I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

The bandit king has fallen.

Higuma stood beside the fallen Sig, panting for a few moments, and finally loosened his clenched fist.

"Is this... over?"

"You...you won?"

Several CP0 members stared blankly at the scene, still feeling a tremor in their hearts.

The previous battles, especially the battles where they fought against Kizaru and Oni-Masked while heavily injured, left a deep impression on them.

Even though Sieg had fallen, they still felt an indescribable fear and unease.

Perhaps the next moment, the man who was lying on the ground will stand up again, look at them with a half-smile, and say that I was faking it.

Kizaru was stunned for a while.

He stopped, his ashen face gradually returning to its usual calm. He glanced at the bloody holes burned into his body, wounds so deep they exposed bone.

"How terrible~ I never expected to end up in such a mess this time."

"Higuma, is he dead?" Kizaru asked.

"He's lost consciousness and is in a coma. I always exercise restraint when I act," Higuma replied.

“Criminals should be tried and then sent to Impel Down or rehabilitated.”

Strong individuals like Higuma and Zephyr, who have mastered the Life Return technique, possess a significantly greater control over their muscle strength and a more measured approach to combat than other strong individuals.

The secret to "not killing" is to precisely control one's power, having a firm grasp on the destructive force of each punch.

"Not dead?"

CP0 Ghostface walked over, panting. He was the most seriously injured of the three; his head was almost bald from the burns, with only a few strands of hair remaining on his forehead.

He straightened up, his hair growing rapidly on his forehead, hardened by Armament Haki, and shot through the air like a steel wire, aimed directly at Sigurd's throat.

"Finger gun!"

At this moment.

A large hand grabbed the strand of hair and pulled it taut, nearly knocking the ghost mask to the ground.

He was somewhat annoyed, and glancing to the side, he saw Higuma looking at him expressionlessly, saying calmly:

"In the past ten years, no one has been able to execute the criminals I have arrested without my permission."

"Would you like to give it a try? CP0."

"You..." Ghost Face's face darkened, and he said coldly:

"Sig is extremely dangerous. If we don't kill him now, there will be endless trouble in the future!"

"Higuma, you're just as old-fashioned as Zephyr."

When Oni-Masked and Kizaru arrived at Loksan Island, the battle between Higuma and Higuma was nearing its end.

Seeing that Sig was seriously injured in a one-on-one fight with the mere newly promoted general Higuma, Oni-Masked felt that the mountain bandit king was nothing special.

Teaming up with Kizaru, they thought they could buy time and easily wear down Higuma, but unexpectedly, both of them were in a sorry state. Among the three, Higuma was the one with the lightest injuries.

He single-handedly subdued Admiral Higuma, and simultaneously forced him and Kizaru to their knees; his mere aura was enough to conjure the image of a three-headed, six-armed Asura...

These incredible moves left a deep and lasting impression on him.

“Sieg is dangerous, he must die!” Ghostface emphasized, but his tone softened slightly.

The fact that General Higuma was able to fight such a powerful bandit king one-on-one and be seriously injured by him shows that he greatly underestimated Higuma's strength. Oni-Masked knew that he could not have done that.

Ghost Face still held some reverence for the strong.

However, Higuma did not let go.

“You’re not qualified to say that, CP0,” he said calmly.

Even legendary pirates like Barrett, Lone Red, Shiki the Golden Lion, and Gol D. Roger, who stood atop the seas, were imprisoned in Impel Down after being captured, rather than immediately executed. Furthermore, the presence of Higuma, a crucial insider within the Navy, was the core reason for Higuma's choice.

The World Destroyer Wald of yesteryear was also led by Sengoku and Garp, with CP0 infiltrators secretly cooperating, but they were not killed, but instead sent to Impel Down.

Kizaru then chimed in:

"That's true."

"First, use the Seastone shackles to bind Sigurd. As for whether he lives or dies... Ghost Mask, do you think the Celestial Dragons behind you will agree?"

Ghost Face paused slightly.

Sigurd is connected to the fourth treasure of Another Piece: the whereabouts of the Celestial Dragons' family treasury.

Ten years ago, during the Shattered Void incident, before Sigurd disappeared in the Shattered Void, he scattered treasure maps all over the sky. At the time, the Celestial Dragons were quite surprised, and a female Celestial Dragon named Phoenix Palace led a team to search for the treasure.

It turned out that the treasure map was very vague and did not provide a precise location, so a large-scale, exhaustive search by manpower was the only option.

Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye... They are getting closer and closer to the treasure's location, but they still haven't found it.

When Kizaru mentioned the Celestial Dragons, CP0's Oni Mask calmed down. He glared fiercely at the unconscious Sigurd lying on the ground, watching as two CP0 members took out their Seastone handcuffs and handcuffed the unconscious Sigurd.

“You’re right…” CP0’s Oni Mask relented, but Higuma showed no sign of letting him go.

"CP0, you've been secretly watching from the sidelines for quite some time now, haven't you?" Higuma's expression was cold.

"They watched from the sidelines until the battle was almost over before jumping out to try and reap the rewards, and now that Sig has fallen, they're eager to kill him..."

