The bandits remained very cautious toward the already surrendered Kuro. Ignoring his injuries, they securely tied him up with several loops and had a few men hold knives against his back as they gradually disappeared into the distance.
Standing on the spot, Sig watched Kuro's retreating figure, his heart slightly heavy.
With Sig's current strength, he had no chance of defeating Kuro in a direct confrontation. Earlier, he hadn't even caught a glimpse of his opponent's movements and had no choice but to resort to this method.
"Still, pairing the wolf-tooth sword with a corrosive poison is a bit too ruthless."
Sig sighed softly in his heart.
He glanced at the serrated electric saw held by one of his subordinates nearby and remarked:
"From now on, let's just use the electric saw."
After instructing his subordinates to clean up the corpses and the wolf-tooth sword stained with poison, Sig once again dialed Ivankov.
This time, everything went smoothly without any obstacles.
An hour later, Sig, holding the newly delivered package, knocked on Usopp's door.
"Ms. Banchina, Healing Hormones are not a conventional treatment. In addition to consuming ten years of lifespan, they also stimulate the body's vitality and immune system, transforming your constitution into one that resists this type of illness..."
"Whether or not you succeed in healing depends greatly on your own will to survive."
Sig read aloud, word for word, from Ivankov's instructions.
"I'm ready," said the weak Banchina, nodding from her bed.
"Then the next step is to find a nurse or doctor who knows how to administer injections..."
Sig turned his gaze to Usopp, who was standing nearby. Just as he was about to speak, Baldy stepped forward and volunteered:
"Boss, I can handle it. Back when I was in the Navy, I learned basic nursing skills."
Sig, already accustomed to such surprises, showed no reaction.
With one clean jab from Baldy, Banchina's pale face started to regain a flush of color, and her breathing quickened noticeably.
Although her illness was severe enough to be life-threatening, compared to Luffy, whose entire body had been ravaged by poison, Banchina's condition was much better.
Things progressed even more smoothly than Sig had anticipated.
After enduring a struggle with her illness, Banchina, bedridden for days, stood up on her own for the first time.
The following day, her face no longer bore the pale, sickly hue but was instead full of healthy color.
Excited, Usopp had already spread the news of his mother being cured by an unnamed doctor all over Syrup Village.
Thus, by midday of the second day, Sig arrived at a small villa with his third package, invited by Kaya's parents.
"You must think this through carefully. This is not a conventional medicine..."
Sig repeated Ivankov's warnings.
Lying on the bed, Kaya's eyes shone with determination.
"I want to recover quickly. I want to see Usopp's great adventures with my own eyes..."
"Kaya..." Little Usopp became flustered and didn't know what to say.
Sig said nothing but signaled Baldy to administer the injection.
Similar to before, Kaya's face slowly regained its color, and her body began to twitch slightly.
Kaya's voice was faint and tinged with pain as she let out low murmurs.
"Pain is normal. Overcome it, and you'll recover," Sig said softly.
The treatment process with Healing Hormones is far from smooth. While an adult like Banchina could endure the torment, for a seven-year-old child like Kaya, it was much harder.
To Usopp, watching Kaya suffer was agonizing.
"Uncle Sig, isn't there anything we can do to help?"
Usopp anxiously paced around the room before suddenly having an idea. His face lit up with excitement.
"Uncle Sig, could you tell another story? Maybe it could distract Kaya."
Hearing this, Kaya, lying on the bed, slightly opened her eyes and looked at Sig.
Sig, however, felt a bit troubled.
"I've already told all my stories," he replied helplessly.
"But last time, didn't you mention a story about the great battle against the Fifty-Six Emperors that you hadn't finished?" Kaya's eyes sparkled as she looked at Sig, filled with anticipation.
Sig hesitated and glanced at Kaya's parents, who were also in the room. Understanding the situation, they tactfully left.
"Doctor, don't worry. We don't know your name or your stories..."
The room was left with only Sig, Usopp, and Kaya.
Faced with this scenario, Sig scratched his head and walked over to the window to gaze at the sky.
"Drinking always gets me into trouble..."
Feeling a bit irritated, Sig grabbed the bottle at his waist and took two gulps. His eyes grew hazy, and he started speaking again.
"After the Pirate King Roger's death, the Great Pirate Era began. It was an era of chaos with pirates rising everywhere. Even the mighty Navy found itself overwhelmed by their sheer numbers..."
"You two... do you know about the Four Emperors?"
"Yes, the Red-Haired Pirates, where Yasopp belongs, are one of the Four Emperors."
"But in that old era, there were sixty figures who could be called emperors of the seas or had the potential to become emperors!"
"And why are there only Four Emperors left today? That takes us to the story of that great battle..."
Sig smiled faintly, his smile brimming with stories.
He clasped his hands behind his back and began to recount those glorious days.
"In that grand and tumultuous old era, the Fifty-Six Emperors wreaked havoc across the Five Seas. It was the Mountain Bandit King who, single-handedly, subdued all fifty-six sea emperors..."
"That battle was so catastrophic that it has since been deliberately erased from history. Today, it remains an unknown secret."
"Each of the fifty-six sea emperors was a powerhouse capable of destroying an island. Yet on that day, fifty-six emperors gathered in the New World and joined forces to challenge the Mountain Bandit King."
"That was an earth-shattering battle! The Mountain Bandit King and the Fifty-Six Emperors clashed with such intensity that it seemed to shake the heavens and the earth!"
"They fought from the New World to the Red Line, and then from the Red Line to..." Sig pointed to the sky:
"To the Endless Land in the sky!"
"But that's not all!" Sig continued in a deep voice.
"Their battle eventually reached the edge of the universe!"
"The Mountain Bandit King, with a mere wave of his hand, seemed to recreate the cosmos, shatter the stars, and erase entire continents..."
"Finally, with a bottle of liquor in hand, the Mountain Bandit King smashed the heads of the Fifty-Six Emperors one by one, ushering in the relatively peaceful era we have today."
As Sig, slightly tipsy, spun his tale, he failed to notice the growing sparkle in Usopp's eyes as he listened.