I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

"I was there during the Impel Down war."

"Do you remember how you were defeated by Sieg?"

"You must have a deep understanding of Sig's power."

"So here's the question: why didn't Sigurd, who was able to defeat Impel Down's Titan form, actually hurt you?" Crocus asked casually.

Chapter 568 Barrett, the Newcomer to the Mountain Bandit Gang

In response to Crocus's question, Barrett replied without hesitation:

"That's because I was hiding..."

At this point, he hesitated.

That's because he was hiding in the control room beneath Impel Down, not above sea level.

Sig's swordsmanship only destroyed the above-ground part of the Impel Down Giant, so it couldn't hurt him... Barrett found it hard to say this.

After all... it was supposed to be a one-on-one duel, but he not only piloted the Impel Down Gundam, but also secretly hid deep underground, so his main body didn't really enter the actual battlefield.

Kurokas noticed Barrett's hesitation.

He quietly approached Barrett and whispered in a voice only she could hear:

"Barrett, you might not be too happy to hear this."

“Before you fought, I asked Sieg to spare your life if he won.”

Crocus's voice was low and flat.

But to Barrett, it was like a thunderclap!

His eyes widened suddenly, his fists clenched instinctively, his breathing became rapid, and he looked at Crocus with a gaze that was a mixture of anger and disbelief.

"you...."

Crocus didn't speak, he just looked at him calmly.

Barrett truly experienced Sig's formidable strength firsthand: his powerful swordsmanship capable of tearing through Sig's proud Armament Haki, and the strange black flames that even Armament Haki struggled to block...

The battle back then was so one-sided that it could even be described as a one-sided affair.

What if, in addition, Siegfried had already held back?

This kind of battle is not at all the fair one-on-one duel that Barrett imagined!

After all... in a battle between top-tier powerhouses like Barrett, the slightest lapse in concentration often means death.

If you decide beforehand to hold back, worrying about not taking the enemy's life... having this kind of mindset on the battlefield will most likely lead to your death!

It's just that Zephyr, who's known as "the one who doesn't kill," often does this kind of thankless task.

Barrett loosened her clenched fist slightly.

This shows that the gap between him and Sieg is even greater than he imagined.

However... he did not lose his fighting spirit; on the contrary, his fighting spirit became even stronger.

Barrett turned to look at Sieg, her eyes seemingly burning with a fierce flame.

"Sigurd, I admit you're stronger now."

A wild smile reappeared on Barrett's face.

"Would you dare let me aboard your ship?"

"I will challenge you, and then surpass you! I will become the strongest in the world!"

"what?"

"He wants to board Boss Sig's ship? Does that mean he wants to join our Sig Mountain Bandits?"

The bandits, who had been tense, were all stunned, unable to believe what they were hearing.

The atmosphere had clearly escalated to the point of a fight, and then Barrett said something like that? This completely baffled the bandits.

In their view, it was Crocus who intervened to stop the fight between the two, whispering something to him, after which Barrett suddenly changed her mind?

Sieg was also bewildered, but he was far from relaxed, and cold sweat broke out on his brow.

If a battle maniac like Barrett were on his ship, he'd probably be looking for a fight every day.

Unless he uses a fusion-fusion fruit to combine with something like a submarine, Sigurd is completely helpless! He'd probably be crushed in a heartbeat!

Take a thousand steps back.

Barrett, with her independent and self-willed nature, is someone only Roger could probably handle. Even if you don't fight her, joining her crew might not be a good thing...

Sieg wanted to refuse, but Barrett seemed to have guessed his thoughts and spoke first;

“Sieg...I’m definitely going to board your ship before I surpass you.”

"Unless you kill me right here!"

Barrett clenched her fists again, ready to fight Sieg.

However, he didn't want to fight to the death; he wanted to live!

Given Barrett's physical prowess and domineering presence, as long as he stubbornly refuses to leave, there are very few people in this world who can stop him.

Only by living can we continue to challenge Higuma, just like when we joined Roger's crew, constantly training and getting stronger!

Then... obtain Hades from Siegfried! Become the strongest in the world!

"Now that the design blueprints for Hades have fallen into Sieg's hands, he certainly won't just leave them lying around like this, which saves me a lot of trouble."

"Taking Sig's Hades is much simpler than going through the trouble of building one myself!"

Barrett had already made up her mind.

Sig’s eye twitched.

This disobedient guy...does he even have a choice?

Sieg still harbored a sliver of hope, but his face remained expressionless as he asked:

"Barrett, if you just want to challenge the strong, like when you joined Roger's crew... why don't you go find Whitebeard?"

"Whitebeard is the strongest man in the world, he's way better than me!"

"Even Roger back then couldn't truly defeat him."

Don't look for me! Go find Whitebeard! Whitebeard is incredibly strong, I'm blown away!

To Sieg's disappointment, Barrett quickly shook her head.

"I don't want to be his son."

"That golden lion?" Sieg continued to probe.

"He's the Emperor of the Sky, a dual Devil Fruit user, whose Haki, physical skills, swordsmanship, and Devil Fruit abilities are all near-perfect..."

This time, Barrett simply snorted coldly:

"Golden Lion was nothing but Roger's defeated opponent. If Roger could beat him, so can I."

Sieg was utterly despondent, but he could only calmly nod.

"Since you've already come to your senses, I won't stop you anymore."

"Welcome to the team, Douglas Barrett."

.............

In the corner, Crocus watched this scene quietly, a slight smile unconsciously curving his lips.

Barrett's behavior is simply incomprehensible to ordinary people; she is a complete madwoman.

But for him, his former partner, it was not difficult to master.

He deliberately said those things to Barrett in person to provoke her; it was intentional.

Barrett's reaction was actually within Crocus's expectations.

Without Roger, Barrett is an angry yet bewildered monster who will only bring endless destruction to the sea and ultimately destroy himself.

If he has a goal, and someone who can restrain him, like Roger did back then, then Barrett might have a chance to be redeemed and healed, and return to being the rookie apprentice pirate in Roger's crew.

"For Sig and Barrett, this is probably the best possible outcome," Crocus thought with a smile.

“Sieg spared my life because he gave me face before, so this is me returning the favor.”

Chapter 569 The World's Number One Shipbuilder

Sieg and Barrett are locked in a standoff, and a major battle is about to break out.

But suddenly, the two sides shook hands and made peace, and Barrett even planned to join Siegfried.

This turn of events left Tom the fishman completely dumbfounded.

He hadn't expected that Sieg and Barrett, who had seemed like sworn enemies just moments before, would suddenly become allies.

And... he just lied, saying that the Hades blueprints had fallen into Sieg's hands!

"I wonder if Sig overheard my lie... otherwise, I'd be exposed immediately..."

"Shouldn't we ask Crocus to mediate?"

Tom felt a pang of unease.

He saw Crocus and started talking to Barrett.

"Barrett, what are you doing here with Tom?"

Crocus asked:

"After the Impel Down war, you clearly didn't leave with us, but you somehow ended up in Water Seven and even found Tom?"

"You're not here to catch up with Tom, are you?"

Crocus was also a little surprised.

"No, that's not it."