Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

The invisible force was beyond Zephyr's imagination, but even in this situation where he was seeing it for the first time, Zephyr still sensed something and used his toes to "shave" and flash to the other side of the air.

Sett was startled – Sett, a clumsy champion, relied entirely on his Skull Split. Especially against ranged opponents, missing Skull Split meant he was basically being kited. But the game was different from reality; at least since arriving in this world, Sett hadn't missed a single skill twice… But now it seemed that the strong in this world also possessed some unknown, powerful techniques!

Is it that thing called Observation Haki? Sett had vaguely heard about it from Tina.

But there was no time to think about those things now. In the midst of battle, contrary to his physical excitement, Sett's gaze was filled with solemnity and seriousness.

Empowered by the overwhelming force of his opponent, Sett's body surged with golden light. Hail of Blades, powerful attack, penetrating force, the Undying Grip!

Each powerful punch was like a warship crashing down. The sheer force of the blows was awe-inspiring. Yet, amidst this barrage of attacks, Zephyr's body remained as immovable as a rock.

The dark arm seemed to anticipate Sett's every attack. Just before Sett's fist was about to touch Zeff, the black arm would appear on Sett's fist first. Although it seemed that Sett had the upper hand in terms of offense, in reality, Sett's attacks never managed to hit Zeff's body.

"Not bad, kid! Interested in joining the Navy?!"

After saying that, Zephyr's aura tightened, and he broke through Sett's fierce attack with one hand. Then, his shoulder was like a heavy wall coming towards him, and he slammed into Sett's chest with a heavy shoulder strike.

Sensing this keenly, Sett didn't immediately dodge; his pupils contracted. Instead, under Zephyr's somewhat puzzled gaze, he leaned back slightly. Then, a surge of power coursed through him, transforming into a golden torrent—BOOM!!!

In an instant, light surged. Light roared. Golden lightning tore through the sky, its cone-shaped radius resembling a missile detonation. Almost instantly, half the port was shattered by the bombardment. Even the naval warships docked at the shore began to disintegrate visibly upon impact—the force and angle that Sett had deliberately controlled, directing the power of his deliberate punch upwards.

Otherwise, at least one in ten people within this cone-shaped area would be gone!

Zephyr, having also noticed this, nodded to himself—although the intelligence said Sett was a war-crazed madman, it seemed he was quite clear about the consequences.

If Sett is truly willing to sacrifice innocent bystanders for the sake of battle, and even more willing to sacrifice civilians to maximize his power, then Zeff must bring Sett to justice this time, no matter what!

A person who cares about innocent people... at least wouldn't be a villain!

It can only be said that Zeff sometimes thinks too simply of people. As a complex being, Sett is too lazy to bother with what Zeff is thinking.

His gaze was solemn, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.

At the peak of his life, with no signs of physical decline, Zeff's strength far exceeded Sett's expectations. Just like now, no matter how hard Sett used his full power, even a fully charged, charged punch only caused a trickle of blood to seep from the corner of Zeff's mouth…

It was just a simple shock injury; his internal organs were probably completely intact! Just as Sett was still thinking this, Zeff's body flashed like a ghost in front of him, mimicking Sett's movements. However, Zeff didn't store any hidden power; he simply channeled all his strength, and his dark arm slammed out like a heavy hammer!

With his arms outstretched in front of him, Sett could still clearly feel the bones in his forearms groan and crack – this was no ordinary defense, especially considering the shield from the deliberate punch hadn't dissipated yet!

His thick thighs were planted firmly on the ground like nails, but even so, the heavy blow sent his robust body staggering backward, leaving two prominent ruts in the road.

Just as Sett was clenching his fists, which were throbbing with pain, before he could react, a gust of wind swept across his face.

He opened his eyes, and the dark fist was less than an inch away from Sett's forehead and skull!

51. Students

"Want to keep going, kid?"

Wearing Squirtle-style triangular black sunglasses, Zephyr wore a bright smile.

After a moment of silence, Sett spat out a mouthful of spittle with disdain, then shook his head indifferently; "That's it, you win."

Despite his obsession with physical prowess, Sett wasn't stupid. He knew better than anyone whether he could beat Sett. In this situation, simply accepting the fact that he had lost was enough; continuing to stubbornly persist would only make him look foolish.

Hearing Sett readily admit defeat, Zeff seemed quite pleased—in this world, ruthlessness and aggression are not flaws, but rather virtues. However, neglecting one's physical condition and judgment of winning or losing because of ruthlessness and aggression is an intolerable form of crudeness.

