I the King of bandits of the East Sea

"Red-Haired Shanks, the Yonko… and the Pirate King, Roger?"

When these two names left Sig's mouth, it wasn't just Benn Beckman who froze—everyone in the tavern was stunned.

Especially the name "Roger."

That was a name known to all, far and wide.

Instantly, everyone's expressions changed dramatically.

Who would've thought that this bandit, with a bounty of only 8 million Berries, could somehow be connected to the Pirate King, Roger?

And judging by his tone, it sounded like he was quite familiar with Roger as well!

"Shanks was an apprentice on the Pirate King's ship?"

"And this man… could he be the Pirate King's… friend?"

Young Luffy, who had been sitting beside Shanks, initially a bit frightened by Sig's dramatic entrance, now recovered and stared at both Shanks and Sig with starry-eyed amazement.

Sig, however, had no time to pay attention to Luffy. He was still tense, his entire focus locked on Shanks.

"I absolutely have to bluff my way through this… I can't mess up now, or I'm finished!"

Sig thought to himself anxiously.

At this moment, he overheard whispers coming from his fellow bandits behind him.

"Isn't our boss a bandit? How does he know the Pirate King?"

"Didn't Boss Sig just say earlier that today was his first time meeting pirates, those morons?"

"Wait a second, has our boss been to sea before? If he knows someone as legendary as the Pirate King, why is he just an 8-million-bounty bandit?"

Sig's heart skipped a beat.

"Damn it! Are these idiots my enemies? Are they trying to sabotage me?"

He could almost feel the growing suspicion in the gazes of Benn Beckman and the others after hearing those careless remarks.

Just as Sig's heart was about to leap out of his chest, the bald bandit among his crew suddenly exclaimed loudly, as if struck by a revelation:

"Now I get it!"

"For someone like the Pirate King, anyone remotely associated with him would be hunted relentlessly by the World Government."

"That's why Boss has been hiding his true identity and living a secluded life as a mountain bandit!"

The bald bandit's voice grew more impassioned, and to Sig's surprise, his eyes even welled up with tears.

"I never thought, Boss, that you were such an extraordinary figure…"

"Boss, I'll follow you forever!"

Sig blinked, staring at the tearful bald bandit, his gaze lingering for a moment on the shiny, reflective surface of the man's head.

"This guy… his wild imagination is truly something else. No wonder he's one of my subordinates…"

Relieved, Sig suppressed his emotions and put on a calm expression, quietly waiting for Shanks' reaction.

"So, Sig, you're a friend of the captain?" Shanks said with a hearty laugh, raising his bottle of sake.

"Then let's drink together, as friends!"

Sig let out a long sigh of relief.

Only someone like Shanks could still think of inviting a person to sit and drink after getting smashed in the head with a bottle.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Sig's mouth as he picked up a bottle of liquor from the table and said with a chuckle, "Your generosity and character are truly worthy of the title of Yonko. It's no wonder Roger entrusted his straw hat to you."

Their bottles clinked mid-air.

Benn Beckman observed the scene carefully, piecing things together in his mind.

"I see… this Sig pretended to be an ordinary bandit provoking the captain as a way to test his temperament…"

With this realization, Benn Beckman stood up and gestured to the crew to share their drinks with the bandits.

Moments later, what had once been a tense standoff between the bandits and pirates turned into a lively gathering. Both sides sat together, drinking and chatting, the atmosphere warm and cheerful.

"Shanks, when I look at you, I can't help but see Roger in his younger days…"

After a few rounds of drinking, Sig, slightly tipsy, began reminiscing about a glorious past that never truly existed.

"Roger, that guy... Back in the day, I had high hopes for him. Who'd have thought he'd pass away so young…"

"Kozuki Oden was such a pity too. That kid was meant to inherit the position of Shogun and open up Wano Country. Sadly, he was born in the wrong era."

"Rayleigh? He seems to be hiding in the Sabaody Archipelago, pretending to be an ordinary coating craftsman…"

After a few more drinks, Sig had fully immersed himself in his act.

Listening to Sig's ramblings, the last traces of doubt in Benn Beckman and the others gradually faded away.

The stories of Roger's era had long been erased and sealed by the World Government—not something just anyone could know.

But Sig's words were so vivid, so convincing, as if he had truly lived through that era and once stood side by side with the Pirate King, Roger.

"Is that so…? So Captain had such a history with you, Mr. Sig," Shanks said with a chuckle.

"I was just an apprentice on Captain Roger's ship. I don't know much about what happened before I joined. Thank you, Mr. Sig, for telling me all this…"

Shanks felt a tinge of emotion welling up inside.

In this world, there were only a handful of people left with whom he could sit down and talk about the bygone days of Roger's era.

The Roger era, and even before that, the Rocks era…

Sig had mentioned so many secrets from the olden times that Benn Beckman and the others couldn't help but feel a newfound respect for him.

This man was clearly a senior figure who had witnessed the tides of history shift firsthand.

"And back then, some of the great figures aboard Rocks' ship—Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, Whitebeard—and then you, Shanks—all went on to become the Emperors of the Sea in this new era…"

Sig's expression carried just the right amount of melancholy.

"One generation replaces the next. From now on, it's your time to shine."

"The years show no mercy. It's time for me to step behind the curtain of this great era."

Sig's gaze inadvertently revealed a hint of desolation, as though he truly carried the burden of a long and storied life.

Though, in truth, Sig wasn't that old. By appearance, he seemed to be only in his late thirties or early forties.

But at this moment, he seemed like a sage who had lived through the upheavals and transformations of an entire age.

"Mr. Sig, you're not that old yet…"

Shanks, for the first time, altered the way he addressed Sig.

But before he could finish his sentence, Sig interrupted him.

"You're right, I'm not old."

Sig downed a large swig of alcohol, wiped the corner of his mouth, and looked Shanks straight in the eye with a faint smile.

"Shanks, let me tell you something. Without me, there wouldn't even be a Yonko system in this world."

Shanks: "?"

Benn Beckman: "?"

Lucky Roux and the rest: "?"

The Red-Haired Pirates collectively froze in bewilderment.

Sig was clearly drunk. Not only had he fully embraced his role as the "Bandit King," but it seemed he had thrown all caution to the wind.

Still laughing, he went on:

"Back in that old era, now long gone, the seas were in complete chaos—utterly unstable. There were plenty of pirates just as strong as you."

"Shanks…" Sig said with a heavy tone, almost like an elder imparting wisdom to a junior.

"I've already taken down 56 people at your level."

"Lone Wolf Redfield, the heir of the Devil, Douglas Bullet, the Evil Ruler Avalo Pizarro, the 'Crescent Moon Hunter' Catarina Devon, the 'Colossal Battleship' Sanjuan Wolf…"

"And many more vicious pirates whose names the World Government has completely erased from history. All of them—wiped out by me."

Sig paused to hiccup, slurring slightly as he added:

"If it weren't for me stepping in, the seas wouldn't just have four Yonko ruling the world right now."

"It would've been the Pirate Deca-Yonko!"