"Higuma, right?"
Shanks finally spoke.
"Eight million bounty. A mountain bandit with a bit of a name in the East Blue."
Higuma froze.
Shanks knew who he was?
"But."
Shanks' tone shifted.
"You touched someone you shouldn't have."
He pointed at Luffy.
"This kid is my friend."
"Do you want to know what happens to people who hurt my friends?"
Cold sweat streamed down Higuma's forehead.
But he forced himself to speak.
"C-Cut the crap!"
"I've got leverage!"
"If you try anything, I'll—"
He didn't get to finish.
Because Shanks moved.
Not forward.
He simply raised his left hand.
An invisible pressure exploded outward, instantly blanketing the entire hideout.
"This…!"
Higuma's pupils shrank.
An indescribable force poured from Shanks.
It wasn't killing intent.
It was something higher.
Like the authority of a king.
Thud.
One bandit dropped to his knees.
Not by choice—his body simply gave out.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
One after another, the bandits collapsed to the ground.
Their bodies trembled. Their minds went blank.
Higuma felt it too.
His legs shook violently. His grip on the sword faltered.
But he clenched his teeth and forced himself not to kneel.
"C-Conqueror's… Haki…"
He had heard of it.
One in a million. The mark of a king.
But he never imagined Shanks' Conqueror's Haki would be this overwhelming.
Just the pressure alone nearly erased their will to resist.
"One last time."
Shanks' voice was ice-cold.
"Let him go."
Higuma looked into Shanks' eyes.
They were terrifyingly calm.
He understood in that instant—
If he refused now, he would die.
Without question.
He didn't want to die.
"I—I'll release him!"
Higuma let go. The blade clattered to the ground.
He staggered back and raised both hands.
"I surrender!"
Shanks withdrew his Haki.
The crushing pressure vanished.
The bandits slumped to the ground, gasping for air.
Higuma exhaled shakily, his heart pounding.
So this was the power of a great pirate…
A completely different level.
Shanks walked over to Luffy and crouched down, untying the ropes.
"You okay?" he asked.
Luffy nodded.
"I'm fine."
He touched his neck. A shallow cut marked the skin, but it had already stopped bleeding.
When Shanks noticed the faint line of blood, his eyes grew colder.
He stood and looked at Higuma.
"You hurt him?"
Higuma's body stiffened.
"I—I didn't mean to…"
"Apologize."
Shanks said it simply.
Higuma blinked—then quickly bowed toward Luffy.
"S-Sorry! I was wrong!"
Luffy didn't answer.
He just looked at Shanks.
Shanks stared at Higuma for a few seconds longer.
Then he turned around.
"We're leaving."
He signaled to his crew.
Beckman and the others lowered their weapons and followed.
Higuma stood there in disbelief.
That was it?
They were just… letting him go?
He had kidnapped Shanks' friend. Nearly killed him.
By pirate standards, he should've died ten times over.
Yet Shanks simply walked away.
Relief flooded Higuma—
Then confusion.
Why?
Was Shanks really that merciful?
Or…
Higuma's face suddenly changed.
No.
It wasn't mercy.
Shanks hadn't spared him.
He simply hadn't considered him worth killing.
Like a man who doesn't bother stepping on an ant beneath his shoe.