Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Clenching his teeth, Kaido fixed his gaze on Sett—though he had a premonition before, now it was incredibly strong. Sett before him would one day tear this entire sea apart.

Is it because of puberty? Is his body still growing at an unimaginable speed? Or is it for some other unknown reason? Kaido doesn't know, and he no longer has time to think. Because with one punch, his blood energy surged, and Sett's eyes were filled with madness.

"Not bad, Kaido!! But it's not enough! Where's Charlotte Linlin? Where's Charlotte Linlin?!"

Laughing arrogantly, Sett raised his head and looked around: "I came here because of the two of you teaming up! It wasn't fun enough with just you alone!!!"

Arrogance

Kaido really wanted to say that. But now, Kaido could only shut his mouth in frustration—during the recent clash with Shiro, Kaido had already realized that Sett was someone he couldn't handle alone.

Similarly, just as Sett said, the reason he's here might really be because of Charlotte Linlin...

A single sea emperor is no longer enough to satisfy Sett's destructive desires.

In the distance, Garp, who had originally come to chat with Whitebeard with the intention of having a drink with an old friend, now found himself gripping the railing tightly after hearing the commotion outside and seeing Sett's ferocious demeanor. His eyes were fixed on Sett's direction.

"Sett...has he grown to this level already?!"

What do you think?

Whitebeard, standing to the side, showed no surprise whatsoever. He simply tilted his head back, took a swig of wine, and calmly said, "Didn't I just tell you? The idea that the Sea Emperor and the Overlord are on the same level is a complete joke... a complete scam!"

As someone who fought Sett and was killed without bloodshed, Whitebeard certainly had the right to say that.

Heavens have mercy! The reason Whitebeard fought Sett was partly due to the idea that there's no first place in literature and no second place in martial arts, but also because of the widely circulated claim that the Overlord and the Emperor of the Sea were on the same level.

Even the fact that Sett's territory is in the West Blue instead of the Grand Line has been interpreted by some as a sign of fear of the Emperor of the Sea... To this, Whitebeard just wants to punch these rumor-mongers to death on the spot.

Sett's power, and this terrifying rate of growth... even that old monster in Mary Geoise might not be able to handle it!

At this thought, the white-bearded man couldn't help but grin broadly. He crushed his wine glass: "A grand new era is about to begin!!!"

310·Aunties Join the Battle

To be honest, Whitebeard wasn't entirely certain at the time.

Before fighting Sett, even Whitebeard hadn't expected Sett's true power to have reached such a terrifying level—and now it seems that in just a few weeks, Sett's power has risen to a new level.

Just as Whitebeard said, the claim that the Overlord is on par with the Sea Emperors is a complete hoax. Putting everything else aside, at least he, as the strongest of the Sea Emperors, has been thoroughly deceived by this hoax.

Such a terrifying rate of growth was tolerable before. But now, if even the slightest news from here gets out, the entire world government will likely be on high alert... At the very least, they will definitely not stand idly by and watch Sett continue to grow stronger.

The old monster in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise would never tolerate Sett's continued growth, given his extraordinary nature.

In comparison, the current battle is more of a prelude to the magnificent era to come.

As he pondered, Sett had already gained a complete advantage on the battlefield. His pair of golden iron fists left trails of light in the air, and wherever they passed, the space was filled with afterimages of the iron fists.

In contrast, standing opposite Sett, Kaido's massive body felt more like a heavy sandbag. Each strike produced a dull thud. Gritting his teeth, Kaido withstood Sett's iron fist, the muscles in his arm taut, giving the impression of steel reflecting a dull luster.

Thunderous Eight Trigrams!

With a deafening roar, the spiked club struck Sett squarely on the head. He didn't dodge, nor did he parry or defend. The heavy club struck Sett's head viciously. But even under such a heavy blow, Sett only paused for a moment, then shook his head in Kaido's incredulous gaze.

