Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Compared to Shanks' nonchalant attitude, Ben Beckman clearly sensed something was amiss. He stroked his chin, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. However, considering that the target of his prank was Shanks, Beckman decided to wait and see after a brief moment of thought.

In short, if it doesn't concern you, don't get involved.

Guided by Yasopp, Shanks arrived in front of a wall and struck a grinning pose.

While fiddling with the camera, Yasopp glanced at Shanks, who was completely unaware of the seriousness of the problem, and reminded him, "Speaking of which, Shanks, have you ever felt any remorse?"

"Self-blame? What self-blame?"

Shanks looked completely bewildered.

Yasopp continued, "It was back then that you made me throw things down the toilet..."

"Really? I don't remember. When was it?"

With his nose in his hand, Shanks' current posture is exactly like that of Luffy in the future, completely oblivious to Yasopp's increasingly strange expression.

Upon hearing the mention of the toilet, Beckman stroked his chin, then nodded with a knowing look. He then stared intently at Shanks, mentally calculating what the next development would be—what, remind Shanks? That's so boring!

Compared to rescuing people from danger, kicking someone when they're down is definitely more interesting!

Looking at Shanks, who seemed completely oblivious to how outrageous he had been, Yasopp's last shred of respect for his captain crumbled. With a ferocious grin, Yasopp said, "Come on, look at the camera, laugh! Laugh out loud!!"

Hearing this, Shanks felt somewhat bewildered, but he still chuckled in agreement. However, immediately afterward, Shanks' Observation Haki began to surge wildly. How violently? Simply put, his Observation Haki was practically playing a loop of "Danger! Danger! Danger! Danger! Danger!" in Shanks' mind...

As Yasopp pulls the shutter—in the first scene—Shanks still has a smile on his face.

In the second act, Shanks has already sensed that something is wrong, and his expression becomes somewhat strange.

In the third act, two protrusions suddenly appear on the wall behind Shanks.

In the fourth act, accompanied by Shanks' horrified expression, Sett burst out from behind the wall with his arms outstretched. Like the claws of a crab, he slammed into him from both sides with a powerful, swift tackle, accompanied by a whooshing sound!

In Act Five, Sett's arms, like the claws of a crab, suddenly pressed down and grabbed him from both sides with a whooshing sound!

Act VI: Reacting in time, Shanks abruptly crouched down, and the bricks above his head were instantly crushed into a pile of dust!

"Sett?!?!"

Shanks' voice cracked.

As Shanks' voice rang out, Yasopp, standing nearby, dropped all pretense: "That's right! It's Sett! You bastard, I haven't forgotten how you made me throw the toilet to divert your hatred! Go Sett!!"

"Hahaha! Come play!!!"

Gazing at Shanks before him, Sett's fighting spirit surged—he hadn't forgotten the terrifying combat prowess Shanks had displayed on that nameless island. Every time he recalled it, Sett couldn't help but feel excited.

And now, they finally met again. Before Shanks could say anything, Sett's body was enveloped in a black and gold color, accompanied by a boiling battle intent like flames.

Golden patterns swirled and coiled across its jet-black body, which gleamed with a metallic sheen. Its robust form seemed less like flesh and blood and more like indestructible steel. Almost instantly after the Armament Haki enhancement was complete, a raging storm roared forth, engulfing the surrounding rubble!

192. The Results of Spiritual Practice

Shanks felt a cold sweat trickle down his temple as he looked at Sett, who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

Then, forcing a smile, he looked at Yasopp behind him and said, "So you're the one who lured Sett here?!"

"Don't blame me, Captain!" Faced with Shanks' questioning, Yasopp showed no nervousness whatsoever—and indeed, no nervousness whatsoever. Upon seeing Sett appear, Beckman clapped his hands and hurriedly told Lucky Roux to go buy some popcorn, cola, and barbecue to prepare for the show.

With a grin, Yasopp pulled a thick wad of banknotes from his pocket. Each one was marked with a face value of 10000.

"Mainly because I've seen our pirate crew so busy buying supplies for entering the New World that we're almost broke! This is to earn some money, you know~" Yasopp added with a grin, "No revenge involved~"

"Liar!" Shanks exclaimed, his eyes filled with grief and indignation.

In contrast, Ben Beckman looked completely relaxed.

Lighting a cigar, Beckman's face showed no sign of seriousness; in fact, he said with a leisurely air, "I quite agree with Yasopp's approach. Anyway, Sett doesn't seem like a bad guy. Earning this much money from a fight is much more comfortable than struggling through naval battles with those pirates."

Just like Luffy in the future, the members of the Red-Haired Pirates are all pure idealists. They didn't set foot on this vast sea to plunder and pillage, but to see a wider world.

Therefore, looting was not a concept for them. More often, the Red-Haired Pirates traded local specialties from different islands or simply fought with other foolish pirates... well, maybe they'd also cause trouble for the Navy. After all, when it comes to supplies, the Navy's supplies were the best. It's just that Navy warships usually didn't have much treasure. So, whether fighting pirates or the Navy, the gains were different.

