The next day, Foosha Village's dock.
On the Red Force—the pirate ship flying a double-sword skull flag—most of the crew were already on deck.
But they weren't urging departure. Instead, they leaned on the railing, looking toward the two figures on the dock.
"I'll leave this hat with you for now."
"This is my most treasured hat. When you become a great pirate, you have to return it to me."
Shanks took off the straw hat from his head, crouched down, and placed it gently on Luffy's.
It should've been a touching scene—but including Shanks himself, everyone couldn't help recalling last night's nearly identical moment in the bar.
"I remember Higuma-san liked this kid too," Beckman said, lounging against the railing as he chatted with the others about Higuma. "But he left early this morning in a hurry…"
"The sea really is huge. Even in some far corner of the East Blue, a great senior from the old era can be hiding out…"
"Come to think of it, Senior Higuma looks way younger than Senior Rayleigh. Retiring that early feels like a waste."
"Retiring?" Beckman gave a soft laugh. "If he really took out… more than fifty great pirates back in the old era, someone that active would just sit on some remote East Blue island all this time?"
...
Meanwhile.
In the mountains outside Foosha Village, Higuma led his bandits quickly along a narrow trail.
"Boss, why are we rushing back to the hideout like this?" one bandit couldn't help complaining.
They'd drunk a lot last night. Setting out at dawn and hiking mountain roads—even for bandits who knew the terrain—was rough.
"Shut up. Do as I say. No more questions," Higuma snapped.
That single line shut the complainer up.
After what happened yesterday, Higuma's status in their hearts had risen by several levels.
"Boss used to be strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pirate King. He must have some deeper meaning."
"Rushing back—maybe Boss has a new plan, like… raiding the Goa Kingdom's capital?"
"I heard pirates have been spotted around Gray Terminal. Didn't Boss personally hunt down tons of great pirates? Maybe we'll finally get to see Boss fight for real!"
The bandits whispered their guesses.
Foosha Village belonged to the East Blue's Goa Kingdom, but it was so remote it might as well be cut off from the kingdom's cities.
And Higuma's hideout was also deep in the mountains beyond the "terminal" zones.
But Higuma wasn't thinking about any of that. His only goal was to dodge Garp.
One more day here meant one more layer of risk.
He didn't want any "thrilling reunion" with Garp, not even a little.
"Garp won't stay long in some broke backwater like Foosha Village. As long as we keep our heads down and hide in the mountains for a while, we'll be fine."
As for going to sea to avoid Garp?
Higuma was a wanted man. If anything, going to sea would expose him faster.
An idea struck him, and Higuma equipped KING's character card again.
But this time, he felt something… off.
"Unequip card."
"Equip card."
"Unequip… equip…"
After trying several times, Higuma pressed a hand to his chest, feeling his heartbeat, and joy slowly rose in his eyes.
Every time he swapped the card on and off, he could sense a faint abnormality.
The moment he unequipped it, a thin weakness washed over him—subtle, but real. The instant he equipped it again, that weakness vanished without a trace.
And the source of that weakness…
Was his heart.
"Is this a hidden effect of the Emperor Engine?"
"KING calls himself an ordinary guy… but what if Mr. King actually has an insanely powerful heart?"
Higuma was completely stunned.
When you thought about it, how could a human heart beat that fast, that loudly, for so long?
Even elite athletes couldn't stay at an elevated heart rate indefinitely.
A truly normal person would be looking at a one-way ticket to cardiac arrest.
If KING had a superhuman heart, and he actually got serious and trained his body…
Could he one day really handcraft an Inferno Twin-Dragon Heatwave Cannon or whatever?
The moment that thought surfaced, Higuma's heart started pounding again.
But this time it wasn't fear.
It was excitement.
He could see a path to getting stronger.
He glanced at the system panel.
After one night, KING's compatibility had risen from 31% to 37%.
"If I stay around the Red Hair crew more, maybe I can boost compatibility fast…"
"If I'm ruthless enough to face Garp head-on, maybe it'll jump even faster…"
Once compatibility hit 100%, Higuma would gain a fully unleashed Emperor Engine…
And a powerful heart.
"Maybe I should start training from today."
As he felt the strong throb in his chest, Higuma's thoughts ran wild.
"Starting today: one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred squats, ten kilometers running…"
"Maybe I can become a powerhouse in this world too. Train all three types of Haki. Every other day I'll smash Whitebeard and Kaido in the head with a bottle and kick off the Great Mountain Bandit Era…"
A fierce impulse surged up inside Higuma.
Yeah.
In a world like this, anything was possible. Even a skinny kid like Koby could train himself into a Marine rear admiral…
"…But today we've still got a long hike ahead. It'll take time to reach the hideout, so there won't be much time to train."
Higuma pondered for a moment and slightly revised his training plan.
"Starting tomorrow. A hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, a hundred squats, and a ten-kilometer run every day…"
While Higuma was calculating in his head, the bald bandit leading the way suddenly stopped short, nearly making Higuma walk right into him.
"What, you lost the path?" Higuma glared.
"N-No… Boss, I think I just saw a shadow—someone moved. Probably my eyes playing tricks on me." The bald bandit rubbed his shiny scalp, looking confused.
"A shadow? Don't tell me it was… bandits?" someone said.
That immediately set off a wave of laughter.
"Bandits ambushing bandits? That's ridiculous."
"Our boss is the number-one wanted man around here…"
"Idiot. You think Boss's strength is only worth eight million?"
The bandits bickered loudly, not a trace of fear among them.
Because in their group, they had someone like Higuma—their stabilizing pillar.
But the so-called stabilizing pillar was the one scanning the woods in nervous silence.
"Hey, hey… no way I got marked this fast, right?"
Higuma felt tense. His heartbeat was already starting to pick up.
(End of Chapter)
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