I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

The Emperor Engine is like a treasure trove.

The best key to unlocking this treasure is fear.

If you have no fear in your heart, the tension or excitement brought about by a life-or-death struggle can also make your heart beat faster and activate a slightly slower "emperor engine".

This long run made Sieg realize that... sufficiently intense physical activity could also activate the Emperor Engine.

"KING's composure is stronger than I imagined. If he really put his mind to it and worked out his muscles seriously, he might become a true KING, right?"

After figuring this out, Sig suddenly realized... the key to becoming stronger seemed to have always been in his hands.

When he first transmigrated, the Saitama training method he followed was easily completed even by the physical abilities of the eight million bounty bandit, Sig. It did not have a significant training effect, and the amount of exercise was insufficient to awaken the true power of the Emperor Engine.

"Could I actually be a cultivation genius, but I've never realized it all this time?"

"Or rather, is this a new effect brought about by the compatibility reaching nearly 90% and the Emperor Engine nearing its complete form?"

Sieg continued to pant heavily, as if a bolt of lightning had struck his mind.

If you weren't truly bad at the game, who would want to stay a slacker forever...?

But what if there were a chance for a fish to leap over the dragon gate?

In the world of One Piece, there is a lot of room for growth for ordinary humans.

The most ordinary Marine with a power level of 10, namely the Marine grunts in the Four Seas Branch, who were easily defeated by Luffy's punch when he first set sail, are also ordinary people.

Koby, weaker than the average navy officer, was promoted to rear admiral after only two years of training...

Lost in thought, Sieg took a few breaths and tried to speed up on his own.

His steps were erratic, his breathing arrhythmic, yet his pace was constantly accelerating.

The Emperor's engine throbbed even more violently.

This rush lasted for more than half an hour.

One by one, the trainees were overtaken by Sieg, but Sieg no longer had the energy to care.

He continued panting heavily as he gradually surged to the front of the group, overtaking Smoker who was at the very front.

Now, a look of surprise appeared in Xiu Zuo's eyes.

Unlike the others, Smoker was already a lieutenant colonel, but he was demoted to the lowest rank and sent back to the training camp for violating military discipline. It was a punishment, a mere formality.

But now, he is being overtaken by Sieg.

"Is Higuma's stamina really that good?" Shuza thought to himself, but then shook his head.

"His earlier panting didn't seem fake. Did he really keep running for so long despite his exhaustion?"

"It seems that he does indeed possess extremely strong willpower and resilience."

Xiu Zuo nodded secretly.

"In comparison, Smoker relies too much on his Devil Fruit ability and needs to improve his physical fitness."

Xiu Zuo quickly wrote down these details in his notebook.

After the long-distance running test ended, Sieg stopped, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.

All eyes turned to him; Sieg's performance just now was truly dazzling.

Under their gaze, Sieg, supporting his body and panting, walked toward Smoker.

The two people stood facing each other.

One had a cigar in his mouth and slicked-back silver hair. The other had short blond hair, a claw mark on his left eye, and a rather intimidating appearance.

"He's looking for Smoker? Does Sunkuk have something to say?"

"The conversation between the first and second place winners after the test? Is this what they call a bond?"

Several people walked over without realizing it, wanting to hear their conversation.

But then they heard Sieg panting as he said:

"Can I borrow a cigar?"

Smoker was slightly taken aback.

Sieg, standing in front of him, was sweating profusely, as if he had just come out of a steamer, and was obviously quite tired, but the first thing he asked was to borrow a cigar.

"I never imagined he was such a heavy smoker..."

Thinking about Sieg's performance just now, Smoker felt a sense of kinship, but when he reached for the cigar in his pocket, he paused slightly.

At this point, the people around started talking about it.

"Smoker isn't planning to lend it?"

"It's just a cigar, but look how exhausted Rikuma is..."

"It's just a loan, not a free gift..."

"I remember Smoker had a lot of cigars, right? I've never seen him finish one."

