"CLANG!"
A liquor bottle slammed down hard onto the head of a red-haired man seated at the bar.
The crisp crack of glass exploding echoed through the entire tavern.
Everyone's eyes snapped to the bandit named Higuma.
Just moments ago, Higuma had led a whole gang of mountain bandits into the bar. A few words in, and he'd already smashed a bottle straight into the face of the red-haired pirate sitting by the counter.
The air turned razor-tight in an instant.
And yet, nobody noticed the faint confusion—mixed with panic—flickering across Higuma's face.
I transmigrated into Higuma? And I just headshot one of the Four Emperors… Red-Haired Shanks?
Higuma was panicking like crazy inside.
What now?
How the hell was he supposed to pretend like he regularly headshots Yonko?
Urgent! Waiting online! Someone—anyone from Reddit or 4chan!—please give me a plan!
Higuma was just an extra in the original One Piece. The kind of nobody who wouldn't survive past half an episode.
But the person he'd just smashed over the head with a bottle was one of the pirates standing at the very top of the world: Red-Haired Shanks!
Could this transmigration timing be any more goddamn cruel?
Higuma stood there without a word, heart hammering, eyes flicking around the tavern.
Every member of the Red Hair Pirates was looking over.
Their captain had just gotten bottle-bonked by Higuma, yet none of them looked angry. They looked entertained, like they were watching a show.
Especially the fat guy in the green-and-white striped shirt—he was chomping on meat like nothing had happened.
Every single person in the Red Hair Pirates had the strength to steamroll all of them.
If the plot stayed on track, Higuma should still be safe right now.
But… what if someone on their side got a whim?
Cold sweat hit Higuma all at once.
"Ah… the floor's soaked."
Shanks's head was drenched in beer, liquid dripping off his straw hat. His shirt was basically soaked through.
He showed not a trace of anger. He just lowered his head, glanced at the wet floor then bent down to clean up the glass shards.
Shanks's "backing down" loosened the heavy tension in the room.
Right after that, the bandits behind Higuma burst out laughing.
"Pirates are all spineless cowards! I'm dying—this is hilarious!"
"Get back out to sea, you boneless pirates!"
"Hey, you red-haired bastard! Our boss has already taken down fifty-six guys like you!"
Hearing his underlings brag like that, Higuma paused, blinking—then a distant, nostalgic look surfaced in his eyes.
Yeah.
He remembered the past.
In this world, there were two legendary names that once shook all four seas.
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
And the Mountain Bandit King, Higuma.
Roger's final words, spoken at his execution, kicked off the chaotic Great Age of Pirates.
That era was pure madness. Pirates erupted across the seas, and there were as many as sixty Sea Emperors ruling the ocean.
And later, one bottle after another, Higuma personally took down fifty-six of them.
The last four left standing were the pinnacle of the current era: the Four Emperors.
From then on, the new world order was set.
The Four Emperors ruled the New World, standing in balance with the Marines. Add the Seven Warlords of the Sea beneath the throne, and the three powers formed a three-legged stalemate.
And Higuma—this legendary Mountain Bandit King—simply brushed his sleeves clean and vanished, returning to a quiet life in the mountains.
Yeah. Sure. If only...
I'm not. I didn't. …Don't you dare.
"You idiots, don't run your mouths."
Higuma turned and glared at his men. His underlings froze, their laughter cutting off.
Among the stunned bandits, a bald man's face lit up with sudden realization. He shouted loudly:
"Boss is right!"
"How can you compare this red-haired softie to the enemies Boss used to defeat?"
"Him? Worthy?"
The others looked at the bald guy like, You son of a bitch, you're actually a genius, then immediately piled on.
"Yeah!"
"What's this red-haired guy supposed to be?"
"He's not qualified to be our boss's opponent!"
"He's not even qualified to make our boss lift a finger!"
Higuma was stunned, too—he just stood there, blank.
This was so slick it caught even him off guard.
While he was still frozen, the bald bandit—buoyed by everyone echoing him—felt even more confident and strode forward on his own.
"Boss, trash like this doesn't need you to act."
The bald bandit walked up fast, grabbed a bottle of beer, and dumped it straight over Shanks's head.
Now Shanks was completely soaked.
"Th—"
Higuma's goosebumps exploded. He snapped back to reality instantly.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Higuma growled and shoved the bald bandit hard.
"Ah… right! I shouldn't ruin Boss's fun. Boss, you take your time."
The bald bandit froze for a second, then immediately made a I get it now face and backed off.
Higuma: "..."
He honestly didn't even know what to say anymore.
He looked down at Shanks in front of him.
Shanks sat on the floor, drenched, head lowered—his expression hidden.
Higuma's heart started pounding so hard it felt like it might jump out of his chest.
He was just an ordinary person, but right now he was facing one of the strongest people in the pirate world.
Forget Yonko Shanks.
Pick any random member of the Red Hair Pirates with your eyes closed and they could wipe out every bandit here in an instant.
That feeling—your life hanging on someone else's passing mood—was terrifying.
If the plot deviated even a little, if the Red Hair Pirates got genuinely pissed… what then?
Calm down. Think. Now.
Higuma clenched his fist so tight his nails dug into his palm, forcing himself to suppress the panic.
"Huh? What's up with Boss? Why isn't he talking?"
Higuma's abnormal silence drew his underlings' attention. Everyone turned to stare at him.
The bald bandit had sharp eyes. He spotted Higuma's clenched fist and immediately shouted with enlightened excitement:
"Boss is finally getting serious!"
"Last time Boss looked like that was when he faced a guy with a bounty as high as five million berries—then Boss took him down barehanded!"
"Now that you mention it, I remember that!"
"Boss is serious this time! Looks like he's about to make a big move!"
The bandits started excitedly chattering. A few of them even put hands on their sword hilts—then shing!—drew blades on impulse, itching to move.
And the moment those swords came out, the vibe changed completely.
The bar owner—an older woman—clapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming, but her pupils were trembling.
How had things gotten to this point?
Higuma sucked in what felt like several hundred mouthfuls of cold air.
So this "legendary Mountain Bandit King Higuma"… actually has this many competent subordinates?
That's terrifying!
If these idiots actually charged the other side with swords drawn, the situation would escalate beyond repair. How could the Red Hair Pirates not strike back?
Higuma's fist went rigid.
His fist was hard.
He genuinely had the urge to beat the hell out of this bunch of "excellent" subordinates.
"Put your swords away! Who the hell said you could move?!"
Higuma glared, radiating killing intent as he stared his men down.
After a short silence, the bald bandit once again wore an enlightened, I've figured it out expression.
"I get it again—Boss… are you saying you want to… solo their entire crew?"
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