บท 16: Chapter 16: The True Goal of the Bandit King!

Sig listened in a daze as the bald bandit spoke about the recent developments, his mood complicated.

He was a bit withdrawn.

How had things developed to this point?

According to the bald bandit and the other subordinates' descriptions, the Sig Bandit Group had grown several times in size, now reaching over 200 members.

Moreover, among them, there were a few individuals like Gillman, whose bounties alone were as high as six to seven million.

Now, the Sig Bandit Group's total bounty had surpassed 20 million Berries.

"I don't even know how they managed to gather so many people... 20 million in total bounty, forget this small Goya Kingdom, even in the East Blue, we're starting to gain some reputation."

The East Blue was the weakest of the seas, and Goya Kingdom was just one of its island nations.

Sig's current bandit group, within the lawless zone, was now unparalleled.

"I'm really dumb... truly."

Sig's gaze slowly dulled.

"After I got the Emperor Engine, no matter what I do, people always come up with all kinds of stories about it."

"What I didn't know was, even if I do nothing, they'll still make up stories."

At this moment, Sig's heart was in turmoil.

In order to remain as low-key as possible, he had hidden himself deep in the mountains.

Yet his subordinates had turned it into a grand show of crowning him as the Bandit King.

Bandit King? Who the hell wants to be the Bandit King?

I just want to quietly live as a hermit in the mountains!

Yet, the bald bandit in front of him was even moved to tears.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, especially with Dragon and the others present, Sig couldn't even bring himself to give the bald bandit a "buff," as it would be too difficult to act on.

No matter how turbulent his emotions were inside, Sig still kept a poker face, expressionless.

"You really are a gem, I must have found a ghost."

In the end, Sig simply said this with no expression.

Unexpectedly, the bald bandit reacted with an even more pleased expression, his shiny bald head glowing as he smiled broadly, like a blooming chrysanthemum.

"As your subordinate, this is what I should do."

"Boss, actually, I used to be a Navy recruit instructor..."

"What? He was actually in the Navy?"

The hundred or so bandits present were stunned and looked at the bald bandit with wide eyes.

Dragon and the others exchanged glances, equally shocked.

"Sure enough, Sig isn't just playing small games, they even have infiltrators within the Navy!"

"Now the Sig Bandit Group has already learned the Navy's training methods, they were even shouting slogans just now!"

Under so much attention, the bald bandit was also stirred up. Thinking about his twisted past, he lowered his voice and slowly began:

"Years ago, I was a Navy instructor, but then something happened..."

Before he could finish, Sig interrupted him with a cold face.

"Shut up, I don't want to hear your story."

"Also, get these bandits somewhere cooler and don't disturb me..."

Sig looked at the hundred or so bandits, feeling a bit of a headache.

"Got it, Boss, no problem, Boss."

The bald bandit didn't seem discouraged at all, smiling as he responded.

"Please excuse us, everyone, follow me inside."

Sighing, Sig said to the few people behind him.

This sentence immediately made the bandits' eyes light up, and they all turned to look at Dragon and the others.

"These people are actually the boss's guests?"

"I thought the boss was recruiting some new people..."

"I'm really curious, what kind of person is qualified to be the boss's guest..."

A hundred pairs of curious eyes were all focused on Dragon and the others.

Just at that moment, a gust of mountain wind blew, lifting the corner of the hood of the person in front, revealing half of his face, with a particularly noticeable dark red tattoo on it.

This scene immediately caused an uproar among the bandits.

"This... I know him, I've seen him on the bounty poster!"

"Monkey D. Dragon, the most vicious criminal in the world..."

Immediately, everyone was shocked, their gazes fixed on Dragon, who was behind Sig!

"Is it really him, Monkey D. Dragon?"

"Isn't he the leader of the Revolutionary Army?"

"Then the other few people... could they also be from the Revolutionary Army..."

The hundred or so bandits fell into silence, Dragon's appearance had completely stunned them!

This was a real big shot, considered a major enemy by the World Government!

Now the question was, why would the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon, appear in the mountains of Goya Kingdom?

The more perceptive bandits had already turned their gaze toward the man!

Their boss, the Bandit King Sig!

Just earlier, they had heard Sig personally invite Dragon and the others inside for a conversation.

The implications behind this caused many of them to break out in a cold sweat.

"Does our Sig Bandit Group have some kind of connection with the Revolutionary Army, or maybe even some cooperation?"

Many bandits immediately thought about the rapid expansion of the Sig Bandit Group during this time.

It was said that expanding the bandit group wasn't Sig's goal, it was just a means to an end.

His true goal was to become the undisputed king of the lawless zone and sack the capital of Goya Kingdom!

After hearing this news, bandits, criminals, and others from the lawless zone had all scoffed at it, not believing it for a second. No one thought it was possible.

Goya Kingdom had strong fortifications and high walls separating the inside from the outside, and regular bandits couldn't even get over those walls, let alone sack the royal city.

But now, they suddenly realized that their long-held beliefs might have been wrong!

"Sig, the boss, is personally meeting with the leader of the Revolutionary Army!"

"Perhaps the boss's goal is more than just sacking the capital of Goya Kingdom..."

"Maybe he wants to team up with the Revolutionary Army to overthrow this country!"

Dragon and the others also stopped in their tracks.

Sig turned his head as well, silently looking at the hundred or so bandits in front of him, his heart skipped a beat.

Dragon's identity had been exposed!

So, what about himself, who was about to have a private conversation with Dragon?

In the pirate world, the World Government's greatest enemy wasn't the Four Emperors of the Sea, it was the Revolutionary Army!

Anyone with ties to the Revolutionary Army would be taken seriously by the World Government and marked as a serious criminal!

"What should I do? I don't even recognize all these hundred or so people... If any of them leaks news of my contact with the Revolutionary Army, who knows if I'll be seen as part of the Revolutionary Army!"

Sig didn't believe these newly recruited subordinates would be particularly loyal.

The fact that these unruly guys had been trained to shout in unison was already impressive.

Thinking about this, Sig felt overwhelmed.

He couldn't refuse Dragon's visit, but if he was seen as cooperating with the Revolutionary Army, he wouldn't be able to bear the consequences!