Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Now that things have come to this, Sett can no longer bring himself to admit that he's still supporting Robin.

In his office, Zephyr's face was grave. The newspaper in front of him still carried Sett's complaints about the Navy—these comments, deliberately spread throughout the seas by Vice Admiral Tsuru and others, during this time.

Those unaware of the truth might think Sett's actions had offended the Navy Headquarters. However, in reality, the Navy Headquarters was greatly relieved by Sett's remarks.

Sett's remarks, appearing simultaneously with the Seven Warlords system, would cause a serious public outcry. The Five Elders, being astute individuals, naturally realized this, and similarly, they also realized the Navy would seize this time to prevent the implementation of the Seven Warlords system—but even knowing this didn't matter, because it was a completely open and aboveboard scheme.

Although this turn of events was not Sett's original intention, the result is that all the high-ranking officers in the Navy, or rather, everyone who has feelings for the Navy, owes Sett a favor.

If it were anyone else, Zephyr would be very grateful—but Zephyr knows better than anyone that Sett has Robin by his side!

As the son of a devil, Zephyr felt more pity and compassion for Robin. For this, he even went against his duty as a Marine, which required obedience to orders.

If it weren't for Robin, anyone else would have been promoted to major general within five years simply because of the impact of those remarks—and with a little talent, even a lieutenant general or a candidate for general wouldn't be impossible.

After all, this favor is extremely important to those who have feelings for the Navy.

But Sett happened to be with Robin... If it weren't for Robin, Zephyr was even certain that even if Sett didn't become a Marine in the future, or even if he became a pirate, he would still enjoy treatment far exceeding that of a Shichibukai.

but now……

Just as Zefa was still wondering what to do, the phone rang suddenly.

"Hello? This is Zephyr, how can I help you?"

"It's me! Fire Mountain! General Zephyr!"

"Ah, Fire Mountain." Upon hearing Fire Mountain's voice, Zephyr nodded and then asked, "What's wrong? Why are you calling me all of a sudden? Is something happening in the West Blue? Or is Sett... having some kind of problem?"

He pays close attention to Sett; in fact, the reason why Fire Mountain is so enthusiastic about Sett is partly because Zeff specifically instructed Fire Mountain to take care of Sett.

In response, Huoshaoshan said, "There was no problem. I just wanted to tell General Zefa that I misunderstood you!"

"what?"

Upon hearing Fire Mountain's words, Zephyr was somewhat bewildered, completely unaware of what had happened. Fire Mountain, however, remarked with a touch of melancholy, "At first, I thought you had me pay attention to Sett because of his immense talent, and you didn't want him to become a pirate and oppose the Navy. But now it seems I was wrong."

Huh? Isn't that right? Zephyr scratched his head. He felt there was nothing wrong with the idea of ​​burning the mountain... Where did he go wrong?!

While Zephyr was still wondering, Fire Mountain continued, "Do you know what Sett said to me?"

"What did you say?"

"He asked me about the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

Upon hearing this, Zephyr's eyes narrowed slightly: "How did he know?"

You should know that, apart from a few veteran vice admirals, the information about the Seven Warlords of the Sea is currently unknown even to future Marine leaders like Tina, and even to most active Rear Admirals! So how did Sett know?

"He didn't know; it felt more like he'd heard it by chance," Fire Mountain said. "I asked him what he wanted from the Seven Warlords of the Sea. You know, I'm against the Seven Warlords system, and I even suspected at one point that Sett wanted to become one."

Is not it?

Silence fell—not just you, but my first reaction to what you said was that he wanted to become a Shichibukai…

While Zephyr remained silent, Fire Mountain continued, "I asked him why, and he told me he was going to beat up the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

"What the heck??"

Zephyr felt his brain wasn't quite working properly. Just as Zephyr was still pondering this, Fire Mountain beside him excitedly said, "At first I didn't quite understand, but then I realized! Although Sett didn't join the Navy, his heart has always been with the Navy Headquarters! He wanted to instill fear in the other Shichibukai by beating them up, thus preventing them from becoming Shichibukai!"

"If it were anyone else, I would definitely suspect that this was just an act. But when I first met Sett, I was certain that he was a true man, so arrogant that he wouldn't even stoop to lying!"

Fire Mountain said excitedly, "The emergence of the Seven Warlords system has cracked my firm belief in the Navy, but after hearing Sett's words, I couldn't help but cheer up! Even someone like him who isn't a Navy member is working hard in his own way, so what right do I have to be decadent, disappointed, or frustrated?!"

"You're absolutely right! Admiral Zeff! Sett is the Navy's true treasure!!!"

