Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

The powers of the two fruits combined, creating an inward-compressing force in addition to the inherent power of the threads themselves. Even Sett felt a sense of constraint, unable to move freely. Upon witnessing this, Crocodile, without hesitation, manipulated sand to infuse the outer shell of the threads. Simultaneously, it adhered to Sett's exposed body, continuously absorbing moisture. Unfortunately, even with the restraints, Sett's physical strength surpassed expectations. No matter how much Crocodile increased his energy output, he couldn't absorb a single drop of moisture from Sett's body—it felt as if Sett's skin was covered in steel!

Seeing a glimmer of hope for escape, the other pirates around him joined in to help. In an instant, all sorts of substances and Devil Fruit abilities, manipulated by different pirates, began to adhere to the area where Sett was located. Even the sphere, which was originally only about seven meters in diameter, began to expand continuously. Later, it hung in the air like a star under the control of Shiki.

But it was at this moment—

Being trapped inside, Sett felt only annoyance and nausea—in a direct confrontation, even if he was at a disadvantage, Sett would still enjoy continuing the bloody, flesh-on-flesh battle and tank-on-tank combat. But now, suppressed inside the hard-shelled, soft-core, viscous artificial meteorite, Sett felt a strange sense of unease constantly gathering and settling in his chest.

The feeling of unease continued to build—unable to move, unable to use violence. The surrounding environment had been forcibly altered to a state unsuitable for action. But it was at this moment that a long-buried memory suddenly rose from the depths of Sett's heart—it wasn't Sett's own technique, nor did it come from the system, but rather it was a strike he had felt from Roger in Shanks' hands during the previous battle.

The Divine Escape—no, what Sett truly remembered wasn't how powerful the Divine Escape was. It was the intense willpower brewing within it.

Armament Haki? No… Sett knew very well that it wasn’t Armament Haki—because Armament Haki only contains the power of human blood and qi, and does not contain human will.

Previously, Sett couldn't understand what that aura was—similarly, Sett was also puzzled by Conqueror's Haki. If it can only stun the weak, does Conqueror's Haki really have any meaning?

This question disappeared after I awakened Conqueror's Haki... If there's a reason for this, it's because, like Armament Haki, Conqueror's Haki can also be applied to weapons and iron fists—

Their eyes snapped open—just as the prisoners were cheering and jumping for joy, a terrifying pressure, centered on the artificial meteorite, enveloped the entire Impel Down!

--------

I watched episodes 4, 5, and 6 of the Battle of Two Cities. I'm speechless. Jayce, you're such a pathetic little brother! While I'm coughing up blood in the lab, you're spewing nonsense in bed. From now on, when I play jungle, I'll definitely stay in the top lane so you'll know what military training really means!

250·Carrying

Unable to move? No problem... it doesn't matter.

Suppressed within the artificial satellite that resembled a planetary explosion, Sett's gaze was incredibly distant—as mentioned before, Sett hadn't drawn any skills for his own use in a long time. If he had to pick one, he would only keep skills like Death's Descent that directly enhanced his physique; for other skills, Sett usually exchanged them for potions.

Sett understands the principle of not biting off more than he can chew—and he has long since passed the accumulation phase. What Sett needs to do now is compress; he needs to transform all the abilities he possesses into techniques. Especially the terrifying power displayed when he goes berserk, those terrifying techniques released based on his body's instincts—that's what Sett should truly master…

A bird in your hand is worth more than a hundred birds in the forest.

Now, Sett begins to recall—where does his power originate? From his muscles? Perhaps, but not entirely. Because muscles are merely the points of force exertion. What truly controls the output of power is the receptors in his brain, his own consciousness. And every time Sett unleashes his strongest finishing move, it's always been like this… an emotion, an anger.

Sett knew perfectly well that he couldn't feel pain from his wounds, but he could feel anger—especially now, when his body was completely immobile and everything around him was filled with inward pressure. Since that was the case, he might as well just unleash all his emotions and will at once.

In the current environment, the only emotion Sett can easily evoke is anger. Maintaining anger has always been the simplest way for Sett to sustain his fighting power!

