Beckman was very upset, feeling like his hair pigment was rapidly leaving him...
Previously on Whole Cake Island, they almost got themselves killed because of a lack of information, even though Sig had already "escaped." However, they also met Bepo because of it.
Bepo is Lion Mink Tribe. He originally set sail with Perospero to search for the Coordinate Poneglyph, but after several wounded soldiers appeared, Perospero entrusted Bepo with taking the wounded back to Zou...
As a result, on the way, Bepo accidentally wandered into the territory of Whole Cake Island and coincidentally encountered the Red-Hair Pirates.
Bepo, which later became Mousse —because in the original work, Bepo joined the Big Mom Pirates, hence the addition of the dessert "mousse" suffix!
After meeting Shanks, Bepo, who had not yet joined the Big Mom Pirates, hit it off with Shanks and they decided to escape together.
Shanks also brought up Roger's past friendship with the Mink Principality, so after expressing his desire to visit the Mink Principality, Bepo agreed to lead the way— Roger was still quite popular in the Mink Principality.
Perospero was also influenced by Roger, which led him to go to sea...
Bepo, naturally guided by his Vivre Card, arrived in Zou with the Red-Hair Pirates. However, due to the hardships and dangers along the way, and the fact that the Navigator had skipped work, they arrived only a few days earlier than Sig.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had followed Oden and joined Roger's ship, and had been Shanks' crewmates for several years. After Shanks suggested that "he had already obtained two coordinate texts, and his Navigator had likely obtained the other one as well," Inuarashi and Nekomamushi agreed to show him the last one.
However, that very night, while Shanks and Nekomamushi were drinking...
Inuarashi was assassinated. Although he survived, he was seriously injured, and it was Siegfried who assassinated him!
Newspapers from the Mink Principality are even rarer than those from Sky Island, but there are still some. I recognized "Siegfried" from them— the Navigator of the Red-Hair Pirates!
Shanks was also shocked and clarified that Sig was not on the ship at the time; it must have been someone else with the ability to transform who impersonated Sig to assassinate him.
While Shanks was indignant about this, he also slightly mocked the "murderer."
Since Enel on Whole Cake Island at the time, and there was no one on the ship pretending to be Siegfried, Shanks could confidently say that Sig wasn't there at all.
Because of their past friendship... even though Shanks was just an apprentice crew member back then, Nekomamushi tended to trust Shanks.
However, because the evidence was "conclusive," Shanks voluntarily allowed himself to be imprisoned, allowing the other crew members to assist the Mink Principality in finding the imposter Sig.
Result...
Shanks's words, patting his chest to assure them that "Sig isn't here at all," were still ringing in their ears when they spotted "Sig"!
At first, they suspected it was the guy impersonating Sig, but upon closer inspection...
That look, that expression—no matter how you observe with Observation Haki, isn't that Sig?
Beckman went a step further in his deductions—the current Sig is clearly different from the one before. After all, they hadn't seen each other for several months, and even before their brief encounter in the Giant Country, it had been several months since they last met. Therefore, there were subtle differences in Sig's physique and even the style of his scales.
This "difference" precisely proves that this guy is truly Sig, and not just a blind imitator!
Yasopp wasn't quite satisfied and wanted Sig to unleash his charm.
Although they didn't know what Devil Fruit user was impersonating Sig, they at least didn't believe that any Devil Fruit user could be impersonated like the "Rumble-Rumble Fruit"—the methods used to assassinate Inuarashi were clearly different from Sig's, and a sword was even used!
Therefore, Sig was also stunned at this moment, judging solely from their emotions...
How can it be so complicated?
"Is that so? What are you guys up to now?" Sig said, snapping his fingers.
At the same time, a small bolt of lightning struck near the Yasopp.
Beckman, Lucky Roo, Yasopp:...
"What else do you have to say? Didn't you say he wasn't in Zou?" Wanda of the Dog -Mink Tribe questioned him matter-of-factly.
"I did just come up... Is that important?" Sig was also puzzled, but he did notice something.
"You just arrived? Are you going to say that you weren't the Lord Inuarashi?" Wanda said indignantly.
Sig:...
Me? Assassinate Inuarashi? Hmm, but judging from everyone's emotions, Inuarashi is clearly not dead, and... Sig noticed someone's emotions were noticeably abrupt! It wasn't obvious at first, but as the events unfolded, they began to diverge further and further from the others' emotional trajectory...
Sig looked at Big Fool and the others with disdain. "You guys always manage to come up with something new."
"It's none of your business to say that!" Beckman snapped.
"Snacks? What snacks?" Lucky Roo was taken aback.
Beckman:...
Just then, accompanied by a series of steady footsteps, a large cat -Mink Tribe, over five meters tall and nearly four meters wide at the waist, walked over.
Although it belongs to the Mink Tribe, its face screams "I'm not to be messed with," and it's incredibly robust, exuding amazing strength. It even Pipe in its mouth and a scarf that looks like a lion's mane... clearly, it's a long-haired cat.
The clothing, clearly in the style of Wano Country, allowed Sig to confirm his identity!
The Mink Tribe's Dual Kings — Inuarashi and Nekomamushi —were both retainers of Kozuki Oden. After Kozuki Oden's death, they fled Wano Country and, as prophesied, guarded the "Mink Principality.
It was nighttime, and Inuarashi was injured, so naturally Boss Nekomamushi was on duty...
When Oden died, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had a big fight. Even after returning to the Mink Principality, they ignored each other. After becoming "kings", they took turns protecting the Mink Principality at 6 a. m. and 6 p. m., respectively. They were neighbors who hadn't seen each other for twenty years.
Of course, although the official reason for their falling out was that there was clearly a traitor within Oden's ranks and that the two suspected each other, in reality, they still trusted each other. It was just that the death of their lord was something they couldn't let go of, and they had to use this method to make it unforgettable.
"Siegfried, the Sea King?" Boss Nekomamushi, looked down at Sig with Pipe his mouth.
"Indeed, it seems your country has encountered some trouble? But I did just arrive in the Mink Principality with a friend... We have something we'd like to discuss with Duke Inuarashi and Boss Nekomamushi," Sig said calmly.
"Your Captain said that if you're in Zou, he's at my mercy..." Boss Nekomamushi reminded him.
Yeah, Shanks must be feeling pretty down right now.
"Why don't you chop off one of his arms first?" Sig suspected that Shanks was just feeling uncomfortable because he couldn't give up his arm.
Nekomamushi:...
Wanda suddenly said, "Wait! How do you know about Duke Inuarashi and Boss Nekomamushi? Didn't you just arrive on the island?" Her eyes, which looked like they were on a furry dog's head, gleamed with intelligence.
"I'd like to explain this to Boss Nekomamushi separately. As for my Captain's problem, I'll have to wait until Boss Nekomamushi and I have finished discussing the important matters before we deal with it, right?" Sig didn't seem to be in a hurry to explain his situation.
In fact, there was no rush, because Sig also brought Hiyori's letter—compared to "the apprentice crew member who was on the same ship back then," Sig's "letter written by the lord's daughter, concerning the Wano Country" carried far greater weight.
Given the loyalty of cats and dogs, they will never doubt Sig again after seeing the letter!
The Boss Nekomamushi continued to stare at Sig, Sig slightly and said, "If you really don't dare, Boss Nekomamushi, you can have one of your trusted men accompany you..."
"Alright! I'll listen to you first, and then I'll deal with that Little Red-Hair!" The Nekomamushi naturally wasn't going to back down.