When Sig finished speaking, it wasn't just Crocus who turned around.
A shadow as large as a mountain had completely enveloped the land.
Laboon had understood Sig's words and stopped crashing into the Red Line. Now, its massive, mountain-sized head leaned in closer.
Eyes larger than ordinary ships gazed eagerly at Sig.
The whale, with its island-sized body, showed a human-like expression of urgency in its eyes.
However, Sig didn't elaborate imdiately.
"Laboon, stay quiet for now and stop crashing into the Red Line."
"After I finish talking with Crocus, I'll tell you about that afro-wearing, violin-loving Brook."
Sig's words revealed more details, and Laboon's eager expression turned into excitent.
It let out a cry, its massive head moving closer as if it wanted to nuzzle Sig in a friendly gesture.
But halfway through, it seed to rember Sig's words and pulled its head back, returning to the sea.
Its joyful cries echoed as the island-sized whale floated and swam in the sea, its enormous tail slapping the water with thunderous noises and occasionally spouting water columns over a hundred ters high.
Hearing the news from Sig, it seed to be happily playing in the water, like a child weighing hundreds of thousands of tons.
However, the mountain bandits waiting on the shore were terrified. Every ti Laboon played in the water, the surrounding waves surged violently, drenching them completely.
"This kid... is quite cute."
Sig broke out in a cold sweat.
If Laboon had really co over to nuzzle him and show affection, a slight miscalculation of its strength...
The Mountain Bandit King might have been "cuted" to death.
....
"Sig, what do you want to say to ? Say it now."
Crocus had cald down from his earlier excitent, but a trace of urgency still lingered.
Sig glanced at Laboon playing in the water and then at the small hut behind him.
"It's a bit complicated. Let's not let Laboon hear this. Let's go inside and close the door to talk."
Sig suggested.
A short while later.
Inside the hut, Sig recounted the story of the Rumbar Pirates' annihilation and how Brook had beco lost in the Florian Triangle.
Crocus felt slightly relieved.
This was at least better than the worst-case scenario he had imagined—the complete annihilation of the Rumbar Pirates.
At least Brook was still alive.
However, his doubts about Sig grew deeper.
How could Sig know so much about the Rumbar Pirates' downfall, even down to the details of Brook's Devil Fruit ability?
"Sig, while I'm grateful for the news you've brought... how exactly did you co to know this? Is it true?"
Crocus couldn't help but question the authenticity of the story.
The story Sig told was logically flawless and certainly possible.
But the question was... how did Sig know all this?
Was he silently observing when the Rumbar Pirates were destroyed? How could he know so much!
This was the biggest question in Crocus's mind.
Crocus was also an old man from the sa era as the Rumbar Pirates. When he joined the Roger Pirates, he had also hoped to find traces of the Rumbar Pirates.
Yet, even after Roger conquered the entire Grand Line, there was no news of the Rumbar Pirates.
And now, Sig knew all about it. This couldn't help but confuse Crocus.
"And those things you ntioned to Shanks after drinking..."
Crocus's frown deepened.
"Things like the fifty-six Emperors can be dismissed as drunken talk."
"But so things, like Oden's story, should only be known by us, the Roger Pirates."
"Where did you learn about these things, and about the Rumbar Pirates?"
"I don't rember seeing soone like you back then."
Crocus's excitent faded, replaced by skepticism.
Even if Sig were as old as him and from the sa era, knowing so many secrets was highly unusual.
The news about Brook was important, and Crocus had to ensure its authenticity. Otherwise, it would only hurt Laboon, who was waiting outside.
To this end, Crocus sowhat impolitely voiced all his doubts at once.
The atmosphere grew slightly tense.
Facing Crocus's questions, Sig remained calm, even smiling slightly.
If he couldn't get past Crocus, it would be even harder to deal with other mbers of the Roger Pirates in the future.
Sig needed to weave a more convincing lie.
"You're right, Crocus. You've never seen the current ."
This left Crocus montarily confused, but then he was struck by a realization.
He watched as Sig's face began to change, transforming into the gentle and refined face of a middle-aged man in just a few seconds.
"A Devil Fruit user?"
Sig nodded slightly, then changed his face back to its original form.
"In the past, I lived under different identities, traveling the world, which is how I learned so much."
"But... I've never seen your other face either?"
Crocus's frown remained as he searched his mory but found nothing.
Sig neither confird nor denied:
"If I can change into another face, naturally, I can change into a third, a fourth..."
"I have my plans. What identity I used back then and what I did, I can't tell you yet." Because I don't know either.
Sig smiled mysteriously.
"This..."
Crocus's doubts only grew deeper.
There were multiple Devil Fruits capable of changing one's appearance.
The Clone-Clone Fruit, the Mythical Zoan Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit... all could do it.
Theoretically, it was possible.
But... was that really the case?
"I still find it hard to believe that soone could deceive Roger with a fake identity and learn so much."
The old man's face still showed confusion and wariness. He had great confidence in Roger and the strength of his crewmates.
"Is that so?"
Sig smiled mysteriously.
"Conquering the Grand Line and becoming the Pirate King doesn't an knowing all the secrets of the world."
"The sea is vast, after all."
As he spoke, Sig pulled out the newspaper he had been holding.
"I have my plans, and I shouldn't reveal too much."
"But since you're Roger's ship doctor, I can share a little with you."
"For example... there really is soone in this world who has been deceiving countless people, including Roger, with a fake identity."
Sig pointed to the corner of the newspaper photo, where Panda Man stood among the crowd, and said this.
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