"I initially thought he was just a simple gang member who might become a destabilizing factor in the West Sea in the future. But now, I understand!!"

You beast, what do you know?!

"Sett's Skullcrushers have a well-established presence on Antwerp Island, and they even have dealings with local World Government officials."

"At first, I didn't understand why you valued someone like this so much, but now it seems that Sett learned about the Seven Warlords system in advance through the guild's dealings before saying these things... So, in other words, Sett is actively helping us delay the implementation of the Seven Warlords system!!!"

Zephyr: ? ? ? ?

He opened his mouth, but Zephyr found himself unable to utter a single word—to be honest, if he hadn't known Robin, Zephyr felt his thoughts would have been very similar to those of Fire Mountain.

However, the problem is that Zephyr knows about Robin!

Just as Zephyr was pondering how to respond, Fire Mountain spoke up, "That's all, Admiral Zephyr. I know you value Sett, so don't worry. Since he's helping us, the Navy won't turn a blind eye! I'll go report to Admiral Sengoku right now! I heard he's been hunting pirates lately, he's really diligent! I'll see if I can send him some nautical charts and weapons later!"

As he was talking, before Zefa could stop him, Huoshaoshan hung up the phone and turned to dial Zhanguo's number.

Zephyr desperately wanted to tell Fire Mountain that he couldn't give Sett the sea charts, much less provide him with weapons. Because Sett was a ticking time bomb, and the Shichibukai affair was definitely a fluke for Sett—but just as Zephyr was pondering what to say, a loud crash followed. Sengoku, Tsuru, Garp, and even the future three Admirals of the Navy, Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru, all arrived at Zephyr's office.

They were just discussing countermeasures to prevent the implementation of the Seven Warlords of the Sea system. Zephyr had stepped down from the front lines, so he did not participate in the discussion.

Now, upon hearing the news of the Fire Mountain, Sengoku's previously worried expression vanished, replaced by a hint of excitement as he looked at Zefa; "Is what the Fire Mountain said true?!"

"..."

Silence fell, and Zephyr's face was numb.

Now that things have come to this, Sett must never reveal that he still keeps Robin by his side, even if he's beaten to death...

99. Vicious Nickname

On the boundless, azure sea, the sound of the shells crashing against each other created waves as high as five meters.

The pristine white boat on the sea looks like a darting arrow.

With good luck, a sailing warship can average around 14 knots per hour. Even after modifications, a great pirate's warship can only reach around 30 knots per hour... But a ramming boat is different; even while maintaining its range, a ramming boat can maintain a speed of 60 knots per hour.

Of course, it is precisely because of this high speed that the impact shell places extremely stringent requirements on the strength of the warships. Large warships are basically unable to be equipped with it, and even if they could be built, the cost-effectiveness would still be an unavoidable issue.

Over the past period, Sett and his crew, as a bounty hunter duo, had made quite a splash. However, aside from Moria, the vast majority of other pirates hovered between five and twenty million bounties. After traveling for almost a week, they encountered only a handful of pirates with bounties exceeding thirty million.

Even so, in a small place like the West Blue, it still became a death god feared by the vast majority of pirates.

Hey, have you guys heard?

In a tavern on Frevans Island in the North Sea, an old drunkard with a bright red, bulbous nose chuckled and said, "I heard those two bounty hunters from the West Sea came to the North Sea! They just arrived and wiped out the Black Hand Pirates."

"The Black Hand Pirates?!" Upon hearing the old drunkard's words, the bartender next to him said in surprise, "The Black Hand Pirates had a bounty of over thirty million. Were they really wiped out? I heard that even the Navy couldn't do anything to them."

The Black Hand Pirates, despite having a bounty of only 30 million, live in a North Blue far more chaotic than the West Blue, where gangs roam freely. A bounty of 30 million is enough to place them among the strongest in the North Blue, making them a top-tier group of powerful pirates.

When the tiger's away, the monkeys reign supreme. The Black Hand Pirates, renowned for their ruthless and domineering ways, are arguably one of the most infamous pirate crews. Their favorite pastime is landing on land, slaughtering towns, and taking all the treasure and food. Because their captain is such a skilled sailor, they don't even care about the Navy's pursuit, even boasting, "One day we'll show you what a Black Hand really is!"

They may not be the strongest, but they are definitely the most feared and dreaded by ordinary people.

"Thirty million is nothing!!" Upon hearing the bartender's words, the old drunkard burped and then said, "Do you know Moria? In the New World, there was a pirate with a bounty of 170 million! He was still beaten to a pulp by those two bounty hunters!"

"Wow, they're that good? What are the names of those two bounty hunters?"

