Goa

"Sig, I've been wanting to ask you this for a while... what pirate crew does the tattoo on your arm belong to? The Sun on your back is what represents the Sun Pirates, right?" Lucky Roo asked Sig while gnawing on some meat.

"This one? The Sword of Sword of Freedom Pirates, the first pirate crew I joined when I first became a pirate... but not long after setting sail, they were all wiped out by the Navy, and I was rescued by the Fish-Man and taken back to Fish-Man Island." Sig vaguely told the truth.

No one else could guess that "not long" meant less than an hour, and since it was said that the entire army was wiped out, no one would ask any further questions.

Noticing Beckman looking at him, Sig turned to look at him and said, "Actually, I'm planning to get the Red-Hair Pirates' skull and crossbones flag tattooed on it too. Should it be on the bottom or the other side?"

Beckman grinned and said, "No, let's not get a tattoo..."

The Captain those two pirate flags you tattooed on your body are probably long gone by now, right?

"Hey? This makes it seem like we're not family..." Sig felt they should treat everyone equally.

Besides, Big Fool is always petty; what if he minds?

Just as Beckman was still thinking about how to dissuade the guy, Yasopp shouted, "I see Goa Island!"

Shanks stood at the bow of the ship, holding his Straw Hat down to keep it from being blown away by the sea breeze, while gazing into the distance.

Between the sea and the sky, a "continent" gradually appears.

Of course, the only thing in this world that can be called a continent is the "Red Line Continent" that circles the globe; everything else is just a larger "island".

The largest of these is undoubtedly Alabasta, located in the first half of the Grand Line. Ninety percent of its area is desert, but the remaining ten percent, consisting of oases and wetlands, supports tens of millions of people. Therefore, Alabasta is one of the very few countries that can be considered a major land power.

The Kingdom of Goa's area is incomparable to Alabasta's, but if we only consider the area of "habitable" land, the Kingdom of Goa is one-third the size of Alabasta, making it a major country in the East Blue!

Apart from the Mount Kolbo, which occupy about a quarter of Goa Island in the southeast, the entire island is almost entirely habitable.

Dawn Island is roughly a flattened triangle, with its southeastern corner separated from the main part of the Dawn Island by the Colbert Mountains.

The entire Kingdom of Goa developed in a concentric ring pattern, with its central region located inland, unlike most maritime nations.

Meanwhile, the relatively powerful Kingdom of Goa implemented a policy of segregation, with royalty, nobles, commoners, and others residing in their respective areas. The inland suburbs, far from the central region and not near the sea, were called "Border Town," places where they considered "lower classes" to live.

If you enter the central street, you will indeed think of this as the pearl of the East China Sea and the most beautiful country. However, if you enter the Border Town, you will think of this as a country with extremely poor public security and environment.

However, if you enter the narrow "Terminal of Uncertainties" area near the Mount Kolbo, which is a completely abandoned zone, you will see a desolate hellscape filled with garbage.

It wasn't just a place where garbage was dumped; the people there were also considered "garbage" by nobles and even commoners on the main street.

"Morio, dock at the port southeast of Goa," Shanks said to Morio, who was at the helm.

"Receive!"

Morio was seen turning the steering wheel, while Ooo was running around on it, as if helping.

Arriving on the southeast side, one can only see a small amount of land in the distance, with the surrounding mountains blocking out the view.

Including the Foosha Village, these small villages along the southeast coast can be considered a "Shangri-La" on Goa Island.

According to the Kingdom of Goa's classification, Foosha Village, being a remote area, naturally falls under the category of "suburbs." Since it's not Terminal of Uncertainties, it should be considered Border Town...

However, because it is located on the southeast coast, Foosha Village, although part of the Kingdom of Goa, is separated from the main body of the Kingdom of Goa by the Mount Kolbo, and is therefore almost autonomous.

To the southwest of Goa Island, there is a port in the central coastal area, but it would be too conspicuous for pirate ships to dock there.

"Listen up, everyone! We'll be staying in Goa for quite a while. Once we're ashore... unless it's to protect your comrades or friends, you are absolutely not allowed to take action!" Shanks emphasized again.

Sig has recently come to understand that the Red-Hair Pirates currently at a stage that, roughly speaking, is the same as the Straw Hat Pirates before the "Marineford" arc in the original work—preparing to enter the New World, but their strength isn't enough to cause a stir New World.

Of course, in terms of strength, the Red-Hair Pirates are now closer to the Straw Hat Pirates "two years after Marineford," so their "lack of strength" is relative.

But...

The Straw Hat Pirates trained for two years, but judging from Shanks's words, it seems like he's going on a long "vacation"—in the original work, Red-Hair did indeed stay in the East Blue for a long time, using Foosha Village as his base, and was active for more than a year!

Sig was also puzzled by this—although Red-Hair had his own purposes in the Kingdom of Goa, wasn't the environment there too comfortable for the Red-Hair Pirates? Wasn't he afraid that it would dull the crew's will and weaken their strength?

Of course, Sig had no objection to this, because... Shadow Ascetic!

Sequence 7 of the Hanged Man Path, "The Shadow Ascetic," is currently being explored by Sig in ways that allow him to advance his role—quietly and secretly engaging in "mystical" training, such as listening to the whispers of fruits...

Previously, Sig's bounty was restored after he joined the Red-Hair Pirates following his involvement in the attack on World Government ships. He was even given a bounty of over 100 million as a newly minted pirate. However, since then, his progress in playing the role of the "Shadow Ascetic" has been completely stalled!

Sig estimated that he needed his "reputation" to cool down, and the cooler it was, the better he could advance his role as the "Shadow Ascetic."

This undoubtedly conflicts with the role of a "Seafarer" —Sig estimates that the role of Seafarer can only be played out quickly in an environment like the Grand Line; the challenges in the East China Sea are too small to demonstrate that he is a "navigator."

However, once he enters the Grand Line, and is in the Red-Hair Pirates, Sig will inevitably fall into the troubles of "fame".

Therefore, "retreating" for a period of time perfectly suits Sig's needs.

When they set off again, it should be around the time the Red-Hair Pirates enter the New World and challenge for the throne. By then, it won't be easy for Sig to "hide" himself. It's essential for him to take some time to play the role of a "Shadow Ascetic"!

"Sig, you should also put away your Fish-Man form... In the East Blue, Fish-Man are just a legend," Shanks said to Sig.

Sig readily accepted the suggestion and put away the scales.

Logically, since it was Garp Shanks to come, the old man should have helped cover it up and prevent the Red-Hair Pirates.

Something like robbing the World Government... it's not like it's some kind of Celestial Gold, just a mere fruit, it's easy to suppress.

In addition, the East Blue doesn't specifically promote pirates from the Grand Line, and with Red-Hair and his crew's unremarkable physique and unassuming demeanor, it wouldn't be difficult for them to "keep a low profile."