I the King of bandits of the East Sea

When in doubt, blame it on an unknown Devil Fruit ability. This wasn't a particularly insightful analysis.

But aside from that, Garp couldn't think of any other reasonable explanation.

"So, who might Sig have been over twenty years ago? Garp, what do you think?"

Sengoku seemed intrigued by Garp's reasoning and pressed further.

"Over twenty years ago, that was the era when Roger and Whitebeard were active. Sig might have lived under another identity back then, only to fall seriously ill later and go into hiding. After being cured, he began secretly contacting Roger's former crewmates..."

Garp muttered to himself, not immediately drawing any conclusions.

At that moment, a Marine officer nearby suddenly turned red with excitement:

"Admiral Garp, I have a theory."

"Could Sig's previous identity have been the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger? Perhaps he faked his death, successfully diverting our attention."

"And the real Roger, after being cured of his illness, began contacting his former crewmates?"

Garp stared at the officer, momentarily stunned.

"Your imagination is truly impressive."

Garp placed a hand on his forehead, sighing in exasperation.

Pop.

At some point, Garp's snot bubble had burst. He opened his eyes and interjected:

"That's absolutely impossible. You're underestimating the Pirate King. Would Roger sit back and watch his former crewmates and widow be captured by the World Government?"

"If you keep speculating like this, it'll never end..."

Garp glanced at Garp, feeling a pang of realization.

He couldn't refute that.

Known as the "Resourceful Admiral," Garp found himself at a loss when faced with the mountain of contradictory information about Sig. He could only make increasingly far-fetched assumptions.

Why did they keep falling into this mental trap when it came to Sig?

Garp and the others decided to temporarily stop digging deeper.

Because a CP0 officer, bearing a message from the Celestial Dragons of Mary Geoise, had arrived at Marine Headquarters.

"Why hasn't the Marine issued a new bounty for Sig yet?"

The man in the white suit frowned, urging them.

"Sig's identity is full of inconsistencies, and we haven't fully investigated it yet... For example, the intelligence provided by CP0 contradicts our own findings."

"Why don't you have your spy, who's already close to Sig, send us more credible information?"

Sengoku crossed his arms and explained.

"You're questioning the credibility of our intelligence?"

"Hmph, this information is already a stroke of luck, and you still want more?"

"She's our CP0 operative, not your Marine informant."

"Our spy won't be transmitting information lightly. It's too risky. Her role is to stay hidden, gain Sig's full trust."

"Then, at the right moment, she'll give Sig a big surprise."

The man in the white suit flatly refused Sengoku's request.

CP and the Marines had collaborated before.

For example, the great pirate World Destroyer, Captain John, who once rivaled Roger and Whitebeard, was captured and imprisoned thanks to a CP spy infiltrating his crew at a critical moment.

Now that they had a spy close to Sig, CP0 wanted to repeat the trick.

"The Celestial Dragon Charlos's family is extremely serious about Sig's great treasure! They've already had the World Government organize an investigation team to search for Sig's treasure across the Red Line."

"You Marines can't delay any longer."

The man in the white suit had no intention of engaging in further conversation with Sengoku and the others. After leaving these words, he departed.

Only Sengoku and Garp remained, their expressions微妙.

"The Celestial Dragons have truly gone mad. For a treasure like Another Piece, whose authenticity is still unknown, they're willing to go to such lengths..."

Sengoku's emotions were complex.

No matter how many doubts there were about Sig's identity or the authenticity of Another Piece... once the Celestial Dragons were involved and convinced, the outcome was already decided.

"Have the intelligence division finalize Sig's bounty. Be cautious with the amount—we can't repeat the mistake we made with Roger's bounty... Also, continue investigating Sig."

Sengoku issued these orders.

As the Fleet Admiral, Sengoku knew all too well that a pirate's bounty had become a symbol of their strength and status.

The authenticity of Another Piece was still uncertain. If the Marines set the bounty too high, it would be tantamount to endorsing Sig.

Until they could confirm Sig's true identity and the authenticity of Another Piece, Sengoku had no choice but to proceed this way.

......

A few days after the events in Loguetown, news of the Mountain Bandit King Sig's great treasure, Another Piece, began to spread like wildfire.

But strangely, the Marines were slow to react, remaining silent for several days.

Various factions had been waiting for the Marines to make a statement, and that moment had finally arrived.

World Economic Times Headquarters.

"Chief! The Marines have finally updated Sig's bounty!"

A reporter burst into Chief Morgans' office, waving several bounty posters.

Morgans took the posters and glanced through them, his expression复杂.

"The legendary pirate Captain Buggy, a former crewmate of the Pirate King, bounty: 200 million berries."

"Mountain Bandit King Sig of the East Blue, bounty: 400 million berries, capture only."

"And for Sig's great treasure, Another Piece, anyone who knows its location can claim a reward of 400 million berries..."

Setting aside Buggy for now...

Sig's bounty and the reward for the treasure were both微妙 in their amounts.

Capture only, but the reward for the treasure was set at 400 million berries.

"It seems something truly important was lost in that theft from Mary Geoise's vault..."

Capturing a pirate worth hundreds of millions was far more difficult than killing them.

At the same time, Morgans, who was well-informed, had already heard that the World Government had organized a search team to look for the treasure across the Red Line.

"Going to such lengths, yet the bounty is lower than expected... Could it be that something truly significant was stolen from Mary Geoise's vault?"

"Do the Celestial Dragons not want the world to know about its existence, hence the modest bounty?"

Morgans narrowed his eyes, his mind racing.

During the Kingdom of Goa incident, he had thought Sig was just a noteworthy rookie.

But now, it seemed Sig had given them far more surprises than expected...

"What are you standing around for? The World Government has made their stance clear. Now, it's time for our big news!"

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