoa and 'uranus', as well as that line of the poneglyph recorded at the Origin Factory.
This time, Rocks had'spilled everything' during our talk; although he provided a lot of information, many mysteries remained unsolved.
Furthermore, many signs pointed toward Wano Country; it seemed he needed to find an opportunity to go there, which meant Kaido was back in his sights!
Finally, there was Dr. Vegapunk's 'endeavor'; the things this big shot of the scientific world was planning seemed to be nearing completion!
As expected, it would have been better to just be a salted fish from the very beginning!
"Knock, knock, knock!"
A crisp knocking sound came from the door. Taro frowned and sat up.
"Come in."
The visitor hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open and entering; it was Rob Lucci.
"Just you?" Taro asked casually.
Lucci lowered his gaze. "Just me!"
Taro stared at Lucci for a while, then nodded. "Have a seat."
Lucci took a deep breath, stopped being hesitant, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Taro tossed him a bottle of wine and noticed that Lucci hadn't even brought his pigeon named Hattori. He raised an eyebrow.
"Need something from me?"
Lucci was silent for a while.
"You didn't say it was us who told you. Thank you."
Taro was stunned for a moment, then let out a light laugh.
"Heh, you mean about you telling me that Wan Luo was spying on Marijoa?"
He waved his hand. "That doesn't matter. Even if I dragged you into it, you aren't qualified to take responsibility for it anyway!"
Lucci certainly knew that he and Kaku were not worthy of being responsible for this matter, but he was still very grateful to Taro.
He knew the World Government's way of doing things very well; those who failed missions and those with no utility value did not deserve to live in this world.
After a long silence, he spoke again.
"I want to ask you for a favor!"
Taro leaned against the desk, looking at Lucci with interest. This gloomy and ruthless fellow seemed to have changed a bit since being terrified on Sicily Island last time?
"Oh? Let's hear it!"
"If Kaku and I don't make it through this time, I'd like to ask you to look after Jabra and the others for me!" Lucci hesitated for a long time before turning to look at Taro, his tone solemn.
Taro frowned and didn't speak.
Lucci's heart sank, and his expression became even more serious. "You're unwilling?"
Taro waved his hand. "I wasn't speaking just now, I was just thinking. Uh, who is Jabra?"
Lucci's eyes constricted, his breathing grew heavier, and his tone became stiff.
"He's my comrade from CP9. You should have met him back at Enies Lobby!"
Oh, oh, those guys!
Taro suddenly realized. Damn, how the hell would I remember those guys' names!
"When you mention them again, just use 'Kalifa and the others' to refer to your comrades. I remember Kalifa's name!"
A slight smile appeared on Taro's face.
This smile caused Lucci to frown deeply. He knew about the rumors regarding Taro and the incident where Taro flirted with Kalifa at Enies Lobby.
This made Lucci's breathing even heavier. If it weren't for the uncertain future he and Kaku faced, he wouldn't have come to Taro even if it killed him.
"It's Kalifa and the others. My request...!"
"Are they in CP0 too?" Taro interrupted Lucci.
Lucci was stunned for a moment before responding, "No! When the World Government conscripted us again, they... they didn't accept!"
Taro thought for a while. "I don't agree to this!"
Seeing Lucci move as if he wanted to say something, Taro raised his hand and pressed down slightly.
"I don't have the spare time to manage you guys. I already made it very clear on Sicily Island!"
"Sparing you that time was only because you once saved a town from pirates!"
As he spoke, he stared into Lucci's eyes.
"Also, you won't die for now! If you want to look after them, do it yourself!"
Lucci was a bit confused by the end. The Gorosei had judged that the Wanluos Group was spying on Marijoa based on Spandam's report.
And it was Lucci who had told Spandam to explain to the World Government by any means necessary.
Now, Admiral Aramaki had judged that the Wanluos Group was not the real culprit.
So, from any perspective, Lucci had failed the mission and had to take the blame!
Therefore, Lucci felt that this time, he and Kaku were doomed!
Taro saw that Lucci didn't seem to understand the reason and smiled.
"You fellow, you really don't understand the psychology of those who play power politics!"
Lucci heard a glimmer of hope for survival in Taro's words, automatically filtered out the mockery, and his expression tightened.
"How so?"
The smile on Taro's face deepened.
"Regardless of whether the Wanluos Group is the real culprit, they must be the culprit on the surface! It's simply a matter of not pursuing them anymore!"
"You CP0 are the face of the Celestial Dragons. Wouldn't killing you be like slapping their own faces?"
"How could the Celestial Dragons be wrong? How could the Gorosei be deceived?"
"Knowing the error, correcting the error, but never admitting the error. Understand?"
Lucci thought for a while but was still a bit puzzled.
"But, but, such a huge mistake was made in this mission... someone has to die!"
Taro gave him a faint glance.
"Someone does have to die!"
"However, with the current CP0 being increasingly short-handed, there is someone even more useless than you and Kaku! So, he can be the one to die!"
Lucci was stunned for a moment, frowning and thinking for a good while before reacting.
"You mean... Spandam?"
Taro grinned. "Thought of it?"
"Suddenly killing you and Kaku wouldn't be a huge deal, but you've been too active recently; it would inevitably pique the interest of those with intentions!"
"There are no secrets in this world that can be hidden! Once someone takes an interest, how long can such a massive blunder be concealed?"
"And Spandam was already a discarded pawn. Killing him would serve as a way to vent some frustration! More importantly, it not only keeps you useful ones around but also makes CP0 more loyal and cohesive, showcasing the Celestial Dragons' trust in CP0!"
Speaking to this point, Taro raised an eyebrow, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.
"Oh, and perhaps there will be an unexpected pleasant surprise!"
"For instance, a certain guy might be moved for a moment and help persuade a few comrades to return to CP!"
As Lucci listened to Taro's words, he grew more and more shocked until he finally stood up in alarm, his face full of terror.
"You, you..."
"You actually understand the psychology of those above so thoroughly!"
Actually, his shock wasn't limited to this; there was also Taro's last sentence. He thought about it carefully and realized he might actually do that.
Just what kind of monster is this Taro!
Taro looked at the extremely shocked Lucci and gave a sneer.
"Those who play with power—how could they let you die easily without squeezing out every last bit of your residual value!"
"There's nothing new in history; it's all just recycled tricks!"
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