Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

"Alright! Alright! We'll serve the food right away!"

Upon hearing Sett's words, the manager, bowing obsequiously, hurriedly instructed the kitchen staff to speed up the serving. Before the roast meat was even cooked, various drinks were brought out, including some of their personal collections.

She remained silent. Robin now understood that Sett's so-called low profile was completely different from what normal people understood as low profile.

“But this is something you would do, Sett.” There was no honorific in her words, because Robin knew that Sett never liked being called “sir” or “gentleman,” especially by those close to him. So, Robin spoke more freely: “Sometimes I wonder if Sett had become like Mr. Fujitora, would we still be together like this?”

"Fujitora?" Upon hearing this, he chuckled and asked, "What kind of person do you think Fujitora is?"

"Uh... steady, down-to-earth... something like that?" Robin tentatively replied.

Sett laughed out loud at this: "Being steady is one thing, but why do you think he's simple and honest?"

Is Mr. Fujitora complicated?

"What do you think?" Sett slammed the bottle shut with his thumb, downing his drink as he spoke. "Think carefully about what Fujitora looks like. How could a blind man daring to drift alone on the high seas be an ordinary person?"

"Besides his abilities, guess if he's ever tried using the Gravity Fruit to control fixed dice to make money?"

Upon hearing this, Robin thought for a moment. He scratched his head helplessly... it seemed so.

It's common knowledge that Mr. Fujitora is a gambler. As the saying goes, nine out of ten gamblers lose, yet Fujitora, wandering the seas alone, is never short of money… It's likely that he started using his abilities to earn money after he'd lost most of his initial capital…

36. Overbearing

The image of Mr. Fujitora's solemn and dignified appearance flashed through my mind, and then I remembered that Fujitora had squandered all his money gambling, so he began to cheat by manipulating gravity to control the numbers on the dice...

Robin pursed his lips, feeling a slight headache. Although he knew this contradicted Fujitora's character, it was like that saying: To truly win every time in a casino by sheer luck... that person is still in that small mountain village in the East Blue.

If it were really just luck, even Mr. Fujitora probably wouldn't have lasted long... But now Mr. Fujitora can still freely roam the seas without worrying about money, which must be inseparable from his own abilities.

“It’s hard to imagine…” Robin said, picking up a piece of oven-roasted rib. It must be a bull’s rib, sizzling and dripping with oil from being roasted in the oven, the tender and juicy meat bursting with flavor. One bite and the aroma of spices and the natural freshness of the beef exploded in your mouth like a bomb.

The delicious barbecue sauce has a refreshing lemony finish that prevents it from feeling greasy at all.

Although it was steak, Sett made no attempt to slowly and carefully cut it with a knife and fork. His large, broad hand paid no heed to the rising steam, the rich fat, and the spices on the steak. He grabbed it, rolled up two leaves of greens, and shoved it into his mouth with a clatter.

"Mondo, you should eat something too."

Sett's cheeks were puffed out, making him look like a hamster. But while the word "hamster" might be cute on other people, on Sett it looked more like he was eating human flesh... Well, that might have something to do with Sett's wolverine genes.

But it doesn't matter.

Upon hearing Sett's words, Mundo retracted his tongue. Then he babbled something incomprehensible to most people before stuffing large chunks of roasted meat into his mouth.

With each chew, the sound of bones breaking echoed. No one doubted Mundo's ferocious nature; he was capable of truly eating people alive—a feat Sett could easily concede defeat in.

In contrast, Robin, who had been pondering Fujitora's matter, had a hint of emotion in her eyes.

Seeing this, Sett glanced at Robin beside him, chuckled, and said, "Don't you think this is a detail I wouldn't normally notice?"

"Uh... how could that be?" Robin quickly coughed lightly, lowering her head, and said, "I've always believed in Mr. Sett..."

"You just called me 'sir,' right?"

"Ah! I'm sorry..."

Looking at Robin sitting behind him, Sett said nonchalantly, "You call me 'sir' when you're nervous. Of course, you probably don't even realize it yourself."

"Is that so?" Robin seemed lost in memories.

In fact, Robin's surprise stemmed not only from Sett's ability to guess some of Fujitora's secrets, but also from Sett's earlier understated remarks... namely, that there are many extraordinary people in this world.

