Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

277·On the Eve of the Opening

"What the heck? Reeds's gotten into trouble again?"

Upon hearing Tina's report, Sett's face was filled with astonishment, which then turned into helplessness: "Didn't I tell that kid to stay put and spend all his time studying in the tavern except for playing matches?... Could it be that he didn't listen to me?"

Sett exclaimed with delight, "That would be wonderful!!"

Heavens have mercy, one of Sett's biggest pet peeves is being mythologized, treated as a role model, and seen as a good person. The reason for this is that, in any world, people tend to be lenient towards villains, but extremely harsh on kind people, always trying to prove that they aren't perfect.

Even in Sett's City, his territory, all the residents knew that although Lord Sett was generous and brought them justice and peace, he privately entrusted almost all government affairs to Robin, spending his days drinking and boxing.

Among them, Redus was the most unique. As a former slave of a Celestial Dragon, this guy's thought process was utterly abnormal. Incredibly dense...

"..."

Just as he was feeling happy, he was met with Tina's blank expression—and Sett immediately knew that things were probably not as he had initially planned.

Slightly annoyed, Sett picked up a glass of beer and savored the aroma of malt and hops. With a disgruntled look, he said, "Okay, tell me what he did wrong this time."

"In the bar, a big pirate from the New World got drunk and started badmouthing you, and then he overheard it... um, that's it."

Hearing Tina's words, Sett sighed helplessly. Then he looked at Robin beside him: "Haven't those Gachi guys figured out a way to make Devil Fruit users a little more normal yet?"

“No.” Robin shrugged nonchalantly. “Actually, Gazhi has already given up… You know, the brain is the most intricate component of the human body. Even according to Dr. Vincent’s paper, artificial organs powered by Hextech crystals can at most replace the heart. The intricacy of the brain cannot be replicated.”

"Fine..." Hearing this, Sett looked at Tina with some displeasure: "Then why don't you go and try to persuade him?"

"Tina? Tina won't have it!" Hearing Sett's words, Tina's eyes widened, and she said, "You know what kind of brain Redus has. The moment that guy sees me, he calls me 'Mistress' or something, like he's worshipping me! Even if I scold him, he thinks it's because you're giving him a hard time! If you ask me, why did I bring him back in the first place! Is the Fruit of Devotion really something a human can eat?!"

"And what about you?" Sett looked at Robin.

In response, Robin shrugged and said, "You think he won't call me that anymore? Everyone in the entire City of Arms knows about our relationship, and besides, you already did what you should and shouldn't have done two years ago~"

Robin's eyes gleamed with a hint of allure as she spoke—at twenty, the perfect age for newfound passion. Two years ago, Tina left the city of Arms on a business trip, but instead followed Sett to train her physique. One quiet afternoon after class, she would give him lessons, followed by a powerful and forceful teaching session. (Type "The author is so handsome" to unlock the powerful and forceful process)

In any case, Sett would definitely not refuse in this regard—he's not impotent.

Sett was simply troubled by this—he knew he didn't care about anyone, it was just a matter of beating them up. But this guy named Redus was definitely out of his mind.

Redus was originally a slave of the Celestial Dragons. The effect of the Devotion Fruit is that the stronger the user's will, the more powerful they become. According to other slaves, Redus's physical abilities were outstanding, and he was a slave that the Celestial Dragons liked to show off. Wanting to experience being treated like a god, the Celestial Dragons gave Redus the Devotion Fruit.

Unfortunately, Redus only felt hatred towards the Celestial Dragons. Enraged, the Celestial Dragons began to torture Redus with increasing frenzy. Because of the seastone handcuffs, Redus could only lick his wounds alone in his cell. He saw no hope for the future, only despair and exhaustion. The dual torment of body and mind constantly assaulted Redus's nerves throughout this process. Until the very end, Redus encountered Sett—and witnessed firsthand the terrifying, seemingly immortal form of that being.