He suddenly opened his eyes, and Conqueror's Haki surged outwards like a tidal wave. Immediately afterward, a golden light shot from Sett's gaze—not as terrifying as the Life Form Disintegration Ray; this golden light didn't exhibit any terrifying destructive power at the moment of its eruption. Those outside could clearly feel that the Conqueror's Haki, which had been sweeping outwards like a tidal wave, suddenly froze.

The feeling was like a tsunami about to engulf the entire world being frozen in time. The next moment, time seemed to reverse. The surging Conqueror's Haki, as if drawn by something, swirled towards the artificial star spiral—infused into it, and then...

boom!!!!!

A beam of light shattered the entire stardust from below. Terrifying power spread unchecked, and cracks began to appear at both ends of the pierced stardust. In an instant, the once rough stardust crumbled like parched earth. With a deafening crash, Sett's eyes blazed with fury, and the Golden Lion beside him widened his own—this aura was all too familiar to the Golden Lion.

More than once, before entering Impel Down, Shiki had felt this terrifying power and fought against it more than once—however, what Shiki fought against was not Sett, but the sword of the Pirate King Roger.

That strike, known as "Divine Evasion" and also as "Conqueror's Haki Entanglement"!!!

Conqueror's Haki manifested as jet-black lightning, and a sinister smile rose in Sett's eyes: "It's all thanks to you guys—if it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know how to build up my willpower!!!"

As he spoke, Sett clenched his right fist. With bulging veins, a terrifying pressure spread outwards from Sett. The ground, which had been standing firm, seemed to gain weight instantly; despite no apparent movement, the ground suddenly pressed down, becoming even more solid. And around this land, compressed by Sett's ferocious will, visible cracks appeared everywhere.

Before everyone's eyes, a golden orb of light had appeared in Sett's clenched iron fist. It was scorching and violent, giving the impression that a blazing sun had appeared within Sett's fist. However, unlike the sun's intense heat, this sun emanated a terrifying pressure—not just physical, but also spiritual. Love, the moment it was bathed in this light, felt an unprecedented fear.

That captivating power steadily gathered in Sett's palm, and then, with a sudden slam, he unleashed a strike towards the crowd before him—the golden light in his eyes turned crimson, and in that instant, jet-black lightning, dazzling ambition, and raging fury coalesced into a single beam. Wherever it passed, everything within sight seemed to lose its luster.

"Kurikara—Immovable Strike!!!"

He could continuously accumulate power through his mind without moving, and now, this accumulating rage, combined with physical violence, coalesced into a single force. The moment his iron fist swung, the air roared, and the intense force shattered the walls of Impel Down. Wherever it passed, terrifying power tore open a vacuum, and the violent airflow caused a blizzard to rage in the already frigid Arctic Hell. The weaker pirates within were unable to control themselves and were swallowed by the storm, their bodies swirling wildly in the air. At the forefront, Golden Lion felt an immense pressure emanating from his body.

The excruciating pain of tearing flesh accompanied by the sound of breaking bones sent Shiki flying uncontrollably against a nearby wall. Immediately afterward, seawater flooded in. Seemingly realizing the danger, the Impel Down Marines swiftly manipulated various instruments, and thick steel plates appeared in the gaping wall—originally intended to deal with Sea Kings, but now only good for preventing seawater from entering—otherwise, once the seawater entered, all life below the surface, whether pirates or jailers, would be doomed!

Even so, against Sett's terrifying destructive power and the clash of these top-tier sea warriors, the fifth floor was already on the verge of collapse and could no longer hold on. With a cracking sound, everyone felt the rocks beneath their feet loosen. Then, a series of rumbling sounds erupted.

"Damn it! The fifth floor has collapsed!! Everyone prepare to evacuate!!!"

Seeing this on the monitor, Magellan gritted his teeth—the fifth and sixth floors, forming the foundation of Impel Down, were arguably the most solid parts of the entire underwater prison. The central support structure, in particular, was constructed with high-strength walls made of a special alloy mixed with seastone. It could be said that even if Whitebeard, who possessed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, came here, it would take at least half an hour of continuous tremors to completely shake Impel Down's foundation and destroy all the supporting nodes.

And now, after a long and high-quality battle, it finally collapsed completely under Sett's punch!

The fifth level collapsed, causing structural imbalance. This means that the mechanical structure of Impel Down will suffer irreversible damage. In particular, the spot directly in front of Sett—none other than the entire load-bearing pillar of Impel Down—has developed a visible crack. In at most ten minutes, Impel Down will completely collapse as a result.

