I the King of bandits of the East Sea

At the foot of the mountain.

The mountain bandits of the Windmill Gang were all gazing up at the distant wooden house with a sense of awe.

They waited anxiously.

Although their boss was strong, his opponent… that man was none other than the Hero of the Navy.

"We should've been prepared for this long ago!"

The bald-headed bandit almost burst into tears:

"The opponents our boss is facing are the absolute top-tier powerhouses in this world."

"And we… we're just dead weight!"

"That's right, we absolutely have to get stronger to be worthy of being our boss's subordinates!"

Amidst this atmosphere of heartfelt determination, the distant wooden house finally showed some movement.

BOOM!

With a thunderous roar, part of the large wooden house collapsed, sending dust flying.

"It's finally… starting!"

"This once-in-a-lifetime battle!"

Everyone's spirits were lifted as they focused their gazes on the wooden house.

However, what happened next only filled them with confusion.

Several minutes passed.

Aside from that initial thunderous sound, there was no further movement.

"Could it be… that the fight was decided in just one move?"

Everyone was dumbfounded.

The Bandit King of the East Blue, Sig, has fallen.

The end. Throw flowers, congratulations! (Crossed out.)

Inside the now-ruined wooden house.

Garp frowned as he looked down in puzzlement at Sig, who was still sitting in the chair.

His fist had stopped just in front of Sig's nose, but in the end, he hadn't thrown the punch.

The violent wind generated by his fist alone had practically ripped apart the wooden wall behind Sig, leaving a massive, shocking hole in its wake.

Yet, Sig, sitting before him, showed no reaction whatsoever.

"Why didn't you dodge?"

"Why didn't you stand up and face me in an honorable and exhilarating battle?"

Garp slowly withdrew his fist, asking in a deep voice.

Sig, still seated, looked up at Garp.

Even when faced with such a terrifying opponent, his expression remained calm.

The sound of the Emperor Engine never came.

What Garp didn't know was that Sig had already prepared for this.

"Everything is within my control," Sig thought to himself.

He wasn't someone who would sit still and await death.

Having decided to follow his inner voice and take action, Sig was a man of exceptional decisiveness.

The moment he saw Garp's warship near Windmill Village, Sig had already prepared a total of 10,086 contingency plans to surrender.

For instance, instantly bowing down at the speed of light and pleading, "Please, spare me this time," or baring his chest in apology, and so on.

This sudden punch from Garp fell into one of Sig's worst-case scenarios, but it was still within his expectations.

Yes.

The moment Garp appeared, Sig had swiftly opened his system panel and unequipped the King character card.

As of now, he had shed King's aesthetic style and also lost the Emperor Engine.

There was no longer any risk of Garp overanalyzing him as a formidable foe and striking with full force.

"Honestly, after arriving in this world, I've grown a lot stronger."

"I've shared laughs with Shanks, negotiated face-to-face with the Revolutionary Army leader, Dragon…"

"After all these experiences, my acting skills have improved tremendously."

Sig silently applauded himself in his heart.

He was very pleased with his performance.

Even without equipping King's character card, Sig could now masterfully control his expressions.

Even when faced with Garp's punch, he could calmly maintain his poker face.

Sig raised his head and met Garp's gaze.

"I'm not going to stand up," Sig said softly.

"Hmm?" Garp squinted his eyes.

"You think my fists aren't hard enough? That sitting in your chair will be enough to handle me?"

Garp laughed, clenching his fist again as a terrifying aura began to build once more.

Facing Garp, who was preparing to attack again, Sig merely gave a light smile, calm and composed.

"Sorry, my legs are weak. I can't stand up."

Garp froze on the spot.

A moment later, he was so furious he almost exploded. His clenched fist trembled with rage.

"Are you mocking me?! If you don't stand up, I won't hold back this time!"

Garp roared, lifting his fist again.

Faced with Garp's fury, Sig simply smiled faintly in his heart.

Heh.

Since coming to this world, there were always some inexplicable people who harbored unrealistic fantasies about him.

Now, finally, the time had come to shatter those fantasies!

Sig's gaze sharpened with a fierce resolve.

At this moment, he no longer backed down!

In his heart, a stubborn belief supported him!

"I will crush all your unrealistic delusions!"

"I will show the entire world how weak I am!"

A roar erupted in Sig's heart, helping him barely suppress his fear.

Gripping the armrests of his chair, he struggled to stand!

At this moment, his legs trembled like leaves in a storm, yet his gaze remained steadfast.

He had done it.

He had truly done it.

At this moment, he finally shed the burdensome mantle of being a "big shot" and revealed himself honestly to the world.

And in the very next moment…

Plop.

Sig's legs gave out, and he fell back into his chair.

Clutching his chest in pain, he felt his heart pounding wildly.

His lips turned pale, and all color drained from his face.

Garp loosened his clenched fist in bewilderment, then reached out to help Sig sit more comfortably in the chair.

He was confused.

At 66 years old, Garp's body was still as burly and powerful as ever, though his hair had long since turned gray. He was already a grandfatherly figure.

Yet the Sig in front of him… though undoubtedly much younger, looked as if he were decades older than Garp. He couldn't even manage to stand without tremendous effort.

"Come on! If you want to fight… then fight! I'm not… not… afraid of you!"

Sitting in the chair, Sig clutched his chest, gasping for air like a broken bellows.

Garp fell silent.

With his Observation Haki, he could keenly sense the auras of others. Yet in his perception, Sig… was hard to describe.

Observation Haki wasn't omnipotent, and there were indeed some troublesome strong individuals on the seas capable of hiding their auras.

At first, Garp thought Sig was suppressing his aura.

But after testing him with a strike, and seeing Sig struggle to stand, Garp's frown deepened.

This wasn't an act.

Sig's weak heart was genuine, and his fear was real.

Far from being someone who could contend with Garp, Sig wasn't even a proper mountain bandit.

No… even a typical mountain bandit was stronger. Sig was just an ordinary person…

No, not even that. Ordinary people weren't this cowardly.

"A man who might have heart disease and is unbelievably timid."

Garp let out a faint sigh, looking skyward in exasperation.

He had arrived brimming with excitement, thinking he'd encounter a strong foe from Roger's era. He never expected such a disappointing outcome.

__________________________________________

titles of the upcoming chapters :

*Chapter 28 A few things about Roger and me

*Chapter 29 It turns out that I am Roger's best friend

*Chapter 30: I Treated You as a Friend, but You Want to Be My Father

hey everyone! Volume 1: Goa Kingdom is finished on Patreon! Volume 2: East Sea is coming next! 

https://www.patreon.com/c/Tetsuya12