I the King of bandits of the East Sea

While Sig and Crocus were talking inside the wooden hut, outside...

The entire mountain bandit crew had come ashore and were resting by the shore, chatting and laughing.

At the edge of the crowd, Johnny and Yosaku were trembling like huskies who had accidentally wandered into a pack of wolves.

"Yosaku, we've really entered the Grand Line and boarded Sig's ship..."

"Johnny, there's no mistake. This is Twin Capes, the entrance to the Grand Line. We can't go back now!"

The two bounty hunters were shaking with fear.

Although they had received some guidance from the bald man, seeing Twin Capes with their own eyes still made them nervous.

Johnny and Yosaku had witnessed Sig's duel with Hawkeye while trying to escape.

At that time, their limbs had gone weak, and their minds had been foggy. If they hadn't been far enough away, they would have fainted from the pressure of Sig's Emperor's Engine.

That's why they had been easily knocked out by Morgan's backstab and carried back onto the ship.

After that duel, Sig had become a demon in their eyes...

Trembling, they couldn't help but move further and further away from the crowd, eventually reaching the shore.

At that moment, a massive shadow loomed over them as a mountain-sized, curious head leaned in close.

"So big!"

.....

Inside the wooden hut.

Sig's attempt to recruit Crocus wasn't just a spur-of-the-moment idea.

A semi-transparent panel floated in front of Sig, displaying a dense list of achievement tasks.

"Achievement Task: The Return of the Old Era (1)."

"Task Content: Influence characters who were active in the old era, change the trajectory of their fates, and bring the figures of the old era back to the new era. 0/1."

"Task Reward: Unlock the third type of card and receive a random draw opportunity for the new card type."

This achievement, called "The Return of the Old Era," was a long-term, multi-stage task.

Only after completing one stage would the next task content be revealed.

It was similar to Sig's previous bounty achievements.

After the Kingdom of Goa incident, Sig had fulfilled the "Bounty Over 100 Million Berries" achievement.

The next stage achievement was "Bounty Over 500 Million Berries."

Clearly, the 400 million berry bounty on Another Piece wasn't counted.

Sig had shared so much with Crocus partly to complete this achievement task.

Facing Sig's question, Crocus pondered for a while before finally speaking:

"I'll probably head to the Florian Triangle."

"If Brook is really as you say, still striving to fulfill his promise to Laboon, I'll find a way to help him reunite with Laboon."

Although he said this, Crocus was still hesitant.

He was a doctor, not a navigator or a dedicated fighter.

Crocus could take a rocket launcher to the face, swim in Laboon's stomach acid, and even fight the Pirate King... but he was still just a doctor.

He knew the dangers of the Grand Line and had heard about the Florian Triangle.

If he were to go to the Florian Triangle, it wouldn't be easy.

"So Crocus plans to go alone?"

Sig's heart stirred. Crocus's plan was similar to what he had expected.

Over a decade ago, one of the reasons Crocus had joined the Roger Pirates was to search for traces of the Rumbar Pirates.

Now that Sig had brought news of Brook, it made sense for Crocus to have such thoughts.

Next... came the crucial part.

"Crocus, join my ship. I'll take you to the Florian Triangle."

"In return, during this time, you'll serve as our ship's doctor. How about it?"

Sig looked directly at Crocus as he spoke.

In this era, Gecko Moria likely hadn't yet taken up residence in the Florian Triangle, so the area wasn't as dangerous.

Brook's shadow being captured by Moria happened a few years later. All they needed to do was safely bring Brook out of the Florian Triangle.

Given Brook's background, he was undoubtedly a character from the old era. Completing the achievement task might be possible with him.

"You want to recruit a 60-year-old man like me?"

Crocus was stunned. He hadn't expected Sig to say such a thing.

But then again, Sig's actual age might be similar to his own...

If Sig were to help, it would be much better than Crocus going alone.

The Florian Triangle wasn't a small area—it was a vast and mysterious sea.

If Crocus went in alone, he might get lost.

"Sig has been to the Florian Triangle before, and his strength is impressive."

"Riding on his ship would be much safer than going in recklessly by myself."

Crocus glanced at the newspaper describing Sig's achievements and weighed his options.

The logic made sense.

But when he thought about Sig's mysterious demeanor... Crocus hesitated for a moment before finally declining.

"If I were a few decades younger, I might have accepted your offer."

"Unfortunately, I'm old now. I don't want to be a mountain bandit or a pirate anymore. I prefer being a lighthouse keeper."

"I'll handle Brook's situation on my own. I must decline joining your mountain bandit crew."

After saying this, Crocus watched Sig closely, observing his reaction.

To his surprise, Sig showed no obvious change in expression, only nodding slightly.

"Is that so? Then I won't force you."

Sig's gaze drifted slightly, landing on the system panel beside him.

Just now, when Crocus had refused, Sig had quietly activated the Wang Mouze Possession Card.

The True Fragrance Card wasn't a card that forcibly twisted someone's will. Instead, it subtly influenced them, like boiling a frog in warm water.

As long as the check was passed, the card could silently alter someone's will, causing them to declare "true fragrance" after some time.

However... the timing was uncertain, and there was no system notification about whether the check had been passed.

It seemed Crocus's refusal wasn't particularly strong, so Sig decided to wait and see.

....

After their conversation, the two of them stepped out of the wooden hut and were immediately drawn to the commotion outside.

The mountain bandits had gathered together and were now laughing uproariously.

"These two bounty hunters are really something."

"Our mountain bandit crew has struck gold..."

Sig followed their gazes and nearly choked.

Johnny and Yosaku were each holding a pair of chopsticks, one end stuck in their nostrils and the other in their mouths, propping their mouths open. At the same time, they were holding dustpans and... dancing?

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