The Hanged Man Path, Sequence 5 "The Shepherd", Sequence 4 "The Black Knight".
Now that Sig's role as the "Shepherd" is complete, this Promotion Ceremony clearly leans more towards seizing some of the "Black Knight's" authority—forging the "Blade of Spirit and Flesh"!
The Blade of Spirit and Flesh is the core ability of the "Black Knight," primarily involving authority over "corruption" and "filth."
As a "weapon," the Blade of Spirit and Flesh can cause flesh to rot and the soul to decay. Once one's will is corrupted, one becomes unable to defend against its attacks...
Finally, in the world of One Piece, this is roughly similar to Big Mom's ability to steal souls—Big Mom can extract the soul of the opponent as long as they feel fear, while the Blade of Spirit and Flesh attacks those whose will wavers, ignoring their defenses.
Of course, as an "Promotion Ceremony," the Blade of Spirit and Flesh to be forged will not be as strong as the Blade of Spirit and Flesh of a true "Black Knight."
First, the "body" is forged, then it is "fed" with one's own soul and flesh until the corrupted will within it is deemed acceptable, at which point the ritual is complete.
Although it took a bit of time and effort, Sig still preferred this kind of ritual—it was much more reliable than the Tyrant Path!
The most important aspect of the "Blade of Spirit and Flesh" is the corrupted will and filthy power emanating from it, but Sig thought it would be better if the weapon itself were stronger.
Since Vegapunk showed some interest in cooperating, Sig decided to ask for assistance at this point!
Of course, Sig was in a slightly better position this time, so... Sig immediately presented the "contract" and had it notarized.
Whether they are androids or not, as long as Vegapunk signs the contract of his own volition, they will be bound by the power of "notarization".
Vegapunk will not completely side with Sig; the only person he truly trusts is himself—just like Sig.
However, Sig must at least ensure that this guy won't betray him; otherwise, just being wary of him would consume a lot of energy, which would be a losing proposition.
If Vegapunk doesn't agree, Sig will kill one of his android bodies now, then destroy this research facility. Even if he can't kill him, he'll cause the greatest possible destruction first!
"Such amazing power... Why didn't you use it before? Oh, was it limited by Vice Admiral Tsuru's ability and the Seastone Factor? Devil Fruit are truly amazing; even I can't understand a large part of their working principles." Vegapunk was very curious about all kinds of special abilities.
Sig, whose two memories had now merged, was no longer surprised by this!
As for the multiple seals on Sig's body, they have now been lifted, and the water-soluble Seastone Factor injected into his blood has been completely metabolized out after two years of immersion in nutrient solution.
After reviewing the "contract," Vegapunk was generally satisfied, but he still modified many of the agreements...
It wasn't just "bargaining," but a much deeper collaboration than Sig had imagined!
Although it was the first time he had encountered such an ability, Vegapunk quickly accepted it and, following its logic, meticulously revised the terms— Vegapunk's logical thinking was naturally unparalleled on the entire sea; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to create the Pacifista. It's important to understand that the Pacifista not only involve mechanics but also artificial intelligence...
This forced Sig to carefully review the case again, lest Vegapunk find a loophole!
In short, the core of the agreement reached was to clarify the cooperative relationship between Vegapunk and Sig, which was not limited to "forging a weapon".
Vegapunk will not betray Sig, but he also will not sell out his other collaborators to Sig, whether it's the World Government, the Navy, or even the Revolutionary Army... Vegapunk has many collaborators, and Vegapunk genuinely cooperates with everyone without any intention of betraying anyone or becoming a spy for anyone.
In a way, he can be considered an unconventional "Sea King"!
Vegapunk didn't care about the infighting among his collaborators, regarding it merely as a "necessary process for solving problems."
"So you really do have connections with the Revolutionary Army, right?" Sig realized from Vegapunk's attitude that his inner circle included more than just the Navy and the World Government!
"Yes, I was contacted by Kuma before." Vegapunk didn't hide this fact.
Even without a contract, Sig would never report Vegapunk to the World Government or the Navy; he would have preferred Vegapunk to have ulterior motives.
Kuma's ideas actually resonated with Vegapunk's...
Although Bartholomew the Kuma, as the former king of the Kingdom of Sorb, was known as a "Tyrant," Sig could perceive that the Kuma possessed a delicate and romantic heart.
"Did Kuma really cooperate with the experiment voluntarily? Or is the Navy using his hometown as a threat?" Sig asked curiously.
"As far as I know, the Navy did not coerce him... Kuma volunteered to explore with me," Vegapunk said quite frankly.
The so-called "Tyrant" was merely a stopgap measure to deal with the "Celestial Gold," after all, the Kingdom of Sorb was an extremely poor country, and Bartholomew the Kuma had never been a pampered royal since childhood.
From a psychological perspective, Sig's observation that the book the Kuma always carries is a clear psychological reflection...
It reflects Bartholomew Kuma's inner world; unlike his rugged appearance, he was actually a sensitive person who was always seeking "answers."
Therefore, Kuma is the person with the second most factions in the One Piece world—he has been a king, a pirate, Revolutionary Army, Shichibukai, and (was) a researcher...
As for the one with the most [number] [items], it naturally belongs to a certain staff officer.
Besides being unable to control his own destiny, Bartholomew Kuma's actions also reflect his search for answers.
This is also why, in the original work, he, as a member of the Revolutionary Army, voluntarily accepted Vegapunk's complete transformation—if this was the only way to get the answer, then he was willing to try.
Having regained his memories of the "Pacifista," Sig was now able to understand why it had to be Kuma... or rather, why it had to be a "Paw-Paw Devil Fruit ability" to cooperate with the experiment!
The "Paw-Paw Fruit" grants the power of "repelling" and "rejecting," which is key to the Pacifista' fusion of flesh and machine.
Before Sig could speak, Vegapunk said, "Don't ask me about my cooperation with the Revolutionary Army. I won't say. I'm sincere to both sides... Please rest assured about that."
"You... are the third worst man I've ever met." Sieg said seriously to Vegapunk after Sig the contract terms.
Vegapunk:???
Yes, first is Shanks, second is Yasopp, is there even a question?