Then, in Redus's already distorted mind, Sett became the origin of everything—or perhaps something like a god. Even pain was accepted as a trial by his god. And the codex Sett promulgated in Sett's City was even more obvious; the tadpole-like tattoos on his body were the entire codex. Even the steel book he never parted with was. Every character on the steel pages was carved with his own fingernails… In short, he was a madman.

However, there's no denying that Redus's Devotion Fruit power is indeed extremely strong. Redus's own talent is also exceptionally outstanding. If it weren't for the fruit, he would likely be a member of the Demacian army now—his political background check in Sett's City would definitely be flawless.

Even the Crusader's Boxing Clan, to which Redus belonged, was a fighting group comprised of slaves from the Armor City Arena. And Redus's fighting strength, even within the arena, aside from Enel, the pinnacle of Logia-type Devil Fruit abilities, meant that no one else dared claim they could definitely defeat him…

The reason... aside from Redus's own talent and power, is that the power of the Devotion Fruit is somewhat special.

"Forget it, let's ignore him." Sett never maintains an interest in anything outside of battle for even three minutes. He quickly put Redus out of his mind and turned his gaze to Robin and the others, asking, "How long until the match starts? I can't wait!"

"Three more days, and everything will be ready."

Hearing Robin's words, Sett lay listlessly on his chair, a hint of annoyance in his eyes—three more days to go, so annoying.

Although they complained about how annoying it was to have three more days, in reality, those three days were just a fleeting moment for the City of Arms. In the blink of an eye, three days had passed, and the City of Arms Executive Invitational Tournament officially began!

For this competition, Arm City had actually begun preparations a year in advance. And as the competition approached, Arm City went almost two weeks without any betting matches. Amidst the anticipation, the fighting arena, now fully renovated, came into view.

The wide passageway, measuring an astonishing thirty meters in length, width, and height, was a testament to the fact that this competition had attracted far more powerful figures than just humans. In fact, Arm City itself was home to two giants: the Blue Oni Dorry and the Red Oni Brogy. Both were leaders of the Giant Warrior Pirates. Although they were the same captains from many years ago, their reappearance still drew numerous giant warriors to pay homage. Under these circumstances, even the allocation of spectator seating became meticulously planned. Fortunately, the number of giants present at Arm City was small, only about ten. But even these few occupied an entire section of the stands!

Aside from those inside the arena, the area outside was packed with unlucky people who hadn't managed to get tickets or couldn't afford them. It's only because the staff of the Arena of the Armored Warriors are physically fit that they're able to survive; otherwise, hundreds would have died from the sheer number of people crammed in. This isn't an exaggeration. Keep in mind that the difference in physique and physical abilities among people in this world is absurd.

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Only one update today... my biological clock is still a bit off. This book should be finished between the end of December and mid-January. After that, I'll take a couple of days to sort things out and then quickly start the new book. It won't be delayed for too long.

278·Opening Ceremony

On both sides of the road, muscular, bare-chested men swung their iron hammers at a nearby bronze bell. With a dull thud, Sett appeared at the very top of the Arena in Sett's City, atop what seemed like a sheer cliff.

The moment Sett appeared, the residents of Sett City erupted in a joyous roar—a reaction that puzzled the other spectators. But the Sett City residents knew perfectly well why they did it. It could be said that Sett City's current prosperity was not solely due to his efforts, but without him, no matter what, such a tranquil haven on the high seas would never exist.

Too lazy to say anything, Sett simply sat in his seat and waved to signal that Pad below could begin.

Seeing this, he nodded, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes. Although Pad had been in charge of many matters in the underground city and commercial district of Zaun, being broadcast live all over the world was a first for him.

"Contestants, enter the arena!!!"

As Pad spoke, the gates opened, and people dressed in all sorts of attire filed in through the four passageways. Everywhere you looked, there were pirates who had risen to fame on the high seas—contrary to what was publicly claimed, because it was clear that strongmen like Whitebeard were few and far between, so Sett didn't bother to check if the other pirates lied about their ages when registering—Sett just wanted to have a few more stepping stones to test the strength of these sea emperors' fleets.