Beckman had a high opinion of Sett—his straightforward and bold personality, and the things he had done since setting sail, were exactly what the Red-Haired Pirates wanted.

Shanks was released.

After all, Sett had sworn in the newspapers more than once that he would beat up that bastard redhead.

Yeah, Shanks is furious. Because a lot of people call him a jerk, red-haired jerk. Shanks' crew, on the other hand, are happy to see him, hoping Sett and Shanks fight every day. They'll have a good show to watch this time—if Jesus doesn't act like this, they can even make some extra money, hahaha~

In short, Shanks' encounter with Sett sparked a battle. Yasopp made money, Beckman got his fill of eye candy, Lucky Roux bought some snacks, and Sett satisfied his fighting urges... only the world where Shanks was injured was complete.

But sometimes things just fall short of perfection. To put it another way, Hawkeye, standing there, felt particularly helpless—Sett and Hawkeye had argued for a long time about who should make the first move against Shanks. And in the end, Sett won.

It wasn't that Sett's words were particularly moving; it was simply that Sett had no intention of entering the New World. His plan was to return to the West Blue after his trip to Sabaody Archipelago and properly develop his power... The territorial divisions of the New World were too chaotic. In comparison, the West Blue, as Sett's base of operations, was the best choice.

As for things like the West Sea being too weak... that's completely irrelevant to Sett.

The Grand Line's Calm Belt and the Red Line's high walls separate the four seas. However, once the Ark is completed, these geographical barriers will disappear completely. The only problem is the navigator—former Pirate Admiral Shiki possessed a flying fleet. During his battle with Roger, Shiki's fleet encountered severe, extreme weather, leading to their failure and disqualification from the Pirate King title.

However, those are all issues that will arise after the Proverbs Fleet is fully formed. Right now, because Sett has stated he won't be entering the New World anytime soon, Hawkeye has given up on competing with Sett for the duel with Shanks… Once they enter the New World, he'll have plenty of time to spar with Shanks.

"You're not getting away! You damn redhead! See that guy over there? After I'm done with you, I still have Mihawk waiting for you! Hurry up and roll up your sleeves and draw your sword, don't keep me waiting!!"

Upon hearing Sett's words and glancing at Hawkeye not far away, Shanks couldn't help but grin.

Shanks now has only one thought—don't get close to Sett, or you'll become unhappy!

As Armament Haki spread, Sett's muscles bulged, gleaming with a dark, metallic sheen. Within this metallic sheen, faint golden lines followed the muscle's contours, appearing and disappearing. It looked like gilded decoration, but Shanks could sense a clear threat within it!

This guy's Armament Haki control has become even stronger!

Shanks quickly realized this—during their battle, Shanks had already encountered Sett's Armament Haki, which sacrificed defensive capabilities for pure offensive power. That Armament Haki, which focused entirely on offense and abandoned defensive features, remained vivid in Shanks' memory to this day.

However, Sett's mastery of Armament Haki at that time was still very rudimentary; even the transition between Dark Armament Haki and Mighty Armament Haki was extremely slow. In a battle, once he chose one, he could only use that one. And he couldn't have both Armament Haki coexisting in his body like he can now—or rather, even if they could coexist, they couldn't be as harmonious as they are now!

The golden, gilded patterns emitted a faint glow. Although they appeared sparse, closer inspection revealed that they actually encompassed every muscle in Sett's body. In other words, under these conditions, Sett could unleash a powerful attack instantly, regardless of the angle or direction.

"Looks like there's really no escaping it!!!"

Despite gritting his teeth and saying this, Shanks couldn't help but reveal an uncontrollable smile on his face.

Although Shanks has been advancing triumphantly, leaving Sett far behind, he has never been someone to fear or challenge... Or rather, having been able to witness the One Piece with the Pirate King, how could Shanks, as a member of the Pirate King's crew, be an ordinary person?!

Except for Pakistan.

With a clear, crisp sound, the renowned sword, Griffin, was drawn once more. The sharp, gleaming light of the blade nearly made Hawkeye, standing nearby, unable to resist drawing his own sword.

But in the end, Hawkeye suppressed his fighting spirit and turned to look at Sett and Shanks, quietly waiting for their battle to begin.

boom!!

Shanks' Conqueror's Haki erupted with a deafening roar. With the drawing of his sword, Shanks' entire being reached a new level of power. The dense clouds in the sky were instantly torn apart. A surging, vast aura pierced a gaping hole in the clouds.

In that very next instant, accompanied by a roar, golden light erupted from beneath Sett's feet.

The effects of power are mutual. The instant Sett used Shave of Brutality, his Armament Haki erupted in a burst, the sheer speed leaving a lingering afterimage in space. Golden light trails wound around his black iron fist. Wherever it passed, the blazing Armament Haki infused the space with scorching heat.

To subdue the enemy's power!

