Sig stood in the yard of Kaya's house, his hand fumbling around his waist before pulling out a bottle of liquor.
Though drinking in front of kids wasn't the best idea, it was all in the name of sparking my inspiration... wait, no, I mean for encouraging my desire to express myself.
"After all, my persona is that of a serious, low-profile, and mysterious great pirate."
Sig took two big gulps, quickly becoming tipsy, and squinted at the sky. The entire heavens seemed to fall into his eyes.
He stroked his short beard, his gaze gradually turning melancholic.
At that moment, he seemed like a veteran warrior from the old era, having traversed the vast world and experienced countless hardships and vicissitudes.
Without uttering a single word, Sig's aura alone was enough to change people's impression of him.
As he stood there gazing at the sky, he exuded an air brimming with untold stories.
"Is this what a true great pirate looks like?"
Usopp's eyes sparkled as he stared at Sig, who was gazing at the sky. Then, he looked back at the bounty poster in his hand.
Though he had learned the art of spinning tales, Usopp was still a kid at heart. His experiences were limited, and he had never left Syrup Village, so his imagined adventures carried a certain fairy tale quality.
Under the tree, Sig, still looking at the sky, began to speak in a leisurely tone:
"What I'm about to tell you is all fake. Don't take it seriously, and absolutely do not read too much into it."
With that, Sig took another gulp, then softly recited:
"With a bottle in hand, I challenge the Four Emperors,
Beneath my feet lies the future Pirate King.
If you ask me who I am,
I am the Bandit King of the East Blue."
After finishing his poetic prelude, Sig didn't bother gauging the reactions of his audience. He simply opened the floodgates to his tales:
"Overseas, there exists a land called the Goa Kingdom."
"In the mountains of this Goa Kingdom, there was a man known as the Bandit King Nichio."
Usopp froze, sneaking a glance at Kaya. Seeing that she appeared to only half understand, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Ahem, a name is just a symbol, purely a sign that this story is entirely fictional, with absolutely no real-world references."
"Our story begins in a small village within the Goa Kingdom of the East Blue."
"The Bandit King Nichio had a terrifyingly ambitious grand plan, and the core of that grand plan lay in Windmill Village..."
"The Bandit King Nichio, wise and unparalleled in cunning, schemed with such finesse that no one in the world knew about his grand plan—not even himself."
"In the tavern of Windmill Village, the Bandit King Nichio encountered his first significant figure...."
"I know this story!" Usopp's face lit up with excitement.
Sig had already given him a rough outline of his encounter with Shanks and Yasopp at Windmill Village. It was obvious Sig was using a man called Nichio as a proxy to recount his own story.
At this point, Usopp's spoiler instincts burned like wildfire.
Sitting on a tree branch, he leaned toward the window sill where Kaya sat and whispered in her ear:
"The important person he's talking about is the Four Emperors, Red..."
"He's the Blue-Haired Jack, one of the Four Bandit Kings," Sig interrupted.
"What?!" Usopp was stunned.
"After a secret discussion, Blue-Haired Jack left on the fifth day and set sail to intercept the hero of the navy himself..."
"I know this part! I saw it in the papers!"
Usopp, proud of his identity as a pirate's son, often followed various news stories. He quickly connected it to something he'd read recently.
Once again, he prepared to reveal a spoiler: "Red-Haired Shanks encountered Ka—"
"Cold Rice King Kapukong!"
"Who is that??!" Usopp was bewildered again.
Sig, now in the zone, took another sip of liquor and continued:
"The news of Kapukong's interception soon reached the leader of the Justice League, Dorag."
"Dorag, along with his younger brother Kuma and his third brother, the Okama King, personally ventured deep into the mountains to visit Nichio, the Bandit King, who lived in seclusion yet possessed unmatched brilliance."
"The Bandit King Nichio's grand plan unfolded step by step. A conspiracy capable of overturning the world was hatched within this humble mountain hut..."
"An event later remembered as 'One Glance at the Hut.'"
Sig went on to recount his heavily altered version of real events.
"Even for someone as brilliant as Nichio, no grand plan is without flaws. Despite all his careful planning, the Gray Terminal still caught fire and erupted into flames."
"This unforeseen blaze, however, drew the Celestial Dragons to the scene ahead of schedule. Yet even this was within the scope of the Bandit King's plan."
"The Bandit King had foreseen everything."
"The Celestial Dragons' favorite pastime is to witness the world burn."
"When the Gray Terminal caught fire, Nichio had already anticipated their premature arrival."
"At the shores of the nearby sea, the prepared Nichio unleashed his ultimate move: the Inferno Unmatched Explosive Heatwave Blast, gravely wounding the Celestial Dragon from afar."
"Enraged, the Celestial Dragon's guard, East Guardian Situ, retaliated fiercely, seeking to oppose the Bandit King Nichio."
"How laughable!" Sig sneered.
"Who does the Bandit King think he is? Merely a small-time Celestial Dragon's guard stands no chance."
"With a single sword strike, Nichio makes all under heaven bow!"
"He swung his blade into the void, murmuring softly, 'With this sword, even immortals must kneel.'"
"Before anyone could react, East Guardian Situ had already fallen to his knees..."
Truth be told, replacing the comedic protagonist with a brilliant, overwhelming Dragon King-like figure and framing Nichio's actions as part of an overarching grand plan genuinely turned the tale into an intricate, thrilling masterpiece.
Quickly, a deeply strategic and awe-inspiring figure came to life vividly.
Initially, Usopp had found all the alterations—Blue-Haired Jack, Kapukong, and the like—rather jarring, but eventually, he became utterly engrossed in the story.
As for Kaya, she was entirely captivated from the start.
For two seven-year-old kids, a story based on true events was nothing short of fascinating.
Not just Kaya and Usopp, but even Sig's bald subordinates quietly eavesdropping beyond the wall were left dumbfounded.
They had indeed followed Sig through the Goa Kingdom incident.
But hearing it retold through the lens of storytelling made them truly appreciate its dangers and brilliance.
"Boss's grand plan started way back in the Windmill Village tavern!"
"Four Emperors, Garp, Celestial Dragons, Revolutionaries—they were all part of the boss's plan!"
The subordinates exchanged astonished glances.
They always knew Sig's grand plan was terrifying, but they had never imagined it was this terrifying.
"Alright, today's story of the Bandit King ends here."
"Let me emphasize one last time: this story is purely fictional. Don't take it seriously or try to relate it to real events."
Sig let out a small hiccup, smiled, and concluded.