In this situation, it's stated that only those under forty can register, but in reality, many who are visible are already over fifty... In the world of the previous life of Serena, fifty was considered old, but in this world, it's still considered the prime of life. Especially for the strong, even at seventy, they can maintain ample energy without considering hidden injuries.

"Because there are just too many applicants for this battle, we've decided to add an extra elimination round!" Pad said, holding a microphone. "There are a total of 481 applicants. Now, we'll draw lots to divide them into four groups of 20 people each. The last eight people remaining in each group will participate in the official competition three days from now! The extra person will be randomly selected to challenge one of the 32 remaining people. The winner will directly enter the round of 32 elimination round!"

Hearing Pad's words, the participants nodded to each other. Then, in front of everyone, Pad directed the cameras and said, "Now that the rules have been explained, let me introduce the participants—the top seed in this competition is undoubtedly the Admiral, a position created by the Navy Headquarters, the maritime hegemon, to counter the Emperors of the Sea! And the youngest rising star among the Admirals, the thirty-nine-year-old Aokiji of Ice!! Kuzan!!!"

The Den Den Mushi moved over, and Kuzan, who had been nonchalant, immediately adopted an indifferent expression—it didn't matter how lazy he was normally, but now it was a global live broadcast, and any outrageous behavior was likely to be magnified a thousandfold.

Surrounded by shimmering ice dust under the sunlight, Kuzan's impeccably tailored attire made him stand out from the other pirates—thankfully, to avoid embarrassing the Navy and the World Government, the World Government allocated funds to custom-make a special combat uniform for him to wear during the competition. Not only was it aesthetically pleasing and form-fitting, but it also ensured that it wouldn't hinder muscle extension and power generation during combat.

However, as the only Marine participating, Kuzan became the target of all the pirates—at least, right now, Kuzan could feel many malicious gazes fixed on his back—but Kuzan wasn't particularly bothered by it. After all, to Kuzan, these pirates were only somewhat troublesome, not particularly formidable.

The truly troublesome ones are the officers of the Emperors of the Sea… like Marco and Jozu, who are looking at themselves with a hint of interest. The Beasts Generals, and the Four Sweet Commanders of Whole Cake Island… these pirates are the real problem.

But they are only tricky; in a one-on-one fight, Kuzan is still very confident that he can defeat them.

"And then there's the fleet of the Emperors of the Sea—the kind of being described in children's songs all over the world as 'more terrifying than monsters,' the kind of being called 'living legends'! Who is he? That's right, it's Whitebeard! Powerful, benevolent, with a chest covered in scars on his smooth back! The power to shake the sea, Whitebeard!!! And—the Whitebeard Pirates, led by Marco the Phoenix, the first division commander!"

Being broadcast live like this for the first time, surrounded by Den Den Mushi cameras and the cheers of the crowd, Marco, who had initially only come to win the prize, inexplicably felt a surge of excitement. He instinctively raised his hand and waved to those around him, and then he saw some die-hard Whitebeard Pirates fans waving the Whitebeard Pirates flag.

"Whitebeard!!! Victory is certain!!!"

"Whitebeard!! Victory is certain!!!"

As the strongest man on the seas in the past, the Whitebeard Pirates have always been quite popular—the reason for "in the past" is that now both the title of strongest man and the title of strongest creature have become byproducts of Conqueror Sett.

However, Whitebeard himself didn't care much about fame and fortune—or perhaps, the reason he participated in the tournament this time, besides letting Marco and the others witness the strength of their peers on the high seas, was also because Whitebeard wanted to personally meet Sett, this rising star who was currently enjoying unparalleled popularity.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Whitebeard arrived at the VIP viewing area on the top floor. Apart from Whitebeard, Sengoku had arrived earlier, but for some reason, he didn't want others to pay attention to him, so the glass in front of him was adjusted to be transparent from one side.

"Gurarararar~~~ Sengoku, long time no see!! Your arm looks pretty good, it even glows, hahaha~"

Upon hearing Whitebeard's laughter, Sengoku waved his hand dismissively. His face was filled with aloofness—but not much disgust.

