Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

288·Cultural Exchange

Beep beep beep, beep beep beep.

Just as Koushirou was discussing the current situation in Wano Country with Yamato, the shackles on Yamato's wrists made a loud clanging sound during their conversation.

At first, he was bewildered, then a look of panic crossed Yamato's face: "Damn it! Quinn put a tracking device in my shackles!!!"

Upon hearing Yamato's words, Koushirou's face also turned serious. He glanced at the shackles on Yamato's hands and without hesitation drew the swift, gleaming sword from his waist, a sword so sharp it reflected a person's face like a ripple in autumn water.

Having reached the level of a great swordsman, Koushirou's swordsmanship was beyond doubt. However, unfortunately, just as he was about to draw his sword, his expression grew increasingly grim, and he hesitated to pull it even an inch. —True swordsmanship is a technique that involves listening to the breath of all things, then instantly concentrating one's energy and spirit into a single strike. But now, forget about breath; all Koushirou felt was deathly silence!

Can't you hear the breath of all things? Is it because your own heart is in turmoil?

But this hesitation lasted less than half a second. In the next instant, Koushirou reaffirmed his resolve. A solemn look flashed in his eyes, and then the long sword in his hand sliced ​​through the air like thunder. But at the moment of impact, all Koushirou felt was an indescribable hardness.

"It's no use! These are sea stone handcuffs! Unless you have the key, swords and blades can't cut through them!"

Upon hearing about the existence of Seastone, Koushirou finally understood why he couldn't sense the breath of all things—as the hardest substance in the world, Seastone's hardness was universally acknowledged.

Just as Koushirou was still thinking, a series of noisy footsteps came from behind him. Yes, the alarm system did not need to remind the escaped criminals that they had tracking devices on them. The only time the alarm might be triggered was when they had already come to the vicinity of the criminals in order to find them more easily!

Realizing this, Koushirou didn't hesitate to try and escape with Yamato. Unfortunately, before they could even leave their house, the front door was kicked open. Wearing the Beasts Pirates' distinctive studded leather jackets, the leader of the pirates was initially stunned upon seeing Koushirou and Yamato, but then a deep malice quickly spread across his face.

"That guy's a samurai! Hah! Arrest him too!!!"

Hearing the arrogant voices of the pirates behind him, Koushirou gritted his teeth and, without hesitation, led Yamato out through a broken window on one side.

Seeing this, the Beasts Pirates nearby also drew their weapons and gave chase.

Even as the Emperor of the Sea, Kaido's fleet inevitably has some opportunists. But this time is different. Coming to Kaido's Castle, he can't afford to lose face, so he brought only the elite of the Beast Pirates. Every single one of them is a formidable fighter even in the Four Seas; the weakest is at least a Marine-level pirate.

Even so, a great swordsman is still a great swordsman. Even with Yamato in his grasp, Koushirou's movements remained as swift as a ghost. Wherever he went, his longsword sliced ​​through the air like a bolt of lightning. Bullets and anything else were instantly cleaved aside just before they made contact.

From beginning to end, Koushirou had no intention of fighting—because Koushirou was well aware of his own strength.

Indeed, these henchmen are no match for him; he could easily deal with them if he paid a little attention. The problem is, if he gets bogged down and can't escape, then once Kaido finds out, Koushirou will have absolutely no chance of survival!

Yamato is the one who inherited Kozuki Oden's will, and Koushirou absolutely will not allow the dream of opening Wano Country to the world to vanish before his very eyes!

But just as Koushirou was still thinking, suddenly, a burst of intense beams of light flashed from the side.

"Spark Queen!!!"

Accompanied by an arrogant voice, countless photons shot out from the side like a torrential rain. Wherever they passed, a series of booming sounds followed, as if the end of the world was imminent!

It's Quinn!

Its massive body squeezed through the alleyway, its eyes flashing with intense heat – after scientific modifications, Quinn, as the representative of the Plague of the Beasts Pirates, possessed not only its Devil Fruit powers but also the armed firepower extended from its cyborg body.

Just like before, the beam bombs that shot out from his eyes were all abilities he possessed after being modified!

Caught off guard, Koushirou's clothes were ripped open, and his side was covered in blood from the violent explosion. Even so, Koushirou still gripped his long sword tightly.

Looking at Koushirou, and especially after seeing the family crest revealed on Koushirou's exposed collar, Quinn's eyes quickly lit up with a sudden realization.

