I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

"As long as I hypnotize myself into living a peaceful life, and then when I wake up again... maybe just like last time, everything will be over, the process will be ignored, and I will eventually live a peaceful but boring life."

The idea flashed through Sieg's mind, and he was eager to try it out.

However, when he saw himself holding the hypnosis ring in the mirror, he looked somewhat confused.

"This scene seems a little familiar. How many times have I hypnotized myself?"

The hypnotist is unaware that he has been hypnotized unless Sig awakens from the hypnosis.

Sieg once worried that frequent self-hypnosis would distort him beyond recognition, making him no longer himself.

But now...

"Anyway, hypnosis isn't permanent for me; I'll wake up sooner or later."

Sig looked at himself in the mirror, stared at the hypnotic ring in his hand, and began to shake it.

"I must live a peaceful, boring, and wealthy life... 1, 2, BINGO!"

The man in the mirror looked slightly unfocused for a moment, then his expression hardened.

He put away the hypnosis ring, clenched his fist, and muttered to himself in the mirror:

"I am determined to live a peaceful, boring, and wealthy life, and no one can stop me."

..........

Ten thousand meters above the ground, the aerial secret realm of Vermeeru floats in the air, moving with the wind.

Shiki the Golden Lion sat on the edge of the island, holding a newspaper and reading it:

"Is Sig a resurrected dead man, or a powerful figure who escaped right under the noses of an admiral and one of the Four Emperors?"

Will Higuma, who indirectly propelled Shiki to the position of the Fifth Emperor, become... the Sixth Pirate Emperor?

Upon reading this, a strange smile appeared on the Golden Lion's face.

"Back from the dead... Sig, you've really put on a good show..."

"Hehehehe..."

The golden lion's maniacal laughter echoed through the heavens.

As far as he knew, Sig had secretly infiltrated the Navy and possessed the ability to transform, plotting something within the Navy under the identity of Navy Captain Higuma.

However, Shiki did not expect that Sieg would expose himself so quickly and return under the guise of being resurrected.

But after he finished laughing, he suddenly thought of something and frowned.

"Wait... Higuma's identity hasn't been revealed? If the Navy knew that Higuma was Sigurd, they definitely wouldn't have kept quiet about it."

"How can Sieg play two roles all by himself?"

The Golden Lion frowned, realizing that things were not as simple as he had imagined.

Does Sig have an accomplice? Is the current Higuma not played by Sig, but by someone else?

Or perhaps the Navy actually knew Higuma's true identity but kept it a secret?

In short, Sieg must be hiding more secrets, which are not known to the outside world.

"What a mysterious man... Since he chose this time to rise from the dead as Sig, he must have some ulterior motive. Has something happened? Is he in a hurry?"

"Hehehehe... I'm becoming more and more interested in his advanced martial arts plan."

The golden lion smiled, stood up, and touched the ship's rudder on his head.

The past three months of recuperation have largely healed his head injury, so now it's time to remove the rudder.

"Hehehehe... I've changed my mind. Our Flying Pirates should return to that nostalgic New World."

The ship's doctor, Indigo, standing nearby, was taken aback:

"Aren't we going to keep looking for doctors with special abilities? Like... someone with the Op-Op Fruit ability?"

"Captain Shisky, didn't you want to remove the rudder?"

For the past three months, Golden Lion has been out of the public eye, not only recuperating from his injuries but also secretly searching for doctors with special abilities, hoping to help him remove the rudder and eliminate any future troubles.

A user of the Op-Op Fruit would naturally be the first choice, but Shiki the Golden Lion couldn't find one.

"I haven't given up..." The Golden Lion narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice:

“In the New World, I know a good doctor with superpowers—Marco the Phoenix, the first division commander under Whitebeard. He is a user of the Phoenix Fruit, and his flames can heal wounds. With him working with you, the success rate of the surgery will be higher.”

"A white-bearded man?" Indigo was slightly taken aback.

"Captain Shiki, since you thought of Marco so early on, why didn't you go find Whitebeard sooner?"

Indigo had been following Shiki for over a decade and had even experienced the Battle of Eidolon, so he was certainly aware of the relationship between Shiki and Whitebeard.

Ten years ago, the first thing Shiki did after escaping Impel Down by cutting off his own legs was to go drink with Whitebeard.

"Whitebeard is my opponent. Do you expect me to ask him for help and have his son perform the surgery on me?"

