Chapter 201: Public Opinion Contest
Outside the engine room, Sig's expression was somewhat complicated.
It seemed that BABY-5's personality wasn't so easily cured.
"BABY..."
Sig had just started to call out but then felt something was off.
Right, the name BABY-5, which sounded like a weapon model, wasn't suitable for a young girl like her.
If he wanted to truly heal her, perhaps starting with a name change would help.
Sig thought for a moment and was about to speak when he noticed BABY-5 lowering her head, her fingers fidgeting, her cheeks already flushed red.
"Mr. Sig, calling me BABY so directly... isn't that a bit too fast..."
Sig: "..."
Sig immediately felt a headache coming on. He coughed lightly and spoke seriously:
"BABY-5, this weapon-like name doesn't suit you. What was your original name before you joined the Donquixote family?"
As soon as these words left his mouth, BABY-5's head snapped up, the redness fading from her face as her expression gradually blanked.
No, it didn't completely disappear. Her pupils seemed to tremble slightly.
"I... I don't know."
Sig fell silent for a moment, sighing inwardly.
He had probably stepped on a landmine, touching on a painful memory for BABY-5.
BABY-5 had been abandoned by her own mother when she was a child, which led to her developing a pathological personality. She had then been raised by the Donquixote family, who indulged her.
Mentioning her original name must have brought back memories of her childhood...
Sig spoke softly:
"Then, how about I give you a nice new name?"
BABY-5's face immediately lit up with a big smile, and she nodded vigorously.
"BABY-5, you're twelve years old, right? It's a beautiful age, like a flower. How about... Cuihua?"
The girl's face immediately fell, her smile vanishing in an instant.
"...Then how about another one? Your name has the number five in it, so maybe you could be called... Miss Five? Or Five Treasures?"
BABY-5 stared at Sig, her eyes showing a rare look of disdain, which made Sig start to sweat.
"Then why don't you think of a name you like? What do you want me to call you?"
Sig was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed.
This question seemed to stump BABY-5 as well. She thought for a long time, but her face gradually turned red again.
"How about... just call me BABY?"
She whispered.
Sig fell silent again.
If he really called her that, his already shaky reputation would probably be ruined in no time.
"Actually, I think BABY-5 is a pretty good name... Let's stick with that until I can think of a better one."
Sig quickly dismissed BABY-5's suggestion and continued walking.
"Also, you don't need to follow me all the time. You're no longer a tool of the Donquixote family. You can live freely according to your own wishes."
As Sig said this, he noticed the footsteps behind him suddenly stop.
He turned around to see BABY-5 standing there, looking up at him with a lost expression. Her eyes seemed to glisten with tears, making her look like an abandoned kitten.
"Didn't Mr. Sig say he wanted me to become his sword and firearm?"
Sig's eye twitched, and he swallowed his words.
Forget it. There's plenty of time. BABY-5's troublesome personality could be corrected slowly over time.
...
Meanwhile, at the port of Loguetown, as he watched the pirate ship gradually sail away, Gilman felt a wave of unease and anxiety rise in his heart.
His dream was to become the Mountain Bandit King of the East Blue.
But now, Sig had given him a stage larger than the East Blue.
When Sig was around, Gilman could convince himself to believe in his own ambitions.
But now, that sense of anxiety was creeping back in.
"Anyone can talk big, but in the end, I'm just a small-time mountain bandit from the East Blue with a 5 million berry bounty..."
Gilman sighed inwardly, pulling out the ten-thousand-word strategy Kuro had written and reading it carefully. His feelings grew even more complicated.
"Kuro's strategy looks impressive, but can I really pull it off?"
The pressure in Gilman's heart unknowingly grew heavier.
The expectations of others were also a heavy burden.
Sig's trust and Kuro's strategic advice seemed to have placed a heavy shackle on Gilman, making it hard for him to breathe.
And in the distance, someone was watching the ironclad ship sail away with a look of joy.
"Has Sig really left?"
"Finally, the moment has come. Now we can publish the next issue of the newspaper as per Doflamingo's instructions while he's at sea..."
"It's our own fault for being so reckless back then. Now we're caught up in the conflict between Sig and Doflamingo. This is the only way..."
On this day, a certain gossip tabloid that had once been wildly popular suddenly released a bombshell news story, quietly increasing its print run and expanding its distribution.
"Apology Statement: Due to pressure from the Pirate Mountain Bandit King Sig, our newspaper was forced to issue an apology a week ago and dismiss a reporter..."
"However, in the spirit of journalistic integrity, we have decided to risk our lives to disclose the truth: the story of Sig confessing his feelings to a 12-year-old girl was not fabricated by our newspaper..."
Following this apology statement, the newspaper reprinted the original news story word for word.
This time, with Doflamingo's support and a week of preparation, the newspaper spread rapidly across the islands of the Grand Line.
"The news has been reversed?"
"I knew it! Sig is definitely not a good guy!"
"An apology for the apology statement? Seriously..."
"Sig just doesn't want his lolicon reputation to spread, so he can keep hunting for more lolis, right? How despicable!"
Amid the growing heated discussions, Sig's reputation as a lolicon grew louder and louder.
.......
A few days later.
The sea was turbulent, and the ironclad pirate ship rode the waves, speeding across the endless ocean.
"What's going on now?"
Sig's voice, filled with shock and anger, suddenly rang out.
He sat up straight in his deck chair, his eyes widening as he looked at the latest newspaper in his hands.
"Do these journalists have any professional ethics at all?"
Sig turned to glance at Stussy beside him:
"Stussy, didn't you say you had dealt with that newspaper? How could this happen?"
Stussy paused for a moment before replying:
"It seems Doflamingo is backing that newspaper behind the scenes."
"Since he's involved, the seriousness of this matter has escalated. Our Pleasure District won't interfere further in the conflict between you two."
When it came to a man like Doflamingo, anyone would be wary, especially figures like Stussy from the underworld.
"This is just making things worse."
Sig's expression darkened.
At this point, issuing another clarification statement would likely have little effect.
"It seems it's time to create a major news story to overshadow the current public opinion momentum."
"I need to think carefully about the topic for the fourth issue of the Tieba Tabloid."