"Hahaha! It seems the men were right! You really are a samurai who has been wandering abroad! No wonder we couldn't find you in Wano Country!"

As he spoke, Quinn stretched out his arm and clenched it tightly. Blood rushed out and muscles bulged. No one doubted that his arm, which was thicker than an ordinary person's waist, could crush Koushirou's bones with a single punch.

"I won't kill you, Lord Kaido! He's already quite annoyed by the rumors surrounding the Nine Red Scabbards! If you know what's good for you, just tell me where they're hiding! Otherwise, I'll show you the power of 'science' right now!!!"

"Pah!" A mouthful of bloody saliva was spat onto Quinn's face. Behind his broken glasses, a pair of resolute eyes shone: "Wano Country will definitely open its borders!!!"

Hearing Koushirou's words, Quinn, who was standing to the side, was not angry. He just wiped the spit off his face in disgust and prepared to raise his fist to teach him a lesson. Then, several sounds of air being cut were heard.

Sensing a danger warning through his Observation Haki, he didn't hesitate; his massive body displayed agility far exceeding that of ordinary people. As a nimble fat man, Quinn's body moved like a ballerina, leaping and turning in a few quick movements to reach several meters away!

In the next instant, dozens of black iron spikes fell from the sky. Each one was like a steel needle, piercing the hard floor tiles and the compacted ground. An ordinary person would probably be pinned to the spot and unable to move the moment they made contact.

Tina leaped down from a nearby house, a decorative cigarette dangling from her mouth. She tugged at her gloves with a helpless expression and said with disdain, "Do you think Armor City is some other place? Although this isn't under the World Government's jurisdiction, Armor City isn't a lawless zone."

valley"……"

Quinn glanced at Tina, his gaze filled with seriousness. In terms of sheer strength, Tina was only second-rate on the high seas… even struggling to defeat someone ranked in the top ten of the Armor City arena. Against someone like Enel or Redus, defeat would be inevitable. However, this power level calculation was based solely on individual abilities.

As a veteran of Arms City and Sett's partner, Tina's strength cannot be judged solely by her Devil Fruit powers and physical prowess.

Just like now, in front of Quinn, although she looks very casual, Tina has at least four Hextech Crystals on her body... which is equivalent to wearing at least eight billion worth of equipment.

Quinn hasn't experienced the fighting style of the Warrior's City yet, but even just watching, he can clearly feel the arrogance displayed in the process—Can't beat you? But I can use money to bet... no, I can crush you with money!!

If it were anyone else, they might choose to step back now and leave the matter to their leaders, namely Kaido and Sett... This is on the scale of the Armored Castle and the Beasts Pirates; any small conflict could potentially affect the entire sea's balance of power.

But Quinn is different... Quinn is a scholar. Including Quinn himself, he also possesses three Hextech Crystals—which Kaido obtained from Sett at a great cost.

As the strongest scholar in the Beasts Pirates, Quinn's main area of ​​expertise is biology... or more precisely, Devil Fruit studies.

Artificial Devil Fruits have always been a key focus of the Beasts Pirates. Kaido's goal is for all members of the Beasts Pirates to be Zoan-type Devil Fruit users… According to the original storyline, it would take at least ten years until 1524 for artificial Devil Fruits to truly materialize. However, the world has already undergone drastic changes.

Sett's impact was less of a butterfly effect and more of a hurricane – the emergence of Sett's Castle caused the West Blue to break away from the World Government, and the Emperors' sphere of influence extended from the New World to the latter half of the Grand Line's Paradise. Many future luminaries died prematurely, and Hextech Crystals sparked a technological revolution.

In this context, it would be absolutely impossible for Quinn not to be curious about the Hextech technology of the City of Arms... Quinn had observed the construction of the first Hextech Tower in the New World. The Hextech technology used in it amazed Quinn.

Not long ago, Quinn witnessed firsthand the immense destructive power of Hextech generated by the warriors of the City of Arms—Enel, who stored lightning in Hextech capsules, could quickly create a horde of lightning soldiers simply by tapping the thunder drum behind him, without suffering any physical damage. Urouge activated his muscles using Hextech crystals, combining them with the "double-reverse" power of the Causality Fruit, and unleashed a punch that caused a small earthquake, collapsing the entire arena and demonstrating destructive power approaching that of a Sea Emperor.

