I the King of bandits of the East Sea

Sig looked at Crocus in front of him, his expression unchanged.

He had known he would encounter Crocus at Twin Capes and had already prepared his response.

"Those were just drunken words. After all, how could there be fifty-six Emperors in this world?"

Sig said with a serious expression.

This made Crocus glance at him thoughtfully.

Sig's identity was indeed a mystery to him.

Sig knew many things, including some secrets known only to Roger's crew.

But Crocus had no memory of someone like Sig existing.

If Sig had actually admitted to defeating fifty-six Emperors, it would have been simple—he would have been a fraud who somehow knew a lot of secrets.

But Sig's calm denial only deepened Crocus's confusion.

At that moment.

A deep, resonant sound suddenly echoed from the direction of the sea.

Crocus, who had been deep in thought, changed his expression. He set the newspaper down on the round table next to the beach chair and stood up.

Sig followed Crocus's gaze and saw Laboon, the Island Whale that had been resting peacefully on the sea, now lifting its mountain-sized head and letting out a loud cry toward the even more towering Red Line.

"Laboon is about to crash into the Red Line again... He made a promise with the Rumbar Pirates decades ago..."

Crocus said softly, briefly recounting Laboon's story to Sig.

He looked at the horrifying scars on Laboon's head, his heart heavy.

Trying to stop Laboon was useless. Crocus had attempted to stop him countless times over the decades.

Sig took in the scene and was about to speak when his gaze fell on the newspaper and a stack of bounty posters Crocus had placed on the table.

"My bounty has been updated? 400 million berries?"

Sig picked up the newspaper and skimmed through it, his expression slightly grim.

However, this amount was somewhat within his expectations.

Sig glanced at the front-page news, which featured a photo of his duel with Hawkeye.

"So it's recent news. No wonder Crocus recognized me at a glance."

"I really should change my face as soon as possible. With the bounty on the great treasure, I'm becoming too conspicuous."

Sig thought to himself.

He was about to put the newspaper down when he froze as if struck by lightning.

His eyes were glued to the photo in the newspaper.

Sig wasn't looking at himself or at Hawkeye, who stood opposite him in the photo.

His gaze was fixed on the edge of the photo, where the crowd of onlookers formed the background.

In the crowd, Sig spotted a figure that sent a shock through his heart—a conspicuous... Panda Man.

"Panda Man? Does this world really have a Panda Man?"

Sig's emotions were in turmoil.

Panda Man was originally just an Easter egg character, frequently appearing in Luffy's adventures. From the East Blue to the New World, Panda Man was always there, yet no one ever noticed his presence.

But for such an inconsequential Easter egg character to actually exist in Sig's world was deeply unsettling.

From the East Blue to the Grand Line, Impel Down, and even Whole Cake Island in the New World... Panda Man had always been there, yet no one had ever paid him any attention.

He frequently disguised himself as a pirate, a Marine, a passerby... and even appeared in the text of a historical Poneglyph.

Panda Man wasn't just following Luffy. As the story progressed, Panda Man seemed to be everywhere.

For example... decades ago, the Rocks Pirates, who once dominated the seas, had not only legendary figures like Whitebeard, Kaido, and Captain John on their crew but also Panda Man!

Another example is during the era of the Roger Pirates. Panda Man had also appeared on Roger's ship without anyone noticing.

The most outrageous instance occurred in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, the territory of the Celestial Dragons.

Eight hundred years ago, the Twenty Kings jointly established the World Government and created the Empty Throne in Mary Geoise, symbolizing equality.

But this was just an illusion.

Im, the mysterious figure who could make the Five Elders bow, had once sat on this throne.

But there was someone even more mysterious than Im who had also sat on the Empty Throne.

It was Panda Man!

Such a character was just an inconsequential Easter egg in the original story, but if he truly existed in this world... he would undoubtedly be a major figure.

Was Panda Man's appearance in Loguetown a coincidence, or had this mysterious figure set his sights on Sig?

Sig felt a chill run down his spine.

The Four Emperors and the Marines were undoubtedly powerful, but they were known threats.

If a mysterious figure like Panda Man appeared, Sig truly wouldn't know how to handle it.

"If I've really been targeted by Panda Man, then I should change my identity and escape as soon as possible..."

"Who knows what might happen if I encounter Panda Man..."

As this thought crossed his mind, Sig felt the ground beneath him tremble slightly.

Looking up, he saw Laboon, the Island Whale, beginning to crash into the Red Line.

Each collision caused the horrifying scars on its head to reopen, blood gushing out and dyeing the sea red.

"No matter how skilled my medical abilities are, I can't save Laboon from self-harm. Laboon's old wounds keep splitting open. Sooner or later, I won't be able to heal him..."

Crocus's face was filled with worry.

At that moment, a voice came from behind him.

"Laboon! Stop crashing, and I'll tell you about the Rumbar Pirates and Brook."

Turning around, Crocus saw Sig with a deep gaze, looking at the island-sized whale Laboon in the distance.

"You know about Brook?"

Crocus was shocked. For the first time, a look of astonishment appeared on the old man's face:

"I only briefly mentioned the Rumbar Pirates to you earlier. I didn't mention Brook at all... Do you really have information about them?"

The Rumbar Pirates had been active forty years ago and weren't particularly famous.

Over the past few decades, countless pirate crews like the Rumbar Pirates had disappeared without a trace.

Crocus found it hard to believe that Sig, who had only recently risen to prominence, would have heard of Brook from the Rumbar Pirates forty years ago.

Did this mean the information Sig had was real? Had Sig entered the Grand Line before and encountered the Rumbar Pirates in some sea?

Or...

Was Sig, like Crocus himself, actually much older than he appeared, hailing from that grand and turbulent old era, which was why he knew the name Brook of the Rumbar Pirates!

On the distant shore.

Stussy, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, felt a similar thought cross her mind, causing her heart to tremble slightly.

So it was true!

Sig had not only been to Loguetown but had also entered the Grand Line!

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