In Robin's previous interactions, she thought Sett was just a simple-minded brute... or perhaps, his previous low-key remarks were completely unlike what she remembered Sett saying to her.

Sett, however, took it all in stride and wasn't angry. Instead, he continued, "This world is absurd. I want to be the big boss, not a short-lived one. Remember that, my little manager... so I don't have to remind my little steward what to do in the future."

There wasn't much sarcasm or irony; Sett's words were more playful and teasing. While Sett often appeared rough and arrogant with outsiders, he was incredibly tolerant of those he approved of, or rather, his family—spoiled, what's wrong with that?!

At least in Sett's opinion, being protective of one's own should definitely be considered a virtue!

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Sett waved his hand, indicating that they should go somewhere else to enjoy themselves. Seeing this, Robin took out the Berries he had prepared beforehand from his clothes.

A thick wad of banknotes was placed on the table, but the shopkeeper next to him dared not accept it.

Clutching the banknotes, he walked over with a fawning smile and said to Sett, "Um, Lord Sett... it's already an honor for us to have you here for dinner, how could we possibly accept your payment..."

Upon hearing this, Sett spat dismissively. The spittle flew through the air with a sharp whistling sound. It was more like a bullet than spittle, shattering a thick wine bottle with a thud.

Somewhat impatiently, Sett grabbed his boss's tie and wiped his mouth, saying with a look of annoyance:

"I'm giving you something...you dare refuse it, right?"

"No! No!!"

Sensing Sett's agitation, the shopkeeper didn't say a word, put the money away again, and didn't dare to breathe loudly again—until Sett walked away.

On a distant rooftop, watching this scene unfold in the bustling city through binoculars, a robust young man swallowed hard, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.

37. Admitting Defeat

Night falls, seven o'clock in the evening. It's the time when people finish their workday and go home to relax. It's also when people's mental state is at its most vibrant—in this world where individual strength transcends the heavens, there's no such thing as overtime.

Similarly, with boundless energy and nowhere to release it, people naturally seek out various places to address their physiological needs—and casinos are undoubtedly an excellent choice.

"Hahaha!! I'm back!!!"

They entered the somewhat dilapidated casino. Sett's appearance triggered a fierce roar from the gamblers, already somewhat aroused by the foreplay.

Previously, Sett's popularity was somewhat affected because the fight between Sett and Fujitora ended inconclusively. But was this impact significant? Not really... because even a blind person could see Fujitora's strength.

Especially this morning, they witnessed Sett brutally beating up a Capone family executive—a momentous event for those with ulterior motives, potentially impacting the division of power on Antwerp Island. But for the gamblers, blinded by greed, all they felt was Sett's power. The hype, which had subsided somewhat due to Fujitora, surged to its peak after the morning's build-up. It even surpassed the buzz surrounding Sett's debut—killing those two poor bastards!

It's a little sad to say, but Sett has even forgotten the names of the two guys he killed in his debut... but it doesn't matter, they were trash anyway.

"Your emperor has returned!!"

Sett strode arrogantly into the ring. Following behind Sett was Mundo, who looked completely bewildered and didn't seem to understand what was going on.

Today's fight is a team fight—in other words, a fight between two gangs. There wasn't such a thing as gang fights before. Presumably, this is a form of revenge chosen by Witt after his defeat at Sett's hands.

Sett has always been open to such retaliatory measures.

After all, why wouldn't you punch a punching bag that's been handed to you?

Not long after Sett and Mundo entered, members of the Hammer Clan also took turns entering. However, compared to Sett, they received far less cheers—the most famous member of the Hammer Clan was Vaseno, whom Sett had previously killed.

Is that the name? But it doesn't really matter. Now, with Hammer of the Hammerfist gang dead, and Sett's terrifying fighting prowess, it's safe to say that few people have high hopes for this group… Of course, even excluding Hammer and Senova, the Hammerfist gang still has a few strong core members. Relying on their numerical advantage, some gamblers still want to try their luck.

When this behavior has a good outcome, it's called "taking a gamble and turning a bicycle into a motorcycle." When it has a bad outcome, it's called "others suffer small losses while I go bankrupt."

The man standing at the very front of the Heavy Hammer Gang wasn't the burly man people expected. He was just a young man who looked very robust... but only robust, not exactly strong.

