the King of Pirates of the East Sea

In the distance, a figure wearing a hooded robe stood silently behind a tree.

Even in the depths of this uninhabited mountain range, the man kept his hood on, his entire body wrapped tightly in clothing, with only a small portion of his face exposed.

"Sig? A bandit with an 8-million bounty?"

The man frowned, silently observing Sig and his group trekking along the mountain path in the distance.

No matter how he observed them, neither Sig nor the other bandits in his group appeared to be particularly strong.

A mountain breeze swept through, lifting the edge of the man's hood, revealing a faint glimpse of his partially exposed face.

The left side of his face bore a dark red square tattoo that, combined with his stern and cold features, gave him a particularly menacing appearance.

The most dangerous criminal in the world. The leader of the Revolutionary Army. The son of Marine hero Garp. Monkey D. Dragon.

Behind these astonishing titles was another significant identity:

He was Luffy's father.

After learning of Sig's actions yesterday, Dragon, who had originally been active in the Goa Kingdom area of the East Blue, had come here alone.

However, his covert observations left him somewhat disappointed.

"Is this the guy who, along with Red-Haired Shanks, encouraged Luffy to become a pirate?"

"It seems our intelligence network isn't strong enough yet. We need to filter out some of the false information."

As Dragon muttered softly, his expression changed slightly.

The situation had shifted.

In the distance, along the mountain path where Sig and his group were walking, dozens of bandits emerged from both sides of the trail, forming a semi-circle to block Sig's group in the middle of the road.

"Not bad for an 8-million man, the top wanted criminal of the Goa Kingdom, to have noticed our presence."

By the side of the mountain path, the dozens of bandits who had surrounded Sig and his group were led by a tall, burly man.

"Top wanted criminal?"

Sig was a bit surprised. An 8-million bounty could actually rank first in a place like the Goa Kingdom?

No wonder the original Sig was so arrogant.

Of course, there were also other bandits in the Goa Kingdom with bounties of 6 or 7 million, so the gap wasn't that large.

For instance, the group of bandits in front of them.

"Isn't that the bandit Gillman from the mountain opposite ours? Are we seriously being ambushed by bandits?"

The bald bandit was sharp-eyed and immediately recognized the other group.

"Boss, what should we do? They have more people than us."

One of the bandits whispered nervously.

Sig's group had about 20 people, while the other side had more than 30.

Gillman sneered, looking down at Sig and his group.

"Sig, you're clearly outnumbered. You don't stand a chance."

"Once I defeat you, I'll become the leader of the largest bandit gang in the area and officially begin my... empire!"

"Empire?"

Sig's group collectively froze in confusion.

They were all bandits, after all, doing nothing more than petty robbery...

But now they were hearing the word "empire" from the mouth of a bandit in front of them.

"That's right, my empire!"

The burly bandit Gillman raised the blade in his hand, pointing it mockingly at Sig in the crowd.

"Sig, I'm nothing like you lot."

"You're just trash."

"But me? I have ambition!"

Gillman's eyes gleamed with boundless determination:

"After defeating you, I'll unite all the surrounding bandits, take over this entire area, plunder the Goa Kingdom, and then go on to dominate the entire East Blue!"

He took a deep breath and shouted his proclamation at the top of his lungs:

"I'm the man who will become the Bandit King of the East Blue!"

His words echoed through the mountains, startling countless birds into flight.

After a brief silence, the bandits on Sig's side burst into laughter.

"Bandit King?"

"He actually said he wants to be the Bandit King in front of our boss Sig!"

"Bandit King of the East Blue? Ha! Why doesn't he just say he wants to be the Bandit King of the whole sea?"

"Our boss Sig, he once stood shoulder to shoulder with Pirate King Roger, and just yesterday, he was laughing and chatting with the Four Emperors of the Pirates!"

The burly bandit leader, Gillman, listened to the mocking laughter, his face gradually darkening. But when he heard the last remark, a sneer came from his nostrils.

"Pirate King? Sig, just you?"

"Sig, do you think we don't know your background? You probably haven't even left the East Blue, have you?"

After he spoke, the bandits around Gillman burst into laughter.

"They actually dare to look down on the boss!"

"Boss, let us take care of these lowly scum!"

The bandits were filled with righteous anger, but only Sig, surrounded by them, wore a contemplative expression on his face.

He had just learned that Sig was the number one wanted criminal, and it was giving him a headache.

Garp was about to arrive, so the lower-key Sig kept himself. If the name of the number one wanted criminal caught Garp's attention, it would be disastrous.

Sig raised a hand and gestured for his subordinates to quiet down, then looked up and asked Gillman:

"You want to defeat me, Sig, to boost your reputation? Fine."

"I surrender."

Sig spoke calmly:

"You can spread the news that I was utterly defeated by you, and I won't object."

"So, can we go now?"

The entire area erupted in surprise, with both sides of bandits feeling somewhat bewildered.

Laughter once again rang out.

"He gave up in a second, and this is our number one wanted criminal?"

"Facing our encirclement, he doesn't even have the courage to fight back?"

Meanwhile, Sig's subordinates looked on in disbelief.

"Boss... why?"

They had secretly hoped that their leader would take action to deal with the bandits, but this was the outcome.

"Sig, are you looking down on me?"

Gillman, the burly bandit, spoke angrily, glaring at Sig as if his eyes were going to shoot fire.

"Of course not. In fact, I even want to cheer for your dream of becoming the Bandit King."

As Sig's deep voice sounded, he also raised his hands, showing that he wasn't planning any resistance. Slowly, he stepped forward into the encirclement.

"So, can we pass through?"

The development of the situation made Gillman's mind momentarily blank.

He stared at Sig's sincere eyes, scratched his head, unsure how to respond.

Sig carefully took another step forward, getting closer to the encirclement.

At the same time, Sig called out:

"What are you all standing around for? Put your knives away and follow me."

The bald bandits were stunned for a moment, their faces complicated, but slowly, they sheathed their knives.

Gillman, the bandit leader, thought for a while, then gestured to his men.

A small gap appeared in the encirclement, just enough for one person to pass through.

"Fine... just walk through peacefully... who becomes the Bandit King is none of my business..."

Sig's heart raced.

At the same time, he glanced at the surrounding bandits.

Each of them looked at Sig with a mix of contempt and vigilance, their gleaming blades reflecting the cold light of metal under the sunlight of the mountains.

As Sig approached the encirclement, a hint of nervousness crept into his heart.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom...

The sound of the King Engine roared uncontrollably again.