Sig's entire body froze as he slightly turned around, glancing behind him with the corner of his eye.
At that moment, all his earlier luck and hope completely vanished.
Standing at the broken wall, as he had feared, was indeed that very figure he had imagined!
At this moment, Garp's expression was solemn, his massive fist clenched tightly, and his presence radiated like a volcano about to erupt.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Emperor Engine, which had just activated, began to pound furiously at an unprecedented speed! The heavy, powerful heartbeat was like a war drum echoing with incredible force!
An overwhelming, tide-like pressure surged out in an instant!
Yet, faced with this scene, Garp's expression didn't change in the slightest.
He just stood there quietly, his very presence like a towering mountain pressing down, making it hard for Sig to even breathe.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
This suffocating pressure caused Sig's heart to race uncontrollably!
In that moment, Sig could hardly speak.
"Should I remove the KING card again? But would that even help?"
"What else can I do?"
"This scene wasn't in my script!"
"Did I just get outplayed by Garp?"
"Am I dumber than Garp? Or is his strategy deeper than mine?"
"No, something's wrong… something's definitely wrong! Where exactly did I mess up? Was it my acting? Was there a flaw in the script?"
Despite all his meticulous planning, he had miscalculated in one crucial move.
In that instant, Sig felt as though his heart had taken massive damage.
Countless thoughts flooded his mind all at once, entangling into a chaotic mess he couldn't unravel.
Sig widened his eyes, watching as Garp stepped in from the hole in the wall, slowly approaching him one step at a time.
With every step, the terrifying pressure increased, making his skin crawl and his breathing heavier.
He watched as Garp got closer and closer, his blood seemingly frozen.
Sig blankly stared as Garp reached out and picked up a bag of rice crackers on the table.
"These rice crackers are a specialty flavor exclusive to the North Blue. The Grand Line's voyage is long; I can't go without them…"
Garp, satisfied, stuffed the rice crackers into his pocket.
Sig's brain short-circuited.
"Wait… you came here just for rice crackers?"
"I have urgent military duties. Do you think I'd waste time chit-chatting with you here?"
Sig: "...Wasn't it you who just spent an hour talking to me about your daily life with little Ace? Are rice crackers more important than military duties?"
At this moment, Sig's heart suffered another devastating blow.
Not only had all his careful planning failed due to one critical error, but now he realized—
The reason for his defeat wasn't because the opponent was more clever. It was because of… a bag of rice crackers!
"Let's set aside the rice cracker matter for now…"
At this moment, Garp's expression turned serious again.
"Sig, you really are deceiving me!"
Excuse me, but the tension was completely interrupted by the rice crackers just now. The Emperor Engine won't even activate anymore, okay?
As Sig stood there speechless, Garp continued:
"You're clearly not a weakling!"
"That guy Roger—how could he possibly entrust so many important matters, including the life of his own son, to someone weak…?"
"This isn't about trust; it's about capability."
Garp's face was stern, and his tone sharp as he enunciated every word.
Sig opened his mouth, trying to say something, but his mind was in such chaos that he couldn't find the words.
"What else do you want to say? Are you still trying to deceive me?"
"With such a commanding presence, how could you possibly be weak?"
Garp roared, his gaze locked firmly onto Sig.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Emperor's Engine was once again awakened. The aura of the two men clashed like volcanoes on the verge of eruption.
The terrifying pressure emanating from Sig made Garp's gaze sharpen.
Garp fixed his eyes on Sig and bellowed,
"Are you trying to provoke me into attacking you?"
Sig froze slightly, and the frantic thumping of the Emperor's Engine momentarily eased.
He looked at Garp, whose face remained stern, fists still tightly clenched, but he stood there motionless, making no move to strike.
"You lied to me, claiming to be a timid weakling, a braggart drunkard...," Garp began.
"You thought I, Garp, would believe such nonsense?"
At this point, Garp shook his head.
"I see your plan—you want me to think you're nothing more than an insignificant weakling so that the Navy and the World Government will let their guard down."
"But how could a weakling possess such a powerful presence?"
As he spoke, Garp stared intently at Sig, his aura surging again, his fighting spirit rushing forth like a tidal wave, completely unrestrained.
Yet, despite the overwhelming energy, Garp still showed no intention of making a move.
"Luckily, I'm sharp enough to uncover your charade… But now you're trying to act tough and force me into attacking you, hoping to die at my hands?"
Garp burst into hearty laughter.
"I don't care what secrets you're hiding, nor do I care if you'd rather die at my hands than reveal them."
"I also don't want to know how you came to be so gravely injured or if you're suffering from a chronic illness that's left you far from your peak."
At this, Garp let out a soft sigh.
"But I don't want to see a hero in decline. I won't lay a hand on someone who's long been plagued by sickness."
"If you want to force me into action, then wait until you've returned to your peak, and we can have a proper, exhilarating fight!"
"When you've regained your strength, I'll see you as my enemy, and I won't hold back one bit!"
Having said his piece, Garp laughed boisterously, then, not giving Sig any chance to respond, turned and left through the hole in the wall.
"Seriously, I'm about to ascend to sainthood," Sig muttered to himself, finally exhaling yet another long breath.
He stood by the wall's gap, leaning against it and breathing heavily.
This time, he decided to play it smart and watch Garp until the man had completely disappeared over the horizon.
And sure enough, just as Garp was walking away, he slapped his forehead.
"Oh, right, I forgot something!"
Garp suddenly sprinted off and vanished from Sig's sight.
But moments later, the towering man reappeared at the hole in Sig's wooden hut—this time holding someone in his hand.
"Yo, Uncle Sig!" Luffy greeted with excitement, wriggling as Garp gripped him by the collar. "Gramps said you're even more amazing than I imagined!"
Before Luffy could finish his sentence, Garp directly handed him over to Sig.
With a serious expression, Garp said earnestly:
"I'm swamped with military duties and haven't been able to properly discipline Luffy. Over at Dadan's place, this brat hasn't been getting along too well with Ace, either."
"So, since your mission includes secretly looking after Ace, you might as well take care of my grandson too."