"Fufufufu, this guy has gotten stronger again, huh? I'm really looking forward to the moment I challenge your position!" Doflamingo, crouched on the ground, sneered and glanced at Mihawk.
"Hawkeyes" Mihawk had gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand the moment Whitebeard appeared. If not for Taro's sudden arrival, he might have already drawn his blade.
Now, seeing Taro and Whitebeard clash blades, his gaze sharpened slightly, his Falcon-like pupils instantly contracting, becoming incredibly piercing.
However, in the end, he slowly released the hilt, crossed his arms over his chest, completely following Doflamingo's lead.
"Empress" Boa Hancock frowned deeply, also shocked by the formidable strength Taro displayed. Although she had some prior understanding, it seemed she had still underestimated Taro.
Sabaody Archipelago.
Among the crowd watching the live broadcast, the group of pirate "Supernovas" also stared with their mouths agape in surprise.
"Captain" Kid's eyes were filled with Battle Intent, a cruel smile spreading across his lips.
"Surgeon of Death" Law's gaze darkened, his hand gripping the sword on his shoulder unconsciously tightening.
"Senior Photo King, this Marine is really that strong?" asked Wan Luo, one of the assistants to the Flame Photo Hero—a handsome youth with black hair and a slender build.
Beside him, the girl with pink hair and exquisite features, Wan Shi, also turned her gaze towards Photo King.
"Hmm," Photo King nodded, taking several close-up shots before finally speaking slowly,
"When I left the Marines, Taro was still a Rear Admiral. Even back then, he was already called the 'light of the marines' and possessed the strength of a Marine Admiral..."
As Photo King recounted, the two journalism newcomers gradually became so shocked they seemed petrified... Seeing that Taro could hold his own against him in a blade clash, Whitebeard's mouth curled slightly into an inexplicable smile.
"Brat, you do have some skill."
"But with just this much ability, you're not qualified to tell me what to do!"
Whitebeard roared, putting more strength into his hands. A white halo enveloped the blade of Murakumogiri.
Immediately after, intense tremors erupted, the immense force nearly wrenching Taro's sword from his grasp. Under the heavy pressure, his feet shattered the solid ice as he barely managed to steady himself.
[Naginata: Rapid Learning Successful]
The moment he received the notification, the violent tremors suddenly exploded. With a "BOOM," Taro was sent flying backward.
"Crack, cr-cr-cr-crack"
Taro was sent skidding back, breaking through dozens of meters of ice before finally managing to push off with his feet, leaping into the air. After several flips to disperse the force, he landed below the execution platform and came to a stop.
"Wahahaha, you little rascal, you really make this old man proud!" Garp laughed heartily, slapping Taro's shoulder heavily several times.
Taro had just barely managed to stay on his feet after Whitebeard's attack. Suddenly subjected to Garp's heavy slaps, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground.
Garp's raised hand froze mid-air, his expression turning slightly awkward.
Having unceremoniously fallen flat, Taro's mouth twitched. He looked up at Garp helplessly, "Vice Admiral, are you deliberately trying to make me lose face? There are 100,000 Marines down there watching! My lifelong reputation! Ruined!"
"Pah, since when do you care about that?" Vice Admiral Tsuru scoffed, "Where's that shameless, thick-skinned attitude you have when you're eating buns?"
Already on the ground, Taro simply sat cross-legged. He grinned, tilted his head back, and shouted loudly towards the top of the execution platform, "Fleet Admiral, I'm not considered late, right?"
Sengoku looked down at Taro, gave a noncommittal "Hmm," then picked up the den den mushi.
"All ships, aim at the enemy vessels. Commence bombardment!"
Soon, earth-shaking cannon fire rained down. The 100,000 Marines roared as they charged out, while the Whitebeard Pirates simultaneously launched their assault.
The war had begun!
"Taro, how are your injuries?" Vice Admiral Tsuru asked with concern.
Taro was intently watching the battlefield ahead and waved his hand dismissively, completely unconcerned.
"Just a minor injury, nothing serious!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru was about to speak further when Kizaru, on the other side, moved. His body transformed into yellow light, shooting into the sky before solidifying again. He crossed his hands, then spread them apart, uttering a low shout.
"Yasakani no Magatama"
Countless golden beams of light, like shooting stars, shot straight towards Whitebeard.
[Yasakani no Magatama Learning Successful]
This skill is great! Taro thought to himself with delight.
Since he was determined to be a qualified'screen emperor,' how could he miss out on a divine skill like the 'Eight-Foot Outline Jade'!
It's just a pity he arrived a step too late earlier and missed out on learning Aokiji's signature move, the 'Ice Age,' renowned for its 'Water-Releasing Era' reputation.
Taro felt a pang of regret.
Kizaru's attack was quickly blocked by Marco, the commander of Whitebeard's 1st Division. Kizaru himself was even kicked flying by 'Little Marco'.
A vivid demonstration of the principle: you do the amount of work your pay warrants.
Taro couldn't help but admire. A veteran actor is a veteran actor! That acting, impeccable! Not like himself, running around recently and getting beaten half to death.
There's still so much to learn. Taro gave a thumbs-up, giving Kizaru a like!
"Hmm? Kid, what are you doing?" Vice Admiral Tsuru, who was concerned about Taro's injuries, was the first to notice his gesture and asked in confusion.
Taro's mouth twitched. "N-nothing?"
Seeing his slight awkwardness, Vice Admiral Tsuru followed Taro's line of sight.
She saw the Empress fire a volley of "Slave Arrows," turning numerous pirates to stone. Then, leaping into the air, she defeated several pirate lieutenants with a series of kicks, her grace captivating.
"Is she nice to look at?" Vice Admiral Tsuru asked.
Taro was still marveling at Kizaru's acting skills and replied instinctively, "Yes, extremely captivating!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru's face darkened. Taro also realized he'd spoken too quickly. Glancing at Tsuru's expression out of the corner of his eye, he knew he was in trouble.
He quickly understood what Vice Admiral Tsuru was referring to and only then looked over.
Boa Hancock was wearing a purple cheongsam today, her figure curves clearly visible. The movement of her beautiful legs as she kicked made her even more alluring.
She really is nice to look at! Taro felt quite envious.
"Ahem!" Vice Admiral Tsuru coughed heavily. "Alright, stop pretending. I know you all too well."
Huh? Taro was a bit confused. Pretending? Old Lady, what do you know about me?
At that moment, a huge shadow appeared in the distance, drawing everyone's attention. A giant nearly 400 meters tall—twice the height of the Marine giant unit—slowly stepped onto the battlefield. With each step he took, the earth trembled.
The descendant of the "Continent-Puller" Oars, Little Oars Jr., had arrived on the battlefield.
His massive size and boundless strength quickly overwhelmed the Marine giant unit, bringing him before the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
"Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma raised both arms high, his large hands spread open, gathering the surrounding air and compressing it again and again.
Only when compressed to the point of his palms coming together, the air condensed, did he gently release. A compressed energy sphere of air, the size of a fist, flew out.
"Ursus Shock"
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