But just then, Hannibal's voice came through the communicator. Through the layers of smoke and dust, Hannibal's voice was filled with shock: "Wait! Wait! The supporting pillars haven't completely collapsed yet!!!"

"Um?!"

Upon hearing Hannibal's words, Magellan raised an eyebrow—no collapse? What does that mean? Magellan had just witnessed a massive, visible fracture in the supporting pillar.

As Hannibal spoke, the smoke and dust gradually dissipated, revealing Sett's muscular, work of art-like physique. Straight and imposing, he stood like a giant supporting the heavens. Sett's left arm was raised high, and a terrifying pressure emanated from him like a tidal wave. His imposing presence was palpable, his muscles bulging with every detail. Even his long hair danced wildly in the air like flames.

And what about the broken load-bearing pillar of Impel Down? That's right, it's in Sett's hands. That pillar, which played a crucial role in reinforcing Impel Down's structure, had a radius of nearly five meters. Even Sett, standing before it, appeared as insignificant as an ant—and keep in mind, Impel Down was built on the seabed!

Under the immense weight, Sett's bones creaked and groaned under the strain. Yet, all Sett felt was a strange sense of relief—the immense pressure felt like being under a heavy hammer, and blood even began to seep from his joints. But even in this state, Sett's body remained unshaken. On the contrary, his spirit soared, his terrifying aura like a surging, unstoppable wave! Meanwhile, the pirates around him felt a sense of despair—with the collapse of the fifth floor, only a narrow passage remained leading upwards.

As the main structure collapsed, the entrance to the passage was located right behind Sett—in other words, even though Sett couldn't move an inch due to the weight of the entire Impel Down enclosure, the pirates would have to rush past Sett and enter the passage to leave.

But looking at Sett's towering figure, even the Golden Lion could only feel powerless to help...

"Hmph...Hmph...Hahahahahaha!!!!"

Despite the effort, Sett wasn't struggling to catch his breath; on the contrary, his expression was incredibly arrogant, even bordering on ferocious. Looking at Sett, his eyes were filled with disdain and contempt.

Even with the abyss on my back and Impeldown in my hand, I, Sett, am still invincible in this world!!!

--------------

Two more chapters to go...dzz, there should only be one left, but I canceled some unused phone cards today, so I'll probably have to stay up all night for the remaining two chapters.

251. Replication Capability

Human strength has its limits—including Sett's.

If it were the Sett from before, there would be absolutely no way to deal with this level of weight—unless he went berserk and gritted his teeth and persevered through reckless physical exertion.

But now, Sett hasn't gone berserk; he can still perfectly control everything—and the reason is quite simple: Sett has mastered a new key. That is, the ability to control Conqueror's Haki, or—the key to transforming willpower into power.

Fueled by rising rage, Sett's breathing became heavy, and steam billowed from every pore of his body. Driven by anger, his heart pounded like a nuclear reactor. He exhaled heavily, and then a faint purple light flashed in his eyes. Sensing the impending danger, boom—

The Disintegration Ray pierced straight through the main structure of Impel Down. With a mere turn of the head, dozens of powerful pirates were instantly reduced to inorganic dust amidst the ruins. Even so, some relentless pirates still tried to seize the opportunity to escape through the exit beside Sett. But as Sett said, even with his body constrained by the weight of Impel Down's main structure, Sett still possessed the terrifying power of everyone present.

He didn't even need to move his body much; with a simple swing of his right arm, the surging energy shattered the figure—but that was definitely not a good solution.

Looking around, Sett knew very well that if his body and will were fixed under Impel Down, these depraved criminals in front of him would definitely come up with even more vicious ideas—such as breaking through the outer walls of Impel Down and letting the seawater rush in.

Don't assume they wouldn't do it—even if the outside were teeming with Sea Kings, even if the outer walls were breached, they wouldn't escape unscathed. But after decades of imprisonment, for these vicious criminals, as long as there's a chance to escape, they'll still choose to act without hesitation, even risking their lives—because pirates are gamblers. In their worldview, it's either live life to the fullest or die instantly! They didn't choose suicide before to wait for Impel Down to collapse. But now, anyone with independent thought knows—after this incident, regardless of public opinion surrounding Impel Down, the World Government will further strengthen its security.

