Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

After three days of fierce fighting, Akainu and Kuzan, who were also exhausted and starving, could clearly see that Sett's healing speed had slowed down. At least, after using the God-Slaying Spear to finish off Kizaru, the recovery speed of Sett's right arm was no longer as fast as it had been at the beginning, when it could be fully restored in a single breath.

Seizing this moment, Akainu and Aokiji rushed towards Sett without hesitation, without even exchanging any words—not only to protect Kizaru from Sett's attack, but more importantly, because Sett was probably at his weakest point since the start of the battle!

But just as they approached Sett, suddenly, Sett's arm, which had been slowly regenerating, began to grow rapidly—at this point, stopping it was impossible. They were so close, and the attack was already inevitable—if they tried to stop now, the recoil alone would cause Aokiji and Akainu to cough up blood.

Now, they clashed head-on. The moment Sett threw his punch, the twisted rage in his eyes almost materialized. The impact of the clash sent debris flying, creating a sense of weightlessness, filling the air with chaotic currents. Fighting two opponents, with the sound of muscles cracking, Sett raised his arms and slammed the two generals' heads into the solid ground.

But just as they were about to smash their heads to pieces, beams of laser light pierced Sett's chest and joints from behind. This momentary loss of power bought the two generals precious time.

Looking up, he used his last bit of strength to fire a few laser beams. After three consecutive days of suicidal battles against Sett, who was risking his life for injury, Kizaru finally exhausted his last bit of energy. His arm went limp, and he fainted with his eyes rolling back.

Even though Kizaru was completely drained, Im still coldly stared at Sett's body. In the end, one of the Five Elders disappeared silently in the shadows, taking Kizaru away from the battlefield—although he was a biting dog, leaving him there unattended might make things even more difficult to handle later.

Noticing that the unconscious Kizaru had been taken away, Kuzan and Akainu's discontent, which had accumulated over the past three days, dissipated somewhat—looking at Sett, Kuzan's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of solemn excitement: "It's all burned out!"

"……Um!"

Hearing this, Akainu simply nodded silently—it was clear that Sett's recovery speed had slowed considerably. Although still beyond the imagination of ordinary people, there was no doubt that the energy accumulated by Sett's terrifying physique had been depleted over the past three days. But at the same time, another question troubled Kuzan's mind—that was, how exactly had Sett recovered at such a rapid pace without any stored nutrients?

As he thought about it, Kuzan's pupils contracted—he had lost weight.

Yes, Sett has lost weight!! Although he's still strong and heavy, he's noticeably thinner than he was at the beginning!

Recalling his rapid recovery, a terrifying thought arose in Kuzan's mind—"He's devouring himself!"

"Suicide?" Akainu was taken aback, but quickly realized what was happening—when people are starving, they consume fat, muscle, and other cells in their bodies to prolong life. However, for ordinary people, they would starve to death before the energy and water in their cells could be fully digested.

But Sett now clearly cannot be understood by ordinary standards. With his internal organs strengthened by the Grasp of the Undying, Sett's cells are far stronger than those of ordinary people and can store more energy.

Now, with his stored nutrients completely depleted, Sett is less about rapid regeneration and more about frantically patching things up by robbing Peter to pay Paul – a process that is undoubtedly extremely brutal. Kuzan could even imagine the excruciating pain surging through every nerve ending as he forced his cells to self-devour.

But at a glance—as Sett became increasingly desperate, his state only grew more agitated. Dehydration was rapidly escaping, and the veins on his remaining chicken bones bulged one after another. The tangled veins looked like antennas on an old neighborhood utility pole.

"It's on!!!"

Kuzan gritted his teeth and said, "Sett is already on the verge of death, aren't they too?"

The continuous life-form disintegration rays and relentless attacks—not to mention anything else—Sett's eyeballs alone have regenerated no less than five times in the past three days. And his severed torso could be pieced together to form six complete Setts!

This is without even considering the flesh and blood that Sett reabsorbed...

The admirals, just to deal with their flesh constantly being eroded by the void, had already cut themselves apart no less than ten times… Their once healthy, wheat-colored skin was now completely gone; both Kuzan and Akainu had bloodshot eyes and faces as pale as paper. Excessive anemia had drained their bodies beyond repair. To outsiders, they looked less like the three admirals and more like drug addicts on a drug overdose!

You must understand, they are the three admirals of the top forces in the sea... Even if it were a sea emperor, facing the combined attack of the three of them, his only option would be to flee!

Just as they were preparing to continue the fight, unexpectedly, it was Sett, who had already reached his limit, who made the first move!

