In the Pleasure District of Loguetown.
In the reception room, Sig sat on the sofa, chatting amiably with Umit, the Shipping King, and others.
On the table was a freshly printed sample of the newspaper.
One of the headlines read: "Fierce Battle on Loguetown! Doflamingo and Sig End in a Draw."
The accompanying photo showed the two standing in the streets of Loguetown.
"A draw?"
Sig pondered for a moment but said nothing.
The branch editor-in-chief of the World Economic Times chuckled awkwardly.
"Mr. Sig, of course, we know the truth of the matter..."
"If we report the truth, Doflamingo, as a Warlord, would lose face and his deterrent power. He might even be stripped of his Warlord title by the World Government..."
"If Loguetown loses Doflamingo as its nominal ruler, it will no longer be our paradise. The World Government and the Marines will surely intervene..."
"After all, this is the starting point of the Golden Route of the sea. The Marines have long coveted this place."
Sig narrowed his eyes.
The word "safety" from the World Economic Times headquarters struck a chord with him.
In front of him, the system panel floated, displaying a line of text.
Mission: Earn Ten Billion
Mission Requirement: Earn 10 billion berries.
Mission Reward: One random card draw opportunity.
This mission had actually been triggered when Sig completed his first small goal.
Earning 10 billion berries was no small feat.
Here, Sig had the reputation of being the master of the Pleasure District.
Before and after the treasure map incident, he had also interacted with the major forces on the island.
If he wanted to complete the mission, Loguetown, as a commercial hub, was a crucial asset and couldn't be easily abandoned.
"Not just for the mission."
"Once I change my identity and start anew, I can use the money I've earned to live a peaceful and boring life..."
Thinking this, Sig nodded.
"It's fine. Report it as written."
Seeing Sig nod, the Shipping King and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
"But..."
"We should still make some adjustments to the details of the report."
"The arrival of the Celestial Dragons and their participation in the auction will inevitably be known by the World Government. There's no way to hide that."
"But other things are worth revising."
Sig pointed at the newspaper on the table and said:
"For example, here, you could mention that I, Sig, acted out of anger upon hearing about BABY-5's situation, thus confronting Doflamingo. This would make my image more righteous."
"In summary, it's the story of the righteous and compassionate Mountain Bandit King Sig, who saved a young girl from the clutches of evil forces..."
Sig tried to salvage his image.
"Righteous and compassionate..."
The branch editor-in-chief was momentarily stunned.
For pirates or mountain bandits, such terms were usually derogatory, right?
But since Sig had made such a small request, he naturally wouldn't refuse. He quickly nodded, indicating that he would follow Sig's instructions.
The leaders of the various factions breathed a sigh of relief, then began presenting their gifts.
"You didn't have to bring gifts..."
Sig smiled and instructed his subordinates to accept the gifts, feeling relieved.
He had been a bit worried that the Shipping King, like last time, would bring a large wave of gifts only to take them back later.
"Mr. Sig, this is the first auction item from before, the hidden blade."
The first to speak was Umit, the Shipping King.
"The craftsman from the West Sea who made the hidden blade is under my command. This is another hidden blade made by that craftsman."
Sig glanced at the hidden blade in the box, his heart stirring.
The hidden blade he hadn't managed to buy at the auction was now being offered to him by Umit. This gave Sig a new perspective on the Shipping King.
"The craftsman who made the hidden blade is also under your command..."
Sig pondered for a moment, then said:
"Umit, I'm quite interested in this craftsman. Would it be possible for me to meet him?"
The hidden blade that appeared at the auction was still a relatively crude and primitive type, not very convenient to wield.
If possible, Sig hoped to meet the craftsman and try to create the true hidden blade he had in mind.
But upon hearing this, Umit was stunned, remaining silent for a long time, seemingly hesitant to speak.
"It seems this craftsman is very important... Umit isn't willing to agree? What a shame..."
Sig sighed inwardly.
Umit hesitated for a long time before finally speaking:
"Mr. Sig, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. This craftsman is a man... not a loli."
Sig: "..."
So Umit thought that when Sig said he was "quite interested" in the craftsman, it was that kind of interest?
What kind of image did Sig have in Umit's mind now...?
After patiently explaining a few things, Umit finally understood and generously offered to send the craftsman to Sig as an apology.
After the hidden blade, the next gift that caught Sig's attention was a Devil Fruit.
"So, I've got my hands on a second Devil Fruit? Loguetown really is a treasure trove. I can't give it up so easily."
"Perhaps in the future, I can try to purchase Devil Fruits from here..."
Sig's mind began to stir.
Now, he had over 240 million berries, two Devil Fruits, and various gifts, including the hidden blade.
And all he had paid was two fake treasure maps...
After bidding farewell to the Shipping King and the others, Sig immediately opened the box containing the second Devil Fruit.
Then, his face darkened, and he closed the box again.
Ordinary Devil Fruits had a demonic allure, tempting people or animals to eat them.
But the Devil Fruit Sig had just seen gave him an instinctive sense of disgust.
If it weren't for the intricate patterns on the fruit, Sig would have thought it was fake.
He had heard that Devil Fruits tasted as bad as excrement.
But this Devil Fruit not only tasted like excrement—it also looked like it...
It looked like excrement, and it tasted like excrement... Who could possibly eat this?
"Forget it... I wasn't planning to eat this Devil Fruit anyway."
Whether it was the Calm-Calm Fruit or this unappetizing Devil Fruit, Sig had no intention of eating either.
After some thought, he directly gave the bald man a few instructions.
A moment later, the entire mountain bandit group had gathered in the hall.
"There's a Devil Fruit here. Who wants to eat it?"
Sig instructed the bald man to open the box again and addressed the group.
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