Amazed, Ivankov's gaze fell on Sig's long sword.
This long sword wasn't anything special—if anything, it could be described as crudely made.
It was just a random sword that Sig had casually picked up from one of his subordinates, a bandit.
Yet, this very sword, in Sig's hands, shone brilliantly, easily slicing the lord of the coast into dozens of pieces.
Looking at Sig, Ivankov felt as if the gates to a new world had been opened in his heart.
In the world of One Piece, speed equals strength, size equals power, and the combination of strength and speed equals might.
Of course, this isn't wrong.
But Sig had just given Ivankov a masterful demonstration of what true skill looks like.
"Defeating a lord of the coast without using your full strength? Just relying on a fraction of your power paired with such extraordinary swordsmanship to easily slay it?"
"Sig-boy, just how much power did you use to kill this lord of the coast... one-tenth? One-hundredth? One-thousandth?"
"So this is the secret that has allowed you to remain hidden for so many years—even when showing only minimal power and speed, you're still so strong..."
In Ivankov's mind, Sig's image grew increasingly mysterious and powerful.
He had trained his Conqueror's Haki to the point where it came with sound effects, completely under his control—able to suppress ordinary people without overwhelming them to the point of fainting.
He possessed a strange and invisible method of attack, likely related to Conqueror's Haki, that allowed him to take down a Celestial Dragon from a distance, bypassing CP0 entirely.
And his swordsmanship? It was so terrifyingly advanced that even with a crudely made, ordinary sword, he could display unbelievable strength...
After slaying the lord of the coast, Sig slowly sheathed his sword and stood still. Reflecting on the scene that had just unfolded, he felt a sense of joy.
Not just joy at his astonishing level of swordsmanship but also at his combat capabilities.
If it had been before equipping the Li Jing card, Sig might not have even reacted in time and would've ended up as a snack for the lord of the coast.
But in this battle, Sig wasn't relying solely on Li Jing's swordsmanship!
At the moment the lord of the coast lunged, Sig first jumped onto its head, slaying it with a swift strike. Then, in the few seconds before its body hit the water, he unleashed a series of slashes before leaping back onto the ship.
It was only now that Sig realized he had misunderstood the system's mechanics!
The character cards provided by the system didn't just gradually grant him the character's full strength—they included all their combat techniques, not just swordsmanship.
Even without a sword, Li Jing's combat capabilities would far surpass those of an ordinary human like Sig.
For instance, the fact that Sig had managed to dodge the lord of the coast's attack while equipped with the Li Jing card demonstrated this point.
Take, for example, the time in the Ten Cool Worlds story where Li Jing—without a sword—was slapped into a wall by a newborn Nezha and couldn't be pried out.
Well, to be fair, that was because Nezha's strength was overwhelming, even celestial beings couldn't withstand it.
Another example: without a sword, Li Jing would be akin to Sanji wielding a kitchen knife to fight, or Zoro using his No-Sword Style. They couldn't unleash their full potential but were by no means weak.
'When facing sea monsters without hands, the Li Jing card grants me incredibly powerful swordsmanship.'
'When dealing with ordinary opponents, it's like having an invincible control skill.'
'Even without a sword, as long as I equip the Li Jing card, I'll have enough strength to protect myself. If I encounter reckless fools like Morgan again, I won't need to reenact some insane battle.'
'A card this strong, and it's only rated A?'
Sig muttered to himself.
If his starting card hadn't been the S-ranked King or this A-ranked Li Jing, he probably wouldn't have made it through all these wild situations.
"Boss, what should we do with this Navy prisoner?" a bandit asked.
The axe, dropped in fright by Morgan, soon hit the ground with a thud. His whole body was drenched in cold sweat as the bandits surrounded him tightly.
"Knock him out, tie him up, and have someone watch over him," Sig said casually.
A few minutes earlier.
On the Celestial Dragon's ship, the CP0 agent with the crying white mask was patiently waiting.
After such a major incident, the ship's entire combat force had been placed on high alert in the shortest time possible. Their expressions were tense as they formed a human wall, standing vigil outside the emergency room.
Sig's formless attack had thoroughly terrified them. They were deeply concerned about any further unexpected events occurring.
"Protect Saint Charlos. I'll go capture the criminal," came a cold voice from beneath the white mask, faintly tinged with a murderous aura.
The Celestial Dragon's ship had already turned around and was now heading toward the Goa Kingdom port at maximum speed, creating some distance from the fleeing refugee fleet.
However, for CP0 agents who had mastered the Six Powers, such a distance was hardly an obstacle.
The white-masked figure moved rapidly, and within moments, he appeared on the deck.
By continuously stepping on the air beneath him, the white-masked agent transformed into a streak of white light in the night sky, darting swiftly toward the distant refugee fleet.
Before long, he spotted the pirate ship among the refugee vessels and the massive sea beast that had just emerged from the water.
From afar, he saw Sig gripping a long sword, preparing to leap into action.
The white mask stopped mid-air, his body halting abruptly as he used Moonwalk to stay aloft. Pointing a finger forward like a gun, he aimed directly at Sig.
Sig's intangible and unpredictable attacks had left a lasting impression on him, filling him with unease.
If he could eliminate this troublesome criminal with a sneak attack during his battle, it would be the most ideal outcome.
"Flying Finger Pistol..."
As he focused his strength at his fingertip, just about to launch his attack, his movements suddenly froze, and he almost forgot to maintain his Moonwalk steps.
He had just witnessed Sig slay the Sea King in one clean stroke.
'What incredible swordsmanship... Who is he? When did the East Blue produce a pirate this powerful?'
For a moment, the CP0 agent hesitated, remaining suspended in mid-air using Moonwalk.
The situation was proving to be even trickier than he had anticipated, forcing him to observe from the shadows for the time being.
His gaze first fell on the rather conspicuous, large face of the person standing near Sig.
"Emporio Ivankov, the Queen of the Kamabakka Kingdom in the Grand Line… Wait… Queen?"
The CP0 agent stared at Ivankov's large face, lost in thought.
It seemed somewhat inconsistent with the information he had.
Shifting his focus away from Ivankov's face, the white-masked agent looked down from the night sky, surveying the ships in this section of the sea.
Behind the fleet, the raging flames of the Gray Terminal fire lit up half the night sky.
It was clear at a glance that this was a refugee fleet that had just escaped from the Gray Terminal.
Now the question was: who had the capability to organize such a large group of refugees to escape so quickly, and who was clearly neither part of the World Government nor the Goa Kingdom?
The answer was already obvious.
_________________________________________________