When Sengoku was still an admiral, he had a chase and battle with Whitebeard. Sengoku knew very well that Whitebeard was different from other pirates—although he possessed power, he did not pursue wealth and fame. Or perhaps, compared to wealth and fame, Whitebeard cared more about his family, that is, his crew. It was precisely this kindness that made the Whitebeard Pirates have a good reputation on the seas; it was only thanks to the World Government's publicity that their reputation was even better.

"And then! There is the Sea Emperor, a hero of monstrous strength and extraordinary talent, who destroyed a giant settlement and annihilated the giants at the age of five, and is revered as the 'Born Destroyer'! An extreme sweet tooth, she is a terrifying figure who would mobilize an entire nation to conquer just for sweets. Furthermore, she possesses the special 'Steel Balloon'! That's right, she is the captain of the Big O Pirates! The Queen of the Whole Cake Island! Charlotte Linlin!!!"

"And, Big O Team, led by Katakuri, the top of his Sweet Commanders with a bounty of 800 million!!!"

As the camera focused on Katakuri wielding his steel fork, cheers erupted from the crowd. Katakuri, however, showed little excitement; instead, the other three Sweet Commanders waved to the camera and the audience. Next came the Beast Pirates and some other well-known New World pirates. After their introductions, Pad smiled and said, "To be fair, our Arm-Gun Castle won't be sending any participants to compete for the prizes—but the fighters under Arm-Gun Castle are just too enthusiastic, so we've specially designed some fun little activities!!!"

As Pad's voice rang out, a deafening clap of thunder echoed across the sky, followed by a bolt of lightning that transformed into a humanoid figure crackling with high-voltage electricity. The moment this figure appeared, the surrounding spectators erupted in even louder cheers—

"Thor! Enel!!!"

"Karma! Urki!!!"

"Saint! Redus!!"

"A pitch-black killing weapon! Lucci!!"

"The following four people will be randomly assigned to one of the four groups! Anyone who defeats one of these four will gain direct qualification! However, if they also make it to the final group, they will take away one of the eight qualifying spots from that group!"

"To be fair, no two of the four will be in the same group at the same time! In other words, they will all be isolated and helpless!" Pad announced loudly. "Surround them as much as possible! Whoever lands the final blow will advance directly! Also, shift your attention to those troublesome guys—after all, there's a huge prize of 500 million once you get to the official elimination rounds!!!"

Upon hearing Pad's words, everyone's attention immediately turned to Enel and his group—for them, defeating Kuzan through numerical superiority was still uncertain. But these little guys from the West Blue... these New World pirates believed that joining forces shouldn't be a problem.

In response, the Sea Emperor and Sengoku in the VIP room turned their gazes to Sett, who was standing to the side.

"You seem quite confident?" Whitebeard asked with interest.

279 Enel's Growth

Sending his fighters into the arena alone, with each victory guaranteeing a spot in the next round… isolated and helpless, it's foreseeable that Sett's officers will be ganged up on by thirty or more pirates from the very start of the competition. After all, even the most unruly pirates know their own limitations. Facing a Sea Emperor's crew, their chances of advancing are slim to none. Therefore, they have no choice but to risk everything here, hoping to claim the 500 million bounty for qualifying!

The first match was against Group One, where Enel, the God of Thor, was positioned. Feeling the gazes of everyone around him, and gripping the strange steel rod in his hand, Enel's eyes blazed with untamed arrogance—only when facing Sett, Robin, and the like would Enel restrain himself somewhat. Otherwise, when facing others, Enel was always as arrogant as possible, never compromising himself in the slightest.

The moment the match began, the surrounding pirates first looked around warily at the people around them, and then, without prior agreement, they all turned their gaze to Enel, whose eyes were filled with indifference.

Feeling the gazes of everyone, Enel merely smiled disdainfully in anger. Then, he brazenly raised his middle finger, baring his teeth and saying impatiently, "Trash."

