I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

The Navy was on the verge of defeat. Sengoku and Garp had both fallen, and even the infamous Admiral Akainu had suffered a loss at the hands of Higuma, sustaining serious injuries. Adding to this, the appearance of Rayleigh and Kaido further heightened tension; they desperately needed a victory.

But Rikuma's performance immediately boosted their spirits.

"The battle isn't over yet. We can try joining forces with Kaido of the Beasts to encircle them from both sides. How will the pirates escape then?"

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. This is not the time for naiveté... Letting the pirates escape would be the greatest disgrace!"

"They have a bandit king, but we have General Black Dragon! Don't panic!"

The navy needs a banner of conviction.

Normally, this flag would be for naval hero Garp, or Fleet Admiral Sengoku... but they were all defeated. Now, more and more people are placing their hopes on Higuma.

The generals used the name of Higuma as an inspiration, attempting to boost morale.

These sounds reached the ears of the golden lion in the sky, but they made him burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha... This will be the biggest laughing stock in the history of the Navy, won't it?"

The golden lion flew through the air, approaching Sieg who was riding auspicious clouds across the battlefield, and chuckled softly:

“Sig, you surely remember your grand plan, right? Now the time is ripe, it’s time to act.”

"?"

Sig paused for a moment, his mind not quite processing it.

What timing? What grand plan?

“No, Shiki, I don’t think it’s the right time yet.” Although Sieg didn’t quite understand what Shiki was talking about, he instinctively denied it.

The Golden Lion is a cunning and ambitious man, a truly dangerous and ruthless figure. No matter what he says, Sieg intends to deny it.

"No, now is the perfect time! Look at the way those sailors are! After today, there will never be another chance like this."

Golden Lion solemnly denied it; his emotions were clearly not right, and there was an undisguised excitement in his eyes.

"Heh." The golden lion sneered, his gaze turning cold, and the clouds above turned dark, as if brewing lightning.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but the opportunity is fleeting,” said the Golden Lion.

"If you're still hesitant, then I'll do it!"

Sieg frowned, a thoughtful look on his face.

He wasn't quite sure what the Golden Lion wanted to do, but he was now only one step away from a major retreat.

The Golden Lion's attitude is strange, and turning against him at this time is not a wise choice. If the Golden Lion interferes and becomes their enemy, things will become complicated.

With the retreat imminent, Sieg didn't intend to cause any unnecessary trouble... In fact, he had no choice.

"Then, do as you please."

Sieg said that casually.

Sig had made up his mind that no matter what the Golden Lion planned to do, he did not intend to cooperate, but instead prepared to retreat immediately.

"You're really going to let me do this... You're something else." The Golden Lion was slightly taken aback; he was quite surprised.

"Hey, Shiki, what are you guys whispering about?"

A figure appeared in the distance, leaping through the air with the Moon Step technique; it was Garp, who had just woken up.

He was in high spirits, his fist clenched, and he was in excellent condition as he chased after them.

“We’re talking about a big secret. Garp, you want to know? Then I’ll tell you.”

Golden Lion smiled mysteriously, his body floating into the air. He took out a Den Den Mushi (sound-emitting Den Den Mushi) from his pocket, a cold smile on his lips, and looked down at the battlefield below.

"Navy men, I'm here to tell you the world's biggest lie and joke."

"That is the true identity of the new generation naval hero you've been talking about, Admiral Black Dragon!"

His voice, amplified, echoed across the battlefield, causing many to look up.

Only Sieg felt a jolt in his heart.

He finally understood what the Golden Lion was trying to say... but it was too late.

Taking action against the Golden Lion now would not only make us enemies of the Golden Lion, but would also appear as an attempt to cover up our true intentions.

"Actually, Sun Bear is a fake; his true identity is Sig!" The Golden Lion flew through the air, his voice continuing to echo:

"Ten years ago, a dispute arose on the Sabaody Archipelago over the Angel-Angel Fruit, and I, Shiki the Golden Lion, stole the so-called Angel-Angel Fruit..."

"And your Colonel Sunbear landed on my Sky Island, revealed his true form as Sig, and told me his real identity and his true plan..."

The golden lion's eyes shone brightly as he recounted a story he had kept hidden in his heart for many years.

That incident was a turning point in his life. After that incident, he became a dual-ability user, known as the Emperor of the Sky, and had a grand goal: the "Grand Plan".

"What nonsense are you spouting, Golden Lion?" Garp rudely interrupted Golden Lion.

“I know Sig has the ability to change his appearance, but what you’re saying is too outrageous, it’s ridiculous.”

"Sig and Higuma are clearly two different people!"

Not only the navy, but also other pirates and bandits nodded in agreement, not taking Shiki's words seriously.

"Marine soldiers, don't listen to Shiki's nonsense, keep fighting!" Akainu shouted.

