Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Hearing Tina's tense voice coming through the speakerphone, not only was Sett confused, but even Moria himself felt a bit bewildered—"Sir, take a good look at this port! This guy's the one who messed it up!"

Heaven had mercy on him. In order to ensure that he had enough shadows as a source of power, Moria even endured humiliation and ignored the residents who looked down on him, deciding to take down Sett first... but it turned out to be an egg hitting a rock and he was knocked out in a second.

In this situation, with 40% of my bones and muscles broken, you're telling me I'm in danger?

For some reason, Moria felt inexplicably wronged and ashamed.

Unaware of Sett's situation, Tina, while putting on her navy coat and preparing to leave, said, "Moria is a great pirate from the New World! He fought against Kaido, the Grand Admiral of the Beasts, and survived! He's not one of those rookies from the Four Seas you encountered before!"

Knowing that Sett was brainless and lazy to think, Tina kept adding, "Kaido is someone who can fight the Marine Admirals head-on! His powerful body can withstand even a volley of fire from a fleet!! Moria, who survived against him, is also a Devil Fruit user! Don't get into a conflict with him, wait until I get there..."

"Shut the fuck up!!!"

Before Tina could finish speaking, Moria let out a miserable roar. If before Moria had regarded these things as his glory, as his medals of honor, now, with his bones broken and lying on the ground, Moria only felt that the woman on the other end of the phone was humiliating him.

Unfortunately, the woman seemed completely unaware of what was happening here, leaving Moria speechless even as he wanted to curse—if we disregard the situation here, it would be a compliment to make the naval branch officers so tense and solemn!

But now, once trampled underfoot, no matter how much you boast, it will only make people laugh.

"Huh?!" Because of the urgency, Tina couldn't quite place the voice. She quickly said, "Anyway, don't make a move yet! I'm heading over right now! Whatever you do, don't get into a conflict with Moria!!!"

"Okay, okay~" Sett looked at Moria, who was lying on the ground, wincing in pain with the slightest movement, and said with a strange expression, "I absolutely won't fight him..."

Is it really that obedient?

Upon hearing Seti's words, Tina was taken aback, then scratched her head, hung up the phone, and immediately directed the officers of the naval branch to prepare for departure.

Upon hearing that the destination of this voyage was a great pirate from the New World, all the marines couldn't help but feel tense.

Our objective this time is to stall Moria!

A stark contrast to her helpless demeanor when communicating with Serena, Tina's face was now solemn, and she spoke with the air of a strong woman: "I've already notified the West Sea headquarters! Their support will be back soon! Just hold them off! Safety is the top priority!!!"

"ha!!!"

Hearing Tina's mobilization speech, the navy soldiers, though still tense, also let out a loud roar.

On the other side, Sett rubbed his chin twice as he looked at Moria at the bottom of the pit; "Is this guy... really that strong?"

"..." Silence. Hawkeye glanced at Sett silently, but didn't say anything more.

Moria's strength was absolutely top-tier in the first half of the Grand Line. While his individual abilities, such as physical combat and swordsmanship, were debatable, Moria's Devil Fruit development was undeniably exceptional. Whether as a shadow mage or a group of shadows, he possessed the ability to turn the tide of battle.

Unfortunately, he ran into Sett...

Although he had gained some weight, his physical strength remained undiminished. While Moria spat out many shadows during the battle, these shadows also helped Moria absorb a significant amount of the force—otherwise, it wouldn't have been as simple as just breaking 40% of his bones.

"Hey buddy! Bring me a pig cage!" Stepping out of the pit, Sett said as he went to find some drinks, "Put him in water! That way he won't run away!"

--------

Some readers complained that the romance scenes were overdone and awkward. That's undeniable... I've considered glossing over them, but I'm just too inexperienced for it. And romance scenes are like playing Vayne – you have to walk a tightrope carefully... So, I've been thinking about solutions. After much deliberation, I've decided to sacrifice myself and see if any female readers will give me a crash course on writing romance scenes (crossdressing, please). Of course, it would be even better if my girlfriend told me. (Even a crossdresser would do it!)

The romantic scenes in the future will be written more concisely.

88. Filled with righteous indignation

Sunshine Island isn't far from Antuo Island. The ocean currents connect them directly, and the World Government's warships, upgraded by their engineers, are far faster than ordinary pirate ships. Therefore, Tina's fleet could be seen on the coastline in just over three hours.

Her eyes were filled with solemnity. When Tina arrived at Sunshine Island and saw the dilapidated port in the distance, her heart skipped a beat.

Damn it, it looks like Sett has already started fighting!

