I the King of bandits of the East Sea

Under the night sky at the dock, aboard Sig's pirate ship.

Sig sat quietly in his chair, one hand supporting his chin as he pondered, while the fingers of his other hand gently tapped the table.

His expression remained calm as usual, but within, his mind was already a tangled mess.

How did things turn out like this?

Sig sighed slightly in his heart.

In front of him, Stussy, now dressed in a long gown, sat beside him with her head bowed in compliance, looking entirely submissive.

Gone was the white suit that had concealed her figure. In the orange dress, Stussy's graceful curves were on full display. Compared to the white suit, she now appeared less sharp and carried a softer, more feminine allure.

"A beauty as part of our mountain bandit crew, huh…"

"Hey, hey, is this for real…"

Stussy's presence caused a small stir among the bandits, with some already starting to offer her their flattery.

Watching this scene, Sig felt a headache coming on. He lightly cleared his throat and said:

"Stussy, since you've agreed to become my subordinate, it's perfect timing. The ship is short of a cleaning lady—your job from now on."

"If you don't like it, you're free to leave right now. I won't stop you."

"All right."

Stussy showed no trace of displeasure and readily agreed.

It was the other bandits standing around her who looked utterly incredulous.

After dismissing all his other subordinates, Sig turned to face Stussy directly, his gaze seemingly trying to pierce through her heart to uncover her true thoughts.

"Stussy, let me ask you one more time."

Sig asked again:

"You are no longer a member of the Revolutionary Army or my prisoner. The shackles from before have already been removed."

"Now you have two choices."

"Either I grant you freedom right now, and you leave my ship as you are, or you repeat after me… 'I'd rather die outside—'"

Before Sig could finish, the submissive Stussy's expression turned anxious:

"Mr. Sig, are you still doubting my determination? I've already decided to abandon my former life. I only ask Mr. Sig to give me a chance to start anew…"

Sig remained silent for a moment before waving his hand:

"No matter how much you act in front of me, it's useless. Since I said I would give you freedom, I won't go back on my word."

"In any case… forget it. You may leave now."

Sig's emotions were a little complicated.

He couldn't find even the slightest flaw in Stussy.

Especially after she boarded the ship—her actions had been impeccable.

If he kept trying to find reasons to send her away, it would seem like he was just making excuses.

The night deepened, and Sig said no more as he returned to his captain's cabin.

No matter what, he still didn't want to believe that this woman, Stussy—who held dual identities as a ruler of the dark underworld and a CP0 agent—would truly and willingly become his subordinate.

Having such a powerful figure by his side was like carrying around a ticking time bomb.

"That guy Dragon, he just handed Stussy over to me like this…"

"Well, I was the one who pushed Stussy to them in the first place…"

Sig murmured softly to himself and climbed into bed.

At the dock under the night sky, aboard Sig's pirate ship.

It might have been Sig's earlier sword strike that subdued Stussy or the repeated mental blows that shattered her psychological defenses, leaving such a powerful impression that the Revolutionary Army removed her shackles and handed her over to Sig just like that.

In their minds, Stussy was likely already under Sig's complete control, with no possibility of turning the tables from any perspective.

Only Sig was aware of the precarious situation he was now in.

In Sig's initial plan, Stussy, who had been mentally influenced by the Law of Truth, would become a powerful subordinate under his command. She might even play a double-agent game, continuing to pretend loyalty to CP0 while feeding them false intelligence, allowing Sig to bide his time and survive.

But now… everything had gone off track.

...

While Sig lay down, Stussy, in another room, also drifted off into sleep.

Time ticked by, second by second, and the night seemed to pass uneventfully.

At precisely 3 a.m., Stussy's eyes suddenly snapped open from beneath her blanket.

Her eyes no longer sparkled like beautiful blue sapphires, nor were they like dim, lifeless glass orbs from before.

Instead, they were devoid of any warmth or ripples, as deep and unfathomable as the endless sea.

She rose, opened the door, and stepped into the dark corridor. Her figure seemed to blend into the darkness, moving as silently and swiftly as a cat. Even the wooden floor beneath her feet made no sound.

The mountain bandits were all sound asleep. Even the night guards failed to notice the figure moving through the shadows.

Moments later, Stussy's silhouette appeared on the shore of the dock, gazing at the anchored ship from afar in the darkness.

In her palm lay a Transponder Snail, still fast asleep.

Stussy's own Transponder Snail had been confiscated when she was captured. The one in her hand now came from Sig's ship.

To be precise, it was one of the remnants of the now-defunct Bursam Pirates.

"He really didn't put up any defenses and just let me leave like this?"

Stussy murmured to herself softly.

Her gaze suddenly shifted, focusing on the dark sea in the distance.

After a slight hesitation, Stussy didn't linger further. Her figure once again disappeared into the darkness, heading far away.

When she stopped moving again, she was standing atop a small hill several kilometers away.

"Still no reaction?"

Stussy looked in the direction of Sig's ship from afar, doubt flickering in her heart.

As a member of a top-tier intelligence agency, Stussy was highly skilled in assassination, disguise, and stealth techniques.

The Six Powers, Observation Haki, and Armament Haki were all her fortes.

At this moment, Stussy used her Observation Haki to sense Sig's pirate ship several kilometers away.

Observation Haki enhances the senses and allows one to perceive the presence of living beings. Its specific development varies depending on the individual.

On Fish-Man Island, Queen Otohime possessed innate powerful Observation Haki, capable of keenly sensing others' emotions.

Years later, Admiral Fujitora possessed Observation Haki with an extremely long range, allowing him to sense meteors in outer space and use his gravity powers to pull them down.

As an elite intelligence agent, Stussy's Observation Haki specialized in long-distance sensing of auras. Though not as powerful as Fujitora's, she could still detect Sig several kilometers away.

Sig remained in his room, seemingly completely unaware of her departure.

Or perhaps he was aware but was pretending not to know, genuinely intending to grant her freedom.

At this moment, the two were already several kilometers apart.

Although Stussy couldn't discern the true extent of Sig's strength, at such a distance, even if Sig started chasing her now, she was confident she could escape safely.

______________