The brutal shave was unleashed, and with the exploding ankles, Akainu and Kuzan were still somewhat dazed and hadn't quite regained their senses. A heavy iron fist struck Kuzan's abdomen, and another struck Akainu's face. They were thrown back for a moment, losing their balance, but just as Sett was about to deliver a powerful blow, suddenly, a golden light burst forth from afar.

It wasn't Kizaru, but a golden Buddha tens of meters tall—although he looked somewhat disheveled, his powerful aura still far surpassed that of the three exhausted admirals.

The golden shockwave from the Buddha's light struck Sett squarely in the back, causing him to stagger. His beast-like consciousness felt the new impact. When he regained his senses, he was met with Sengoku's face, filled with ferocious rage: "Arhat Slayer of Demons!!!"

The Buddha's fist, seemingly forged from gold, was even larger than Sett himself—a furious strike. To get Sengoku to come to their aid, Garp and Zeff were essentially holding off an attack from three Sea Emperors on the New World's G5 battlefield!

Sett must be dealt with quickly—otherwise, those sea emperors will not give up!

Sengoku understood the importance of this matter better than anyone else, and therefore, no matter how much he favored Sett, he wouldn't allow Sengoku to show the slightest mercy.

A surge of violent power erupted. And facing the oncoming Buddha's fist, Sett unleashed an even more twisted roar: "Roar!!!!!"

His thick arms transformed into a storm once more, instantly filling the surrounding space with his jet-black, gold-plated iron fists. But along the way, Sengoku had been accumulating Buddhist power for an unknown period, and this punch embodied all of his strength. His devastating physique, facing a Sett who had exhausted his reserves, even with his storm-like combo, resulted in—Bang!—the impact was devastating.

In a continuous barrage, Sett's arms exploded into a bloody mist. But immediately afterward, muscles surged, cells self-devoured. His arms, now at supersonic speed, continued their relentless assault without pause. Shattering, self-devouring, regenerating, then shattering again—like an endless cycle. Under the relentless bombardment and constant self-devouring, Sett's body visibly grew increasingly emaciated, while Sengoku's seemingly golden Buddha-fist cracked at a visible rate.

In the end, however, the more seasoned Sengoku ultimately prevailed. Just before the golden light on his arm shattered completely, Sett's last reserves of power were exhausted along with his self-eating. Sengoku's Buddha Fist, like porcelain with cracked ice, lost its initial brilliance.

But it doesn't matter anymore—because all his muscles have withered and become weak. Sett is now like an empty balloon, and even his arms, which have turned into a bloody mist, can no longer regenerate through self-eating.

Just as they thought victory was assured, the moment the Buddha's fist touched Sett's body, Sett suddenly raised his head and roared. Aokiji, as if recalling some message, shouted, "Get out of the way! Marshal! Quickly!!!"

Hearing Kuzan's heart-wrenching roar, Sengoku was somewhat puzzled—because he clearly believed victory was assured. But immediately afterward, the intense sense of danger from his Observation Haki sent a chill down his spine, as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. A sense of impending doom, a powerful feeling of crisis, even from the Buddha's radiant form, sent shivers down Sengoku's spine.

No, Sengoku forcibly turned his body away. In that instant, the surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment—no, not just the air, but space and time as well, all seemed to lose their original concept at that moment.

The sound that echoed from Kuzan was none other than Sett's legendary strongest attack—the punch he delivered to Shanks under the mangrove tree at number 46 on Sabaody Archipelago.

Legend has it that Sett's strongest punch is a final strike whose destructive power grows stronger the more damage he receives!

That redhead only engaged in a grueling battle with Sett that altered the very fabric of the world, yet the accumulated power was enough to reduce an island to dust. And now, in the past three days of fierce fighting, Sett has died far more than ten times?

Under the extreme violence of the attack, the Holy City is now reduced to ruins. The surface soil alone was scraped away by the shockwave, with nearly five meters of it being torn apart. In the entire Holy Land of Mary Geoise, only the palace of the Five Elders is barely maintaining its basic structure under the protection of the unknown.

This accumulated power erupted in an instant...

Indeed, Sett no longer had an arm. But—a glimmer of light, like a candle flame in the abyss, rose from his previously extinguished gaze.

His back arched backward, and in that instant, the dragon of his spine unleashed a terrifying, earth-shattering force. Under the intense pressure, cracks appeared one after another in his vertebrae. But even so, Sett's movements did not falter in the slightest.