Blood splattered everywhere from Sett's long hair, and through the tangled hair and blood, Kaido could clearly sense the madness in Sett's eyes—even after being struck in the temple, Sett remained completely unaffected. His resilient mind, on the contrary, reacted even more violently, continuously secreting intracranial anesthetics that made him increasingly agitated.

Taking advantage of Kaido's inability to recover his strength after the attack, Sett grabbed Kaido's horn with one hand. Before Kaido could react, Sett's muscles tensed, and he forcefully yanked Kaido by the horn, flinging him into the air. As Kaido flew backward, his body was slammed into the ground.

Without letting go, Sett raised his other arm and unleashed a series of heavy blows.

Feeling the relentless blows, Kaido roared, and rough dragon scales suddenly sprouted from his entire body. He exhaled a burst of hot breath and roared, "Linlin! Are you just going to stand there and watch?!"

OMO

Upon hearing Kaido's words, Charlotte Linlin no longer concealed her thoughts. She approached from afar, riding on thunderclouds, her gaze filled with solemnity and seriousness—Charlotte Linlin had been observing the conflict between Kaido and Sett. But the more she observed, the heavier Charlotte Linlin's heart became.

Too strong... This guy named Sett is just too powerful.

If Charlotte Linlin had previously thought Sett was ungrateful for the title of Emperor of the Sea and proclaimed himself Overlord, after witnessing Sett's terrifying combat power and physical strength, her opinion had completely changed.

Kaido, who was evenly matched with Sett, was completely powerless against him. He was grabbed by the horns and mercilessly pinned to the ground, getting brutally beaten. It was only because they were out on the street that they were able to do this; anywhere else, they probably would have been stepped on in a toilet.

Charlotte Linlin harbored thoughts of retreating, but upon hearing Kaido's plea for help, she still stepped forward—not simply out of a sense of duty, but more importantly, because the Beasts Pirates had already allied with the Big Mom Pirates. If Charlotte Linlin chose to run away now, the entire Whole Cake Island would become a laughingstock on the high seas!

By then, even a fledgling pirate would probably dare to casually mock and ridicule... especially since the headquarters of the largest and freest newspaper on this high seas, the World Economic News Agency, is located in Armor City. At that time, the entire Kong Anping City will be on high alert for propaganda...

Charlotte Linlin's power as one of the Emperors of the Sea is beyond doubt.

Its Devil Fruit is the Paramecia-type Soul Fruit, which allows the user to manipulate people's souls at will.

It can even allow the soul to reside within various objects, giving them anthropomorphism and their own life. Of course, like other Paramecia-type Devil Fruits, the Soul-Soul Fruit also has its limitations.

Literally, the ability seems somewhat like the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, allowing the user to steal shadows and create soldiers. However, in reality, the Soul-Soul Fruit cannot place souls created by its users into human corpses or people other than itself. It can only send them into "objects" or matter without consciousness. These anthropomorphized objects are called "Homies." Similarly, Big Mom's power also originates from souls. Therefore, within the territory of Whole Cake Island, all civilians must pay one month's worth of souls every six months in exchange for their safety.

With the Soul-Soul Fruit, Charlotte Linlin is able to influence the heavens by infusing natural objects with her soul.

Just like now, the instant she appeared, Charlotte Linlin infused her soul into the flame behind her. Instantly, the flame became even more dazzling, giving the impression of a small sun radiating boundless heat.

"Prometheus!!"

"Yes, Mom!!!"

Upon hearing Charlotte Linlin's words, the sun responded excitedly, and its appearance even sprouted a fawning human face.

"Fire from the sky!!!"

Upon receiving Charlotte Linlin's command, the fiery being named Prometheus roared, and then boundless heat began to spread in all directions, transforming into a rain of fire that poured down on Sett's body from the sky.

Meanwhile, Charlotte Linlin's hands were not idle either. She took off her hat, and with a flash of cold light, a thick blade and a human face emerged from the brim of the hat.

