Aboard the Red-Haired Pirates' ship, the Red Force, Hawk-Eye soon became slightly tipsy and shared drinks with Shanks, enjoying the lively atmosphere.
Amid the joyous celebration, a man holding a cup of wine made his way through the staggering drunkards, weaving past them until he reached Shanks and Hawk-Eye. Picking up a stack of newspapers lying nearby, he quietly started flipping through them.
This man's body, from the neck down, looked no different from an ordinary human. However, his head was a striking, black-and-white panda's face.
Neither the drunken men sprawled across the deck nor the boisterous Shanks and Hawk-Eye paid any attention to his actions.
The panda-headed man silently skimmed the newspapers, his gaze eventually settling on a photograph of Sig. His expression seemed contemplative.
"Brother, what's so interesting in the papers? Come have another drink!"
A nearby pirate staggered over, slurring his words.
The panda-headed man instantly replaced his contemplative look with a cheerful smile, clinking glasses with the drunken pirate.
After downing his drink, the panda-headed man quietly headed toward the ship's cabin. Moments later, he untied a small boat and departed without a sound.
"Leaving already, brother?" a pirate called out with a grin.
"Yeah, I've got some business to take care of. I'll head out first," the panda-headed man replied, smiling.
The pirates didn't think much of it and continued drinking and laughing.
It was only a long while after the panda-headed man had gone that someone casually asked:
"Hey, who was that guy just now? Was he one of ours?"
"Who knows? Forget it; let's keep drinking."
A few hours later, Hawk-Eye, now slightly intoxicated, declined Shanks' invitation to stay and returned to his own ship to leave.
His once razor-sharp eyes, usually as keen as a hawk's, were now slightly blurry.
"That guy Shanks, ever since he went to the East Blue, his drunken ramblings have become a whole new level of absurd. Sixteen Yonko? Really..."
Hawk-Eye chuckled to himself, clearly not believing Shanks' exaggerated claims.
But Shanks wasn't the type to intentionally deceive him about some random nobody either.
"This Sig fellow... he must be no weakling. If he's a swordsman, he won't disappoint me."
Since ascending to the throne of the world's greatest swordsman and becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Hawk-Eye's name had only grown more renowned, but worthy opponents had become increasingly rare.
That was why, upon hearing that Shanks had returned to the Grand Line, Hawk-Eye eagerly came to find him.
"I've got nothing better to do anyway. Maybe I should pay a visit to the East Blue…"
"No… if this swordsman Shanks holds in such high regard is truly as formidable as he claims, he won't be content to remain in the backwater East Blue. Sooner or later, he'll come to the Grand Line!"
"Should I go to the East Blue, or stay here in the Grand Line and wait for him to arrive?"
Hawk-Eye Mihawk's chiseled, handsome face curved into a faint smile, his sharp eyes glinting with anticipation.
Meanwhile, in the East Blue, aboard a fleet of refugee ships.
Sig strolled leisurely along the deck of his ship.
From a distance, people aboard the neighboring refugee ships waved at him enthusiastically. Sig smiled and nodded back.
Internally, however, he sighed slightly.
The number of fanatics has grown again, but I never intended to debut as an idol…
These people waving to him weren't his bandit subordinates or revolutionary soldiers; they were just ordinary refugees—or rather, prospective members of the Revolutionary Army.
He had even overheard people referring to him several times as a hero.
This made Sig feel a twinge of unease in his heart.
Although these refugees meant well, their admiration weighed on Sig just a little.
"Is this what KING feels? An ordinary person, inadvertently burdened with the title of hero."
Sometimes, the expectations of others can feel like a heavy burden.
The title of "hero" is both a halo and a shackle.
Sig opened the system panel and glanced at it.
[Equipped Character Cards]
Character Card 1: KING
Synchronization Rate: 75%!
Character Card 2: Li Jing
Synchronization Rate: 11%!
The fluctuation in synchronization rates between the two cards left Sig somewhat surprised.
The increase in KING's synchronization rate happened during the event of assassinating the Celestial Dragons.
That incident, which initially saw slow progress, caused the synchronization rate to suddenly jump by 7%!—from 68%! all the way to 75%!—and even awarded him the seventh card as a bonus.
From his observations, Sig realized that the growth of a character card's synchronization rate wasn't linear.
In other words, the higher the synchronization rate, the harder it was to increase further.
On the other hand, the progress of Li Jing's card was somewhat disappointing to Sig.
On his first day after crossing into this world, he had impressed Shanks, Luffy, and the others with an incredible acting performance, which had caused the synchronization rate to shoot past 30%! in one go.
This time, however, Li Jing's card had only reached a mere 11%.
"Could it be that I'm particularly compatible with KING? Or... am I just especially incompatible with Li Jing?"
Sig felt a headache brewing. He was eager to increase Li Jing's synchronization rate, but the progress was frustratingly slow.
There were two methods to increase synchronization: a tedious one and a clever one.
The tedious method involved training, while the clever one required embodying the character's persona and performing convincingly.
A critical point was understanding the original character's traits, as only then could one accurately portray the role.
At this thought, a light bulb went off in Sig's mind. He had a theory about why KING's card progressed so quickly.
KING's surface persona was that of a cowardly pretender, but his deeper persona was that of a timid yet brave hero.
He claimed to be ten times more cowardly than the average person, yet, when faced with monsters, he would courageously step forward, living up to the title of "hero."
When Sig confronted the Celestial Dragons… in all honesty, his actions were primarily driven by self-preservation and not a heroic heart.
However, Sig undeniably performed a heroic act. Even when the Revolutionary Army hesitated, he decisively struck against the Celestial Dragons.
"The Shadow Emperor System doesn't demand that I genuinely become a hero like KING. As long as I perform heroic deeds and embody KING's deeper persona, the synchronization rate should increase more rapidly…"
"Now the question is: What is Li Jing's core persona? How can I better portray Li Jing?"
Sig pondered for a moment.
Does it mean I have to find a tall, long-legged beauty in this world, marry her, then have her carry a baby for three years so I can perform some crazy act like catching a blade with my bare hands?
While his mind wandered, a bald man suddenly appeared before him, grinning with excitement and holding a stack of wanted posters and newspapers.
"Boss! Great news! Your exploits have shaken the Four Seas!"
Sig froze for a moment, a sense of foreboding rising in his chest.
Taking the wanted posters and newspapers, he quickly flipped through them. As he read, Sig gradually turned to stone where he stood.
A bounty of 180 million berries—this was still within Sig's expectations. He was well aware of what he had done.
But then… there was the headline article.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Why did Celestial Dragon saint Charlos have to add so much drama?!
When did I supposedly conjure a "Purgatory Peerless Explosive Heatwave Cannon" to obliterate a Marine Admiral?!
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