the King of Pirates of the East Sea

As Sig stood alone outside the tavern, wrestling with his thoughts, faint noises came from behind him, resembling footsteps.

"Someone's coming?"

Sig immediately wiped the conflicted expression off his face and straightened his posture at lightning speed, subtly adjusting his demeanor.

As the legendary Bandit King, he had to maintain an air of authority in front of others.

Especially after he had drunkenly bragged about himself earlier without any self-awareness.

If Beckman and the others were to uncover the truth, things would surely get... interesting.

These thoughts flashed through his mind as Sig cleared his throat and spoke in a deep, steady voice:

"You're here?"

Saying this, Sig turned his head back with a serious expression still firmly in place.

The motion of turning his head couldn't be too quick, as that would seem careless, unbecoming of the Bandit King persona.

At the same time, his face had to remain as solemn as ever. Regardless of who he saw when he turned around, he couldn't let any surprise show on his face.

In the pirate world, where powers like Observation Haki existed, identifying someone by their footsteps or presence was basic protocol.

Even if one didn't possess Observation Haki, they at least had to act like they did.

"The burden of being a big shot is way too heavy..."

While inwardly sighing about the hardship, Sig was also quite satisfied with his performance.

"Not bad at all—my reactions are so quick. Truly, I'm a born actor."

But when Sig turned his head, he froze.

There was no one there.

"Woof."

Looking down, he saw a small stray dog wagging its tail at him.

Sig: "....."

Before he could stew in the awkwardness for too long, the tavern doors in the distance swung open, and Shanks walked out, looking slightly vexed.

"Ah, Sig-sama, you're here..."

"....I was just reflecting on the past. Feeling a bit nostalgic, so I came out to clear my head," Sig replied quickly, adjusting his expression into something calm and distant.

Shanks, oblivious to the earlier awkwardness, looked troubled as he spoke:

"That rascal Luffy! While we were all drinking, he snuck off and ate the Gum-Gum Fruit we brought along... now we've got a problem."

"A pirate who can't swim as the Pirate King... Maybe he should just settle for being the Bandit King instead."

Sig blinked, slightly stunned.

He hadn't noticed when Luffy managed to eat the Gum-Gum Fruit.

Earlier, all his attention had been focused on maintaining his carefully crafted powerful demeanor, leaving him no room to observe Luffy.

"Aren't there plenty of powers in the vast seas?"

After thinking it over, Sig responded calmly:

"Not being able to swim will force him to rely on his crew. After all, becoming Pirate King is impossible with just your own strength, much like Roger."

"True... still, it's a bit of a shame. Now that the Gum-Gum Fruit's gone, our original plans are ruined. Looks like our crew might have to leave the East Blue earlier than expected."

"Probably tomorrow. Tomorrow's when we'll set sail."

"Not being able to drink with you a few more times, Sig-sama, is truly regrettable..."

Shanks chuckled, though there was genuine disappointment in his tone.

The Red-Haired Pirates are leaving the East Blue?

Upon hearing this news, Sig had to exert every ounce of willpower to keep his serious expression from cracking.

The Red-Haired Pirates were leaving? That was incredible news!

Hanging around with such top-tier powerhouses was nothing short of nerve-wracking. Every moment felt like walking on a tightrope, terrified of revealing his true self.

Sig forced a regretful expression to surface and echoed:

"Is that so? That is indeed a shame."

Looking up at the night sky, Sig feigned a contemplative air and sighed:

"After all, there aren't many left in this world who can discuss the old days with me."

"No... on that point, Sig-sama, you shouldn't worry," Shanks said with a grin.

Hearing these words, Sig felt both intrigued and uneasy.

"What do you mean?"

Shanks smiled mysteriously and pulled a small Den Den Mushi out of his coat pocket.

"Earlier, our informant from the Grand Line sent a message..."

 _______ _______ ________ ________ ________

The sea under the night sky.

A massive navy warship, with a giant dog-head figurehead, surged forward through the waves under the cover of darkness.

"Too slow, way too slow! Push this warship to its fastest speed!"

In the command room, a deep and commanding voice barked the order.

"Vice Admiral Garp, our warship is already at maximum speed..."

One of the navy officers wiped the sweat off his forehead before cautiously asking,

"Besides, our current mission in the East Blue doesn't seem particularly urgent, does it?"

The towering Vice Admiral Garp glared at him, his voice booming:

"What do you mean by 'not particularly urgent'?"

"You lot are too complacent! How could you fail to notice such a monumental event?!"

Garp's words immediately made the officers in the command room straighten up, their expressions becoming serious.

If Garp was on the same ship as them, and there were orders from Navy Headquarters, they would generally be in the loop. Unless...

"Could it be that Fleet Admiral Sengoku personally contacted Vice Admiral Garp?"

The thought flashed through everyone's mind, sending chills down their spines.

Could it be that something catastrophic had occurred? And in the weakest of seas—the East Blue, no less?

Something so dire that it required the legendary Marine Hero, Garp the Fist, to rush there at top speed?

Everyone held their breath, awaiting Garp's next words.

"That scoundrel Shanks has shown up in Windmill Village, in the East Blue..."

Before Garp could finish his sentence, the officers collectively stiffened.

The Pirate Emperor!

"Vice Admiral Garp, are you planning to capture Red-Haired Shanks?"

A junior officer asked excitedly.

"No... capturing Shanks is a trivial matter," Garp replied nonchalantly, his words making the officers' nerves tighten again.

Capturing an Emperor was trivial?

Then what was Vice Admiral Garp's true mission?

The officers swallowed nervously, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.

"The important thing is that my grandson, Luffy, is in Windmill Village! That scoundrel Shanks might corrupt my grandson!"

"And besides, Luffy's already seven years old this year!"

"Seven years old! Do you understand what that means?"

Garp clenched his fists, his voice full of passion.

The officers exchanged puzzled looks and shook their heads.

"It means Luffy is already a full-grown man! It's time for him to start training! I'll personally train Luffy into the most outstanding marine!"

Garp's training...

Hearing this word, the officers collectively broke out in a cold sweat.

They were all soldiers who had been trained under Garp. Even though they were now officers, the mere thought of the hellish training they endured back then still sent shivers down their spines.

After a long silence, one officer mustered the courage to speak:

"But Vice Admiral Garp, your training regimen is already too harsh, even for new recruits. The dropout rate is 90%!"

"What nonsense are you spouting? How could I let Luffy go through the same training as some random navy recruits?"

Garp looked at him with disbelief, as if the officer had said something utterly ridiculous.

The officers barely had time to sigh in relief when Garp's next words nearly made them choke.

"Luffy is my grandson! He's destined to become the most exceptional marine!"

"Do you think the measly new recruit training program is enough? No way! At the very least, it has to be ten times more intense... No, this is too important. I'll personally craft the most rigorous training program ever for Luffy!"

The officers exchanged helpless glances and collectively offered a moment of silence for Luffy, who was far away in Windmill Village.