Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

But in that instant of interruption, Kuzan's hands gripped Sett's arms that were clutching his face, and the chill emanating from him surged to its limit—"Ice Age!!"

A chilling aura began to spread rapidly from Kuzan's arm, engulfing not only Sett's body but also the surrounding land, which was visibly covered in ice. The once perpetually spring-like Mary Geoise instantly transformed into a frozen wasteland, the air thick with icy shards. Not only the air, but Sett himself, enveloped in crimson steam, was momentarily paralyzed by the cold.

Seeing this, Akainu's arms were also replaced by scorching lava. But just as Akainu was about to attack, another flash of light streaked across the sky. Akainu's body was forcefully knocked away from its original position by Kizaru. Before Akainu could even ask a question, the next moment, a purple annihilation ray shattered the frozen ice and the frigid space. First, it struck the spot where Akainu had just stood, then, with a raised head, it continued forward until it pierced through the clouds on the distant horizon!

The purple light in his eyes lingered, spreading with the energy of the void, even tinging the lightning formed from his brilliant golden aura with a deep purple hue—

"Barely able to capture it..."

Kizaru, standing to the side, said with a solemn expression, "Just before that purple ray is released, the vertical pupil at the center of Sett's eye will flash with purple arcs of electricity... If it were me, I would be able to detect it!"

By constantly honing his reflexes and concentrating, Kizaru was able to anticipate the signs of the life-form disintegration ray burst—even if only for a fleeting moment, it was enough. After all, the consequences of being hit by that thing were unimaginable. Just like Akainu, who only suffered a slight graze, half his arm turned into scattered inorganic dust.

Just as the three admirals were preparing to regroup, suddenly, as if sensing something, with the aid of his Observation Haki, Kizaru could feel his mind tense up, his muscles contract, and he reopened his eyes. Without any warning or hesitation, the Life Form Disintegration Ray burst forth once more.

boom!!!!

Reacting just before the Disintegration Ray erupted, Kizaru forcefully pulled Akainu and Kuzan away from their original positions. Even so, Kuzan's arm was still impacted by the Disintegration Ray in that instant. Learning from Akainu's experience, Kuzan didn't hesitate at all. He instantly activated Armament Haki to defend himself, then created a sharp ice blade and slashed at the wound that was being continuously disintegrated by the void.

Along with the surrounding flesh and blood, it flew through the air, and before it even hit the ground, the severed flesh and blood were instantly decomposed into inorganic dust. Similarly, in the distant holy city, another huge gaping hole appeared, allowing a direct view of the sky on the other side.

Sett hadn't stopped the disintegration ray's output?! — Kizaru quickly realized that even without reason, Sett had already realized that Kizaru could detect the signs just before the ray was fired. Therefore, the moment Sett raised his head, his eyes left Kizaru's, and then he closed his eyes, relying on his Observation Haki to pinpoint the location. When he opened his eyes again, the surging ray had no casting animation whatsoever.

Without any rationality whatsoever, fighting solely on the instincts of a beast... is it really possible to achieve that?

Kizaru couldn't understand, nor did he have time to understand. Because in the next instant, the deep purple faded, and Sett's eye sockets gushed forth a torrent of blood!

210. Chasing Each Other

A massive amount of blood gushed from Sett's eyes—the transformation from surging energy to this state occurred without any warning.

In fact, upon witnessing the gushing blood, the three generals didn't react immediately. It wasn't until their brains were stung by the splattering crimson that they quickly realized something—that even for Sett, the deep purple Disintegration Ray, with its extraordinary destructive power, carried a heavy burden.

Just like now, blood gushed out, not even completely engulfing Sett's eyes—but that was understandable. Even if Sett were to go blind, no one would feel the price was too heavy. After all, a mere glancing blow had dismembered half of an admiral's arm. And the holy city behind the admirals was torn to pieces by the disintegrating ray. It was as messy and broken as a pizza carelessly sliced ​​by a mischievous child!

This level of destruction is unprecedented in the history of the world government.

But just as the three generals were about to make their move, Sett suddenly raised his head—his eyes were covered in blood, but even so, one could easily sense the deathly whiteness in his eyes.

Not being a scholar-type being, Sett consumed all his physical energy and nutrients when using the Lifeform Disintegration Ray. His visual nerves, focused on this, had reached their current state; the excessive strain had completely destroyed both his lens and cornea.

But before the three generals beside him could feel relieved, Sett forcefully gouged out a pair of lifeless eyes with his fingers. He tossed them into his mouth, chewed them, and swallowed. The cold action sent chills down everyone's spine, and before their very eyes, Sett's hollow eye sockets were visibly regenerating.

Parents' lifeblood must not be wasted!

