I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

"So, I'm here to place a bet."

“27 years ago, I placed my bet on the side of the World Government.”

"Now, I'm placing my bet on you."

Higuma was slightly taken aback:

"So you mean you're thinking of siding with me?"

Unexpectedly, Vegapunk shook his head.

"of course not."

"Given my current status and position within the World Government, coupled with the cutting-edge technology I possess, it's practically impossible for me to escape. Even you might not be able to protect me."

"Moreover, in terms of research environment alone, the world government is still the best choice for me."

"The betting I'm referring to is this."

Vegapunk pointed to the blue and white cat licking its fur nonchalantly to the side.

"As I said before, although it is an artificial Time-Time Fruit user, the experiment went wrong and it is not the result I wanted."

Vegapunk explained:

"One of the laws of Devil Fruits is that all fruits are unique; there are no two fruits that are exactly the same."

"Perhaps that is why I will never be able to create an artificial fruit that is exactly the same as the original."

"As an artificial Time-Time Fruit user, it is the same. Its ability is different from yours as the original Time-Time Fruit user, but it is not a failure."

"In addition to the failure of 17 previous experiments to change historical events, I eventually gave up on this project."

Vegapunk reached out and stroked the blue and white cat a couple of times, whispering:

"For me, its only value is relieving stress."

"But its abilities might be of help to you. Take it with you, Sig."

Rixiong was slightly taken aback.

"You've said all that just to give me this cat?"

“...You can interpret it that way.” Vegapunk did not refute.

"As always, everything I do is for my ultimate purpose."

"Given the current situation, betting on your side offers a better chance of turning things around."

"Sigu... As the Sun Bear, you've completed your escort mission. You'll be returning to headquarters in a few days, right?"

"When the time comes, take this cat with you and leave."

Vegapunk chuckled softly.

He petted the cat a couple more times, then resolutely opened the door, turned around, and walked away.

His figure gradually disappeared into the distance in the corridor, leaving a slightly desolate impression.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance and eventually disappeared.

Only Vegapunk's voice remained, still echoing in the corridor.

"I have fought against the world, but success need not be mine."

Higuma felt a slight jolt in his heart.

But when he turned around and saw the handcuff keys on the table, his eye twitched.

He turned around, grabbed the handcuff key from the table, and pulled Vegapunk back down from where he was walking.

If anyone else saw him looking like this, then this naval captain would really be in charge...

He first unlocked Vegapunk's handcuffs, and then spoke:

“Vegapunk, I have a better way to deal with this cat…”

Higuma's current position is a captain in the Navy Headquarters.

However, Sieg's true identity is that of a powerful figure with a bounty of 40 billion, and he is regarded as the sixth emperor of the sea.

The gap between the two sides is huge, and even if the Navy wanted to deal with Sieg, it probably wouldn't bring Higuma along.

The likelihood of the two meeting is much smaller than before.

Therefore, it's quite difficult to get Vegapunk's cat into Sig's hands.

"This matter requires the help of Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea..." Higuma said.

A moment later, after finally dealing with Vegapunk, Higuma was left alone in the room again.

He threw himself onto the bed, feeling somewhat tired.

"Damn it, were these the formidable enemies I always faced in the past?"

Lone Red, Golden Lion, Rocks, Vegapunk...

Even though the outcome was already known, it was still quite astonishing from Higuma's perspective.

"The escort mission is over. Protecting the Sword Mountain Island base is the responsibility of the Science Unit... I will be returning to headquarters soon."

"I want to become a powerful hero too, I must train hard and get stronger..." Higuma said with determination.

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

at the same time.

Meanwhile, the Sigir fleet was still adrift at sea, heading towards the Sabaody Archipelago to rendezvous with Ivankov.

This fleet consisted of Sieg's ironclad ships, ships from the Revolutionary Army, and a giant ship created by Barrett herself.

"Vegapunk's cat?"

Sig was also a little surprised.

He had already contacted Sun Bear remotely through his inventory.

The development there was beyond his expectations.

"Vegapunk is quite thoughtful, and it's fortunate that he doesn't consider me an enemy."

"Speaking of which, the bottle of wine he gave me back then was a great help; it was more potent than I had imagined."

Sieg stood with his back against the deck railing, a stack of newspapers and wanted posters on a barrel of liquor beside him, glancing sideways at the small groups of people on the ship.

As they drifted along, everyone was doing their own thing.

The bald man was busy learning about the old stories from King Sig's time from Crocus.

Barrett spent her days following shipwright Tom to continue learning shipbuilding techniques, and even Vyburn listened in from the side.

Roger's condition had improved since that day, and he spent his days drinking and partying with Panda Rum.

Sig doesn't drink much these days, he just occasionally mixes a drink for the two of them.

In a daze, it felt as if I had returned to 45 years ago, when I was still running a bar in Rogge.

However, besides that, the newspapers delivered by Newsbird in the past two days have also caught his attention.

Sieg picked up the newspaper in his hand and glanced at it.

Roger's identity being exposed was not part of his tactical plan to deal with the Fifty-Six Emperors.

However, the World Government's subsequent attitude was consistent with expectations; the World Government completely denied the possibility that Roger was still alive.

In addition, the bounty of up to four billion also shocked him.

"Achievement Quest: [4 Billion Bounty] Completed, grants one chance to draw a random card."

"Achievement Quest: [Emperor of the Sea] Completed, grants one chance to draw a random Emperor of the Sea series card."

Chapter 863 The True Sea Emperor Card

Emperor of the sea....

This term carries considerable weight; it represents the pinnacle of pirate power in the world—the greatest pirates standing at the top of the seas.

Seeing this word gave Sieg a headache.

In his time-traveling journey through the past, the Fifty-Six Emperors were the Sword of Damocles hanging over his hand; they were enemies he had to face and could not escape.

Even when facing enemies like Wald and Lone Red, he had to find every possible way to defeat them.

But now?

Are we courting death by provoking these powerful enemies?

"The Emperor of the Sea... If he really reaches the level of Whitebeard, very few pirates would dare to provoke him, and it would be safer for them."

During the Great Pirate Era without Roger, Whitebeard didn't make many big moves.

He was called the king of the sea simply because he took in sons from all over the place.

For a powerful figure like Whitebeard, fame is not a burden, but rather brings a relatively stable life. Neither other great pirates nor the Marines would usually take the initiative to attack him.

Sig temporarily put aside his thoughts and focused his mind on the familiar sea of ​​stars.

You get two chances to draw cards: one is completely random, and the other is a card from the Sea Emperor series.

"Of course, we'll start with a completely random draw. We should save the best food for last!"

Draw cards! Begin!

As starlight converged, a brass-colored card appeared before Sieg.

"The brass-colored card back indicates a C-rank card..."

Sieg was slightly disappointed:

"But it's okay. If it's a character card, the grade doesn't represent strength, it only means that you can get some of the original character's abilities. If you can get Vegeta, that would be great."

"Even a C-rank item card... the self-inflicted sword, which is not very useful, became a key item for me to save the Pirate King, defeat powerful enemies, or fake my own death and escape!"

Sig tried to reassure himself, and then he saw the card flip over, revealing a familiar short sword in front of him.

Item Card: Sword of Suicide