The blow landed, but at the instant of impact, Shanks held the Griffin horizontally in front of him. He had assumed that the sharp blade combined with Sett's own strength would at least sever his five fingers. However, upon contact, Shanks was astonished to find that, under this heavy bombardment, Sett's arm was as if it were made of steel—no, even steel shouldn't be this hard.

Having long since entered the realm of breath control, Shanks sees little difference between steel, rock, and wood. Yet now, the heavy blade colliding with the iron fist has only managed to break through about 30% of his bone!

No, he stopped his power—can such an attack really be stopped instantly?

Shanks was somewhat incredulous—power possessed this inertia. Instantly stopping an ongoing attack was tantamount to subjecting one's body to the impact of inertia. Yet Sett was completely unaffected!

How could it have no impact at all?

Even Sett, whose power suddenly ceases, will experience some fluctuation. Just now, the abruptly stopped attack caused a ripple in Sett's blood and energy. However, this level of fluctuation was completely ineffective against Sett's body... It's still uncertain just how strong Sett is in this world. But when it comes to control over his body, Sett is undoubtedly number one.

Then, in the next moment, Sett's left hand suddenly lashed out with a punch. Instinctively, Shanks tried to draw his sword to defend. But the instant Shanks drew his sword, as if anticipating this, Sett's right arm, which was being sliced ​​into the bone, suddenly jammed the blade, blocking the incoming strike.

With a grinding sound, Shanks' speed in drawing his sword wasn't greatly affected. Seeing this, Beckman and the others stared wide-eyed—they were terrified by Sett's audacious act. A sharp longsword could cut through gold and jade. The Red-Haired Pirates knew better than anyone the strength of Griffin. But now, Sett had actually managed to jam the blade with his bones… Although he still managed to pull it out, it was undoubtedly too late.

The heavy punch landed squarely on Shanks' head, the force penetrating his body and shattering the clothes on his back. Immediately following was a burst of Armament Haki. With that single punch, Shanks' body was blasted dozens of meters away, crashing into a shop along the street.

"The fingers weren't even severed?!"

Raki Lou's eyes were filled with astonishment. He even forgot how to chew the large bone in his mouth. Beckman, watching from the sidelines for a long time, looked even more amazed.

"What a monster..."

"Ok?"

Hearing this, Yasopp, who was standing to the side, looked puzzled. In response, Beckman tapped the ash from his cigarette and pointed at Sett's finger, saying, "That guy... can even harden the cut surfaces of bones with Armament Haki."

"Wow! That's amazing?!"

Upon hearing this, Yasopp's eyes widened as he looked towards Sett's fist. However, because the blade had already been pulled out, Sett's fist was hanging limply beside him, its cut surface no longer visible.

Even so, Yasopp could easily see that the wound on Sett's arm had stopped bleeding. The cut flesh was also completely black.

Blood, being a flowing substance, cannot be enhanced with Armament Haki. In other words, Sett stopped the blood supply to the severed section, thus enabling it to harden with Armament Haki. As for the bones... only about 30% of the finger bones, including flesh, were cut.

Note that the 30% finger bone here refers to the bone size of an average person. However, if you place an average person's bone size on Sett, this level of injury wouldn't even be as bad as the damage Sett himself inflicted using his bone-crack technique.

Gazing at Shanks amidst the ruins, Sett stretched his shoulders. With the movement, the wound on Sett's arm visibly began to heal at a rapid pace. In moments, it was completely restored, as if the wound had never existed…

Is it a hallucination?

Shanks glanced at Griffin's blade. A few drops of still-steaming blood clung to it. Shanks had sensed it upon contact; Sett's body temperature was significantly higher than that of a normal human, and his blood reflected that. If this were winter, the blood on the blade would probably be steaming hot by now.

"Although the bones haven't healed... the flesh and blood alone are enough!"

Tilting his head back, he felt a long-lost stinging sensation, an equal amount of excitement flooding his brain. Sett, already in high spirits, became even more frenzied. His knuckles were covered in gold, the thick calluses shimmering with a golden aura, making him look as if he were wearing a pair of knuckle dusters capable of piercing walls.

Two hits. Two hits have already been landed.

The next moment, in everyone's sight, Sett's eyes revealed a hint of exhaustion.

Deadly rhythm, triggered!

He bent down, then abruptly looked up. Hawkeye narrowed his eyes upon seeing Sett's chest, which swelled dramatically with each breath and showed no signs of receding—he knew how terrifying Sett was in this state. His continuous attacks were like those of a mad dog!

When Shanks first saw Sett, he was simply curious as to why Sett had suddenly stopped breathing.

His heart pounded, making a dull thud. The solid floor tiles beneath his feet instantly cracked, creating a half-meter-deep crater—a double strike of blades, a demonic spear!

A crimson glow coiled around Sett's fingertips, and Shanks barely managed to parry the heavy thrust with his blade. Even so, the straight longsword was forced into a smooth arc by the immense pressure.

Before Shanks could react and successfully withstand the blow, a white burst of energy suddenly lashed out from Sett's right leg.

Through continuous training, Sett's current double strike is no longer limited to the same attack method as last time!