The bartender looked at the drunkard with some curiosity. He himself had only heard about it secondhand. The West Sea was inherently more isolated than the other three seas, and although he had heard of Sett and the others' exploits, his mind was preoccupied with boasting, and for a moment, the drunkard couldn't recall Sett and the others' names.

So he said, "Names don't matter! Let me tell you, those two bounty hunters, one is like a demon, bloodthirsty and ruthless, and the other is like an ice cube, you can't get a word out of them! Those nosy pirates have already given them fierce nicknames."

"What's their name?!" The bartender's eyes were filled with curiosity. What nickname could a duo like them have? The Black and White Duo? The Black and White Impermanence? The Condor Heroes? The Blood-Handed Butcher?

"They're called 'brainless' and 'unhappy'."

"..."

The hand wiping the glass paused slightly, and then the bartender next to him nodded expressionlessly.

"Indeed, quite ruthless..."

Before the bartender could finish speaking, Sett, who had been listening for a while, grabbed the drunkard's sparse hairs and turned him to face him. His rugged, handsome face was filled with displeasure; "Who the hell are you saying is unhappy?!"

He could brag all he wanted when no one was around, but now that he'd met the real person, the drunkard was stunned for a moment and then fainted from fright.

Seeing this, Sett clicked his tongue in annoyance and spat on the bar floor without any manners or elegance; "Damn, another coward!"

Excuse me, Sett turned his gaze to Hawkeye, who remained silent behind him; "He said you're brainless, aren't you angry?"

"..."

Silence remained. Hawkeye glanced at the drunkard who had fainted from fright, then at Sett with a "I'm thinking of you" look on his face. Without saying a word, he sat down at the bar counter and said to the bartender, who was already used to such things, "A glass of water... and another glass of Elegant White."

"Ok."

Upon hearing Hawkeye's words, the bartender nodded, showing no surprise at all that Hawkeye had ordered a glass of water.

Fresh water is a precious resource on the high seas, and water left out for too long will develop an unpleasant taste and become unpalatable. Therefore, rum was created – also known as sweet rum, it is made from sugarcane juice and then distilled. Fresh water is rare, and even if it develops an unpleasant taste, it cannot be discarded carelessly at sea. Therefore, pirates would dilute rum with water to drink.

The reason for choosing rum is quite simple. Wine has a low alcohol content and easily turns sour and spoils if not stored properly. Rum, on the other hand, has a high alcohol content, a sweet taste, and also has antibacterial properties. More importantly, it's inexpensive. Naturally, it became the preferred choice for ocean voyages.

After drinking this kind of wine diluted with water for a long time, many pirates would take a sip of sweet water as soon as they came ashore, and then consider other enjoyable things.

"Your guest?"

He looked at Sett with some curiosity. Although he was a bartender, he had developed a discerning eye after spending so much time on the high seas. At least, whether it was this aloof swordsman or this burly man who seemed to have a fiery temper, their mere presence was enough for him to sense that neither of them were ordinary people.

"A glass of rye wine! ...Yes, and a glass of water too."

Once seated, Sett pulled out a stack of sea charts and said, "Damn it, where did that bastard redhead go? I've been exploring half of the North Sea and haven't heard much... Mihawk, are you kidding me? Don't tell me you're teaming up with that redhead to trick me!"

“…” Mihawk glanced at Sett and nodded silently: “Looks like the nickname was right.”

"Bullshit, I've always been incredibly cheerful!"

"..."

Shaking his head, Hawkeye picked up the newspaper from the drunkard who had fainted from fright and was now snoring.

“North Sea is Beckman’s hometown, and Akainu and Kizaru from the Supernova series are also from North Sea…” Mihawk said, pointing to a picture. “Like this one, they would often ‘borrow’ some repair materials from the Marine branch.”

100. Lead poisoning

While Sett was discussing with Hawkeye where to pursue Shanks next—well, actually, Hawkeye was the one devising the next plan. After all, Sett didn't even know where the West Blue was or which way to go…

Meanwhile, watching the two talking, the bartender asked, "Is this your first time at Flevans, sir?"

"Hmm." Hawkeye, who was standing to the side, stared at the news in the newspaper and speculated on where Shanks would go next, while calmly nodding.

The bartender paused for a moment, then said, "If this is your first time here, you'd better leave before you enter town."

The hand that was turning the pages of the newspaper paused slightly, then Hawkeye raised his head with a hint of amusement: "...What do you mean?"

If it's because there are thugs and bandits in town, Hawkeye wouldn't mind earning a little money for travel expenses... Sett wouldn't care either, Hawkeye knows that.