The golden lion sneered.

He had no intention of asking Whitebeard for help.

He originally planned to first find the user of the Op-Op Fruit, remove the ship's rudder, and after his old injuries were fully healed, go to the New World to have a great battle with Whitebeard.

What kind of nonsense is it to beg Whitebeard's son for help while holding a ship's rudder?

But after Sigurd's rebirth, Shiki had an idea.

He certainly wouldn't ask Whitebeard for help.

However, a crucial bargaining chip for Whitebeard had already been seized by Shiki.

Blackbeard.

The incident involving Blackbeard caused quite a stir at the time, and he was eventually imprisoned in Impel Down.

If the Navy doesn't take any other action, even for Whitebeard, it would be extremely difficult to forcefully storm Impel Down and rescue Blackbeard.

But it's a coincidence.

He, Shiki the Golden Lion, is the only prisoner in history to have successfully escaped Impel Down.

Chapter 482 Sun Bear, you'll be in charge of hunting down Sig's old men.

Marineford, Naval Headquarters.

Zefa stood alone at the training camp gate, looking somewhat dazed and unusually absent-minded.

After returning from Kenzan Island, he deliberately probed Sengoku about the NEO Navy Legion.

But as the Revolutionary Army claimed, Sengoku only made a promise but delayed relinquishing power—according to Sengoku, this was the World Government's intention.

The so-called NEO Naval Legion is actually just a slightly special new naval branch, nothing more, and is not the new navy that Zephyr envisioned.

"What the revolutionaries said may not be wrong."

"In this navy, I am the outlier; the Five Elders would never allow me to take command..."

Zefa's eyes dimmed slightly.

Yes.

He is the odd one out.

Zephyr's ability to train new recruits is unparalleled; he's probably among the top in the world. Over the years, almost all the famous naval commanders have been personally trained by Zephyr.

However... out of so many naval commanders, not one inherited Zephyr's ideals of justice.

Zephyr was highly respected and commanded the respect of many naval officers, but that was all.

At that moment, a young man walked over from a distance.

This was a fierce-looking man with an imposing presence. He had short blond hair, a scar above his eye, and sharp features. He wore a cloak of justice and strode in with a powerful stride.

"General Zephyr, you wanted to see me?" Higuma asked in a low voice.

The Sword Mountain Island incident was initially caused by Zephyr leading a training exercise, but Sieg performed exceptionally well in it.

Not only did he single-handedly defeat the Cow-Cow Fruit user with a bounty of 60 million, but he also faced Higuma head-on, leaving an extremely deep impression on the surviving Marines at the time.

"Has Sun Bear arrived?" Zephyr put away his somber expression, glanced at Sun Bear, and his expression softened slightly.

Higuma was perhaps the person Zephyr encountered in his many years of naval service whose ideals were closest to his.

He was an exceptional marksman, but he knew when to stop and did not kill any pirates. He also hoped to uphold justice in his own way.

Zephyr sighed softly as he recalled the fierce yet lopsided battle between Sig and Sunbear.

"Come with me."

"Higuma, your performance in the Kenzan Island incident was commendable. You truly deserve your current rank and the cloak of justice that you wear."

"However, you must remember not to slack off in training in the future, and always maintain strict self-discipline..."

Rixiong paused, following Zefa out of the training camp, while also understanding the unspoken meaning in Zefa's words.

"I don't have to participate in the training camp anymore?" A clear look of disappointment appeared on Higuma's face.

The thought of not being able to participate in training in the future made Rikuma feel like he had lost his dream.

"Admiral Zephyr, I feel my strength is not yet sufficient, and I wish to remain in the training camp..."

“I know you’ve always been diligent, but there’s no need to say that!” Zephyr waved his hand to interrupt Higuma, but a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

As an instructor, he certainly didn't dislike diligent trainees.

"I understand your determination to become stronger, but becoming strong isn't something you can achieve by hiding in a training camp and burying yourself in training."

"Next, I've secured an important task for you, so don't mess it up."

As the two were talking, they arrived at the port where the warships were moored.

In the distance, a large ship bearing the insignia of the World Government was sailing by, escorted by several warships.

"A World Government ship?"

Higuma glanced at the large ship and suddenly realized it looked strangely familiar.

This ship was not only large, but also had extensive damage on its hull, as if it had been through a major battle... no, more like a shipwreck.