I the King of bandits of the East Sea

One day later.

After waking up, Garp caused a ruckus. However, he ultimately lost track of Dragon and Sig's fleets, and this pursuit officially ended in failure.

Meanwhile, the World Government swiftly began gathering all kinds of information regarding Sig.

At the Goa Kingdom Hospital, outside the ward of the Celestial Dragon Saint Charlos:

Officials of the World Government were discussing the condition with the doctor.

"What? You're saying Saint Charlos might have only experienced extreme fright, causing cardiac arrest? And aside from that, there are no significant injuries?"

The World Government officials exchanged glances, their pens pausing mid-note.

They were supposed to submit the relevant records to the World Government to aid the Navy in its pursuit of criminals.

But… how were they supposed to document this?

While they were struggling with this dilemma, in the ward behind them, Saint Charlos, who had been lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes.

"I'm fine? Just scared?"

Saint Charlos's face gradually twisted into a dark, distorted expression. Upon hearing the faint discussions outside, his grotesque and obese face turned completely red with rage.

What… the humiliating event of him, Saint Charlos, fainting from fright, was going to be archived as critical information in the World Government's database?

"No way!"

Throwing off the blanket, he pushed open the door and kicked over the doctor outside.

"Quack doctor! I'm hurting here, here, and here, and yet you missed all these issues during your examination!"

Saint Charlos stomped on the doctor, his fury unrestrained.

"Saint Charlos, you're awake!"

The World Government officials exclaimed in surprise, but what greeted them was Saint Charlos's cold, disdainful glare.

"You, listen to me carefully."

"That damn pirate—he must be an extremely dangerous, extremely powerful monster!"

"When he launched his attack on me from a distance, I felt a vast, terrifying power pierce through my body… If it were you lowly commoners, not even a trace of you would've been left behind!"

"If it were an Admiral, maybe a tiny bit of debris would remain."

"Do you understand? You fools!"

Saint Charlos roared furiously.

"Understood."

"We understand."

The officials wiped the sweat from their brows, their pens moving without pause as they frantically took notes.

Meanwhile, from the accounts of the defeated and fleeing soldiers of the Navy's 77th Branch during their return journey, the World Government received similar feedback.

"Sig—he's a devil!"

"He's too powerful! He didn't even fight seriously! He's absolutely a highly dangerous criminal! Our branch wasn't weak at all… cough, cough, don't write down that last part."

"And his personality… absolutely insane! Our Captain Carvin guessed one of his thoughts correctly, and Sig deliberately angered him to death!"

"Even his subordinates are devils! Their faces… ah! Why are you asking me about this? I don't want to remember it!"

Marine Headquarters, Marineford, inside the Fleet Admiral's office.

Fleet Admiral Kong sat with a grim expression, listening to his subordinates' report.

"That guy Garp… he failed? Was he even serious?"

Kong furrowed his brow deeply, his mood souring.

An attack on a Celestial Dragon was no small matter, and a criminal capable of defeating CP0 was clearly no weakling.

However, the Goa Kingdom was far too remote, and the Navy's true strength was concentrated within the Grand Line.

Considering the time and travel distance, dispatching Garp had already been the Navy's best option.

However, Kong did not anticipate that the situation would be even more complicated and enigmatic than he had imagined.

First, Garp, who had been tasked with capturing the mountain bandit Sig, was intercepted by the revolutionary Dragon.

Then, when Garp attempted to attack Sig, he was struck on the head by an axe wielded by a Marine recruit, knocking him out instantly—an incident Garp laughingly recounted while rubbing the back of his head after regaining consciousness.

"The appearance of the revolutionary Dragon suggests a connection between the mountain bandit Sig and the Revolutionary Army, or perhaps Sig himself is a member of the Revolutionary Army," Kong sighed deeply.

The father-son relationship between Garp and Dragon was no secret to Kong as the Fleet Admiral of the Marines.

However, the Marine recruit who had taken Garp down with a single axe strike posed a much larger problem.

Feeling weary, Kong rubbed his temples and glanced at several dossiers spread across his desk.

Among them were reports based on the testimony of Saint Charlos, as well as operational records from the 77th Marine branch.

One particular file belonged to the Marine recruit named Morgan.

His record appeared unremarkable, except for his relatively advanced age—he had joined the Marines only recently, at the age of 37.

But Morgan's actions during the campaign against Sig had raised significant concerns.

"Sig claimed he wanted to recruit Morgan and even declared that if Morgan joined him, he would be able to take down a Marine Admiral with a single axe strike in no time..."

On the surface, this statement seemed utterly absurd.

Yet, in light of recent events, it became disturbingly plausible.

What if the Marine dispatched in this scenario had been Admiral Sengoku or Admiral Zephyr? In that case, this 37-year-old recruit would have faced a genuine Marine Admiral.

And if that happened, could something similar occur?

"This recruit Morgan is absolutely suspicious," Kong muttered.

"Could this be a long-planned scheme orchestrated by the Revolutionary Army or the mountain bandit Sig?"

Kong drummed his fingers on the desk, lost in thought.

"Or perhaps it's just Garp being careless again. After all, he's the kind of man who'd fall asleep on an enemy ship," Sengoku interjected calmly from a nearby seat.

Kong remained silent for a moment before pushing the documents across the desk toward Sengoku.

"Sengoku, I'd like to hear your thoughts. As the 'Strategist,' what's your take on this criminal Sig, who dared to attack a Celestial Dragon?"

This incident with Sig targeting the Celestial Dragons had directly prompted them to pressure the World Government, which, in turn, had hastily gathered all available information about Sig.

Sengoku sifted through the files for some time. His previously relaxed expression gradually turned somber.

The Goa Kingdom, the Revolutionary Army, the Celestial Dragons, CP0...

A series of events seemed loosely connected by an indistinct thread, weaving through the narrative like a shadow.

Yet, when Sengoku tried to delve deeper, he found no tangible starting point—analyzing it yielded no concrete answers.

After pondering for a while, Sengoku finally spoke:

"This enigmatic Sig appears to act passively, even giving the impression of being timid and risk-averse."

"But for someone as dangerous as him to disguise himself so perfectly, it's actually a flaw in itself."

"What are you trying to say?" Kong asked, sitting up straighter, his expression growing more serious.

"This is an exceptionally dangerous and cautious individual. And for a man like him, his true nature can't remain hidden forever."

"No matter what actions he takes, there seems to be a deeper meaning behind them, shrouded in a veil of mystery. The more you think about it, the more extraordinary he seems."

"It's precisely this calculated, enigmatic behavior that exposes him! His schemes are far from simple!"

"It's as if he's been wearing a mask all along—constantly performing, perpetually lying in wait."

"If not for this bold move of attacking the Celestial Dragons, we might never have seen past his facade and would've continued to treat him as just a mere mountain bandit with a bounty of 800,000 berries!"

Sengoku let out a faint smile of resignation.

(End of the first Volume...)

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Thanks, Mina, for your support throughout this volume

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