Shanks had no intention of chatting outside. He went back into the bar with Higuma, and only then did he share the message from the Den Den Mushi.
"Garp is coming to Foosha Village?"
Higuma's pupils shrank sharply. His serious expression nearly cracked.
"Yeah... so you really don't have to worry about not having any drinking buddies from the old era anymore, Higuma-san," Shanks said with a grin.
"After all, he's like you—he lived through the last age. You two should have plenty to talk about, right?"
"But I'm out. If Vice Admiral Garp locks onto me, that's a real pain."
Shanks didn't think too hard about it. Earlier, Higuma had casually mentioned Roger and Garp, even sounding like he'd known them well.
Higuma inhaled slowly, forcing himself to digest the news.
"So it's already time for Luffy to start Garp's training...?"
"No—that's not the point."
Higuma's expression shifted.
He remembered what had happened in the bar that afternoon.
He'd personally taken Shanks's straw hat and placed it on Luffy's head. He'd even encouraged the kid to become a pirate.
"Am I going to end up on Garp's hate list because of that...?"
"No, no, no... impossible."
"To Luffy, I'm just some stranger he met today. There's no way my words carry that much weight."
"Straw Hat Luffy's pirate mentor has to be Shanks."
"Me? Yeah, right. No way..."
"I'm just some random extra. I don't matter at all!"
Higuma roared internally.
"Shanks... Shanks..." At that moment, little Luffy cut in, tugging at the conversation.
"Tomorrow when you set sail, take me with you! I really, really want to be a pirate!"
"Huh?" Shanks raised a brow. "So you don't want to see your grandpa?"
Luffy made a face like he'd just seen a ghost.
"It's not that I don't want to... but Grandpa's definitely going to make me do Marine training this time!"
"I don't want that! I super want to be a pirate!"
"But you can't swim anymore, and you're too young," Shanks refused again.
Luffy hesitated, then his eyes slid off Shanks—straight onto Higuma.
Hey... why are you looking at me? Your pirate mentor is Red-Hair—
Higuma's heart jumped.
"Even if I have to be a mountain bandit, I'm absolutely not becoming a Marine!" Luffy pouted.
Higuma: "..."
He'd played his role a little too well earlier. Luffy might've genuinely gotten the wrong idea about bandits.
Was Garp really going to lock onto him because of this? What the hell was he supposed to do?
Higuma started to panic.
The Red Hair Pirates were easy to bluff because they were only half a step into the old era—they knew bits and pieces about Roger's time, not the full picture.
But if Garp came…
He'd be exposed in minutes.
As the thought hit, Higuma's breathing grew heavier.
Thump. Thump. Thump…
His heartbeat boomed like war drums, uncontrollable, and in the quiet of the night it sounded absurdly loud.
"E-Emperor Engine?"
Higuma's eyes went wide. He'd scared himself with his own heartbeat.
He'd actually triggered the Emperor Engine because he was nervous?
"Holy crap—this has to be a negative side effect from KING's character card!"
"There's no way I'm this cowardly. Hearing that Garp's coming and I just… turn on the Emperor Engine?"
"Yeah. That's definitely it!"
Higuma's heart hammered in his chest.
"Hm?"
Beckman—who'd been chatting with someone else—paused mid-conversation and looked over, surprised.
The sound wasn't as dense and forceful as before, but an oppressive pressure still crept up through the air.
It was obvious.
The man in front of them had entered a combat state again.
But… why?
They'd been talking just fine. Was Higuma about to flip on them?
While Beckman was puzzling over it, someone among the bandits spoke up.
"As expected of Boss."
The bald bandit stared at Higuma with shining eyes and exclaimed in admiration, "Just hearing that the Marine hero Garp is coming, and your fighting spirit spikes this hard right away?!"
Even for bandits in the far backwoods of the East Blue, the name Garp thundered like a legend.
At that, all the bandits looked at Higuma with even deeper reverence.
Higuma's eye twitched. Without changing his expression, he quietly swept his gaze around.
Just like he'd expected, the Red Hair crew were all wearing expressions of sudden understanding now—and someone even praised him aloud.
"What a shame we're setting sail tomorrow. No chance to see Higuma face off against Iron Fist Garp."
"That'll be a battle rarely seen in all the world. Not being able to witness it with our own eyes… what a waste."
"Tragic. Absolutely tragic…" someone thumped his chest, heartbroken.
Higuma stared hard at the bald bandit.
Him again…
He immediately denied it.
"It's not me, I didn't do anything, don't say crazy stuff…"
Higuma's voice stayed low and cutting. In the night, it sounded like a beast's growl—not loud, but enough to make people's skin crawl.
"We understand," Beckman said, nodding with a smile. "It's just that we really do have urgent business. We have to move."
"You understand? Understand what, you idiot—understand what—"
Higuma was internally collapsing, but his face still wore a bright, pleased expression.
No choice. A big-shot persona couldn't be allowed to crumble.
"System, is there a way to temporarily stop KING's Emperor Engine?" Higuma asked inwardly.
"The host may choose to unequip the character card. All effects attached to the character card KING will be removed."
"Unequip KING immediately!"
The war-drum heartbeat vanished in an instant.
Beckman blinked, studying Higuma with suspicion.
The moment the card came off, the booming sound and that looming pressure disappeared without warning—like everything they'd sensed had been an illusion.
Even Higuma's "presence" shifted in a way that was hard to put into words.
His facial lines lost their former hardness, basically returning to his original bandit vibe—so ordinary he looked like a random nobody.
Exactly like when Higuma had first appeared and smashed Shanks in the head with a bottle.
"His fighting intent comes and goes at will… and he can instantly disguise himself as a normal person?"
"So that's how Higuma-san managed to stay hidden until now?"
Beckman's curiosity only grew.
The Red Hair Pirates could swagger through the New World, but in all their years on the seas, they'd never met someone this strange.
"Should we persuade the captain not to set sail yet?" Beckman muttered, half to himself. "Wait until we've watched Higuma-san fight Vice Admiral Garp, then leave?"
(End of Chapter)
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