Although she was serious, Tina wasn't surprised—she wouldn't be surprised by anything Sett did.

The only thing Tina was truly concerned about was the outcome of the battle and the severity of Sett's injuries. Furthermore, according to the Navy's intelligence, Moria could steal a person's shadow. If someone's shadow was stolen, they couldn't appear in sunlight, and given Sett's personality, this would definitely be a serious matter!

Tina didn't consider Sett family, but he was at least a friend. Moria's strength was undeniable, proven by his experience in the New World. Although Sett was powerful, influenced by her own limited knowledge, Tina didn't believe he could be compared to the great pirates who dominated the New World.

"Assess the casualties and property damage!" With a serious look in her eyes, Tina leaped off the deck, a distance of ten meters, and in a flash, her hands appeared as black iron bars.

"Evacuate civilians! Identify the target location, block off the streets, and prepare for battle!!"

As Tina's voice rang out, the surrounding soldiers roared in unison. However, the surrounding civilians showed no alarm at the roar. Instead, they watched Tina and her entourage arrive with feigned seriousness, whispering amongst themselves.

At this moment, Tina was also puzzled—why were there no signs of panic on the residents' faces?

Just as Tina was still wondering, Sett, who was standing at a table outside the bar, held a beer keg in one hand and raised the other hand high, waving it repeatedly at Sett; "Hey! Here! Here!"

"..." Tina fell silent, staring at Sett who sat there so casually. After a moment, Tina's brow twitched slightly, and she said with a hint of impatience, "You seem quite at ease~"

"You're too kind~ But you arrived quickly enough." Sett gave himself a thumbs-up; "My wounds have already healed!"

The fight with Moria was easy, but Moria's abilities were no joke. The swarming bats tore small gashes into Sett's body. However, thanks to his half-beast form, these wounds had healed completely within the next three hours.

If it were someone else, those bats wouldn't have suffered just simple flesh wounds... Unfortunately, Moria's abilities were completely countered by Sett.

Ordinary attacks are ineffective against Sett due to his subpar physical condition. While his Shadow Bats are sharp enough to shred an ordinary person, Sett's muscle density defies human standards... and his ultimate ability, Shadow Gathering, is severely countered by the fact that he vomits upon impact. Against another major New World pirate, the fight might have been more even.

As for those wounds... it just goes to show Sett's incredible regenerative abilities. This is especially true when he has enough food to continuously replenish his energy.

Upon hearing Sett's words, Tina paused, a hint of suspicion crossing her face; "You weren't lying to me about the impact hull, were you?"

Have you ever seen me lie to anyone?

“…No, not at all.” Tina shook her head again. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if you did anything, you bastard.”

After a pause, Tina said, "Where's Moria? Did he run away? Well, he's a great pirate after all, he probably knows we're here..."

A bounty of 170 million is far too terrifying for the West Blue. Therefore, Tina immediately assumed that Moria had noticed the Navy's movements and had fled the battlefield first.

Sett gestured toward the harbor nearby, saying, "They're soaking in the water."

"..."

Silence fell, and then Tina followed Sett to the damaged port. In a sunken puddle, a cylindrical pig cage, two-thirds of which was tied with rope, was submerged in water. Above and inside the cage, a pale, thin face was breathing heavily.

Although it was a bit bloated from being soaked, its highly recognizable demonic face still made it clear that this was undoubtedly Moria, who was labeled "extremely dangerous."

"..."

Tina fell silent, a look of disbelief rising on her face.

In response, Sett said, "This guy is tough to beat. See this port? He set it all up! Just so you can't dock your ships!"

As he spoke, Sett nodded indignantly, seemingly feeling utterly ashamed of Moria's character.

Hawkeye glanced at Sett, sensing his pure righteous indignation and resentment. He remained silent for a long time before turning his head away again.

Forget it, the assault boat is more important.

89. Eagle Eye Goes Bad

Upon hearing Sett's words, Tina raised an eyebrow. Then, following the direction Sett was pointing, she looked at the pitiful-looking Moria.

"He really...is Moria?"

Her voice held a hint of doubt. If Tina remembered correctly, Moria was extremely dangerous. In his thirties, strong and robust. Furthermore, his fully developed Paramecia-type Devil Fruit compensated for his weakness in close combat. Even a Marine Vice Admiral might not be able to capture him alive…

Now, soaking in the pig cage, Moria seems utterly powerless to resist... even somewhat pitiful.

"Of course~" Sett said casually, putting his hand on Tina's shoulder. "One hundred and seventy million. I don't even understand why you're so wary. It's only because I know you're talking about Moria. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were talking about Belial."