Amid the murmurs, Smoker, feeling a bit embarrassed, finally reached out and handed a cigar to Sieg.

Did you manage to borrow the item this time?

Sieg breathed a sigh of relief, then weighed the cigar in his hand, only to feel that the weight was a bit off.

With a slight squeeze, the cigar was crushed.

This cigar... is it just a hollow, decorative item?

Sieg's expression was a little strange as he stared at the two cigars still smoking in Smoker's mouth.

So, Smoker, who was stripped of all his money, didn't actually have much spare cash to buy cigars. He was just using the Smoke-Smoke Fruit's power to pretend he was smoking cigars and get a taste of the thrill.

Chapter 371 Bottle Smash on Head

Sieg crushed the hollow cigar in his hand, his expression turning somewhat strange.

At this moment, Smoker also realized what was happening. He snorted and explained:

"You do not understand."

"I'm constantly training and developing my Devil Fruit abilities."

"Oh, I see." Sieg nodded, not exposing Smoker at this moment.

But he silently kept this in mind.

In addition, Sieg has become more familiar with the ability to "borrow and never return".

Sieg borrowed cigars from Smoker twice, but he didn't actually do anything; he just went for a run in between.

It seems that this long-distance running test deepened Smoker's impression of and increased his regard for Sieg, which is why he changed his tune.

"If the sound of my Emperor Engine hadn't been muted, it should have greatly increased the success rate, right?"

The thought crossed Sieg's mind.

........

After the long-distance running test, it was getting dark and time for dinner.

The group of students headed towards the main cafeteria.

Instead of heading straight to the cafeteria, Sieg ran towards the store.

But not long after, Sieg suddenly stopped.

Several figures blocked his way.

"Hey bro, can I borrow some money?"

The group blocking the road weren't wearing navy uniforms; their clothes were loose and their appearance was slovenly. Coupled with the words they spoke... they looked more like pirates than navy personnel.

But... this is the Marine Headquarters. People who are here are either Marines or their family members. How could we let pirates in?

"You're going to blackmail me, a new naval recruit, at Marineford?" Sieg exclaimed in surprise.

"Extortion? Are you kidding me? We're just borrowing money."

"How can lending money be called extortion?"

The group of men grinned maliciously as they approached.

At that moment, Sieg also heard faint discussions in the distance:

"It's Captain Pence from G-5..."

"It's them? No wonder? What are these scum of the Navy doing at headquarters?"

"Heh, they've been bullying newcomers for a long time now."

"These are turbulent times, and the headquarters' forces are stretched thin. It seems that quite a few troops have been mobilized... They've even summoned people from G-5."

Amid the murmurs, the sailors gradually walked away, clearly having no intention of meddling in other people's business.

"Do the G5 navies frequently cause trouble?"

A thought suddenly occurred to Sieg.

G-5 is a Marine branch in the New World. These Marines are indeed unrestrained, frequently disobeying orders from headquarters; they're more like pirates than Marines. They are subordinates of future Vice Admiral Smoker...

"So you were planning to borrow money? I thought you were trying to extort me."

Sieg breathed a sigh of relief, wiped his sweat, and very proactively pulled out a bulging wallet before walking deeper into the alley.

Higuma isn't actually short of money right now; he has around 300 million Berries left. While that's not a huge sum if he wants to buy a Devil Fruit, it's enough for a very comfortable daily life.

As he pulled out his wallet, the G5 naval officers blocking his way stared wide-eyed. Without a second thought, they followed Sieg into the alley.

"You want to borrow money, right? I happen to want to borrow money too. How about you lend me your money first, and then I'll lend you mine?" Sig put away his wallet and asked seriously.

These words immediately darkened the faces of the group.

Are you playing us?

"Stop talking nonsense and hand over the money!"

Sieg glanced down at his waist, choosing not to use the pistol there. He could guarantee he wouldn't kill anyone, but firing a shot would escalate the situation.