Sig certainly wasn't naive enough to believe that Morgan actually had the qualifications for any so-called "Admiral-level" strength.
As for the thought, "I defeated Morgan, so rounding it up means I beat the Pirate King," it was just a fleeting moment of self-amusement in his mind.
Someone as clever and shrewd as Sig would never take casual internet banter seriously.
However, his interest was genuinely piqued by Morgan, who had barely managed to suppress his fear and fight him.
Amid the battlefield, Colonel Carvin sat dumbfounded on the ground.
"Morgan? Isn't he a newly enlisted recruit in the Navy?"
Just moments ago, Sig, the Bandit King whom Carvin viewed as a formidable enemy, had engaged in a fight right before his eyes with his subordinate recruit, Morgan—a fight so absurd that Carvin could barely watch.
Morgan was still a recruit; it was clear that his axe swings were clumsy and lacked proper training.
But Sig's moves were even more outrageous… He was completely relying on brute force and hacking wildly.
While Colonel Carvin's mind was in disarray, Sig laughed loudly three times, his laughter echoing across the battlefield and drawing the attention of everyone around.
"Hahaha!"
"So this is the legendary Axe Emperor Morgan! I've long admired your name!"
"Unfortunately, the Bandit King is still a cut above! Being defeated by my ultimate skill, the Legendary Heroic Slash, you can rest without regret!"
As he spoke, Sig maintained a poker face, with the faint hum of the Imperial Engine still rumbling in the background, exuding an icy and intimidating aura.
He looked completely serious, with no sign of joking around.
The Axe… Emperor?
The title left Morgan, who was still panting heavily, utterly bewildered.
"That's right! The Axe Emperor Morgan!"
Sig nodded slightly, his gaze carrying a hint of admiration:
"Don't belittle yourself or lose confidence just because you were defeated by me."
"I…," Morgan stammered, still in a daze.
"I see great potential in you! Join me as my subordinate!"
"With your aptitude, I estimate it won't take more than a few years under my guidance before you possess Admiral-level strength and can cut down Admirals with a single swing!"
The deep voice reverberated in all directions.
Sig didn't give Morgan any time to react. Taking a step forward, he slammed the hilt of his sword against Morgan's forehead, knocking him out cold.
These words… Sig was, of course, spouting nonsense, merely to cover his real intentions.
However, his remarks caused a brief silence to envelop the battlefield as the surrounding marines were thrown into shock.
Sig's words had drastically shifted their expressions—first blank confusion, then contemplative realization, and finally awkward indignation.
"Sig, you—"
A piercing shout came from beside him. Colonel Carvin, seated on the ground, pointed a trembling finger at Sig, his hand shaking slightly.
"To you, do we not even qualify to be considered your enemies? You didn't even treat this as a real battle! After I called you out for your disdain, you just played with one of our recruits!"
Colonel Carvin was heartbroken and furious at this moment.
To lose to mere bandits was already a rare humiliation.
But Sig, the leader of these bandits, had essentially strolled leisurely through the entire fight, completely ignoring all of their tactics and strategies. He hadn't even made a serious move! It was as if he didn't consider them worth his time.
And that wasn't all. After Carvin called him out, Sig had the audacity… to pick a newly enlisted recruit from the battlefield and engage in a ridiculous game of pretend—a back-and-forth duel of axe and sword, staged for drama!
What was this? Was Sig merely putting on a show to avoid proving Carvin's accusations correct?
And yet, it still wasn't over!
He had taken his subordinate, Morgan, and elevated him to the status of "Axe Emperor"!
Carvin, a seasoned officer, knew very well what Morgan was capable of, and there was absolutely no truth to him having any Admiral-level aptitude.
This was nothing more than brazen, deadpan nonsense—an outright mockery of the Navy's Admirals!
"You don't even respect our Navy's highest combat force, the Admirals! You're saying that in your eyes, even Admirals are no better than a newly enlisted recruit…!"
"What Admiral-level potential? You're just humiliating the Navy!"
His face turned bright red with fury, and he was utterly devastated!
"Pfft!"
Colonel Carvin spat out a mouthful of blood, his vision turning blurry as he collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
"Colonel Carvin!"
"Colonel!"
The remaining marines cried out in alarm, but none dared to step forward to help him. Instead, they all turned their grief-stricken and indignant gazes toward Sig.
"Depraved! Absolutely depraved!"
"This bandit leader, Sig, acts with utter depravity and no limits!"
"Colonel Carvin was only a few steps away from him, incapacitated and unable to fight. Sig could have finished him off… but he chose not to!"
"Instead, he deliberately staged an embarrassing charade right in front of Colonel Carvin, all because Carvin called him out… Sig just wanted to do the opposite of what Colonel Carvin expected!"
"He disdains taking action against Colonel Carvin, yet deliberately angers him to the point of passing out?"
The navy soldiers were utterly devastated.
What kind of enemy is the most terrifying?
One whose strength is so overwhelming it borders on the unnatural—someone who can casually use the powers of a Devil Fruit, without even drawing the sword at their waist, and still send the Navy fleeing in terror?
Certainly, some hot-blooded fools, driven by their sense of justice, wouldn't fear death in such a situation.
But an enemy like Sig, with his unpredictable temper, erratic behavior, and insanity—where no one can guess what he's thinking... and if someone does guess correctly, Sig will deliberately do the opposite—this is far more terrifying.
An unpredictable enemy, especially one with such overwhelming strength, is the true nightmare.
Human psychology is a curious thing.
With his earlier actions—winning without needing to lift a hand—Sig had already left an indelible impression on the surrounding navy soldiers as someone both bizarre and powerful.
Later, when Sig suddenly staged an absurd performance with a new recruit, looking almost like an ordinary man who had never used a sword before, it seemed contradictory.
But on a subconscious level, the navy soldiers were more inclined to believe that Sig was a powerful madman. This was far more palatable than accepting the humiliating idea that their navy, with three or four times the manpower, was utterly defeated by someone who didn't even know swordsmanship.
"Okay-ge!"
"Okay-ge!"
The bandits seized the momentum, their morale soaring as they cheered loudly.
In stark contrast, the navy's morale completely collapsed.
"Colonel Carvin is down—what about the Lieutenant Colonel? He's down too?"
"The Major? What? The Major ran away?"
"And the Kingdom Army Commander who was working with us…? They ran even faster?"
"Brothers, this isn't an opponent we can handle. We must survive and report Sig's strength to the World Government so they can dispatch a stronger fleet. So… retreat!"
A total rout ensued.
This battle deep in the mountains ended in a strange fashion… though, one could say the entire process was bizarre.
Eventually, the remaining mountain bandits regrouped around Sig.
Although they had won the battle, it was clear from their numbers that they couldn't possibly pursue all the fleeing navy soldiers. Thus, Sig gave no order to chase them down.
"Boss! Mission accomplished!"
Bald Skull reported solemnly.
"This time, we didn't let you fight alone like before. Did we pass the test this time?"
He bore multiple wounds, blood dripping down his body. His expression showed some exhaustion, but the fire in his eyes still burned fiercely.
Sig glanced at him, nodding with satisfaction.
"You've done very well."
"Keep up the effort. It's time for us to move out."
Standing atop the mountain, Sig gazed into the distance—not at the fleeing soldiers, but toward the distant coastline.
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