"Are you trying to steal the credit, or do you have something on Sieg that you want to silence?"

Ghost Face paused slightly.

He wasn't surprised by Higuma's tone.

Although CP0 and the Navy cooperated, they were not on the same side, especially the Navy factions led by Zephyr and Higuma, who looked down on each other as CP0's clandestine intelligence agents.

"It seems Higuma thinks I'm trying to steal the credit..."

Ghost Face recalled the previous battle and nodded secretly.

The ambush on the bandit king was an unexpected bonus.

Their real target, CP0, was actually Higuma. They had originally suspected that Admiral Higuma had ulterior motives!

Instead of finding evidence of Higuma's secret collusion with Higuma, CP0 witnessed the entire fierce battle between Higuma and Higuma and ultimately cooperated to capture the bandit king himself!

This is a once-in-decades-long major event!

Given the reputation of the Mountain Bandit King, coupled with the influence of the treasure of the Celestial Dragon Charmaco Saint Family, the significance of capturing Higuma is probably no less than that of the Pirate King surrendering himself back then!

This is indeed a great achievement; no wonder the Japanese bear is so sensitive.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of taking credit." Ghost Face's tone softened considerably.

Higuma has performed such a great service, even capturing the bandit king. The battle just now was witnessed by everyone. How could he possibly have any ulterior motives?

Was Sieg just using it as a sword to hit someone?

Higuma's moves were bizarre, not only suppressing Higuma, but also forcing Kizaru and Oni Mask to their knees. Oni Mask had personally experienced that feeling of being unable to move, so it couldn't be blamed on Higuma.

Not only does Higuma have no ulterior motives, but he is probably also a general who is devoted to justice. He is just like a second Zephyr, and he is far superior to Kizaru who is just clocking in and out next to him.

Although the two sides have different positions, Ghost Face still has some respect for such a person.

"Admiral Higuma, you can report this to the Marine Headquarters. The main credit for this incident is naturally yours; no one is going to take it from you," Ghostface said.

"By then, having defeated the mountain bandit king, you will likely become the second naval hero after Garp."

Garp's reputation as a naval hero began with the "God Valley Incident." In the history that has been passed down on the seas, Garp defeated Rocks at God Valley, protected the Celestial Dragons and their slaves, and ended the Rocks era single-handedly.

Higuma's defeat of the mountain bandit king was almost as great as Garp's victory over Rocks or Garp's "capture" of the Pirate King Roger—a feat rarely seen in decades.

"Merit? Heroism?"

Higuma shifted his gaze and said calmly:

"Since becoming a general, I no longer care about merit, honor, victory or defeat."

Military merits?

Sieg has already become a general, and there is no higher he can be promoted.

Further up the ranks are Admiral of the Navy, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces... These are positions that cannot be attained solely through military achievements.

"Let's not talk about that. Let's talk about something that interests us," Higuma said, changing the subject.

"I'm quite curious, CP0, why did you appear so quickly as reinforcements?"

The battle between Higuma and Sigurd lasted only about an hour. The fact that CP0 was able to provide timely assistance in such a short time was beyond Higuma's expectations.

It should be noted that the Battle of Luoshan Island was originally in Higuma's script, and he had been preparing for it for a long time.

This island was not chosen randomly; it is relatively remote, not prosperous, with few people, and there are no naval bases around it.

Therefore, in Higuma's scenario, even if Ain reports it immediately, reinforcements are unlikely to arrive in time.

“That’s right, actually I’m a little curious too----” Kizaru interjected again at this moment.

After the battle, Kizaru had returned to his usual lazy demeanor, and casually glanced at Oni Mask.

Ghost Face felt a chill run down his spine.

Judging from Kizaru's cunning demeanor, he seemed to have already guessed something, but he didn't say it outright.

If these words were spoken, Higuma would likely become estranged from CP0 and World Conquest. At the same time, it would also represent a serious dereliction of duty by CP0's Oni Mask and others—secretly spying on a Marine Admiral is no small matter when it comes to public scrutiny.

Ghost Face pondered for a moment, then replied:

"Our CP0 was lingering in the vicinity while carrying out a secret mission. We received a request for assistance from Fleet Admiral Sengoku, which is why we took action. If you have any questions, you can ask Fleet Admiral Sengoku afterwards."

He glanced at Kizaru secretly, then said seriously:

"Of course, in this operation, there is no doubt that General Higuma made great contributions, and General Borsalino also made significant contributions."

"This matter concerns the Celestial Dragons' treasure. If we can get clues about the treasure from Sig, the Celestial Dragons' Charmaco Saint Family would probably be willing to offer a generous reward."

"If the two generals are not interested in military merit, once the treasure matter is investigated, I can represent CP0 to report to World Conquest to recommend you for merit."

"I remember the bounty on the bandit king, Higuma, is... 50 billion Berries," Ghost Face said seriously.

"It's not impossible that this reward money could be given to the two of you."

This money was hush money for Kizaru, and also the fee CP0 paid to win over Higuma.