"What Belial?" Tina asked, puzzled by Sett's words. She didn't press for details, but quietly memorized the name Belial to look up later.

Taking out a Den Den Mushi, Tina communicated with the other naval fleets in front of Sett for a while. After a moment, Tina nodded and said, "Alright, I've told Rear Admiral Fire Mountain that they should be here to pick up Moria in a little while."

"General Fire Mountain?" Sett asked curiously upon hearing this title. "Why is it someone else? Moria should be worth quite a few battle merits, right?"

"These are two different things," Tina said, picking up a cigarette. "Moria is a notorious pirate in the New World; he'll likely intimidate many petty criminals at Marine Headquarters. The sea route from the West Blue to Marineford is long; it's impossible for a mere Marine Lieutenant Commander like me... But thanks to this opportunity, my performance during my probationary period should be fine."

As she said this, Tina's anticipation was tinged with a hint of excitement.

Sett graduated directly because he wasn't actually a Marine, and his mentor-student relationship with Zeff was merely a transaction. However, it was different for Tina and Smoker, who were part of the Marine ranks. They graduated from the elite Marine training program, but not completely—for the next five years, they would undergo a three-month annual final training assessment at the end of each year. The rest of the time was considered in-class practical training.

The number of piracy captured during the internship, the happiness level of residents in the jurisdiction, and the number of pirates will all become criteria for evaluation.

Sett has now given Tina a 170 million bounty on her head, and he's a powerful pirate from the New World. She's still in her probationary period, otherwise Tina could have been promoted directly to Navy Vice Commander with this combat ability. And after a couple of months of stability, she could be promoted to Vice Commander and enter Headquarters… This seems like a rather rapid promotion, but it's not actually that fast.

With the arrival of the Great Pirate Era, the number of people setting sail exploded. Not only in the New World, but even in the first half of the Grand Line, the Marine branches were short-handed…

However, considering that Tina is still an intern, these achievements will be accumulated and announced at the same time when she officially debuts.

There's an element of luck involved; Tina is currently more like a pig standing on the cusp of a trend—both the World Government and the Navy Headquarters need a star Navy member who can attract attention and inspire confidence in the Navy.

"I see... So how is the bounty calculated?"

"You won't be shortchanged." Tina nudged Sett's chest with her elbow, speaking in a friendly tone. "It's hard to say about other bounty hunters, but you're Admiral Zeff's apprentice, so you definitely won't lack bounties... I heard Admiral Zeff has been promoting you at headquarters. So, how about joining the Navy?"

After this battle, Tina truly realized Sett's terrifying strength—even the great pirates of the New World couldn't do anything to him, no wonder Admiral Zephyr valued him so much.

So what if my personality is a little difficult... Anyway, there are never fewer people with independent traits in the Navy than pirates.

"What's so great about being in the navy? I'm not interested."

“That’s a pity,” Tina shrugged. “If you join the Navy, you can not only get bounties, but also many things that are more valuable than bounties.”

"for example?"

"Military rank, government status, naval fleet, and some privileges~"

"Not interested." Hearing that it was just these things, Sett shook his head with a bored expression—he could get these things later.

Seeing Sett's reaction, Tina didn't say anything more. She simply nodded and asked, "When are you planning to collect the bounty?"

"Does it take time?"

“Otherwise?” Tina said; “This requires approval from the World Government… 170 million, apart from the important branches in the Grand Line, that Navy branch usually keeps that much cash on hand… Great pirates don’t just appear everywhere.”

"Then let's repair the port and houses for them first."

Sett pointed to Sunshine Island behind him; "Although the port and houses were destroyed by Moria, it's still part of the sea, and I can't just stand by and do nothing."

Upon hearing this, Tina nodded meaningfully; "As expected of a great pirate, he actually caused such serious damage... such an intense battle. I'll apply for some compensation later."

Moria, submerged in the sea, wanted to curse, and even more so, to defend himself. But then he saw Hawkeye's hand kneading the hilt of his knife and his warning gaze—for the sake of the assault boat, and for the sake of the independent toilet.

People can learn bad habits faster than you can imagine.

----------------

I'm currently guaranteed at least 1.5k per chapter, often 1.7k! Guys say 1k per chapter is too much! After it's officially released, each chapter will be 2k!

As for the lack of pages… I'll tell you a trick. Open system settings, click on the font size, and turn it to the maximum. I tried it, and it increased the number of pages from seven to twenty-seven—rounding up to four chapters! Three updates a day, rounding that up to twelve! Plus, I'm making up for yesterday's five updates today, meaning I'll be posting twenty updates today!