More than this seemingly joking remark, what concerned the three admirals was something else entirely—they had already witnessed Sett's regenerative abilities before. And now, gazing into his regenerated eyes, Kizaru's expression grew increasingly grim.

"That guy... his regeneration speed has become even faster... Sett's body is adapting to the constant regeneration process!!!"

Upon hearing Kizaru's words, Akainu and Aokiji's expressions grew even more grim. But sometimes, it wasn't all bad news: "Sett has his limits."

Upon hearing Kuzan's words, Akainu and Kizaru turned their gazes towards him. Seeing this, Kuzan said, "Newly formed limbs are more fragile than old ones."

Kuzan had already sensed it when Sett slammed his head against the ground – the same violence, but the arm gripping Akainu showed no abnormalities. Meanwhile, the newly formed arm gripping his own had suffered ruptured blood vessels due to engorgement… Although it recovered almost immediately, Aokiji could feel that the new arm lacked the rock-like, hard calluses that came with rigorous training, the calluses that could withstand even blades.

"Moreover, rebirth requires nutrition!" Kuzan stood up, and with his heels as the center, a surge of cold air rose around him, and the ground, which was already frozen due to the Ice Age, was covered with a thick layer of white frost once again.

His eyes were filled with seriousness, and then, one ice spike after another rose from the ground—a sign that, as Kuzan had said, Sett's rebirth was not unlimited... even the power of the system was not the legendary perpetual motion machine.

Whether it's the restoration of bloodlust or the restoration of happy times, the essence is the same: rapid regeneration by consuming the nutrients accumulated in Sett's body—however, recalling what Vice Admiral Garp once mentioned, Sett's terrifying appetite and his stomach and intestines that seem to take in but never leave...

Previously, Kuzan and the others might have thought that Garp was deliberately exaggerating to draw the Navy's attention to Sett's talent. But now, seeing Sett's terrifying fighting style, they clearly realize that Vice Admiral Garp had not deceived them—Sett possesses an ultimate physique that is far more terrifying and perfect than the Iron Balloon!

"Prepare for a long battle... We must exhaust all the nutrients stored up in Sett's body!!!"

Upon hearing this, Akainu gritted his teeth. Kizaru, usually so carefree, looked even more grim—depleting Sett's energy and nutrients? That sounded even more difficult than defeating Sett. After all, in a sense, they had already defeated Sett before. However, thanks to his superhuman regeneration, Sett could always bounce back no matter what defeat he suffered.

Sett's strength has been completely exhausted... which means that the three admirals are all together now. If it were a one-on-one battle on the high seas, they would probably be starting to think about how to escape!

Indeed, battles between strong individuals often last three days and three nights—and sometimes even half a month. But that's based on a balance of power, with each move met with a counter-move. Sett, however, is clearly playing a game of trade-offs, willing to risk his life for a fatal wound…

This kind of reckless fighting style is unimaginable for anyone else... It's like playing a video game, an arena. You're supposed to counter each move, but your opponent has no sportsmanship and uses an invincible cheat. You can unleash twenty combos without stopping, but if they touch you even once, it's a loss for them... Especially with Sett now, when he's berserk, every move is deadly. I can make countless mistakes, but you only have one.

"Why haven't the Five Elders come out yet! Doesn't the Holy Land of Mary Geoise have any other powerful figures?!"

Now that things have come to this point, Akainu can no longer care about the Celestial Dragons' thoughts—because if things continue like this, the three admirals are very likely to lose at least two of their numbers—at the very least, Kuzan and Sakazuki, without the speed of the Glint-Glint Fruit, have absolutely no chance of escaping from Sett's terrifying brutality and suicidal fighting style of trading their lives for injuries!

“It’s no use…” Kuzan shook his head with a grim expression: “Even the Five Elders have no way of knowing where Sett’s limit is… The arm that was just torn off has already disappeared.”

Upon hearing Kuzan's words, Akainu snapped out of his daze and looked at his own arm, which had been forcibly torn off by Sett because of Kuzan's impalement.

Sure enough, although the ice spike still stood in place, even surrounded by blood, the torn arm had completely disappeared... and much of the blood-stained soil had been dug away!

Clearly, someone had silently arrived during the recent battle, without a trace of killing intent or hostility, simply to take away the limbs and blood... During the fight, everyone was on edge, their attention focused entirely on Sett, not daring to be distracted for even a moment. In this situation, a powerful individual infiltrated without any fighting spirit, hostility, or killing intent, simply to take away the severed limbs...

Even Kuzan only just discovered it...

"These...bastards!!!"

Gritting his teeth, Akainu's anger intensified. He could understand the battle with Sett, as it was a battle of ideals and identities. Even as an enemy, Akainu respected Sett's ideals and fighting spirit. But now, the actions of the Five Elders made even Akainu feel a sense of being fooled.