Of the four foot fighters from Armstrong Castle, aside from Redus refusing to use Hextech, the other three all displayed impressive combat records. Even Rob Lucci, who was ultimately eliminated, was caught off guard by an unknown pirate taking advantage of an attack by numerous World Government assassins… Yes. Although the future Ben Beckman will be the right-hand man of the Emperor of the Sea, Shanks, and the only "first mate" in a Yonko crew, one thing is undeniable: Beckman is currently an unknown figure.

In this context, Quinn would never believe that Tina, Sett's close companion—someone who followed him since before Sett rose to prominence, when he was just a boxer—would not possess any Hextech gadgets.

Because Sett is just too easy to guess...

Sett almost never... no, not almost never, he's completely too lazy to hide his likes and dislikes. He either likes it or he doesn't. Being indecisive and dragging things out is a complete taboo in Sett City. Simple, direct, and efficient. The honorifics and flattery that developed in human communication are utterly useless. Following this example, Sett City, from official announcements to everyday conversations, is filled with a military-like efficiency.

Accurate communication is the only requirement—on top of that, any extraneous embellishments are useless.

This behavior might be problematic elsewhere, but in the City of the Armored, it's perfectly acceptable—especially for those with military backgrounds like Zeffa and Tina, who wholeheartedly agree with the request.

This sea reveres the strong, and the strong have their reasons for whatever they do—and Sett is the strongest on this sea!

Regardless of what others think, that's what the people of Wrist City think.

Looking at Tina, who was standing firmly in front of him, Quinn chuckled and then said, "It has nothing to do with this prisoner... I, Quinn, am a scholar, but somewhat disappointingly, I am over the age limit for registration, so I cannot participate in the competition, let alone enter the Piltover city area, which is only accessible to contestants."

"But you know, I've always wanted to see just how far Hextech in Arms City has progressed!"

The true intentions were revealed as Quin stared at the three-day-old mantle, his left mechanical arm emitting a heavy sigh. Accompanied by the rumble of pipes, a surge of scorching steam erupted, and faintly, at the core of the mechanical arm, the Hextech crystal gleamed—"That Gazhi guy is really cunning! Hiding in Piltover, he even entrusted his own 'War House' to the management of the Armor City! It's made it impossible for me to even challenge him to a duel!"

"This criminal is a wanted criminal, and that little girl is Lord Kaido's daughter!"

Kaido's daughter?!

Upon hearing this, Tina was taken aback, but quickly realized that this matter could not be easily resolved.

Just as Tina thought, Quinn said seriously, "If your tone gets out of hand with my boss and your man, why don't we have a 'cultural' exchange between our leaders!"

Quinn was well aware of the impact the conflict between Armstrong Castle and the Beast Pirates would have on the seas. Therefore, Quinn simply characterized the battle as nothing more than a cultural exchange between executives!

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Reduced purity, 4K version offered...

I really can't drink much alcohol... I only drank about 700 ml of beer with 4.5% ABV and I already felt dizzy and lightheaded...

This is just beer.

But they were really delicious—Kaiser King Osmanthus Beer and Lindemans Peach Beer. I don't like strong flavors, so I only drank some wheat beer and fruit beer... I found dark beer too bitter to drink.

7017 k

289 Kaido's Arrival

By defining the nature of this matter in advance, it can be prevented from escalating to an unmanageable level. In this process, Quinn's purpose becomes clear—even with the supplies from the City of Arms, Tina currently only possesses the combat strength of a Major General. In truth, her strength doesn't match her status… However, considering her age, Tina's growth rate is clearly astonishing.

However, this astonishing growth rate is built on a terrifying supply of resources.

On paper, Tina is definitely no match for Quinn. However, in this era of advanced Hextech technology, much like Devil Fruits, human abilities can no longer be measured solely by physical prowess and Devil Fruit powers!

Tina didn't want to agree. She wasn't particularly belligerent. But unfortunately, they were on a street, surrounded by a large crowd of onlookers—in the martial arts-loving city of Wanhao, seeing an officer from another faction challenge one of their own was incredibly exciting.

Tina rubbed her temples in slight distress, glanced at Quinn in front of her, and said, "Then I won't hold back."

"Of course!"

Upon hearing Tina accept his challenge, Quinn's eyes lit up with excitement—finally, he would get to see the Hextech of Arms City for himself!

Meanwhile, Tina waved her hand, signaling everyone around her to quickly leave and clear the area—although the battle hadn't started yet, even disregarding Quinn's own combat strength, just considering their own firepower, Tina was certain that this battle wouldn't end so easily!

