I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

A moment later.

Near the cemetery at the island's main gate, Sieg spotted Crocodile and Veben from afar.

The two people were walking in the misty cemetery, seemingly taking a stroll.

Upon seeing Sieg coming from afar, BABY-5 jogged over.

"Mr. Sig, you really are here..."

"really?"

Sig gave her a strange look and then casually ruffled her hair.

After the child came to his side, he became quite clingy, which made Sig somewhat worried about what would happen after he changed his appearance and left the bandit group.

Sig looked up at Crocdale.

“Crocodile, I’m quite surprised that you have the leisure to take Wiburn for a walk.”

Sieg's words came from the bottom of his heart.

However, the other party's reaction surprised him.

Crocdale snorted coldly, glancing sideways at Sieg with disdain in her eyes.

"You really have the nerve to say that."

"Hmm? You're complaining that I didn't take good care of the child?"

"Is she acting out of maternal instinct?"

Sieg was a little confused, but he didn't think much of it. Instead, he made up an excuse to send Viben away.

"It's time for the performance again."

Sigurd felt a slight stirring in his heart, used up one use of the King Luffy card, and gradually entered a completely new role.

Suddenly, the expression on Sieg's usually calm face softened, and he looked into the distance at Viburn, who was gradually walking away.

Sieg's eyes were filled with unspoken emotions, as if they held countless stories.

Chapter 290 I Have a Friend

A tranquil scene unfolds in the misty cemetery.

Sieg's gaze was deep, his eyes filled with stories.

"Crocodile, do you know why I'm so determined to restore your female identity?"

Actually, I understand you very well.

“I have a friend whose situation is very similar to yours.”

Sieg sighed softly and spoke.

Upon hearing this opening remark, Crocdale turned and glanced at Sieg.

Well known.

When someone starts a conversation with "Let's talk about reason and how," they'll start spouting nonsense.

"Let me say something fair," and the next sentence will be one of bias.

"I have a friend" is a fabricated friend.

After careful consideration, Crocdale could no longer remain calm.

I have a friend, if I'm referring to Sieg himself.

So, the person in a similar situation to Crocodile is Sieg himself?

in other words....

"Your friend... used to be a woman?"

Crocdale's expression changed, and she blurted out.

She stared intently at Sieg's face, her expression utterly bizarre. Crocdale simply couldn't fathom what a feminine Sieg would look like...

Moreover, there was something else that bothered her greatly.

If Sieg was originally a woman... then she and Stuart...

"What a mess."

Crocdale was a little flustered, and quietly waited for Sieg's answer.

Upon hearing this, Sieg paused for a moment, then shook his head in denial.

"No."

"To be precise, my friend has a daughter."

Sig didn't pay much attention to Crocodile's question, gradually sinking into his memories, his eyes becoming increasingly hazy, and the corners of his lips unconsciously turning up slightly.

"My friend's daughter has been intelligent and quick-witted since childhood, and she is also quite talented in swordsmanship."

"Her goal is to surpass my friend and become the world's greatest swordsman..."

At this moment, Sieg seemed like a completely different person, inside and out, utterly unlike his usual self.

As he spoke, he gazed in the direction Viben had left, his eyes filled with a smile, like the gaze of an old father.

However, his tone then shifted, becoming increasingly serious.

"However, as she got older, my friend's daughter discovered the shortcomings of the female body."

"Due to physical limitations, female swordsmen cannot become the world's strongest... That's what my friend told her back then."

Crocdale narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.

"So, she decided not to be a woman anymore. And what happened next..."

With a hint of melancholy in his eyes, Sieg continued to tell the story.

The story he told was naturally based on the father-daughter duo Koushin Dojo, Koushin and Kuina.

The persona that Sieg created was a father figure similar to Koushirou.

However, in the end, the so-called friend's daughter met her end in death.

........

"If she were still alive, she would be about the same age as Nicole Robin... I mean, my friend's daughter."

Sieg remarked.

These words reminded Crocodile of the scene back in Rain City when Sig took Robin from him.

At the time, Sieg seemed to dislike Robin because she was a bit too old, but he still allowed her to be his daughter...

Crocdale remained silent for a long time.

The stories Sieg told were not didactic; they were simply told in a gentle, conversational style, like a middle-aged man reminiscing about the past over drinks in a pub—just a simple sharing of stories.

"What do you want to say?" Crocdale asked expressionlessly.

Sieg pondered for a moment.

This time, he not only brought in the old father persona created by Wang Luffy, but also remembered Koushirou from the original work who lost his daughter.

"My friend actually regrets saying that to his daughter."

Sieg turned his head and took a serious look at Crocdale.

"Physical skills, Haki, Devil Fruits, and all sorts of strange and wonderful technologies in the Navy's scientific research unit—there are too many ways in this world to make people stronger."

"Compared to these, the so-called lack of physical strength is insignificant."

"If time could be turned back, my friend would probably say to her daughter: 'Strong people are strong from within.'"

"There has never been a female swordsman who has ascended to the throne of swordsmanship, so why can't she be the first?"

After finishing his conversation, Sieg walked away on his own, his figure gradually disappearing into a light mist.

Crocdale stood there, watching the direction Sig had gone.

Sig’s slightly thin back always looked somewhat desolate.

Even with Viben by his side, his figure always seemed somewhat lonely.

Sieg's behavior and words this time were completely different from his usual behavior; it was as if he were a completely different person.

The story he told was somewhat bizarre, but for some reason, it always gave people the illusion that it was true.

This seems like a man with a story.

"Strength comes from within..."

Crocdale stood still and repeated it several times.

She's been repeatedly trying out the concept of "negative ghosts" these past few days, and this phrase has left a deep impression on her.

.........

In the cemetery, Sieg led Wibben away, strolling on the island, still thinking about what had just happened.

Sieg is unsure how effective this story will be; it's just an experiment.

If that doesn't work, then we'll have to let Stussy step in to keep things in check.

Before I knew it, I had strolled to the main entrance of the island.

Laboon the whale was playing with Brook along the shore, while Crocus nestled on a deck chair nearby, watching with a smile.

"It feels like going back to decades ago, back in Twin Capes."

Crocus said something, his gaze falling on the ghost ship of the Rumba Pirates moored on the shore.

“Sig, we’ve been on this terror ship for a few days now, haven’t we?”

"Brook and Laboon are both planning to return to Twin Capes, but me..."

Crocus paused here, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"Are you also planning to go back with them?"