The moment Robin heard "poneglyph," the knife in her hand dropped. She assumed a stance, ready to strike at Taro.
Taro caught the falling knife first, then quickly waved his hands. "Don't be impulsive, let me finish."
"I know you're the only one in the world who can decipher the poneglyph; it's no secret."
"I'm not asking you to tell me right away. Just share it with me after you've deciphered all the poneglyphs."
"In return, not only will I teach you the Chinese language, but I also promise not to move against you. And, of course, that includes your... companions!"
Taro finished what he wanted to say in one breath, placing special emphasis on the word "companions."
Robin looked at the calm Taro and said coldly, "They are not my companions."
Taro waved his hand and said indifferently, "I'm not talking about them either."
Then he stood up and patted the sand off his butt. "Think it over carefully."
"Next time we meet, I'll have the Chinese language knowledge ready to give to you. I hope to hear good news from you as well."
"We will meet again soon."
After saying that, Taro walked toward his f·crocodile. Sitting on his mount, he turned back and said with a smile:
"When you leave, please help put out the campfire. Starting a fire in the wild is a serious crime!"
Then he drove the f·crocodile and sped away.
After running for a while, a smile appeared on Taro's lips, and he finally burst into laughter.
Giving a speech like that in front of Nico Robin felt amazing. He had completely stunned that older sister figure.
Running away after showing off—how exciting!
...Nico Robin watched the direction Taro had left, her brow furrowed. What a strange Marine!
Then she crossed her arms and softly uttered a word, "Dos Fleurs: Mastery."
Two huge palms suddenly appeared in the sand, each scooping up a handful of yellow sand and covering the campfire. The flames were instantly extinguished.
Having done this, Robin, who was about to set off, suddenly turned her head and looked into the distance. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes as she murmured, "Black hair, black eyes, a young man..."
...The horizon gradually turned pale. A groggy Taro felt his whole body aching; long-distance desert travel was truly not an easy journey.
He rubbed his cheeks vigorously to cheer himself up. Signs of human activity on the desert were gradually increasing. Occasionally, he would encounter travelers riding various mounts. Coupled with the faint salty smell of the sea in the morning breeze, Taro knew he was about to arrive at his destination.
After a while, a town appeared in Taro's field of vision. In the desert outside the town, countless tents were densely packed. Soldiers and civilians scurried back and forth, some transporting supplies, others giving morale-boosting speeches.
The gathering place of the Rebel Army, Katerea, had been reached.
Taro's heart sank slightly. The Rebel Army, which numbered 700,000, was actually mostly composed of civilians. Among them were the elderly and children who should have lived happy lives but were now forced to take up arms to fight. Their weapons were quite crude; even a single wooden stick had to be shared by several people.
That damn Crocodile, Taro cursed inwardly... Katerea, inner city area.
"Is the leader inside?" A Rebel Army messenger on horseback stopped outside a tent and asked the standing guard. After receiving an affirmative answer, he lifted the tent flap and walked in.
The Rebel Army leader, Koza, was lying on a pile of supplies, lost in thought.
He had brownish hair, wore glasses, had a scar over his left eye, and was dressed in a reddish-brown trench coat with orange gloves on his hands.
"Koza," the man who entered said, "a ship full of weapons will be arriving at the port later. I'm taking some men to receive it."
Koza nodded. "With today's batch and the final one tomorrow morning, we'll have a good supply of weapons."
The man sighed. "Even so, it's still far from enough."
Koza pondered for a moment. "There's no other way. At 8:00 tomorrow morning, we march on the Royal Capital. Coordinate with the other cities today."
"Yes."
After the man left, Koza was about to lie back down when he suddenly realized there was another person in the tent.
His body tensed instantly. He was wary of the person who had blended into the shadows of the tent but did not call for the guards.
He knew that if this person could sneak into his tent silently, they certainly had the ability to kill him instantly.
The visitor was Taro. Taro was a bit surprised by Koza's reaction. He thought Koza would call for the guards immediately and had prepared to subdue him, but the other party didn't shout.
As expected of the leader of 700,000 rebels, Taro thought with approval. It was rare for an ordinary person to achieve this level.
Taro stood up slowly. He had no ill will toward Princess Vivi's childhood friend and said softly, "Don't be nervous, relax. I mean no harm."
"Who are you? What do you want?"
Seeing that Koza was still wary, Taro chuckled. "You don't need to worry about who I am. I'm here to tell you a few things."
Koza didn't reply, so Taro sighed and continued, "This war has been a conspiracy from start to finish..."
Then Taro told Koza what he could. After finishing, he looked at him, waiting for a response.
"Do you have evidence for what you've told me?" Koza's voice was low.
"Evidence?" Taro looked at Koza. "Isn't the source of your weapons evidence? You don't really think the guys selling you weapons are just doing business, do you?"
Koza gave a self-deprecating laugh. "So what?"
Under Taro's surprised gaze, Koza continued, "We have no choice but to take a chance."
"But many people will die, they..." Taro's expression was urgent.
"If we don't resist, won't we die? Do you know how many refugees there are in Alabasta now? How many people die every day from hunger and cold?"
"No, you only need to wait two more days. Just wait a little longer, and someone will come to save this country..."
Koza sneered. "Wait? We've been waiting for a long time. Who's going to save this country? You?"
Taro was momentarily speechless. He pursed his lips. "I have already reported the same information to the King. King Cobra has promised to exercise restraint, so I hope you..."
Koza was stunned. He stared at Taro for a moment. "So Your Majesty the King sent you..."
Taro was somewhat speechless. He waved his hand to interrupt Koza. "Some things can't be explained in detail. Never mind. I came here hoping you could restrain the Rebel Army as much as possible to avoid unnecessary casualties."
"I've said my piece. What you do is up to you. You'll understand soon enough!"
After saying that, Taro gradually receded into the shadows of the tent, where a slit had been cut. "What I do is also up to me!"
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