Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

199·Luck

"Here comes today's pirate dose."

He threw the three guys to the ground, waved to the lieutenant of the naval branch, then went inside, opened the refrigerator, and took out a bottle of chilled beer.

The lieutenant was already quite used to Sett's behavior. He glanced at the wanted poster, nodded, and gestured to the soldiers beside him to arrest them.

"The total bounty for the three people is 19.5 million, still the same as before?"

"Same as always, leave five million, and send the rest to Antuo Island."

As he spoke, Sett flicked his thumb to open the bottle cap, took out the steel compound from his pocket, poured in a third of it, stirred it well, and then started chugging it down his throat.

Daily missions change every day, but they're generally quite easy, usually involving capturing three or four pirates with bounties of five million or more. While this might be challenging for ordinary bounty hunters, for Sett, it's as quick as taking a bathroom break. This way, he can exchange for about three bottles of potions a day, which adds up to a considerable amount over time. After all, one bottle can be diluted a thousand times for use on ordinary people.

I wonder how Judge and his group are doing now.

Sett glanced at the beer, which was shimmering silver-colored from the steel compound, and thought to himself—he wasn't the kind of person who was old-fashioned or a rich landlord who would hide his money in a jar or bury it under the pigsty for fear of being seen by others.

Indeed, these remedies are very good. But they are worthless if they are not used.

Judge is a highly capable scholar with extensive knowledge of genetics. He also has a professional team conducting research with him. If they were willing to collaborate, Sett wouldn't mind providing them with a concoction for their research—provided, of course, that they remained under his control. Sett had no interest in aiding his enemies.

"The Fishman Pirates have been more and more active lately."

Sitting at a nearby table, Brod's face was filled with emotion. Brod was the Navy lieutenant in charge of liaising with Sett in the Sabaody Archipelago. He didn't possess a Devil Fruit ability, and his knowledge of the three types of Haki and the Six Powers of the Navy was mediocre. However, his strength lay in his excellent interpersonal skills; he could handle anyone with ease. In a place like the Sabaody Archipelago, where all sorts of people coexisted, capable and communicative administrative staff were more sought after than purely military officers.

"The Fishman Pirates?" Upon hearing this familiar term, Sett raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's going on with them lately? I've been hearing about them a lot. Are they very active now?"

Hearing this, and being quite familiar with Sett's personality, Brod felt that Sett wasn't as violent as the legends portrayed him—of course, this was also because Brod didn't know. If Brod had followed Sett all the way from the West Blue like Hawkeye, he would have clearly noticed that Sett's personality and behavior changed rapidly after entering the Grand Line.

I've started to think proactively.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this change that Brod had a relatively good impression of Sett. Coupled with Sett's connections within the Navy, Brod didn't hide anything regarding certain reports, stating them frankly:

"Hmm... the leader of the Fishman Pirates is Tiger, who is said to be a sea bream fishman from Fishman Island. He disapproves of the slave trade, so he has been attacking slave ships." Brod said with some emotion, "The Fishman Pirates have been acting strangely lately, constantly appearing in the Sabaody Archipelago and attacking quite a few slave ships, causing the auction house to delay its opening. I heard that the Celestial Dragons have also become angry. It's really a headache."

As he spoke, Brod shook his head helplessly. Even the Navy rarely held a favorable view of the Celestial Dragons, especially the Navy stationed on Sabaody Archipelago. They were more like the Celestial Dragons' private army than a true navy. If they were just an army, that would be one thing, but they were also responsible for cleaning up the messes left behind by the Celestial Dragons. If they did it well, the Celestial Dragons would consider it their duty as servants. If they did it poorly, it would be seen as daring to defy the Celestial Dragons' authority, and they would inevitably receive a beating…

Under such high-pressure living conditions, it would be a miracle if Brod could have feelings for a Celestial Dragon... Fortunately, Brod has an extremely strong ability to self-regulate, so he has never made any mistakes.

The collapse of the massive redwood tree caused by Sett was a major incident, but the main problem lay with Sett and Shanks. Because of Sett's special status, all the blame was shifted onto Shanks.

Now, the arrival of the Fishman Pirates can be said to have made things even worse for Brod... But it doesn't really matter, after all, Brod has no psychological problems about being transferred to other places - he has been eager to leave the Sabaody Archipelago for a long time.

Sett, on the other hand, seemed quite interested in the Fishman Pirates' recent presence around the Sabaody Archipelago. The reason Sett had fought Shanks there was largely to create a big enough disturbance for Tiger to know he'd arrived. And now it seemed Tiger had clearly noticed and was indeed in the vicinity of the Sabaody Archipelago.

With that thought in mind, Sett nodded, took a few bottles of beer from the refrigerator, and then pushed open the door to his hotel. Brod didn't seem to care much—perhaps the Marine Headquarters knew that the Marines stationed on Sabaody Archipelago were often questioned by the Celestial Dragons, so they were never short of supplies, practically having meat at every meal compared to other Marines.

