A sound echoed from the distance in the woods. The chest that Sabo was carrying dropped to the ground, and his eyes widened in surprise as he looked toward Ace's direction.
Without sparing a glance at the chest on the ground, Sabo immediately dashed forward at full speed.
But then, Ace's words caused Sabo to suddenly stop dead in his tracks, nearly tripping over himself.
"I heard you know Pirate King Roger. What kind of person was he?"
From the trunk of the tree, the ten-year-old's voice was still cold. Although he was asking a question, it carried a distinct tone that seemed to push others away.
"Pirate... King?" Sabo almost stumbled. He looked at Sig with surprise, and the tall man's figure now seemed even taller than before.
What kind of person was Pirate King Roger?
Sig was caught off guard by the question, his mind suddenly troubled.
How did Ace even know he knew Roger?
As his thoughts drifted back to a certain eccentric grandfather and grandson, Sig pushed the question out of his mind.
"Forget about Roger. How about you come be my son?"
Sig really wanted to say that.
But he hadn't yet figured out how to handle a fiery young boy who would repeatedly raid his dreams.
Ace's old man wasn't someone just anyone could be.
Ace, who had asked Sig directly, still wore an expression as though Sig owed him a fortune, his lips slightly turned down.
His hand gripped the water pipe tightly, and it was clear that his fingers were clenched so hard that his knuckles were faintly white.
But it didn't seem like he intended to strike Sig. Rather, he was just tense due to the nature of the question.
Seeing this, Sig, though still feeling a headache, also felt a bit softened in his heart.
It was a serious inquiry, but judging by Ace's tone and expression, it seemed more like a threat directed at Sig.
This ten-year-old child seemed to wear an invisible, heavy armor, as though he hadn't learned how to speak softly.
"I can't fool a kid …"
Sig sighed inwardly and, after wracking his brain...
In the end, he could only answer seriously:
"Pirate King Roger was a... man who longed for freedom."
Sig could only offer a vague answer.
Clearly, this answer didn't satisfy Ace. His little face immediately furrowed, and he let out a cold sneer before retorting:
"Is freedom more important than family?"
Sig once again fell silent for a long time before staring directly at Ace, answering seriously:
"But on the sea, there are all kinds of people. Some pirates long for freedom, while others value their blood relatives or their pirate comrades."
"The sea is vast. Whatever you're chasing, you'll always meet like-minded people."
These words seemed to strike a chord with Ace, causing the ten-year-old, who had been sneering, to fall into deep thought.
Sabo, watching from the shadows, breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran out:
"Mr. Sig, Ace is just talking nonsense. He's causing trouble..."
Sabo quickly gave Ace a look, signaling him to leave.
"It's fine. I won't make things difficult for two little pirates."
Sig waved his hand, not paying any more attention to Ace and Sabo, and stepped back into the wooden cabin.
In his heart, he felt a slight sense of relief. It seemed like he had managed to ease the hostility of the two children for now.
"Anyway, there's plenty of time. Garp has already handled things. There's no rush. Just wait quietly…"
A series of loud bangs echoed from the distance, mixed with gunshots and shouting, followed by a chaotic noise.
Sig paused for a moment, a feeling of unease creeping over him.
But shortly after, he saw a large group of bandits rushing toward him in a flurry.
"Boss Sig, the Navy and the Kingdom Army have come to our doorstep!"
Sig immediately snapped to attention.
Ever since he sent Garp away, he had let his guard down significantly. His focus had been on Luffy these past few days.
He had completely forgotten about the information the Revolutionary Army had sent recently!
"Don't panic! How many of them are there?"
Sig asked in a deep voice, his heart slightly tightening.
However, Sig currently had more than two hundred subordinates, with a total bounty exceeding twenty million Berries. He wasn't without backup.
The commotion of the Navy's encirclement wasn't small, and the area around the mountain had already become chaotic, with the bandits clamoring as they poured in from all sides.
But when they heard Sig's voice, everyone's eyes lit up. They now had a steady anchor.
Their boss was the legendary Bandit King, who had once shared laughs with the Four Emperors, plotted with the leader of the Revolutionary Army to overthrow the world, and was close friends with the Navy hero, Garp!
Compared to these top-tier figures on the world stage, what was the encirclement by some Navy branch?
Was there any need to panic?
With Sig, the stabilizing force, here, he could crush the entire scene with a wave of his hand!
Sig's words caused the previously noisy bandits to quickly calm down, and some even secretly looked forward to the upcoming battle.
"How many enemies are there? We don't know, but the number doesn't matter to our boss, Sig."
Looking at his suddenly confident subordinates, Sig felt... his earlier confidence had suddenly disappeared. He was now a little panicked.
"Hey, hey, I was planning to rely on you excellent subordinates to break through, you know?"
"What's this? You all want to rely on the Bandit King's strength?"
Sig suddenly felt a headache coming on.
At the crucial moment, a familiar voice came from above.
"Boss, the situation is in our favor. The enemy's numbers aren't that many. It's a small matter."
Looking up, Sig saw that he didn't know when the bald man had already climbed to the roof of the large wooden house. From up high, he was holding a night vision telescope and scanning the area.
"Huh? This bald guy suddenly learned a new skill?"
"Well, it makes sense. The bald guy used to be an instructor in the Navy, so learning military skills is quite normal."
Sig made up his mind and felt a sense of appreciation for the bald man.
Compared to the other subordinates, this bald man, who had been in the Navy, was much more reliable. He was sharp, though sometimes a little too sharp.
"Can you estimate the enemy's numbers?"
The bald man, holding the telescope, responded:
"The enemy's numbers aren't many. I estimate around six to seven hundred, maybe up to a thousand. Not a lot."
"That's only about three to four times our Bandit King Sig's crew, at most five times."
At this point, the bald man sneered coldly:
"The Navy is really getting worse and worse. Their intelligence is outdated. With this small fry, they dare to act against our Boss Sig?"
"Ridiculous! They actually surrounded all directions... With this small force, they dare to divide their troops and encircle us? If all the soldiers came from one direction, maybe they could survive a few more seconds under Boss Sig."
Sig took a deep breath.
Everyone was staring at him, waiting for their boss's orders.
"Don't panic! This is a small matter!"
Sig spoke calmly, his composure and calmness overwhelming the entire scene.
For now... let's calm down and find a time machine.
Sig rushed into the house and began rummaging through the cabinets.
only 26 power stones left to 60