This arrogant attitude caused everyone in the VIP stands to look at Sett in unison—it was too similar; their arrogance was practically identical.

Sett responded casually, "You sea emperors may have some strength, but when it comes to making money, you're not even a hair's breadth away from my Sett City."

"..."

Upon hearing this, the emperors of the sea exchanged glances. If Sett had meant they were weak, they would have been furious, perhaps even turning on each other right there. But unfortunately, Sett was referring to their ability to make money and amass wealth—in this respect, not even the World Government could necessarily match Sett, let alone these pirate-turned emperors.

"Hmm... I just don't have any way to refute this." The white-bearded man scratched his head nonchalantly, then said with a hint of amusement, "But what does this have to do with that lightning brat? Is he also good at making money?"

He glanced at Whitebeard—at any other time, Sett would have definitely tried to make sarcastic remarks and then start a bloody battle right here.

Unfortunately, Sett might have been ready to fight elsewhere—but not now. Or rather, not now at all. Sett's love for the arena was ingrained in his very being. With the fight currently underway, Sett, as the leader, had no reason to disrupt his own arena. Just like the rules within Sett's City, there were no hierarchy in the arena; as long as you could win the audience's favor, they could point fingers at Sett without a problem—provided, of course, that you were prepared to be thoroughly thrashed by him.

Enel tried it once, but he hasn't tried it a second time since.

Even so, Enel still has the strength—Glancing at Whitebeard, Sett said nonchalantly, "Enel has brought in a total revenue of 23.1 billion for the Armor Casino."

"..."

Upon hearing this, even Sengoku, Kaido, and the others stared wide-eyed. Two hundred and thirty-one billion—that was no small sum. Hextech crystals were valuable, but Armstrong Castle would never sell them lightly. The few times they had been sold were after the destruction of underground forces, when they were auctioned off by others. Under these circumstances, Enel earned two hundred and thirty-one billion?

This is an astronomical figure even for the pirate crews of the Sea Emperors—keep in mind, even the Sea Emperors only have bounties of around 5 billion. And the tax revenue from their territories, even at the end of the year, is only a little over 13 billion… It seems like a lot, but after accounting for the crew's food and supplies, the remaining wealth isn't that much. After all, pirates are inherently unproductive, risking their lives. They live for today, not tomorrow, and don't think about the future.

And Enel...

Sett waved his hand, signaling Robin to explain. Robin then said, "The value of Enel's image usage rights in the West Blue varies between 60 million and 300 million depending on the usage method. Additionally, each related product receives a 20% cut. Due to his high popularity, Enel's commercial value is on the rise. Based on current estimates, Enel's commercial value should be around 30 billion."

The people in this world who are rich are truly rich, and there are plenty of people willing to support Enel—plus the carefully planned brand marketing by Wanhao City, all of them are in the top ten, and apart from a very few exceptions, they all have extremely high popularity.

Hearing Robin's words, the pirates nearby exchanged glances, secretly considering replicating the Armor Castle model—but upon reflection, they realized they were all rough-and-ready pirates. Not only did they not know how to do it, but even Sengoku, standing nearby, could only feel envious but didn't know where to begin—poaching? Perhaps they could try. But would anyone actually try to leave the generous treatment offered by Armor Castle for the unknown New World?

Especially Robin, the mastermind and Sett's woman of choice. It's said she's been working for Sett since before he rose to power, when he was just a slave. And now... even if he were to be taken away, her value might not be as great as Sett's rage.

With this in mind, everyone's thoughts gradually calmed down, but some were still wondering if they should change their business model... If it can't be replicated, can't it be done through cooperation?

Touching his chin, Whitebeard could feel the decline in his physical abilities compared to previous years—this prolonged stagnation meant he had hit a bottleneck. In this situation, Whitebeard knew that the hidden injuries within him would soon erupt. Before he became completely useless, he at least had to find a new way for his children to survive…

Thinking this, Whitebeard's attention began to wander, shifting from the arena to other places.