[1] 『[Sige]... He is precisely that self-proclaimed [East Blue Bandit King]!』

  [2] [Dadam]'s eyes revealed deep apprehension as she spoke.

  [3] Not only [Dadam], but the bandits behind her also widened their eyes in shock.

  [4] Recently, all mountain bandit factions in the lawless zone's mountainous areas had been swept clean by the [Sige Bandit Group], with many submitting to this self-proclaimed [Bandit King].

  [5] The [Dadam Family] had only escaped this fate due to their extremely remote location separated by a beast-infested primeval forest.

  [6] 『This won't do! This child is definitely problematic - how could such a young brat know [Sige]...』

  [7] 『Our [Dadam Family] absolutely doesn't want the slightest connection with the [Sige Bandit Group]! Too dangerous!』

  [8] [Dadam] said with a tearful expression.

  [9] Hearing this, [Garp]'s face darkened as he directly grabbed [Luffy]'s cheek and lifted him up.

  [10] 『[Luffy], how did you come to know this bandit called [Sige]?』

  [11] [Garp]'s expression looked extremely unpleasant.

  [12] [Garp] was very familiar with the [Dadam Family]'s nature - they were oddities among bandits, all bark and no bite.

  [13] This was why he felt assured entrusting [Ace] and [Luffy] to these bandits.

  [14] However, this didn't mean [Garp] considered bandits to be good people.

  [15] 『It hurts... I met him at [Windmill Village]'s tavern...』

  [16] 『I never should have left you in that laid-back [Windmill Village]!』

  [17] [Garp] glared fiercely - he was genuinely angry now.

  [18] 『First [Red-Haired Shanks], now this [Sige]...』

  [19] 『What kind of bad characters have you been associating with while I was away?!』

  [20] He raised his fist, blowing on it before mercilessly punching [Luffy]'s head.

  [21] 『Oww...』

  [22] [Luffy] clutched his head where a large bump visibly swelled up, steam rising from it, yet he kept arguing: 『[Shanks] is an amazing pirate! And that [Sige]-uncle is an incredible bandit too!』

  [23] 『You dare talk back!』 [Garp] raised his fist again, delivering two more blows to [Luffy]'s head.

  [24] Tears welled up in [Luffy]'s eyes from the pain, but he suddenly raised his voice and shouted at [Garp]: 『[Shanks] is a pirate [Emperor]! And [Sige]-uncle... he's incredible too!』

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  [25] 『He's [Pirate King Roger]'s friend who defeated dozens of great pirates!』

  [26] [Garp]'s raised fist froze mid-air as his entire body stiffened in shock.

  [27] Under the distant tree.

  [28] [Ace], who had been sitting stone-faced on the giant boar corpse, finally glanced at [Luffy].

  [29] His expression remained impassive, but subtle changes flickered in his eyes.

  [30] 『[Pirate King Roger]'s friend...』

  [31] He repeated in a whisper only he could hear.

  [32] Simultaneously, he firmly memorized the man's name.

  [33] The self-proclaimed [East Blue Bandit King] - [Sige].

  [34] On the other side, [Dadam] and her group were also shocked by [Luffy]'s revelation.

  [35] 『[Sige]? How could he possibly be connected to [Pirate King Roger]?』

  [36] 『I admit he's dangerous - probably the most dangerous person on this island... But [Roger]'s comrade? That's too absurd.』

  [37] [Dadam] and her bandits disbelievingly questioned:

  [38] 『Brat, where did you hear this nonsense?』

  [39] 『At the tavern! [Sige]-uncle said it himself!』

  [40] 『...Was he heavily drunk at the time?』 [Dadam] tentatively asked.

  [41] 『Yeah!』 [Luffy] nodded.

  [42] 『PFFTHAHAHAHAHA... So just a drunken braggart!』

  [43] [Dadam]'s bandits burst into uproarious laughter.

  [44] 『Kid, want to hear a secret? I'm the [East Sea Pirate King]!』 One bandit joked.

  [45] Another chimed in: 『What a coincidence! I'm the [West Mountain Pirate King] [Dongge]!』

  [46] Beside them, [Garp] who had remained silent secretly sighed in relief.

  [47] Initially hearing about [Sige], he had worried this might be another dangerous figure like [Red-Haired Shanks] corrupting his grandson.

  [48] Now he finally relaxed.

  [49] A drunken braggart was far safer than an actual [Roger] crewmember.

  [50] When [Luffy] grew older, he'd naturally stop believing this drunkard's ravings.

  [51] 『How dare you doubt [Sige]-uncle! He's super strong!』

  [52] Little [Luffy] grew angry too, pressing down on his straw hat while recalling two unforgettable scenes.

  [53] About this straw hat, two similar moments remained etched in his memory.

  [54] One occurred at [Windmill Village]'s docks, the other in the tavern.

  [55] Two different men had both placed this straw hat on his head, treating seven-year-old [Luffy] as a true man.

  [56] Facing [Dadam]'s attitude, [Luffy] angrily shouted: 『[Sige]-uncle defeated 56 pirate [Emperors]! Including [Golden Lion], [Giant Battleship], [Evil Political King]...』

  [57] [Luffy] counted names on his fingers:

  [58] 『[Shanks] believes him too! So it must be true!』

  [59] Finally, [Luffy] stretched his cheeks grotesquely wide, making faces at [Dadam]: 『You stupid bandits can't compare to [Sige]-uncle!』

  [60] 『You brat...』

  [61] [Dadam]'s fists clenched tightly, veins bulging on her forehead.

  [62] But remembering [Garp]'s presence nearby, she ultimately restrained herself.

  [63] [Garp]'s previously relaxed expression suddenly filled with deep confusion.

  [64] 『[Luffy], did you truly hear these pirate names from [Sige]'s mouth? And [Shanks] confirmed this?』

  [65] [Garp] pressed incredulously.

  [66] After receiving [Luffy]'s affirmative nod, [Garp] picked his nose absentmindedly, utterly perplexed.

  [67] 『Setting others aside, how could several major pirates that [Sengoku] and I personally captured become credited as [Sige]'s victories?』

  [68] [Garp] felt profoundly bewildered.

  [69] A drunkard boasting in taverns about defeating great pirates wasn't unusual.

  [70] The abnormality lay in [Luffy] listing these specific pirate names - this was classified information!

  [71] Several extremely dangerous pirates had been captured by the [Marines] before achieving notoriety.

  [72] Their names and deeds had been completely erased by the [World Government].

  [73] Even within the [Marines], only a handful knew these names!

  [74] 『Who exactly is this [Sige]? Why would he tell [Luffy] these things?』

  [75] 『Moreover... [Shanks] actually believes him?』

  [76] [Garp] suddenly realized his initial assumptions might be wrong.

  [77] Someone who knew these names and earned [Red-Haired Shanks]'s acknowledgment couldn't possibly be ordinary.

  [78] These questions tangled into an unsolvable mess in his mind.

  [79] After struggling to think for five full seconds, [Garp] completely abandoned rational analysis.

  [80] 『That guy's called [Sige], right?』

  [81] [Garp] grinned widely, his massive fist tightening with a crack.