"Sig's subordinate? Weak?"
Gillman's eyes widened slightly, and his heart pounded violently.
A surge of fear flooded his mind.
But even stronger than fear was shame.
At this moment, he was not just Gillman. He was the trusted aide personally entrusted by Sig, representing Sig's dignity.
He could be weak, but he could not be disgraceful.
Gillman lifted his head, his expression gradually calming, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile emerged at the corner of his lips.
Even though he was looking up, it felt as if he was looking down on the much taller Pig.
This was an expression he had tried to imitate many times but had always lacked the true essence.
Yet at this moment, something had subtly changed.
"I trust Boss Sig's judgment, and I trust my own ambition..."
His face remained emotionless as he gazed at Pig, who was only a step away, his voice low and icy:
"Boss Sig is a man who will usher in the Great Bandit Era and become the King of Bandits!"
"I am a member of the King of Bandits' crew. How could I possibly be afraid of a dog raised by that coward, Doflamingo?"
His deep voice resounded across the entire scene.
At this moment, an invisible yet overwhelming aura suddenly erupted from the blood-covered giant man!
More than ten steps away.
Among the dozens of subordinates under the pirate Pig, more than half of them rolled their eyes and lost consciousness, collapsing backward with a loud thud.
Pig, who had been ready to personally end Gillman's life, glanced at his fallen subordinates and froze for a moment.
"You... what did you do?"
Pig was confused, but the numerous hidden faction leaders who had been observing all along now wore solemn expressions.
"And, his first awakening of Conqueror's Haki."
"Our speculation was wrong. He is not just some management-type talent."
Their expressions were complicated.
This was, without a doubt, the weakest Conqueror's Haki they had ever witnessed. Forget crushing Pig, even some of Pig's subordinates were still standing.
This proved that Gillman was indeed not strong.
But Conqueror's Haki was still Conqueror's Haki—an aptitude that appears only in one in millions!
The Shipping King, Umit, looked at Gillman, who stood tall and unwavering, and sighed deeply:
"Gillman truly has a bit of Sig's demeanor!"
"Sig has a keen eye for talent. He recognized that an ordinary bandit under his command possessed extraordinary potential."
"That is why he deliberately left him on Everything Island, entrusting the seemingly weak Gillman with overseeing the situation—to temper him!"
"Though Sig likely did not expect Gillman to awaken his Conqueror's Haki so soon."
Amidst their astonishment, their gazes turned complex.
"Conqueror's Haki is the trait of a king. Those who possess it are rulers of the sea, and they almost never submit to others."
"Yet this Gillman, the words he shouted just now... they sounded genuinely sincere..."
The Shipping King, Umit, narrowed his eyes slightly.
It was said that Sig's Conqueror's Haki was so powerful that it carried its own sound effects.
Compared to Sig, Gillman was indeed still far too inexperienced.
"A king has submitted to another king?"
As the Shipping King and others discussed, Pig, standing in front of Gillman, let out a furious roar and transformed his arms into massive beastly claws, swinging them fiercely at Gillman.
Before the attack even landed, the howling wind from the claws made Gillman's skin erupt with goosebumps.
With a deafening crash, Pig's massive body was slammed into the ground, creating web-like cracks in the terrain.
At some point, a woman had appeared on Pig's back.
Anne of Happy Street stood with one foot pressed against the unconscious Pig, looking at Gillman with a peculiar gaze.
Gillman also let out a sigh of relief, the sensation of escaping death once again washing over him, his heart pounding wildly.
Pig's enormous body completely blocked Gillman's line of sight, so at first, he hadn't noticed the pirates who had fainted due to his Haki.
He simply assumed that they had been knocked out by Anne and her subordinates.
"Did I... manage to bluff my way through?"
"In the end, I am still too weak. I can only stall for time with words."
"When will I be able to become truly strong like Boss Sig?"
After a brief moment of eye contact, Anne soon averted her gaze and scanned the surroundings.
"What a lively gathering. Since everyone is here, shouldn't you come and meet Lord Sig's esteemed officer?"
Anne was Stussy's subordinate, and she had heard about the complex relationship between Stussy and Sig.
On the surface, Happy Street belonged to Sig, making it another faction under his command. Naturally, she could not stand idly by regarding Gillman's predicament.
However, it seemed that she had arrived a little late this time.
At her words, the hidden faction leaders who had been secretly watching finally stepped out of the shadows.
Even the Shipping King and others emerged one after another, nodding toward Gillman in greeting.
"So many big shots? They were all watching from the sidelines?"
"Did I make a fool of myself?"
Gillman felt a bit lost, somewhat bewildered as he received greetings from these powerful figures.
At this moment, he was like a husky that had wandered into a pack of wolves.
"Stay calm! Don't embarrass yourself! If Boss Sig were here, what would he do?"
Once again, the towering figure of Sig surfaced in Gillman's mind. He reached into his coat and gripped the strategic document written by Kuro, feeling a slight sense of reassurance.
His expression gradually calmed down as he swept his gaze across the entire scene. The corners of his mouth once again curled into a faint, ambiguous smile.
"Everyone, this is not the place for conversation. Please, in honor of Boss Sig, let us move to the hall for a proper discussion."
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the likes of the Sea Transport King subtly changed.
They couldn't help but recall the events at the auction back then.
Even the Celestial Dragons, whom they had to curry favor with, didn't dare to compete with Sig at the auction.
"Sig is suspected to have the ability of the 'Face-Fruit'... Although these words were not spoken by Sig himself, the Face-Fruit is such a bizarre power—who knows what it could do..."
These powerful figures all had different thoughts in their minds, but in the end, they followed Gillman into the towering building behind him.
The moment they stepped inside, their eyes were instantly drawn to a massive portrait of Sig hanging prominently on the wall.
Even for well-traveled and experienced individuals like the Sea Transport King and his peers, this scene left them momentarily stunned.
"Ladies and gentlemen."
Gillman, who had undergone some simple bandaging, sat down at the host's seat, staring directly at the assembled figures.
And above them, in the portrait, Sig seemed to be silently gazing down at them as well.
"Regarding Everything Island, I have a strategic plan..."
The attendees, including the Sea Transport King, left their seats one after another, but their expressions were unexpectedly solemn and serious.
"Sig truly has a remarkable eye..."
"Regardless of whether this strategy was proposed by Sig or by this Gillman, this man cannot be underestimated..."
_____________________________________________________________________________________
read more than 70 advanced chapters+2chapters everyday on
check out link in THE SYNOPSIS