In the battlefield within the mountains and forests, Sig's displeasure could only be described as a leisurely stroll.
However, every time he approached the allied soldiers locked in combat, the muffled sound of the Imperial Engine reverberating in their ears brought an overwhelming pressure crashing down like a surging tide.
In the eyes of the allied soldiers, Sig seemed like a towering giant. Each step he took was like a heavy hammer striking their chests.
Under this immense pressure, the allied forces, who had initially been able to hold their ground against the ogre-faced mountain bandits with their numerical advantage, began to crumble and flee.
Seeing this, Sig breathed a sigh of relief.
The troops this time were from a naval branch, not to be confused with the Navy Headquarters.
The naval branches in the Four Seas were generally three ranks lower than the main headquarters in terms of hierarchy.
In other words, Colonel Carvin, who commanded these branch soldiers, would be equivalent to a captain in the headquarters.
Among these naval branches, there were also significant variations in size.
For example, ten years later in the original story, there was the 153rd Branch of the Navy.
Captain Axe-Hand Morgan, who was once the highest-ranking officer of the local 153rd Branch, only oversaw the modest jurisdiction of Shells Town, a small and ordinary town, with just a few hundred naval soldiers under his command.
"In essence, these marines are just cannon fodder. As for their leader, that colonel? He's probably just on par with Morgan."
With this thought, Sig felt much more at ease.
But then... Sig froze.
The sound of the Imperial Engine was gradually diminishing, and his heartbeat was stabilizing.
The soldiers who had been fleeing earlier suddenly paused in their movements, looking at each other in confusion.
They could feel it—the overwhelming pressure from before was retreating, like a receding tide, rapidly dissipating.
From behind, Colonel Carvin, who had already retreated to the navy's defensive line, suddenly had a glimmer in his eyes and gave the order:
"The ability user's power has limits! Don't panic, keep advancing!"
The marines gritted their teeth and charged forward, taking two cautious steps towards Sig. When they felt no pressure, they immediately cheered up.
"Sig's power has weakened! Killing him will be a great achievement!"
Sig's face stiffened.
Inside, he was screaming:
"What kind of ridiculous ability is this? If I'm not scared, it doesn't work? It only activates when I feel fear?"
Seeing the marines charging again, Sig's thoughts raced like lightning!
There's a saying: the best way to conquer fear is to face it!
For Sig's mountain bandit subordinates, this would be considered a motivational mantra.
But for Sig, this approach had a slight twist.
He needed to confront his own fear and then submit to it!
Only by doing so could he reactivate the Imperial Engine!
He made a difficult decision and began hypnotizing himself internally:
"No, no! My previous thoughts were completely wrong! These marines aren't weaklings—they're super strong! And I'm incredibly weak!"
"Exactly! These guys might be hiding dozens of trump cards, the kind that could easily crush an admiral!"
"In front of these big shots, I'm just a mere small fry!"
As Sig repeatedly hypnotized himself internally, he braced himself and charged towards the marines.
His gaze wasn't fixed on the marines themselves but on the gleaming, cold blades of their weapons.
"If I get slashed, I could really die!"
The distance between the two sides grew smaller and smaller, and Sig's nerves began to fray.
The Imperial Engine—revived!
The marines who had just been excitedly charging forward froze in place, their faces still carrying traces of joy. That terrifying pressure descended upon them once more, causing every step they took to falter, their hearts pounding wildly.
And then... another round of panicked retreat began.
"This round is over... but it's far from stable!"
Sig had just let out a small sigh of relief when he realized his mistake.
He was exerting all his effort to submit to his inner fear and tension!
"The enemy definitely has more tricks up their sleeves. I can't let my guard down! It's still dangerous—I'm so scared!"
"Exactly! Who knows, the enemy might have reinforcements! With my reputation as the Mountain Bandit King, they're probably lying in ambush with fifty or so admirals waiting for me!"
The more Sig thought about it, the more panicked and tense he became, his heart racing like a drum!
"Puah!"
In the rear, Colonel Carvin, who was directing the battle, looked on in dismay and spat out a mouthful of blood in frustration.
"Sig! You tricked me again!"
"First, you used yourself as bait to lure me out, and now you're pretending your ability has run out!"
While shouting internally, Colonel Carvin subconsciously retreated further.
"This Sig is dangerous—way too dangerous!"
Beside him, Kingdom Army Commander Park, who had also retreated to the rear, wiped his sweat.
"So this is the power of a Devil Fruit user on the Grand Line? What a bizarre ability."
"As long as someone steps within a certain range of him, the soldiers lose the will to fight..."
Hmm? A certain range?
Colonel Carvin's thoughts were suddenly sparked as he observed Sig from a distance. His expression brightened:
"I get it! His power has a weakness... Let's gather all our remaining riflemen and shoot him from afar!"
"Great idea!"
The battle between the two sides had already entered its later stages, and everyone had joined the fray. However, Colonel Carvin's order to mobilize a portion of the allied riflemen was no small maneuver.
With those men pulled away, the remaining allied forces quickly fell into a disadvantage. Against the mountain bandits and the leisurely advancing Sig, they suffered defeat after defeat.
Colonel Carvin's tactical move naturally did not escape Sig's notice.
Around thirty to forty riflemen had lined up near Carvin, their dozens of black gun barrels aimed squarely in Sig's direction from a distance.
Separated by tens of meters, Colonel Carvin this time showed no fear as he locked eyes with Sig, even breaking into a laugh:
"Sig, you're done for! We've figured out the weakness of your ability!"
Sig's entire body shuddered.
This was indeed the weakness of the Imperial Engine!
The Imperial Engine had a limited range of influence; no matter how scared Sig became internally, it was ultimately difficult to affect those allied riflemen positioned far away!
Sig's heart sank, his mouth went dry, and a wave of tension flooded over him.
This time, they had truly hit his weak point.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
He watched as Colonel Carvin confidently smirked and raised his hand to give the command:
"Everyone, fire—"
Bang!
The order for a volley wasn't even completed before one marine soldier fired prematurely.
The shot landed three or four meters away from Sig, hitting the ground instead of its target.
Sig's eyes lit up as he saw the nervous expression on the soldier's face and the slight tremor in his gun barrel.
"The effect of the Imperial Engine is still present—it's just weakened by the distance!"
"That's why this soldier was so nervous that his shot went wide!"
In that instant, Sig suddenly understood and came up with a dangerous plan.