Whether it's a powerful punch or a headbutt, it doesn't matter anymore. In this instant, all Sett wants to do is unleash the raging, overwhelming power surging within him like a tsunami—

His taut spine suddenly relaxed, like a powerful crossbow bolt, his waist muscles contracting instantly, and Sett's head slammed out like a hammer blow—even though his body had already dodged, Sengoku's fist still struck—the instant Sett's head made contact with Sengoku's Buddha Fist. The cracks covering the golden Buddha Fist erupted from within, unleashing arcs of intense, lightning-like power!

Deliberate—a devastating punch!!!

With eyes wide in disbelief, Sengoku was struck head-on by a deliberate, powerful punch. Fueled by a surge of rage, his arm exploded inch by inch. His arm shattered, and endless blood soaked through the once radiant Buddha light. The magnificent Buddha body, seemingly cast in gold, shattered instantly. In mid-air, Sengoku's body was brutally pulverized from the towering golden Buddha into a blood-soaked, severely wounded corpse.

His eyes rolled back, and he instantly lost consciousness. Even with some preparation, the terrifying destructive power still left Kuzan and Sakazuki speechless, their eyes wide with disbelief and horror.

This was the first wave of Hao Yi's impact. Immediately following, the exploding Hao Yi transformed into a cataclysmic storm that seemed poised to engulf the earth. The surging energy, like a razor's edge, shattered the surface. With each impact, massive rocks from the Red Earth were swept into the air, only to be annihilated into fine dust within the storm. Growing larger and larger, the pillar of Hao Yi's light remained unyielding, completely piercing the entire Red Earth while relentlessly unleashing terrifying pressure upon the surrounding space.

A storm erupted, its violent force relentlessly eroding everything within a fan-shaped area in front of Sett. In that instant, even the Five Elders, who had been calmly observing, paled in shock. Accompanying this were the Celestial Dragons' elite guards leaping out of the shadows—their strength might not match that of an Admiral, but each was at least a Major General or even an elite Vice Admiral!

They activated their Armament Haki and joined forces to resist. But even so, they only managed to hold on for about ten seconds amidst the raging torrent of power.

The next moment, the protective barrier surrounding Holy King City shattered. The shockwave even caused all members, including the Five Elders, to cough up blood.

Just as they sensed death beckoning them, the dark figure atop the throne appeared instantly at the gates of the Holy King's City. But faced with the terrifying aura of power accumulated from dozens of deaths, even the mastermind behind the scenes, known as "Im," struggled to move. Finally, with an indescribable aura spreading and forces clashing, Im's body was sent hurtling through the air, only stopping when it crashed into the throne behind him.

He stood up and looked up. Of the entire Holy Land of Mary Geoise, only the Holy King's City remained floating in the air… yes, floating in the air. A massive, canyon-like chasm had been blasted open in the Holy King's City!

"As expected of Im-sama... uh..."

Just as he was about to turn around and flatter him, the Five Elders saw Im bathed in shadow, his gaze still cold and icy, but his chest was covered with the scarlet substance he had vomited, as if he had suffered a serious injury.

This was even after the deliberate punch was aimed at Sengoku, and the Five Elders and other guards had already suffered losses!

"Grab him... quick!"

Upon hearing Im's words, the Five Elders did not hesitate for a moment, and Im himself also stood up and took the lead, using Moonwalk to rush towards Sett.

But just then, Sett regained his senses. Though his consciousness was hazy, he was still clinging to life. He looked at Im's figure, which was less than half a meter away from him, and suddenly forced a smile onto his lips.

Then, he stomped his foot hard on the ground.

With the sound of bones breaking under the strain, deep blue arcane energy surged and gathered beneath Sett like a tide, covering an area of ​​nearly a hundred meters around Sett!

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I originally planned to write this 4k line, but after finishing it, I felt it suddenly stopped and I was stuck in a rut. So, I simply added another 2k and finished it.

Furthermore, there's no need to worry about plot points like losing all power or forcibly sealing one's strength to heal injuries... I, He Shouwu, am an experienced writer, and I won't write such toxic plots.

212· Winding Path and Leap

Standing inches from Sett, Im's eyes flashed with a cold, sharp light—he had coldly observed the entire battle. Even to Im, this guy named Sett was an existence beyond common sense and comprehension.

That vitality, so vigorous it was terrifying, could be considered legendary immortality... Even the legendary immortality surgery, which requires the user of the Op-Op Fruit to sacrifice their own life, only grants immortality, not true immortality.

And Sett's terrifying resurrection ability that he just displayed... that vigorous vitality, no one doubts that Sett could live for a thousand years without any external killing force.

As for the external forces that could kill him… judging by the terrifying destructive power Sett has displayed. Kill him? Don't be ridiculous. In three days and nights, Sett has been blasted to pieces dozens of times. But now… he's still stubbornly alive!