In terms of daily food and travel subsidies, the only naval branch that can rival the Sabaody Archipelago is the G5 branch in the New World. After all, the G5 branch is fighting against those villains in the New World, and every meal could be their last. When supplies run out, the G5 branch's naval personnel won't care if you're an officer or not; they'll cause trouble regardless.

In fact, some even defected to become pirates—only those with such a strong personality as Garp were exceptions. Naval officers with slightly weaker charisma simply couldn't command the G5 branch.

Wasting a day—luckily, Sett didn't encounter any Celestial Dragons during his time on Sabaody Archipelago. Of course, whether "luckily" refers to Sett himself or the Celestial Dragons is debatable…

After all, it's hard to say whether Sett's luck is good or bad, but encountering a Celestial Dragon like Sett is definitely bad luck. As night fell, Sett, who was preparing to go to sleep, heard a knock on the door.

------

I've been busy all day dealing with things related to school admissions...

200·Preparing for Big News

A knock on the door in the middle of the night?

Sett was already in bed when he heard the sound and raised an eyebrow in surprise. Fortunately, Sett was a rather casual person, so he had only put on his clothes when he got into bed. Now that someone was knocking on the door, he didn't need to bother with getting dressed.

As soon as he approached the gate, Sett was able to clearly smell the slightly salty sea odor thanks to his overdeveloped sense of smell.

Elsewhere, Sett could even feel the humidity. Unfortunately, this was the Sabaody Archipelago, with its humid, spring-like climate and the trees' roots producing abundant, moist soap bubbles as they breathed.

But upon smelling the salty, fishy scent of the sea, Sett quickly realized who the newcomer was.

"Yo, Tiger~"

As Sett expected, upon opening the door, he was greeted by Tiger's remarkably ruddy body and face.

After some time apart, Tiger's physique remained robust. If there was any difference from his previous roars, it was that he was now more rugged, with more defined and sculpted muscles. He exuded a weathered and aged air, truly a seasoned elder of the merfolk.

"Long time no see, Sett... You've gotten even stronger."

Tiger stared at Sett in surprise. But Sett was even more astonished. Looking at Tiger, if Sett remembered correctly, Tiger had been about the same height as him before. But now… in just a short time, he'd thought half a meter was already quite a height. But Tiger had more than doubled in height! Now Tiger was at least five meters tall!

"Whether I'm strong or not is one thing, but are you on hormones?!"

His eyes were filled with amazement as he looked at Tiger standing before him, who seemed like a red iron tower. It was only because this was a hotel in the Sabaody Archipelago; in any other place, Sett even doubted whether Tiger could stand upright.

“The development period for merfolk is quite long.” Tiger didn’t seem to care when he heard Sett’s words. Instead, he scratched his head and said, “Usually, merfolk are between three and six meters tall. Mine is pretty normal, just relatively stronger.”

"That's quite surprising... By the way, you got here pretty fast; I hadn't even made a sound for long."

"Because time is almost up."

Hearing Sett's words, Tiger nodded in agreement: "I attacked a few slave ships on the outskirts of Sabaody Archipelago. The navy's attention should be focused on that area, so I took the opportunity to come find you tonight... So, are you interested?"

"Tell me what you want to do first, then ask me if I'm interested." Sett raised his hand, then took a bottle of beer from the refrigerator and placed it on the table. "If it's not interesting, don't blame me for not assigning tasks~"

"Given your personality, you probably won't refuse." Nodding, Tiger looked at Sett with excitement in his eyes and said, "Let's climb the Red Line!"

Upon hearing this, Sett paused slightly in his drinking motion, then a slow, wide smile spread across his lips. He tilted his head back, gulped down a mouthful of beer, and slammed the empty bottle onto the table with a thud: "Sounds good!!"

"I knew you'd do this! Hahahaha~" After hearing Sett's words, Tiger couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Even during their first encounter, Tiger could sense that Sett wasn't someone with much affection for pirates, the Marines, or the World Government. Or perhaps, he was simply very capricious, only passionate about things that interested him.

At the same time, they are very self-centered. No matter how many people try to stop them, they will do what they don't like without hesitation.

Such people would be a disaster in peaceful times. But in this chaotic era of great pirates, they are the dawn that tears through the dark clouds and shackles!

"Tell me your plan!"

Leaning back in his chair, Sett's eyes gleamed with a mixture of amusement and restless fire. Tiger would never reveal a single word about himself in front of anyone else—not even to fellow members of the Fishman Pirates.

Even now, many people, including fishmen, cannot understand Tiger's actions... but Tiger doesn't care. And if it were Sett, Tiger wouldn't care about revealing his plans.

Because he knew very well that Sett was the kind of guy who would do what he decided to do. And more importantly, if Sett wanted to, given their relationship, Tiger would be subdued instantly and sent to Impel Down even if he didn't say anything.

"In one month, it will be the Sabaody Archipelago's biggest annual celebration, the Soap Bubble Festival."

Perhaps because he was a fish-man, Tiger's eyes were very large. Especially now, when he was focused, his eyes were as big as saucers. They were bright and piercing, making them impossible to ignore.