In this world, a strong person must be at least three meters tall.

Sett didn't sense much of a surge of youthful energy from the young man—could he be another Devil Fruit user? As he thought this, a hint of seriousness appeared in Sett's eyes—the Devil Fruit might not be able to cause Sett much harm, but one thing was certain: it would be extremely troublesome.

Since that's the case, then blast him to smithereens the moment the match begins—Relying too much on Devil Fruit abilities while neglecting one's physical body is something Sett wouldn't even bother calling an idiot.

Staring at Sett before him, as the commentator announced the start of the match, the young man's body blurred into a blur, collapsing to the ground with lightning speed; "I surrender!!!"

The fist, gleaming with golden light, stopped half an inch in front of the young man. The force of the punch bypassed the young man and sent the other members of the boxing gang flying.

With a hint of annoyance on his face: "What the hell...did you say? Surrender?"

"I surrender! We surrender!!"

The young man didn't care at all and repeated it several times with a serious expression. Even Sett's face showed a hint of unspoken disdain upon receiving the boy's affirmation.

The young man looked somewhat helpless and said, "Our boss, Heavy Hammer Vannosen, has already been killed by you... I thought you would at least have some injuries after fighting that blind man. But this morning I saw that you were completely fine."

"You can even defeat people with Devil Fruits, how could ordinary people like us possibly be your match?"

"Damn it... I've run into a bunch of cowards." Sett rubbed his temples in annoyance. Then he shrugged indifferently and said with a hint of impatience, "Say your last words quickly... You know the rules of boxing, even if you admit defeat and beg for mercy, I won't stop."

"Can you take us on as your underlings?!" The Hammer Gang members, who fought in underground boxing matches, looked at Sett expectantly.

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I've been on a good writing streak lately... Did you think I was talking about typing?

No, I mean eternal damnation.

Recently, I've been playing solo for five games and won three out of five. In a three-player match, I killed thirteen opponents with the "Buddha Hammer" skill, resulting in 20,000 damage. My performance has been ridiculously good.

38. Storm Gathering

Sett felt somewhat helpless.

Because these guys seemed to have made up their minds, no matter how much Sett threatened them, they remained unmoved and uncomplaining.

Sett was alright, but the audience was already hurling insults. Shouts of "Refund!" echoed everywhere. Only this time, the man in red wasn't there—he had bet on Sett to win.

However, one thing cannot be denied – that is, every gang needs to have some henchmen.

Sett's target isn't some small-time thug. As a boss, Sett can bully and dominate, but that doesn't mean he'll collect protection money on the streets or personally deliver challenges.

For the leader to do that kind of thing is incredibly degrading, no matter how you look at it.

"Fine," Sett said from the side, "then how about this? I'll hold back a bit, and you guys fight me. If you feel it goes well, your Heavy Hammer Gang will be incorporated into my ranks."

“Good!” The young man nodded, looking at Sett with a mixture of fighting spirit and a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Sett's arrogance is undeniable—and as an enemy, it's certainly annoying. But as a man, who wouldn't want to be as arrogant as Sett, with the resources to do so? To live a life of freedom and adventure, roaming the land with a sword?

Unfortunately, even with his strength restored, Sett's power remained invincible. Knowing he hadn't even clenched his fists, he simply swung his body a few times as they charged, sending the burly men flying in all directions as if they'd been hit head-on by a dump truck.

Feeling the force emanating from them, Sett only felt somewhat bored—in the past, Sett might have been interested in scoring points. Unfortunately, after his battle with Fujitora, Sett's standards for his enemies had risen.

"What's your name?"

Faced with Sett's questioning, Pad took a deep breath, forced himself to stand up, and said, "My name is Pad."

"Okay, you're the one. Bring some people and wait for me at the casino entrance tomorrow... Damn it, tonight's game wasn't even real play."

"Good boss!"

Completely ignoring Sett's second half of his sentence, Pard was simply grateful to have survived. He glanced at his brothers beside him and shook his head helplessly—ever since their former leader, Vannothon the Hammer, was killed, the Hammer gang members had begun to drift apart. Having grown up in the Hammer gang, Pard had a deep affection for them.

But clearly, at this point, the Hammer Gang needs to make a change...

"The Skullcrushers? At least the name sounds impressive..."