Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Charlotte Linlin's tone was initially calm when she said this, but it gradually became more agitated. Clearly, things weren't as Charlotte Linlin described; Katakuri might indeed have returned. After all, even Whitebeard would have to think twice before making a move on Sett's territory.

However, one thing is certain: Katakuri could not possibly have returned unscathed...

However, judging from the results, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Kaido knew Katakuri—top-tier Observation Haki is even rarer than Conqueror's Haki. On top of that, Katakuri possessed terrifying Observation Haki that allowed him to foresee the near future, a power that even Kaido often found astounding and awe-inspiring.

If all goes according to plan, Charlotte Linlin is dead, and Katakuri will likely be the one to take the reins of the Big Mom Pirates... While Katakuri's abilities might not be as strong as Perospero's as the Minister of Candy, in the end, individual strength is what matters on this high seas. This is perfectly demonstrated by Kaido and Whitebeard...

If even a super-large pirate crew like the Whitebeard Pirates, which lacks clear rules and hierarchical relationships, can exist, then what else is impossible for them to exist?

Kaido took a sip of his drink and remained silent for a long time. Then, after a long while, he opened his eyes again and said, "Let's join forces, Linlin!"

"Hahaha! Kaido, you're still the same as before!!!"

"Hmph, you're telling me all this, but the real purpose is this very thing."

He gave a disdainful snort, but there was little rejection in his eyes. Kaido and Linlin's relationship was established before the Rocks Pirates. Although they hadn't been in contact for many years, this was because of their special status as Emperors of the Sea, which led them to tacitly present a cold attitude to the outside world.

However, in reality, the two never considered each other as rivals... Well, there might have been some minor conflicts between the crew officers. But this, to some extent, further misled the entire ocean's perception.

"This ocean is becoming increasingly unfathomable." Kaido, having finished his gourd of wine, angrily bit open the bottle cap and chugged it down, saying, "Whitebeard, Sett, Hextech... at this rate, won't we be slowly bled to death?!"

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Merry Christmas

There's another 3k tonight.

305·Good Deeds

Before arriving at Armored Castle, Kaido didn't think that Armored Castle was anything special compared to other forces.

But now, Kaido knows.

Whether it's their ability to amass wealth or the technology that the City of the Arms currently possesses, they have already far surpassed their pirate group by a significant margin... Although they have also been developing Hextech technology, as of now, apart from the City of the Arms, other places basically use Hextech crystals as their energy source.

Calling them energy sources is an understatement, because in the past four years, most of their workers have only gained a basic understanding of the habits and workings of Hextech crystals. Even though the crystals are right here, they wouldn't know how to study the structure of the Hextech portals even if they were laid out before them... let alone the heavy anti-magic stone armor centered around Hextech water features, which average over half a ton in weight.

Actually, it's not their fault... After all, Hextech crystals, if you really want to classify them, should be considered magic. It's just that they've been given a technological makeover to utilize them.

Compared to the outside world's research that started from scratch, the City of Arms learned and understood things professionally based on the notes of Jess and others. Furthermore, the wealthy City of Arms had money to burn, spending it on land reclamation, welfare programs, and infrastructure development. This new large-scale research project could potentially allow them to overtake the outside world, and might even be more promising than infrastructure development.

After all, the biggest construction project in Armor City recently was a street that was destroyed by Kaido not long ago.

Thanks to the abundance of powerful individuals in this world, post-disaster reconstruction has always been a popular profession, as raw materials are extremely cheap.

"Then let's join forces!"

Upon hearing Kaido's words, Charlotte Linlin made no attempt to hide her thoughts.

The two were originally close partners, and their previous indifference was merely to avoid attracting further attention on the high seas. But now it seems that no matter how much they struggle, they can't compare to the mighty city...

Pirates are ultimately just pirates; aside from causing chaos, they pose no real threat to the World Government. In contrast, the technology of Armored Castle is what truly terrifies the World Government.