In other words, this was the only chance, the only chance to escape alive—it's hard to imagine a group of villains making such a cruel decision in the face of such an opportunity. For them, even if everyone in Impel Down died, they wouldn't waver in the slightest!

Thinking this, Sett's eyes narrowed slightly—although the problem seemed simple, requiring only the search for a new support, it was actually not so simple… because Sett knew very well that he was able to take over the load-bearing beam because he had supported it the instant the beam cracked.

Many people believe that after a load-bearing column is broken, it can be repaired by repainting with steel bars and paint—but in reality, that's ineffective. Because the moment a load-bearing column breaks, the building's structural integrity is irreversibly damaged. No matter how much repair is done, the building's lifespan will be affected—simply put, it will always be a dangerous building. Let's take an ordinary person's house as an example.

Normal houses are built with a lifespan of seventy years. However, once a load-bearing wall is damaged, even with repairs, its lifespan is reduced to forty years. Impel Down was in a much worse situation—Sett managed to prop it up the instant the load-bearing pillar broke. Otherwise, Impel Down would probably be a pile of junk on the seabed by now.

But just then, a chaotic sound suddenly arose from the ruins nearby. Accompanied by the writhing of flesh and blood, Katarina, covered in blood and with not a single unscathed piece of flesh, stood up abruptly.

Upon seeing Katarina, not only others but even Sett's eyes showed a hint of surprise—she was still alive?

Sett knew very well that even without considering the highly corrosive Void Arcane Power, the plasma capable of dissolving objects possessed terrifying temperatures. Back then, Akainu had only been grazed by Sett's ray, and in a moment of carelessness, he had lost an arm. And now, with her body pierced through, Katarina was still alive?

Katarina simply kept chewing—chewing and chewing. Looking up, everyone could see what she was chewing.

That was Sett's flesh and blood.

In the previous battle, Sett was ambushed by the Golden Lion "Thousand Cut Valley," and his flesh and blood were flying everywhere—but no one paid attention at the time. Now, as Katarina chews away, what is in her mouth is none other than Sett's flesh and blood.

"I almost forgot." Upon seeing this, the Golden Lion raised an eyebrow and said, "The other ability of the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit."

Catarina's ability to roam the seas isn't solely due to the terrifying body of the nine-tailed fox and the intense heat of its foxfire. Another crucial factor is the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit's versatile ability to evade attacks—allowing Catarina to freely transform her appearance into that of others.

Furthermore, given enough flesh and blood, Katarina could even copy the abilities of others using the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit—just like now, as Katarina's body began to swell before people's eyes, much like Sett, with terrifying aura emanating from her. Thick muscle fibers burst through her skin, and the terrifying power was almost tangible, visible to the naked eye.

"What you don't know..." Feeling the power surging within her, Katarina gritted her teeth and grinned maliciously, "Besides being able to transform one's appearance into another's, the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit, when fully activated, can also copy the power of others!!! -- However, this ability can only be used once in a lifetime! If it's not the strongest person being copied, this ability is meaningless. But right now, I can't care about that!! Everything you have is mine!!! You brat!!!"

As Katarina spoke, not only her muscles, but even the depths of her eyes revealed a deep purple crack.

Faced with all this, Sett's eyes only held amusement—copying? That sounded interesting. But Sett wasn't afraid of such things. After all, it was uncertain how much of what was stolen through copying could actually be retained. And more importantly, Sett's power wasn't as simple as it seemed—especially considering what Katarina was currently doing.

The Lifeform Disintegration Ray—that's the power of the Void. Sett was completely unaffected because of the system's protection—but even in this situation, Sett's use of the Lifeform Disintegration Ray was only the most basic method. That is, simply disintegrating the opponent without understanding the knowledge gained after disintegration.

Sett could have chosen to acquire this fragmented knowledge... but he didn't. The reason is simple: the Void's terrifying corrupting power.

Like Malzahar, the prophet of the Void, his spirit was corrupted by the Void Watchers because he mistakenly accepted the Void, transforming him from an independent individual into a servant and lackey of the Void. To others, Malzahar led the Void to devour mortals. But to Malzahar, he was merely performing a sacrifice to the Void. Just as his name suggests—"The Cold-Blooded Lightbringer."