Not intending to kill Sett, Im's hand reached towards Sett's neck to grasp it—Sett held too many secrets. Especially that terrifying body; if he could, Im wouldn't mind using that physique himself.

When the two were less than half a meter apart, Im suddenly saw a cold smile on Sett's lips. With that smile, Im felt a chill run down his spine—after hundreds of years of lurking in the Holy King's City, he thought the world had become utterly dull, but now, suddenly encountering someone like Sett who defied all logic, Im felt not excitement, but an unprecedented sense of caution.

Just like now, almost the instant he saw Sett's cold smile, Im forcibly twisted his body to dodge behind him.

Immediately following that, accompanied by the sound of bones shattering as his foot stomped on the ground, a ring of deep blue surging energy appeared around Sett's feet.

The boiling arcane energy continued to gather, and its indescribable mystery made Im feel a deep sense of bewilderment—what exactly is this energy?

It was neither qi and blood, nor had I ever heard of a fruit in this form—the runes that kept flashing in the deep blue disc, one after another, were as incomprehensible as the underlying code of this world.

As the energy continued to converge, the surrounding space seemed to distort—Im dared not gamble.

Especially considering the precedent set by Sengoku – even a powerful figure like Sengoku, whose long-prepared Buddha's Light Fist was initially overwhelming when facing Sett, even nearly driving Sett to the brink of death, shattering his arms and almost killing him on the spot.

But what was the final result? A headbutt shattered Sengoku's arm. He only managed to dodge thanks to Kuzan's warning; otherwise, it wouldn't have been as simple as just being knocked unconscious by the force of the wind...

He himself was also severely injured by the raging, surging wind. This moment was just like that moment before.

Im dared not gamble on whether Sett still had a desperate self-destruct move left—at least, right now, the blue energy vortex was already causing a tangible distortion of space just from the overflowing energy!

Unfortunately, Im lost his bet.

Watching the scene of retreating hundreds of meters in an instant, Sett sneered: "Idiot."

Then, the path twists and turns!

Upon hearing Sett's sneer, Im reacted, his entire body blurring into a blur. Unfortunately, before it was Sett's turn, a surge of deep blue energy distorted the space around him. When everything returned to normal, Sett had vanished—leaving only a belated Im standing there.

After a moment of silence, under the slightly tense gazes of the Five Elders and the others, he let out a cold snort, and then vanished from the space, returning to his Holy King Palace...

Looking at the dark figure in the video, Whitebeard, who had stopped fighting, stroked his chin thoughtfully and remained silent for a long time before saying, "That dark figure... it seems the legend is true."

Upon hearing this, Kaido simply picked up his gourd and drank heavily. Despite the strong alcohol, Kaido showed no signs of intoxication. On the contrary, his eyes were filled with seriousness.

“Rocks…and Roger. It seems it’s true…but it doesn’t matter, because now they have a more troublesome guy.”

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone knew who Kaido was referring to—even if his body was emaciated and his arms were riddled with bones and flesh, he looked as if he could die at any moment. But until Sett's body was seen, no one dared to say that Sett was truly dead.

After all, Sett had already resurrected countless times before this...

Whitebeard, standing nearby, burst into laughter: "Kurararararar~~ Speaking of which, Kaido, it seems your nickname will no longer belong to you~~~"

"Hmph, who cares!" he scoffed. Although he said he didn't care, Kaido's expression clearly told everyone that he wasn't as indifferent as he claimed... The title of "Unkillable" was earned by Kaido through sheer hard work. And now, having handed it over, it would be a lie to say that Kaido wasn't upset.

But Kaido also knew very well that even he could never achieve the terrifying feats of Sett… Facing the siege of three admirals, he not only held out for three days and three nights, but he even nearly smashed them to death one by one with his fists. Finally, he took down the Fleet Admiral with a headbutt. More importantly, there was that legendary shadowy figure—the one without reason. If Sett had reason, Kaido had no doubt that if he had changed his target and focused his headbutt on Holy King Castle, one more headbutt would have disbanded the World Government that very day…

"Damn it... that kid actually managed to escape... what kind of monster is he, growing up way too fast."

Upon hearing Garp's voice, Whitebeard glanced at Garp with a helpless expression, then said disdainfully, "Stop pretending. If you weren't practically Sett's mentor, you'd probably be lying on the ground with Zeff right now!"

Just as Whitebeard said, although Garp felt somewhat helpless and regretful that such a talented guy as Sett was drifting further and further away from the Navy, and even directly opposing the World Government, there was no denying that Garp, who had guided Sett for a period of time during his growth period, now had a kind of get-out-of-jail-free card—as long as Sett was still alive, no one would easily kill Garp.