After the two reached an agreement, news of the alliance quickly spread among the top leaders of both factions. Upon hearing the order, the two factions reacted differently. Perhaps the most unacceptable was Perospero.

As the eldest son of the Charlotte family, Perospero is indeed weaker than Katakuri. However, Perospero doesn't care—the reason being that Katakuri's reputation within the Charlotte family is simply too good. No matter the circumstances, Katakuri will always be the first to stand up for his siblings and fight if they are bullied. Therefore, Perospero not only doesn't fear the threat Katakuri poses to his position, but also trusts Katakuri implicitly.

Pirate crews aren't the World Government, and among all the things pirates care about, strength is always the top priority. Moreover, Katakuri's personality always gives people a sense of security.

Trusting Katakuri is one thing, but trusting the Beasts Pirates is another.

As the saying goes, there can't be two suns in the sky, nor two masters. If they unite, then whose side to listen to becomes a problem—especially given the numerous conflicts between the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates, this tension will only escalate. Although Perospero knew that Armstrong Castle now posed a greater threat to pirates than the World Government, he never expected that Kaido and his mother would make such a decision before he even returned.

"Mom has made this decision... and it seems there's no going back."

After a moment of silence, Katakuri stood up and shook his head indifferently: "If that's the case, then the conflict with the Beasts Pirates should be put on hold for now... I'll go ask my brother and mother. You all stay here, don't move around, and don't have any contact with the Beasts Pirates or their officers."

The Big Mom Pirates harbored more fear and wariness towards the Beasts Pirates than anything else. The Big Mom Pirates were essentially brothers and sisters; even if they were geographically distant, the bond remained, preventing much discord among them. Having grown up together, they could cooperate seamlessly in both battles and administrative matters. Given this context, the Big Mom Pirates were extremely xenophobic.

Simply put, in the Big Mom Pirates, the upper echelons are always Charlotte Linlin's family. Outsiders can only ever reach the middle ranks at best. In contrast, the Beasts Pirates are all about who's strong, a pure meritocracy where the strongest reigns supreme.

It's only because Charlotte Linlin's powerful bloodline is strong enough that the Big Mom Pirates' model collapsed long ago...

In contrast, the Beasts Pirates were much happier.

"Hahaha! If we complete the alliance, even if Whitebeard wanted to fight us, he'd have to think twice!" Plague Quinn, busy with his technological work with a bunch of pliers and wrenches in hand, said with a grin, "Two Emperors of the Sea, even if Whitebeard came, he would only suffer a bitter defeat! But speaking of which, boss, aren't you afraid the World Government will cause trouble?"

"Then they have to be willing to come!"

Unlike the Big O Pirates, the Beasts Pirates have a very harmonious hierarchical relationship. In particular, Kaido himself is not someone who cares about rules, so when he talked to Quinn and the others, his voice was full of casualness: "The World Government will definitely not sit idly by and watch two Emperors of the Sea join forces... but that was in the past. Now, it's different."

Looking out the window, the streetlights cast a colorful glow. It's 11:30 PM, a time when most cities are asleep, but for Wanhao City, it's the start of the nightlife.

All sorts of late-night food stalls set up shop, their smoke and flames creating a lively atmosphere, while the noisy bars also emitted sounds that made you want to jump for joy.

"Before actually arriving here, who could have imagined that Arm City was already so far ahead of the outside world..." His eyes held a hint of contemplation.

Despite his rugged appearance, Kaido is definitely not an idiot—at least, when he is sober and serious, Kaido is definitely not a brainless fool.

"Regarding the Yamato incident, I had a brief fight with Sett on the street. Even when he wasn't in full fighting mode, his physique easily made me feel a strong threat..."

"And those heavily armored law enforcement officers."

When the topic of law enforcement officers came up, Kaido couldn't help but clench his arms, and before he knew it, he had crushed the wine glass in his hand into pieces.

"Those guys, with their teamwork, can even suppress the likes of Marco and Jozu... The most valuable things in Wano Country are Seastone and the Wano Country craftsmen who can process Seastone. But now, Seastone is no longer the only thing."