Although they spoke very softly, even avoiding mentioning the names of the Celestial Dragons and the Five Elders, several pairs of eyes in the dim distance still furrowed slightly, seemingly displeased by some of the remarks.

"Watch out! It's about to begin!!!"

As Aokiji awoke, everyone noticed that Sett crouched down, then arched his back, assuming a very obvious starting stance.

At first, there was some doubt, but then Kuzan's eyes widened as he looked at Kizaru, whose face had turned extremely ugly: "Run! He's after you!!!"

"I know!!! Damn it!!!"

As the person targeted by Sett's gaze, Kizaru knew better than anyone just how astonishing the gaze and pressure Sett exerted in that instant was.

Clearly, even without reason, Sett continues to evolve in battle—at least, the current berserk Sett has realized one thing: if Kizaru isn't eliminated beforehand, Kizaru's reaction speed and burst speed will leave Akainu and Aokiji with a lot of room for error... Just like just now, if Kizaru hadn't reacted in time and transformed into Flash to pull Kuzan away, the damage Kuzan would have suffered from the direct impact of the Disintegration Ray would have been far more than just having a piece of flesh sliced ​​off his arm with an ice blade!

That terrifying, void-eroding force that dismantles matter would have even shattered half of Akainu's arm if he hadn't reacted in time!

However, just as Kizaru transformed into Flash and sped off, a deafening roar and the sound of Brutal Shave pierced the air. This time, it wasn't just a simple ankle explosion. It started from the calf. Flesh and blood shattered, leaving only pale white bones and muscle fibers flying wildly through the air like broken ropes!

The price of this surge was an even more awe-inspiring explosive power. In an instant, a sonic boom cloud appeared on the ground, and the force of the explosion stirred up tsunami-like waves of earth on the frozen ground. Even before Kuzan and Sakazuki could react, Sett had already passed by them, flying towards Kizaru's flashing figure!

Sett clearly had the chance to use this sudden surge in speed to severely injure Aokiji and Akainu in an instant, but he didn't care at all—or rather, he couldn't care. His will, distorted by extreme pleasure, could only contemplate the solitary, extreme concepts of existence—

"Faster, stronger!!!"

Like a dungeon boss in a game, Sett isn't thinking about the optimal positioning or his fighting style and combos. He only targets one enemy at a time... Like right now, in game terms, Kizaru has attracted Sett's aggro.

At the same time, Sett's fighting style is different from when he has reason - he doesn't think about fighting techniques, nor does he try to open up a dangerous spot to decide the outcome of the battle - the current Sett relies entirely on berserk power, rudimentary skills, and a reflex that can be described as abnormal!

Just like when he dodged Kizaru's Flash Kick and countered—Sett's entire body is now filled with extremely sensitive stress responses.

Whether it's a bullet, a punch, or a slash, Sett, relying on his body brimming with overactive reflexes, can instinctively deflect and counter the force the instant it makes contact!

Too fast—it's just too fast.

The muscles in half of his calf burst under the pressure, but regenerated rapidly the moment he took the next step. This explosive speed showed no sign of slowing down; one ran, the other chased. The distance between them was visible to the naked eye, but it was already beyond the detection limits of Akainu and Aokiji—let alone observing them with the naked eye, Sett and Kizaru were now just blurry afterimages in everyone's Observation Haki!

The only discernible traces were the golden flash of light, like a shooting star, emanating from Kizaru's avatar, and the lingering crimson trail left by Sett's eyes in space!

In this situation, it's impossible to shoot with a single-target skill. Taking a deep breath, Kuzan didn't even know if he would hurt Kizaru—but he didn't have time to worry about that now.

A cold front surged forward, and hailstones the size of fists formed one after another. Then, under the overwhelming force, they turned into a torrential rain and bombarded the two pursuers from all directions.

Seeing this, Akainu was not to be outdone. He stretched his arm towards the sky, and like a volcanic eruption, the liquid iron fist exploded the moment it rose into the air, turning into a rain of scalding lava fire and a hail of Armament Haki that attacked from above and below!

He revealed his presence to Kizaru, who, relying on this information, barely managed to maneuver through the torrential rain of ice and fire. In contrast, Sett, lacking reason, faced a much more difficult situation—without dodging or slowing down, he crashed headlong into the storm of ice and fire. Forces are reciprocal; at the moment of impact, accompanied by exploding hail and lava, Sett's head and body were shattered by the violent recoil!

Hearing the explosion, Kizaru, relieved, almost blurted out, "Yay!"

But when he turned around, he saw Sett, with flesh oozing from his legs, blood gushing from his body, and only half of his chin remaining above his neck, still chasing him like a rabid beast—even though his brain had been shattered by the hail!

Oh no!

And this is precisely the function of immortality—even if the brain is gone, even if reason is lost, consciousness will still exist and carry out its functions!