"Golden Lion's words are baseless, absurd, and deliberately sensational to distract us."

"Completely unfounded...?"

The golden lion sneered.

Shortly after the Angel-Angel Fruit incident, the bandit king Higuma returned from his coffin, but the Marine Higuma did not disappear with him, but continued to exist in the Marines.

Upon learning this, Golden Lion became very interested, believing it to be a pawn planted by Sieg and part of a grand plan.

For ten years, Sigir disappeared, and for ten years, the Golden Lion silently observed the Sun Bear.

It wasn't until the Battle of Los Angeles and the emancipation of slaves in the Sabaody Archipelago that Golden Lion vaguely understood the far-reaching nature of Sieg's plans.

Over the course of ten years of observing the Sun Bear, some interesting speculations have also emerged regarding the Golden Lion.

What evidence proves that Higuma and Sig are the same person?

There really isn't a golden lion.

This is just a bold guess based on my contact with Sigurd during the Angel Fruit incident and my observation of some similarities between Higuma and Sigurd during my ten years of observation of Higuma.

It's just speculation; there's no evidence.

But he's a pirate.

What evidence do pirates need to carry out their missions?

"You'll only believe me if I provide evidence? That's not difficult."

Golden Lion sneered, his figure flashing downwards like lightning, heading straight for Sun Bear.

The power of the Float-Float Fruit allows Shiki to defy gravity and move at will. His rapid dive came without warning, followed by a sudden stop, and he came to a steady stop in front of Sun Bear.

Then, the feet made of ice crystals transformed into sword blades, and with the alternating thrusts of the two swords in her left and right hands, golden sword light surged forth like a raging torrent.

The sun bear was already at its limit, its body on the verge of collapse. After only three to five seconds of fighting, a flash of blood appeared.

Higuma's left arm had been severed cleanly by Shiki's sword, and then it was enveloped by a cloud of white clouds and suspended in the air.

"Lieutenant General Hikuma?"

"This... Vice Admiral Higuma's arm was severed?"

Amidst gasps of alarm, the golden lion pointed to the sun bear's severed arm and laughed loudly:

"Look—"

His words came to an abrupt halt, and his expression showed a slight surprise.

In his speculation, Higuma should be a clone created by Higuma using his Devil Fruit powers.

The ability to create clones isn't too uncommon. Robin's Flower-Flower Fruit, Doflamingo's String-String Fruit, and Kanjuro's Paint-Paint Fruit can all create incredibly realistic clones.

He originally intended to kill Higuma directly, but he was slightly blocked and only his left arm was severed, but that was enough.

Logically speaking, the clones created by ability users are not actually made of real flesh and blood, and are different from real people.

Doflamingo's clones are made of threads, while Kanjuro's clones are made of drawings. From the cut of his severed arm, one can see that the internal structure of a Devil Fruit user's clone is different from that of an ordinary person. From this, one can determine whether Higuma's identity is genuine or not.

Chapter 1156 The Sun Bear is Gone (8k)

Mary Geoise.

In the magnificent hall, there was a large broadcast screen showing a live broadcast of Marineford, the headquarters of the Navy.

Logically speaking, the Marineford War should have been entirely handled by the Navy, and neither CP0 nor the World Government should have intervened.

However, because this incident was so important, a small number of CP-provided Den Den Mushi (snail phones) were still present at the scene, broadcasting the battlefield situation to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.

Sengoku only ordered the broadcast to be stopped in the Sabaody Archipelago; he had neither the right nor the ability to stop CP's video Den Den Mushi.

Below the large broadcast screen was a massive sandbox of the Marineford battlefield.

Several CP0 agents stood beside the sand table, while a dozen or so young Celestial Dragons sat on the outer edge, treating the Marineford War as a sand table simulation of the war and engaging in a heated discussion.

"Kaido of the Beasts has appeared, along with Rayleigh, the Dark King, making the situation in this war even more complicated."

"Not only that, Garp has also woken up. He is also one of the top combat forces capable of influencing the battle, and cannot be ignored."

The door opened, and the Five Elders had arrived. They walked to a sofa in the distance and sat down, quietly observing the argument among the dozen or so Celestial Dragons.

After they entered the door, the Celestial Dragons unconsciously raised their voices a little, as they were trying to show off.

The vast majority of Celestial Dragons in the world are just good-for-nothings who only know how to eat, drink, and have fun.

But if everyone is useless, how can they control the world government for eight hundred years?

The Five Elders are also Celestial Dragons; they are the world's highest authority in the open, but they are very old.

Many years later, it will be necessary for the younger generation of the Celestial Dragons to take over their power and continue to serve Lord Im.

From the perspective of Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this was a Marineford War that was enough to change the world order.

From the perspective of the Celestial Dragons, such as Phoenix Palace, this was merely a sandbox simulation game where they revealed themselves.