It's commendable to readily admit defeat like this—it was just a friendly exchange, so to fixate on the superficial word "victory" is just plain stupid.

In response, Zephyr, who was standing nearby, raised his sunglasses and asked, "Young man, are you interested in joining the Navy?"

"I have no intention of becoming a dog for the world government."

"How did the Navy become the World Government's dogs..." If it were any other vice admiral, an admiral might have been angry to hear this. But Admiral Zephyr, known as "the one who doesn't kill," wasn't angry at all; instead, he felt somewhat helpless. He seemed to be wondering why Sett would think this way.

Unconcerned, Sett simply straightened his arms, stimulating their recovery. Then he looked up and asked, "Are all admirals like you?"

"Like this? You mean the battle just now?"

"Um,"

Zephyr shook his head at this; "In that case... no."

Upon hearing this, just as Sett was about to ask something, Zephyr said, "I only used about 40% of my power just now... If it really came down to a fight, I couldn't even beat a vice admiral."

As he said this, a hint of amusement crossed Zephyr's face—in reality, Sett's strength had reached a level that would make many Major Admirals of the Headquarters blush with shame. But if you really wanted to compare, he couldn't even defeat a Vice Admiral. After all, that old man Garp had refused to be promoted to Admiral for several years in a row—even though his strength, achievements, and reputation were more than enough to qualify.

Sett knew nothing about Garp or anything like that. After hearing Zephyr's words, he was just a little excited—didn't that mean there would be many challenges ahead?! At least, this world would never be boring!

Before Sett and Zeff could say anything more, Tina rushed over. Her face a mixture of anger and despair, and she grabbed Sett by the collar, yelling, "You bastard! You promised not to cause trouble! Mr. Zeff is a Marine Admiral! Didn't you think about what would happen if he got hurt?!"

Zephyr, standing to the side, shrugged. Then he shook his head and said, "It was just a friendly spar... Speaking of which, Tina, is Sett your brother or...?"

With a hint of curiosity on his face, Zephyr had heard many versions of the rumors on his way here. Some said Sett was Tina's brother, while others said Sett was Tina's man. In short, the rumors were varied. Regardless of which one it was, as Tina was a pillar of the Navy's future, at least her family background needed to be clarified…

Tina shook her head helplessly at this; "It's a long story..."

He led Zephyr to the Marine branch and then recounted what had happened before—omitting any information about Robin.

After learning the whole story, Zephyr was also somewhat surprised; "Is it because of such a coincidence? That's really unbelievable... You two not only have similar names, but even your hair is so similar!"

Tina pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "Yeah, how unlucky..."

Having finished his personal business, Zephyr said, "I'm here today to conduct the fourth phase of elite naval training."

Upon hearing this, Tina's eyes lit up. Just as Tina had thought, Zephyr said from the side, "I've looked at your information, and you meet the standards to become a fourth-generation member, both in terms of ability and character. So, are you interested in joining?"

Tina nodded almost without hesitation—due to some unforeseen circumstances, Zephyr was no longer participating in the subjugation battles, but had instead stepped down to the sidelines to train personnel for the Navy. The new generation of Vice Admirals, such as Sakazuki and Kuzan, were all elite members of the second and third generations of the Navy.

Before this, Tina was an officer cadet who graduated from naval academy. Although she still held a superior status compared to ordinary naval personnel, she was still inferior to the elite naval corps—whose graduates typically started at the rank of lieutenant commander or even colonel!

Seeing that Tina agreed, Zephyr nodded and then said, "Speaking of which... is Sett interested?"

Zephyr certainly doesn't want Sett to become a despicable pirate in the future...

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As pointed out by readers, I noticed that the timeline was indeed inconsistent earlier. Firstly, Fujitora's name is sometimes written as "Issho" or "Issho" (meaning "life"). Fujitora is a nickname... Also, Tina and Smoker are not yet Zeff's students in the current timeline. After revisions, Zeff's purpose for this trip has become recruiting the fourth class of elite naval cadets. Tina's rank has been reduced to lieutenant commander. Other changes are minor...

52. The Deal with Zephyr

"Ah...ah?!"

Upon hearing Zephyr's words, Tina, without hesitation, waved her hand and said, "No, no, this is the only thing that absolutely cannot be done, absolutely impossible!"

Tina said with a serious expression, "I know Sett well. That bastard could never be a qualified Marine! If you insist on letting him join, the Marines will be completely ruined by him!!"