The thundercloud beneath her feet also sprouted a human face, spewing out a torrent of lightning that coiled around the blade before slashing down fiercely beneath Charlotte Linlin's towering 8.8-meter-tall frame:

"Die, you brat!!!"

311 Mutual Fighting

Fiery rain poured down from the sky, launching a fierce attack on Kaido. Caught off guard, Sett only felt a burning sensation behind him.

Immediately following, Charlotte Linlin swung her sword, and the heavy blade struck Sett squarely in the back.

Blade clashed against flesh, but the sound it produced was as resilient as steel. Yet, the Emperor of the Sea was still the Emperor of the Sea. Sensing Sett's terrifying strength, he showed no fear. Instead, a look of seriousness appeared in his eyes, and then his muscles clenched violently once more.

The clothes on her body were ripped apart by the burst of blood energy, and with veins bulging on her arms, Charlotte Linlin's Napoleon pierced through Sett's back, leaving a huge, deep scar that exposed the bone.

Blood flowed freely, but despite the stinging pain, Sett did not lose his fighting ability. Instead, stimulated by the pain, he suddenly raised his head, clenched his fist, and struck without hesitation.

What met Charlotte Linlin's eyes were a pair of eyes like those of a wild beast. The brilliant golden pupils had been replaced by a blood-red hue at some point, and a ferocious aura of blood surged outwards like a storm.

With a deafening boom, Charlotte Linlin's head was abruptly deformed by the impact. Her massive eight-meter-tall body was sent flying like a sandbag. With a roar, before Kaido could intervene, Sett leaped into the air, his legs striking Charlotte Linlin's head like air-to-ground missiles!

With a powerful stomp, and amplified by numerous buffs, Sett's seven-meter-tall frame unleashed terrifying destructive force in an instant. The heavy impact tore the ground apart, and the rock layers at the base of the island collapsed violently. Big Mom, meanwhile, was shoved headfirst into the soil, nearly five meters deep!

Responding swiftly, Kaido transformed into a giant dragon. A burning sensation filled his throat, and the next moment, a burst of intense heat erupted forth.

Without pause, without fear, Sett turned and glared at the scorching breath. The deep purple life form's disintegrating rays flowed through space, while the plasma energy beams' trails and the spewed heat breath were rapidly decomposed into free elements and thermal pressure under the onslaught of the disintegrating rays.

Sensing the awe-inspiring power emanating from his very being, Kaido stopped exhaling without hesitation. Flames erupted from the Azure Dragon's body, and with his limbs clenched, he dodged into the air.

The disintegrating rays struck the distant mountain peaks, and in people's sight, the once towering peaks cracked at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually turning from vibrant brown and green soil into pure, lime-like inorganic dust due to the disintegrating properties of the rays on organic matter.

Upon witnessing this scene, Kaido felt a cold sweat break out all over his body. But before Kaido could have any more chances, Sett's body erupted in crimson once more. With a scarlet afterimage, Sett stomped through the air in front of him, charging towards Kaido's dragon form like a demon, as if stepping on invisible stairs.

A pair of dragon claws, stained jet black by Armament Haki, swept through space, and in the next instant, five sharp wind blades slashed towards Sett's body. However, this claw, capable of shattering metal and jade, only left a few white marks on Sett's body. The next moment, Sett grabbed Kaido's dragon horns in his Devil Fruit-released state.

Heavy, rough, and sharp dragon horns began to crack in Sett's palm. Then, Sett suddenly stretched out his torso, and his knee slammed into Kaido's jaw like a hammer.

Snap!

Amidst flying broken teeth and blood, Kaido felt a sharp pain and intense dizziness from weightlessness. Then, his dragon horns were shattered.

On the surface, having crawled out of the ruins, Charlotte Linlin's face was now contorted with rage. If before she had simply appeared as a shrewish old woman, in this instant, with blood dripping from her forehead and her eyes filled with gloom and fury, Charlotte Linlin resembled a hideous demon.

