"The Emperor Engine really activated… but can it actually fool the Red Hair Pirates?"
That heavy, powerful heartbeat made Higuma aware of the Emperor Engine's presence.
But he still felt like his nerves were about to explode.
At the same time, he suddenly sensed a gaze as sharp as a blade locking onto him.
He instinctively looked over—and his eyes met Beckman's frowning stare.
"Beckman… the smartest guy in the Red Hair Pirates…"
Higuma's blood ran cold.
"Beckman's the strategist of a Yonko crew. If he sees through my bluff…"
Crap, we made eye contact. What do I do?
The moment their gazes connected, a thin sheen of sweat broke out across Higuma's back.
Beckman's eyes were terrifyingly sharp—like a knife edge pressing down on Higuma, making his skin crawl.
Higuma's instinct was to look away, to stop meeting that stare—
"No. I can't look away!"
"If I look away, Beckman's too smart. He'll know right away I'm bluffing!"
Higuma roared inside his own head. He clenched his fist hard, nails stabbing deep into his palm, forcing himself to stay calm.
I… I have to say something. Change the subject…
He tried to open his mouth, but he was so tense he couldn't even make a sound.
Just keeping his eyes from darting away—keeping himself locked in a stare with Beckman—already took everything he had. He had no strength left to speak.
And his heartbeat only grew louder.
But to Beckman and the others, what they saw was something completely different.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump! THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!
That heavy, powerful heartbeat suddenly swelled several times louder, so clear the entire tavern could hear it.
Dense like war drums, it grew tighter, louder, more frantic—pressing down on everyone's breathing until it felt hard to inhale.
"That sound… is it some kind of Devil Fruit ability? This bandit… is he actually prepared to throw hands with our crew?"
Beckman's pupils shrank sharply, and sweat pricked at his forehead.
The instant Higuma's gaze hit him, Beckman's own heart jolted as if he'd been targeted by an extremely dangerous beast. Goosebumps rose all over his skin.
And the Emperor Engine—that sound—made Beckman's nerves draw taut in a single snap.
"Is it my imagination…? Why do I feel like this man, Higuma, is insanely dangerous?"
"But this is the East Blue—this is supposed to be the weakest sea… How could someone at that level be here?"
The thought flashed through Beckman's mind.
He subtly checked the reactions of the crewmates around him—and what he saw shocked him all over again.
Yasopp the sniper, Lucky Roux, and the rest—every single one of them looked like they were facing a deadly enemy. A lot of them were gripping their blades without even realizing it.
That kind of reflex meant they'd felt the pressure too.
"They sensed it as well. So it's not just me…"
"But if he's this kind of man… why would he be in some tiny East Blue tavern?"
Beckman couldn't make sense of it.
Their captain, Shanks, had pushed Conqueror's Haki to the highest realm. Across the world, only a handful of people could even contend with him.
And yet even Shanks's Conqueror's Haki had never made the entire crew feel pressure like this.
THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!
In that small tavern, every other sound seemed to vanish. All that remained was that storm-like heartbeat.
Higuma's figure seemed to grow infinitely taller—like a mountain itself, looming before them with an overwhelming force that couldn't be resisted.
"What kind of monster is this…?"
Beckman's thoughts spun in confusion.
Higuma was just as tense inside.
This is terrifying. This is horrible. Did I give it away…?
Higuma and Beckman held each other's gaze, and cold sweat broke out on both of them at the same time.
At last, a voice broke the deadlock.
"Sir… bandit. Do you know me?"
Shanks asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
The moment Higuma heard Shanks's voice, he felt a burst of joy like a drowning man grabbing a lifeline.
Looks like I fooled them. Finally I don't have to keep staring at Beckman…
Higuma forced himself to keep a stiff face, then "naturally" shifted his gaze to Shanks.
At that instant, Beckman and the others all let out a quiet breath of relief.
"Red-Haired Shanks? Of course I know you…"
As he spoke, Higuma's mind worked at full speed.
I probably tricked Beckman just now.
If I can get through Beckman, I can get through Shanks without slipping too.
You can do this. I'm the legendary Mountain Bandit King. The system's certified method actor!
After a long pause, Higuma looked away from Shanks again, lowering his gaze to the drink in his hand.
He really didn't want another death-stare with Shanks.
Maintaining a serious expression, Higuma let a perfectly timed flicker of "reminiscence" pass through his eyes, and began his performance.
"Who would've thought… that Roger would hand that straw hat to what was, back then, just an apprentice crewmate?"
His voice was still low, but now it carried a faint trace of nostalgia.
The moment he said it, Beckman and the others felt their hearts lurch again.
Christ. The amount of information in that one sentence was insane.
"This man Higuma… he doesn't just know our captain. He knows Roger too!"
Beckman was shaken. Countless thoughts erupted in his head as he tried to piece together who Higuma actually was.
Knowing Shanks and Roger, knowing Shanks used to be on Roger's ship—fine.
In the eyes of true big shots, that wasn't exactly a secret.
But… he even knew Shanks's straw hat had been passed down from Roger?
"Don't tell me… this guy knows that World Government secret? Roger's straw hat?"
Beckman's heart slammed. The sheer weight of that terrifying guess nearly scared him out of his skin.
Deep within the Holy Land Mariejois, atop the Red Line's highest peak, there was a gigantic straw hat hidden away.
And the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, had treasured a straw hat like it was priceless—only to later pass it on to Shanks, who at the time was still just an apprentice crewmate, the inheritor Roger chose.
Why did Roger turn himself in?
What did the gigantic straw hat in Mariejois represent?
Why did Roger wear a straw hat, and why did he pass that hat to Shanks?
Was it the collapse of morality? Or the twisting of human nature?
It could be called one of the greatest secrets in the world.
Yet Higuma's words seemed to imply…
That he understood all of it.
"Who the hell is he?"
Beckman felt like that enormous question was about to crush him.
(End of Chapter)
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