Upon hearing Kaido's words, Quinn nodded in agreement—indeed, the thing that had the greatest impact on Wano Country was not the Hextech Crystal, but the Anti-Magic Stone.

Relying on the distribution channels of Seastone, Kaido can indirectly control the outcome of a war. He can easily render enemy Devil Fruit users powerless to fight... Especially in the first half of the Grand Line, those bumpkins who are unaware of the existence of Seastone are easy targets, and they don't even know how to dodge.

This has sometimes forced the World Government to bow down to Kaido in exchange for more Seastone resources on the black market.

But things are different now. Anti-magic stones can not only create a range of anti-magic effects that Seastone cannot, but they can also be ground into powder and processed into bullets and armor.

This is unimaginable.

The armor is manageable; although difficult, it's possible to forge seastone armor given enough time. After all, aside from seastone, the inner lining can be replaced with other materials like steel. But bullets… even the most skilled craftsmen in Wano Country can only process seastone into nails the size of a palm.

"Arm City is dismantling the moats protecting all the forces on this sea," Kaido said from the side. "The World Government's credibility has vanished in the West Blue, Whitebeard is no longer the strongest man in the world... even the Seastone of Wano Country is no longer unique. Big Mom is really lucky, having enough renewable resources to squander. But unfortunately, Arm City's Hextech technology is also completely destroying them."

Kaido knew that the amount of Hextech Crystals being sent out by Armor City was increasing year by year. At first, it was only a dozen or so, but gradually, the number increased. Especially in this tournament, an astronomical number was sent out at once.

As more and more Hextech Crystals are supplied, natural energy under Charlotte Linlin's command is no longer a necessity, and the power of the Big Mom Pirates will inevitably be affected to some extent... It is precisely because of this that the two of them have joined forces tacitly.

In this way, not only can their own losses be reduced and spread out, but more importantly, two maritime emperors carry far more weight than one.

In this situation, even someone as arrogant as Sett would probably be somewhat wary, right?

"Is this for real?"

Upon hearing Robin's report, Sett's face lit up with surprise: "I was just thinking how boring it would be to go one by one! I didn't expect them to be so conscientious!"

“They didn’t team up out of a sense of duty…” Robin’s face was full of helplessness.

306 - Match Ended

Robin glanced helplessly at Sett in front of her and sighed as well.

Robin knew about Sett's battle with Whitebeard—but only after the battle was over.

Robin's management of Armor City made it virtually impregnable; nothing that happened inside escaped the notice of the Armor City enforcers. Under these circumstances, vibrations were detected from the seabed in the open ocean, along with signs of a fierce battle.

A little investigation revealed that Sett Sett had secretly arranged another fight...

While it was somewhat frustrating that Sett often acted recklessly, picking fights at will, what surprised Robin even more than this was the outcome of the battle… At least, judging from the result, the damage Sett suffered wasn't even a minor injury—his wounds had already healed themselves by the time he returned to Sett's Castle.

In contrast, when faced with Robin's questioning, Whitebeard frankly admitted his defeat... even his signature Murakumogiri was reduced to a single fragment.

"Kaido and Charlotte Linlin have decided to join forces. If that's the case, we may need to make some changes to our development direction in the New World."

"No rush."

Upon hearing Robin's words, Sett's eyes flickered slightly, then he said with a nonchalant smile, "After the match, I'll go and meet them myself."

While laughing, Sett continued, "The idea that the Sea Emperor is on par with the Overlord is something far too common to be taken for granted!"

As he spoke the last sentence, even Sett couldn't help but reveal a hint of arrogance and haughtiness on his face—Sett never thought arrogance and haughtiness were anything wrong. Especially for Sett himself. If you have power but still cower and hide, insisting on farming in the sewers, that's not right.

Wasn't that power obtained for nothing?

As Sett waited with anticipation, the days passed by. The competition was drawing ever closer to its end.