"During the Soap Bubble Festival, the Celestial Dragons will bestow extra favors and grant us access to the largest auction in the Sabaody Archipelago. At that time, the guards of the Red Line will also enter the Sabaody Archipelago, leaving the outer walls of the Red Line exceptionally vulnerable. If we seize the opportunity, we can climb onto the Red Line and then liberate all the slaves!"

"Is it just about freeing slaves?"

Hearing Tiger's words, Sett raised an eyebrow: "If you hate it, why not take this opportunity to beat up the Celestial Dragons! It's not like all the Celestial Dragons can go down to participate in the festival, right?"

"...The guards are too tight." Somewhat surprised by Sett's idea, Tiger had a clear understanding of his own abilities: "I also hate the Celestial Dragons... but the Red Line has enough armed forces. If it's just about releasing slaves, that's fine; to protect the Celestial Dragons, those guards won't act rashly. But if we launch an attack on the Celestial Dragons, then once we're entangled, we'll be met with a collective attack from the Marine Admirals!"

As he said this, Tiger's face was also filled with solemnity: "The admiral stationed in the Sabaody Archipelago is Kizaru, who possesses the Glint-Glint Fruit. With his speed, as long as we are entangled, even if we only have ten minutes, there is absolutely no chance of escaping alive."

“It’s alright, I’ll hold them off.” Hearing Tiger’s words, Sett stroked his chin with amusement. Then he said, “Count me in… but there’s one thing: after we enter the Red Line, you can’t interfere with any of my actions.”

Looking at Tiger in front of him, Sett smiled as if he was completely unaware of the danger Tiger mentioned, and casually said, "Besides that, no matter who it is, I will stop them for you!"

Upon hearing Sett's words, Tiger paused for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face: "As expected..."

"Ok?"

Upon seeing Tiger's expression, Sett was the first to be surprised—logically speaking, shouldn't Tiger be the one surprised that he had directly ruined Tiger's plan? Why was he the one laughing first?

“I knew all along how difficult it would be to get you to stick to the plan…including your very ‘Sett’ answer right now.”

As he said this, Tiger extended his hand: "I would be scared if you just agreed to my request, because I couldn't be sure if you were the Sett I remembered. But now it seems, without a doubt, you haven't changed at all! You've always been the same guy I know!"

Hearing Tiger's words, Sett curled his lip in annoyance, but still slapped Tiger's hand: "It's disgusting to hear men say things like that."

"Hahaha! I'm not a man, I'm a male sea bream fish-man!"

Sett paid no attention to Tiger's words. Having confirmed Sett's involvement, Tiger stood up and said, "The other fish-men don't know... including Jinbe and the others. I'll draw more attention to them on the Red Line slave ship."

As he spoke, without lingering, Tiger turned and strode towards the door. But just as Tiger was about to leave, he remembered something and Sett waved his hand, "Wait."

"Ok?"

Hearing this, he turned around. Before Tiger could ask a question, he saw a bottle of mixed three colors being thrown from Sett's hand.

Catching it instinctively, Sett casually said, "The latest product from Antuo Island. Remember to dilute it with water before drinking. One-third of the mixture should be enough."

"What purpose does it serve?"

"Enhance your abilities," Sett said. "Physical, charismatic, and mental. Anyway, you can drink it three times. You can try a sip tomorrow~"

Upon hearing this, Tiger glanced at the three-colored liquid in his hand. Although he didn't understand exactly how it worked, out of trust in Sett, he simply nodded and carefully put it away: "Thank you."

"Don't mention it~ In fact, I'm really looking forward to the Soap Bubble Festival in Sabaody Archipelago~"

Nodding, Tiger left without lingering. Shortly after Tiger left, Sett thought for a moment and then took out his phone.

"Who is it?!" The person on the other end of the phone sounded annoyed as he answered, "Trying to sell something in the middle of the night?!"

Morgans?

"Eh? It's Mr. Sett! Hehe, sorry, my tone wasn't very nice just now..."

"Whatever!" Sett didn't care at all about Morgans' morning grumpiness—or perhaps Sett's attention was completely drawn to the Soap Bubble Festival. He was simply too lazy to bother with such unintentional verbal offenses.

"I have some big news here—the biggest news in history!"

"I'm coming!! Mr. Sett!!!"

201·Main Play

"Ha, looks like you've prepared quite thoroughly."

At dawn, Sett's face was casual as he watched Morgans fly in. Morgans, in turn, wore a fawning smile.

When Sett called last night, Morgans was already incredibly excited and eager to come over—but Sett stopped him. After all, one fishman was enough for the night, and Sett didn't intend to have any contact with a birdman before going to sleep.

And so, just like now, the next day arrived, and an excited Morgans was filled with the thought of big news. Judging from the dark circles under his eyes, he clearly hadn't slept well all night.

"I'm planning to take a trip to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise to prepare for the news."

"The Holy Land Mary Geoise?!" Upon hearing this news, Morgans was first taken aback, then his expression became hesitant; 'Excuse me... uh, Mr. Sett, what brings you to the Holy Land Mary Geoise? You must have been invited, right? Yes, that must be it. After all, Mr. Sett is a world-renowned figure now, although I did play a small, insignificant role in it...'