In the end, Cobra arranged Garp's quarters right next to Shirakawa and his crew. It looked like he intended for Garp to keep an eye on them.
"I really didn't expect that guy Garp to actually show up here."
Facing his companions, Shirakawa once again voiced his helplessness. He'd considered every possibility, but Garp coming here had never crossed his mind.
"Captain, is Vice Admiral Garp really that strong?" Riddle asked. They all knew the name of Hero Garp, but none of them had ever witnessed his strength firsthand. Rumors weren't always reliable, after all.
"How strong do you think I am?"
Shirakawa didn't answer right away. Instead, he tossed a question back.
"Very strong. Incredibly strong," Riddle answered without hesitation. Among everyone he'd ever met, no one was more powerful than Shirakawa.
"And what about Kurokam? Do you think he's strong?"
Shirakawa asked another question.
"Strong. After you, Captain, he's the strongest person I've ever seen," Riddle replied just as firmly. But what was the captain getting at with these questions?
"Even if Kurokam and I teamed up, we still couldn't beat him."
Shirakawa wasn't selling himself short. This was simply the truth. Against an opponent like Garp, right now, he was truly powerless.
"What?" At those astonishing words, the other crew members were stunned. Someone their captain and Kurokam together couldn't beat—what kind of monster was that?
And that very man was now living right next door, on top of being their enemy.
The thought alone made their hearts pound with unease.
"Is he really that strong?" the crew asked, still incredulous.
"What would I gain from lying to you? I've seen him fight Captain Roger on multiple occasions with my own eyes."
Shirakawa had a vivid, deep-seated impression of Garp's power.
"Captain, should we leave now?" More asked in a low voice, as if afraid the man next door might overhear.
"Relax. Right now, he won't dare make a move against us."
Just because Garp could beat them didn't mean he would attack.
"Why?" More voiced his confusion at Shirakawa's confident tone.
"Look at where we are. This is the royal palace of Alabasta. There's a king in here, and plenty of nobles. He won't dare push us too far."
"Oh, I get it."
They were pirates, enemies of the Marines, but the Marines' objective this time was to protect those nobles.
The Marines couldn't be certain that if they targeted the Silver Pirates, the crew wouldn't lash out in desperation and go after the aristocrats.
So, the Marines wouldn't attack them. They would only try to find a way to make them leave.
"Sounds like you're talking about this old man."
Just then, a voice reached their ears. A figure dropped from the sky—evidently having leaped over from the neighboring courtyard.
At the sound, every crew member tensed, hands flying to their weapons.
"Vice Admiral Garp. May I ask what brings you here to grace us with your guidance?"
In this place, aside from Garp, Shirakawa couldn't think of anyone else who would dare be so brazen toward them.
"No guidance. Just felt like having a chat with you."
"A chat? We'd be more than happy to oblige. But what would Vice Admiral Garp want to chat about with pirates like us?"
"I heard the Golden Lion ate dirt at your hands?"
Garp picked his nose with his finger, then casually grabbed some food off the table and started eating.
"The Golden Lion… you mean that battle?"
Shirakawa recalled the one and only fight he'd had with Shiki.
"I wouldn't really call it 'eating dirt.' Shiki wasn't fighting at full strength back then."
"That's what I thought. With your level of strength, kid, there's no way you could've made the Golden Lion retreat."
Garp's words hit Shirakawa without the slightest mercy. He knew what Shiki was capable of. The idea of Shirakawa defeating him was completely impossible. When he'd first read that report, he'd dismissed it with a snort. He knew the Navy was back to its old tricks, fabricating stories.
Shirakawa didn't get angry at Garp's bluntness. After all, it was the truth.
"Still, looking at it now, it's clear Shiki had no interest in that sword of yours. Otherwise, it wouldn't still be in your hands."
Garp glanced at the blade resting beside Shirakawa—Purple Sun.
He could easily imagine what had been going through Shiki's mind back then.
His original goal must have been that sword. But when he got there, he realized the blade didn't match his own style of swordsmanship.
Not wanting to have made the trip for nothing, Shiki decided to test Shirakawa's skill instead. He wanted to see what the wielder of a Supreme Grade Blade was truly made of.
As things stood now, it seemed Shirakawa's strength hadn't disappointed the Golden Lion. Because if it had, even if Shiki couldn't use the sword himself, he still would have taken it. To a swordsman, a famous blade in the hands of the weak was nothing short of a disgrace.
On top of that, the Golden Lion was an exceedingly cautious man. There was also that hulking man at Shirakawa's side.
Garp's gaze flicked toward Kurokam.
After taking down both Shirakawa and Kurokam, Shiki would undoubtedly have expended a great deal of energy. He wouldn't have been sure whether he'd run into other enemies on the way back.
Putting all those reasons together, that was likely why Shiki hadn't gone all out that day. Of course, all of this was just Garp's personal speculation.
As Garp spoke, the image of the final slash Shiki had delivered before leaving resurfaced in Shirakawa's mind.
That one strike had injured him rather badly. He had no doubt that Shiki could unleash sword pressure of that caliber again—or even stronger—without much difficulty.
Two months ago, Shirakawa had genuinely believed he could stand toe-to-toe with the Golden Lion. But after his fight with Gaban on Little Garden, he'd realized there was still a long way to go before he could match the true top-tiers.
That was why he was being so cautious with Garp now. He understood exactly how wide the gap between them was.
Rushing into a fight would be nothing short of suicide.
"So? How about letting this old man test your strength a bit?"
At that, Garp suddenly proposed to Shirakawa.
"Better not. I'm no match for you, sir."
By now, Shirakawa wasn't about to go looking for a beating when he knew he was outclassed. He was no longer the same person who'd just fallen into this world of pirates.
"If you're interested, you could try one of my crew members. He's extremely interested in strong fighters like yourself."
As he spoke, Shirakawa smoothly introduced Kurokam to Garp.
"Sure. So, how about it? Interested in a little spar with this old man?" Garp asked Kurokam.
"I've been hoping for exactly that."
Kurokam was fully aware that his chance of winning this fight was virtually zero. But he wanted to experience the thrill of challenging the truly powerful—even if it meant getting pummeled into the ground.
/-\
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