Everyone in the quarterfinals gave it their all. Especially the crew of the Emperor of the Sea – Enel against Katakuri. Despite having secured a stable advantage, Katakuri managed to turn the tide and force a draw, leaving both of them unable to fight.

Regarding Devil Fruits and Observation Haki, Enel actually had the advantage—Katakuri's Observation Haki allowed him to see a brief glimpse of the future, but this future was actually illusory. Because the moment he saw the future, Katakuri's actions changed. Similarly, the future is constantly changing.

In contrast, Enel, through the enhancement of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit, possesses Observation Haki that allows him to sense changes in the bioelectricity within an enemy's body before they even make a move. This allows him to predict the enemy's actions in advance—Katakuri can only predict after seeing the opponent's actions, while Enel can predict before the opponent makes a move—the difference between these two is self-evident.

From another perspective, Enel was even clearer about his next move than Katakuri—in this situation, coupled with the special nature of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, no matter how you look at it, the last survivor should be Enel.

Unfortunately, Katakuri was a seasoned veteran. He had trained far more than Enel, managing to drag what seemed like an inevitable defeat into a draw, resulting in both players being eliminated.

King was facing off against Juice Princess from the Big Mom Pirates. Since the two had already teamed up, Juice Princess conceded defeat, allowing King to conserve his strength for the semifinals—although there was a chorus of boos from the audience, it was undeniable that even in a real battle, Juice Princess's chances of defeating King were less than 30%.

The Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit's power sounds impressive, but in reality, it's not even as good as Kroctar's Sand-Sand Fruit. It's also completely powerless against King, who possesses flight abilities. In comparison, as one of the top contenders, King's overall strength is definitely among the top five in this competition.

The difference in strength, coupled with the fact that the Beasts Pirates had already formed an alliance with the Big Mom Pirates, led them to decide, after discussion, to directly send King into the semifinals. This way, not only could King preserve all his strength, but Juice Girl would also have more power to compete in the loser's bracket's ranking battle.

After that came a series of battles, and after everything had settled down, the final showdown, as Sett had predicted, was a battle between Aokiji and Kuzan and Shanks.

Before the match began, about 70% of people favored Kuzan—because both of them had defeated their opponents effortlessly along the way. But Kuzan was, after all, a long-established and powerful figure. Although the prestige of the Navy Admiral was somewhat diminished because of Sett, everyone knew that there was only one Sett—he was unique.

In comparison, Shanks' truly famous battle seems to be only surviving against Sett—although this is an extremely rare achievement in the current world of Naruto. However, Kuzan also possesses this accomplishment.

But the final result was a huge surprise to everyone—Red-Haired Shanks won.

Sett wasn't surprised—Shanshan's growth was even faster than Sett had anticipated. Building upon his previous masterful evasion, and after some time to reflect, Shanks developed a second attack imbued with Conqueror's Haki. Caught off guard, Kuzan lost his footing and strayed from the edge of the ring, unfortunately losing and only managing second place.

Looking at the scene from afar, Sett saw that Garp's face was ashen—before the match started, Garp had boasted to his grandchildren about how powerful Kuzan and the Navy were.

In Garp's mind, no matter how powerful Shanks was, he would at least display an admirable spirit of the Marines in the final battle. Unfortunately, the result was cruel—due to the intensity of the battle, Kuzan accidentally went out of bounds and was eliminated by the rules, finishing second…

After the match ended, Karp was the first to roar, "RNM, refund the money!!!" Good heavens, to promote the benefits of the Navy to his beloved grandson, he even specially changed into a red suit.

But the game can't be replayed.

The competition ended, and all the participating pirate crews left the arena. Everyone who made it to the main competition but did not place received a Hextech Crystal as a reward—Robin was preparing to gradually loosen her control over Hextech Crystals.

Firstly, because the City of Arms already has a significant lead, and secondly, because it is to discover more talents to develop Hextech Crystals.

However, just one day before all the teams were preparing to leave, Kaido, still worried about Yamato, ultimately decided to try to take her with him.