211·Boom Punch (6k)

If it were just ordinary, undying rage, even with a twisted, extreme will, Sett's head would still lose its original cognitive abilities the moment it was blasted apart—but because of the high degree of compatibility, the undying rage was sublimated from immortality to immortality.

Under the influence of immortality, consciousness is absolutely eternal—even if Sett's brain is smashed and his skull is pierced, his consciousness will still exist. Like a spirit, as long as a piece of flesh remains, he can violently regenerate.

And that's exactly what Sett is like now. In his relentless pursuit, Sett's movements feel less like a human and more like a rampaging zombie. However, unlike zombies, whose bodily functions cease upon losing their heads, Sett, even without his head, continues to fight through his indomitable spirit.

Unbreakable, unstoppable. Nearly two days had passed in the continuous battle. During this time, Sett's hatred was briefly drawn to Kuzan and Akainu—Garp and Sengoku, under orders from Marine Headquarters, briefly considered returning from the New World to provide support. But the three Emperors of the Sea, as if by prior arrangement, launched a simultaneous and fierce attack on the G5 branch—

"Gurarararar~~ That 'unkillable' Sett can't be defeated just because of the return of old fogies like you!!!"

Upon hearing Whitebeard's words, especially the title of "unkillable" that should have been his, Kaido couldn't help but snort coldly, but he didn't say anything more... After all, Sett's invincibility was truly physical, a matter of fact. Similarly, the reason Kaido and his crew intervened at this juncture, besides wanting to witness Sett's true limits, was also to see firsthand what the World Government's trump card truly was...

Those Five Elders, and even more mysterious figures in legend, haven't made a move yet!

A large number of vice admirals and pillars of the navy were tied down at the G5 branch, and the few vice admirals who returned from the first half of the Grand Line were completely unable to intervene. Finally, on the third day, Sett's power increased once again—in everyone's sight, Sett no longer had half of his calf muscles bursting open. Instead, in a split second, his entire thigh exploded into a spray of crimson blood mist.

Consequently, the speed also increased threefold.

Already feeling bloated and fatigued from the continuous battle, Sett's speed suddenly increased. Before Kizaru could react, Sett's distorted eyes were right beside him.

When did they catch up?!

Watching Sett's legs rapidly regenerate before his eyes, only to burst into a bloody mist before the skin had fully grown back, Kizaru felt nothing but despair and curses. He had barely caught his breath when Sett's hatred turned against him again!

It's not entirely Sett's fault—even in his irrational state, Kizaru's rapid movements across the battlefield, constantly pulling Kuzan and Akainu back from the brink of danger, were simply too conspicuous. And now, with the battle in progress, a sliver of reason has returned. Although unable to think clearly, Sett's animalistic instincts alone have made him realize Kizaru's importance.

There was no more power left to accelerate; all Kizaru could do now was try his best to prevent the distance between himself and Sett from closing any further.

Unfortunately, each leap forward costs him an entire leg, and Sett's current Berserk Shave is unusable even for a Marine Admiral-level individual—it was in this terrifying speed that Sett raised his arm, not clenching it into a fist. The brief moment of power generated during a punch would be enough for Kizaru to dodge—under his extremely rudimentary thinking ability during his berserk state, Sett could only conceive of one fighting style.

"Faster, stronger!!!"

In that instant, the instinct to use Steelcuttap surged within him. He raised his arm, the kinetic energy of his flight condensing seamlessly with his own strength. Blood swelled and surged, and Sett's right arm became nearly three times thicker than his left.

The speed difference was even more dramatic—the immense load caused the sound of bones shattering almost instantly upon impact—the Demon Spear… no, its current strength was far beyond the simple, pure piercing motion of the Demon Spear.

In the instant of the explosion, power condensed into a penetrating hand at a speed far exceeding the sound barrier—

God-Slaying Gun!!!

Before the sound reached his ears, before his Observation Haki sensed the danger, Kizaru felt a stinging pain, and only then did his Observation Haki deliver the warning of danger.

Blood gushed forth as the black God-Slaying Spear pierced through Kizaru's hand, striking first and then striking later. By the time Kizaru felt the pain, his right leg had already been torn apart from his ankle all the way to his waist!

Muscles ruptured, and blood gushed out like waves under the rapid movement. Losing his balance, Kizaru's body was forced to detach from photon form under the effect of Armament Haki, and then crashed to the ground like a cannonball, scraping a distance of nearly two kilometers, until it came to a stop after smashing through dozens of the remaining walls of the Holy City.

With no room for words, Kizaru could only grit his teeth and clutch his right leg—Kizaru's incredible speed forced Sett to only make a rough aim when using the God-Slaying Spear. Otherwise, Kizaru would have been pulverized from his foot to his hip. Even now, without immediate treatment, becoming a cripple was inevitable!