As Sett watched with amusement, Katarina's muscles and body continued to swell, but soon, panic flashed in her eyes: "No, what is this? No!! Get away! Get out of here!!! Ahhhhhh!!!!"

She collapsed to the ground, as if countless insects were gnawing at her body. Katarina's towering frame rolled about relentlessly, the deep purple in her eyes expanding and expanding. Finally, the deep purple void filled her entire eyelids, tearing open her eye sockets and spreading like cracks across her body.

Her sanity crumbled; the Void Arcane corrupted Katarina's entire being. Unlike Malzahar's corruption and sacrifice, the Lifeform Disintegration Ray connected her to the Eye of the Void—a Void being succumbing only to the thirst for knowledge. And the instant the connection was established, without any systemic protection, Katarina's consciousness was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of knowledge. She collapsed to the ground, and then, before everyone's eyes, Katarina's body began a horrific transformation.

On one side was Sett's terrifying life force, his flesh surging with power; on the other was his body, gradually crumbling under the erosion of the Void. To prevent the Void from spreading in this world, Sett, who had been indifferently watching Katarina's death, did not hesitate. The moment Katarina's will dissipated, he used the Life Form Disintegration Ray to decompose and assimilate her, causing her to completely disappear from this world.

"Too greedy. After sensing my power, it wanted to go even further."

Sett was well aware of Katarina's condition—if she was only copying a portion of Sett's flesh and blood strength, then given Katarina's resilient foundation, it wasn't impossible.

Unfortunately, after sensing the power of the Void, Katarina didn't stop, but instead absorbed it even further… and this sealed her fate. Unlike power gained through self-enhancement and training, the power of the Void originates from the Void itself. Theoretically, submitting to the Void grants immediate and terrifying power. However, the price the Void pays is something it won't tell you.

The void only marks prices in the dark... In the dark void of the present world, perhaps another soul that cannot be reborn has been added.

252 The Death of the Golden Lion

The Void is an untouchable entity—in the lore of League of Legends, the destruction of Shurima is inextricably linked to the Void. Even the so-called Darkin are ascended beings corrupted by the Void.

Sett is well aware of his own personality—whether it's innate or due to his Vastaya half-beast bloodline, Sett has never been a rational person. He often prefers to solve problems in a simple and brutal way—and the Void's corrupting power is simply too strong. Therefore, even now, Sett only uses the life form disintegration ray to the bare minimum.

Just like before, using his eyes as portals connecting to the void, releasing rays by opening and closing them—this crudest method could only unleash the minimum power to disintegrate life forms. But undeniably, it was also the safest. Like a nuclear missile launch system, it required no computers, no networks, all isolated by primitive physical means. Sett had no intention of delving into this scholarly skill in his lifetime.

Trying to understand this kind of thing is just asking for trouble—you can see that from the mages in League of Legends. Aside from a few exceptions, how many are actually normal?

Karthus, the Death Singer who believes death is the true purity and beauty; the Void Prophet, who believes the Void is the future and truth of this world; Annie, lost in eternal innocence due to her innate understanding of fire magic; the Crimson Reaper, who craves blood to build a fanatical cult and consume blood; the Ancient Witch Spirit, who lost his physical form and transformed into pure arcane energy and was bewitched by dark magic… there isn’t a single normal person among the mages.

Even the seemingly most normal Lux became a glorious traitor because of the appearance of Sylas, the man who stole her—when Akshan shot Lux, quite a few Demacians should have been resurrected.

Would you feel better if I apologized?

In contrast, look at the backstories of warrior heroes. While they may have some twists and turns, at least many of them are still normal people. They are mostly victims of fate, unlike mages, who are often either pure and innocent or mentally unstable. Simply put, they've become obsessed with magic. Stay as far away from these guys as possible; every single one of them is a jinx, utterly unlucky.

Just like Katarina now, if it weren't for Sett's presence, the arcane power emanating from Katarina would have been enough to turn this entire sea into resources for the void. Now, through the Lifeform Disintegration Ray, Katarina's body has completely lost its life force, and her soul has been captured and lost in the void. All that remains is an empty shell, like a rock, but harder than ordinary rock.