Blood surged, and the steel balloon-like body expanded rapidly. Her muscles bulged as if inflated, countless blood vessels and muscles taut, and with a powerful stomp, she exploded like a missile. As an area nearly a kilometer in size collapsed under the heavy impact, Charlotte Linlin's seemingly clumsy body soared into the air. Before Sett could react, a dark fist struck Sett squarely in the back of the head.

Then, without giving Sett a chance to recover, he gripped the sword with both hands, his blood surging, his muscles twisting together like nylon ropes at the spine. The moment he struck, a deafening roar erupted in the air—

A hegemonic nation!!!

An invisible force transformed into a visible impact, unleashed with a vengeance by Charlotte Linlin's swing. Like a beam of air twisted into a beam, it struck Sett's body in an instant. In a blur, Sett's body was blasted dozens of kilometers away onto the beach by this powerful blow.

The immense force sent Sett's body flying like a cannonball, the instant he struck the beach causing his skin to scorch from the friction of the air. Then, he exploded. From above, the once perfectly intact beach of Sett's Island was erased from the map, leaving a blank, circular inland sea.

Before Kaido and Charlotte Linlin could even catch their breath, Sett's body had already rapidly recovered underwater. He grabbed a handful of seawater and held it in his palm like a shot put. As his aura continued to gather, the blood energy emanating from Sett's body transformed into a vortex-like attraction.

The sea, already turbulent from the battle, was instantly transformed into a massive whirlpool.

Noticing something was wrong, Charlotte Linlin and Kaido simultaneously looked towards the water, and then saw Sett's frenzied face baring its fangs like a wild beast: "Die!!!"

boom!!!!

The moment it was thrown, the water and sky merged into one. Under immense pressure, the seawater was forcibly solidified by Sett into a semi-solid state. Before anyone could react, Charlotte Linlin's massive steel balloon body was slammed head-on into its relatively soft belly by the water sphere, accompanied by the direct shattering of the sea surface and coral reefs.

The high-speed spinning water sphere constantly rubbed against her, and even with the enhancement of Armament Haki, Charlotte Linlin could still clearly feel the excruciating pain.

Seeing this, Kaido also swung his dragon body, grabbed Charlotte Linlin's body, and fled to the side.

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happy new year~

Don't forget to wear red socks, haha!

312 Combo Attack

Saying they escaped isn't entirely accurate, because the two Sea Emperors had essentially given up on Kaido, meaning he no longer needed to operate on that sea.

Sensing the terrifying, solid pressure emanating from the water sphere, Kaido grabbed Big Mom by the shoulder and pulled her aside.

The high-pressure water balloon grazed the woman's belly as it flew out. Although it didn't directly pierce her body, it visibly left huge wounds all the way from her abdominal cavity to her ribs.

Amidst the blood and gore, Charlotte Linlin, her teeth clenched and her eyes filled with solemnity, rolled over and stood atop Kaido's dragon head.

One hand was supporting Kaido's dragon horn, which was now only half intact, while the other hand was tightly gripping the massive cleaver Napoleon.

Kaido showed no anger at becoming a mount. Instead, his bull-like eyes were fixed on Sett, the solemnity in his gaze bordering on fear.

Even though they had guessed it beforehand, when it came to a direct confrontation, Kaido was still shocked to find that Sett's strength had exceeded their expectations. If it weren't for Charlotte Linlin, with the terrifying destructive power Sett displayed, he would probably have already lost his fighting ability and become a prisoner, or even worse, become a pile of minced meat.

It's not that Kaido is boosting the morale of others while diminishing his own. Rather, it's that the pressure generated by two Sea Emperors fighting together is far more than a simple one plus one equals two—even if the three current Marine Admirals attacked together, Sett could quickly defeat them with his destructive power.

The reason is simple: even the destructive power of a Marine Admiral cannot compare to the physical strength of Sett. Whether it's Kuzan's Ice Age, Sakazuki's Meteor Volcano, or Borsalino's Yasakani no Magatama, even if they were all concentrated on Sett at the same time, the damage would be enough for Sett to quickly recover and counterattack.