Chapter 42: Chapter 42: I, the Bandit King of the East Blue, Am Going to the Sea
Inside the wooden house.
The bandits stared somewhat blankly at Sig as he rummaged through the cabinets.
"What's the boss doing? What is he looking for?"
"The Navy is almost here, what could be so important that he still needs to find?"
"Could he be looking for his wallet, preparing to run away?"
"Nonsense! This small force isn't enough to even make it past the boss, he must be looking for some kind of secret weapon!"
"Bullshit! Does the boss need a secret weapon to deal with this bunch? He could crush them with a wave of his hand!"
Amidst the discussion, the bald man reacted the quickest:
"I've got it again!"
The bald man ran into the room next door. When he appeared again, he was holding a long knife in his hand.
"Boss! Is this what you were looking for?"
"Sorry, the boss's sword had rusted, so I took the liberty of polishing it yesterday."
The bald man raised the glistening long knife and brought it to Sig.
"So, the boss was looking for his sword!"
"Does this mean we'll finally get to see the boss fight in person?"
The other bandits became excited.
Interrupted by this, Sig finally calmed down.
He stopped what he was doing and looked at the bald man.
The long knife in front of him appeared to be just an ordinary blade, but after being polished, it looked like it had just come out of the forge—its blade gleaming coldly. The entire knife, including the hilt, had been restored to a fresh new look, showing the care and effort put into the polishing.
"I really didn't misjudge you." Sig raised his hand to his forehead.
Earlier, he had added a buff to himself—looks like he hadn't made a mistake.
But despite his words, Sig still took the long knife from the bald man, strapped it to his waist. With a sharp weapon in hand, he felt a bit more at ease.
He took another deep breath, trying to calm himself.
Then, he stepped out of the wooden house.
The enemy was already at their doorstep, and there was no room left to retreat.
...
Under the trees outside the wooden house, two kids were discussing.
"We're really caught up in the Navy and the Goa Kingdom's campaign to eliminate the Bandit King Sig... Ace, we should run."
"Run? We're not with these bandits, so what does it matter to us if they catch them?"
Ace remained calm:
"Why not take this chance to see the strength of Bandit King Sig?"
Upon hearing this, Sabo fell silent for a moment, his curiosity piqued.
Earlier, he had heard Sig mention the Pirate King, which made him even more curious about Sig.
"Uncle Sig is really strong!"
A young voice suddenly sounded.
Ace and Sabo jumped in surprise. Looking up, they saw Sig standing in front of them, holding Luffy in one hand.
"Sig! You... What are you planning to do now?"
Ace and Sabo instinctively gripped the pipes in their hands.
At this moment, the Sig standing before them was completely different from the one they had spoken to earlier.
Not only had a sword appeared at his waist, but Sig's entire demeanor had changed. With gunshots and shouts coming from the distance, he stood there expressionless, exuding an imposing aura.
"This is the real battlefield now. People will die."
Sig said lightly, and the faint sound of his heartbeat began to echo in the air.
Ace and Sabo's breathing slightly halted.
Sig set Luffy down and, with an expressionless face, said:
"Ace, Sabo, take Luffy and go to Dadan's house. That's where you should be."
"Wait, why should we listen to you?"
Ace gritted his teeth.
"Consider it a trade-off. I freed you both earlier and answered your questions, so now you return the favor."
Sig casually said, and without paying any more attention to the kids, he turned and walked away.
He didn't think too much about it. Luffy being with Ace was much safer than staying here with him, the bandit.
With Ace and Sabo's nature, they wouldn't refuse Sig's request to leave Luffy behind.
However, there was a faint sense of regret in Sig's heart.
It was rare for the bald man to bring him two experience packages, but it seemed there was no time left.
"No matter how this battle ends, it's time for me to leave."
Having crossed into this world for so long, Sig had developed a certain level of self-awareness.
If he won this fight, the World Government would most likely start overestimating him, making serious assumptions about his strength.
When that happens, Sig wouldn't be facing a small Navy branch, but a well-organized army.
Staying in the Goa Kingdom would only be a dead-end.
"I, the Bandit King of the East Blue, am going to the sea."
Sig thought to himself.
...
In front of the wooden house, nearly all of the bandits had gathered around Sig, their entire bandit group now tightly united.
Everyone had expectant expressions as they looked at their boss.
This moment had finally come.
Sig raised his long knife, pointing it towards the front where the gunshots were coming from. The tip of the knife trembled slightly.
"Hmm? The boss's knife is shaking?"
"Could it be... the boss is so excited and eager now? Haha, death awaits, Navy!"
"Are we finally going to see the boss make his move?"
Amidst everyone's expectations, Sig's long knife pointed towards the front, his face expressionless.
Bang, bang...
A faint but unmistakable aura of power began to spread, as if the emperor's engine had started, a subtle but overwhelming presence enveloping the entire area.
However, this time, the bandits didn't feel fear; instead, their faces turned slightly flushed with excitement.
They were eager to see Sig take action.
"This is so thrilling, I feel like I'm on fire!"
"I bet the boss will swing his sword and flatten the whole mountain!"
Sig's long knife finally moved.
His gaze sharpened once again as he looked far into the distance.
From here, he could already see the allied forces tightening their encirclement from far away.
"Just a few times the number of troops, and they dare to overestimate themselves?"
A low, cold voice echoed across the area.
"This time, I, Sig, will personally... break your formation!"
Sig's long knife moved, finally sheathing itself back in its scabbard.
A cold silence.
All the bandits immediately quieted down, their gazes somewhat lost.
"Boss... you're not going to personally take action?"
One of the bandits asked tentatively.
Sig glanced at the bandit who had spoken, making him tremble with fear.
"Do I need to personally make a move for such small fry?"
Sig asked lightly, his expression neither happy nor sad, as if neither the ambush nor the bandit's doubts could cause the slightest fluctuation in his state of mind.
"The boss is right!"
The familiar voice of the bald man rang out, his eyes burning with fierce fire.
"We understand, this is a test for us, his subordinates!"
"If we can't even defeat these few, how can we claim to be Sig's men!"
Sig's expression softened slightly.
"And besides, with the boss overseeing the battle, if anything goes wrong, would he just stand by and watch?"
The bald man continued.
Sig's eyelid twitched slightly.
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