Although they had only known each other for two or three months, Tina, as the branch manager of Antuo Island, knew all too well how much of an impact Sett had had on Capone Casino during that time—and sure enough, it was still closed for rectification.

"Uh... is it really that difficult?"

Looking at the resistance on Tina's face, Zephyr seemed somewhat unable to understand; "It's just being a Marine... and Sett really is very talented, isn't he?"

“Talent is one thing,” Tina said; “but personality is another… If this guy becomes a Marine, he’ll definitely make sure the Marines are completely removed from the World Government!”

"Is it that serious?" Zephyr said with some surprise—as the instructor of the elite class, Zephyr naturally already knew about Tina and the others' situation.

At least in Zephyr's mind, Tina was definitely not the kind of foolish person who would make baseless accusations.

Even under these circumstances, Tina still holds this view. This only shows that Tina genuinely believes Sett is truly unsuitable to be a Marine…

“If that’s the case… then that’s a bit of a headache,” Zephyr said, stroking his chin.

Sett is exceptionally talented, but he is unable to become a Marine?

In this chaotic era, such a unique existence is not a good thing for the World Government—as an admiral who doesn't kill, even now, Zephyr still believes that people can be changed. However, the higher-ups of the World Government don't think so…

"Roar... What did I just hear?"

Just then, Sett, who was passing by, kicked open the door. Even after his recent defeat, Sett showed no sign of humility. He strode in, his face radiating arrogance.

Upon seeing Sett, Tina immediately lowered her head in despair, covering her forehead. In contrast, Zephyr appeared quite cheerful, even proactively asking, "So? Planning to join the Marines?"

“Didn’t I tell you?” Sett’s face was full of smugness, his broad shoulders leaning against the wall; “I’m not going to be someone’s dog.”

"How did the Navy become dogs?" Zeffa asked, somewhat helplessly, echoing Sett's prejudice against the Navy.

Sett sneered at this and said, "How can it not count? I don't believe any country's navy would indiscriminately slaughter a group of civilians."

Upon hearing Sett's words, Zephyr was puzzled. Just as he was about to ask something, he froze on the spot as if he had remembered something.

People in other seas may not know, but do the people of the Western Sea not know? In the Ohara massacre, not only the historians and adventurers who were the culprits, but even the innocent people on the refugee ships were bombarded by the naval fleet.

It can be said that the Buster Call against Ohara is an indelible stain on the West Blue Navy. And the widespread distrust of the Navy in the West Blue is precisely the root cause of its reputation as the most chaotic sea.

Using that as a reason, even Zephyr couldn't refute it in the slightest.

With a somewhat helpless sigh, after a moment of silence, Zephyr continued, "In that case... then promise me one thing, at least don't become a pirate."

His eyes were filled with seriousness. Sett's talent and personality were immediately apparent. In fact, Sett didn't seem like a good person at all. Under these circumstances, even Zeff himself felt it was somewhat unlikely that he would make such a request.

After all, in what is known as the Great Pirate Era, how could ambitious people be content to stay in the small West Blue?

Especially a supernova with unlimited potential like Sett...

Unexpectedly, Sett did not immediately refuse, but after a moment of silence, he said, "Then let's make a deal."

"trade?"

“That’s right.” Sett nodded and said, “About the Six Powers of the Navy… and ‘Haki’.”

Upon hearing Sett's words, Zephyr blinked and then nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay... but you'll have to come with me on the ship!" His eyes gleamed with excitement—the Six Powers of the Navy and the training of Haki were closely guarded secrets of the Navy and the World Government. Logically, regardless of the reason, they shouldn't fall into the hands of people from all over the world in any way. But Sett was different; Sett's talent was simply too outstanding.

Zeff was certain that even without his guidance, Sett could perfectly master these not-so-"difficult" techniques within twenty years...

Sett's decision to stop being a pirate is a minor matter. In Zephyr's eyes, what's more important is that Sett must travel with the ship during his training! And during this process, he can completely integrate Sett into the Navy family, making him an integral part! And then contribute to the peace of the entire seas!

Tina, who had guessed what Zephyr was thinking, could only shake her head and sigh – what was that saying again?

Correct.

Like throwing a meat bun to a dog... it's gone forever.

53. Zephyr and Robin

"You're going out to sea?!"

Upon hearing Sett's words, Robin's face showed a look of panic.

Although Robin had made many preparations, the sudden departure of Sett and Tina still caused her a moment of fear and unease, even with all her preparations.