Following Tina's instructions, the Armor City Guard quickly directed the surrounding crowd to evacuate.

Having confirmed that there were no unauthorized individuals nearby, Tina quickly entered battle mode without much hesitation—it's true that Tina dislikes fighting, but that doesn't mean she's afraid of it. In fact, quite the opposite, under Zephyr's targeted enhancements, the executives of the Armored City are growing at an unimaginable pace.

Zephyr wasn't a good admiral, but he was definitely qualified as a teacher. Tina's combat skills were developed to the maximum extent under Zephyr's guidance.

As Quinn tossed a coin into the air, its body began to expand violently the instant it hit the ground, its massive mechanical arm resembling a steel python. At its core, the Hextech Crystal erupted with crystalline blue arcs of electricity, creating high-voltage lightning storms in its wake.

Without flinching, under everyone's watchful eyes, two jet-black iron blades visibly sprouted from Tina's palm. Even under the sunlight, they remained dull and lifeless. Then, Hextech energy erupted violently from the silver bracelet on Tina's wrist. It spread rapidly, and in an instant, Tina's palm was covered in a special, flexible metal.

He clenched his fist tightly, and blue patterns began to spread outwards from the gauntlet. It was at this moment that people realized the black iron bar wasn't just a simple iron rod, but a specially crafted club filled with patterns. With the glove's effect, the energy within the Hextech crystal spread continuously along the patterns on the iron bar. It exuded high-pressure energy, but unlike Quinn's purely destructive enhancement mode, the Hextech short stick didn't produce a particularly terrifying sound when swung.

Until Quinn made contact with the staff—compared to that colossal, steel python-like mechanical arm, the short staff in Tina's hand looked so tiny. But this tiny staff, the moment it touched the arm, swiftly deployed its force field.

Like crashing into a wall, Quinn felt his strength suddenly freeze, all the power aimed at Tina vanishing without a trace. But then, the short stick in Tina's hand began to flicker. Seeing this, without hesitation, Tina picked up the stick, not to sweep, but to thrust it out like a sword. The deep blue field of energy unleashed terrifying power under the stick's influence. Quinn, who had been barely holding on, felt as if his body had been rammed head-on by a heavy truck, and then he was sent flying uncontrollably to the side.

Rumble!

Quinn's massive body finally came to a stop after smashing through several houses.

Thanks to the thick hide and toughness unique to Zoan-type Pokémon, even after suffering such a heavy blow, Quinn's body showed few signs of injury. Or perhaps, aside from some dust, it wasn't harmed at all!

Getting up from the ground, Quinn said with delighted surprise, "This feeling... yes, it's that guy named Urki!!"

If Quinn remembers correctly, Urouge also displayed a powerful Devil Fruit ability in today's match—that simple, straightforward, and unpretentious destructive power. A single punch felt like an earthquake, and it could even be said that it possessed destructive power comparable to that of the Emperors of the Sea…

But that's all there is to it—destructive power. The reason the Sea Emperor is called the Sea Emperor is because of its all-around, flawless strength... mere offensive power isn't enough.

Upon hearing Quinn's words, Tina's eyes widened in surprise—just as Quinn had said, the technology within the Hextech Short Stick was a simulation of the Causality Fruit.

Devil Fruits are a unique product of this world. While their potential may not match the limitless growth and absorption of runes, their diversity of abilities far surpasses that of runes.

Indeed, runes offer endless possibilities, producing diverse effects through different combinations. However, the cost of runes is also substantial—if Sett were a scholar-type character, he could potentially mitigate or reduce some of this cost. Unfortunately, Sett is not one.

Furthermore, the proliferation of runes could lead to the Rune Wars in the League of Legends lore, so Sett focuses more on developing the existing technology tree of this world.

For example, like now, by using the deconstruction ability of runes to simulate the parameters of Devil Fruits, and then by using the energy activation formula inside Hextech Crystals, the goal of creating Hextech items can be achieved.

In this process, if research were to begin from scratch, it would inevitably take a long time. But coincidentally, artificial Devil Fruits are an unavoidable hurdle for scholars in this world. Whether it's the World Government or the Emperors of the Sea, anyone with ambition has been attempting to mass-produce Devil Fruits. Even Gachi's genetic modification of his son was ultimately aimed at granting him superhuman abilities!