Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

"Doflamingo was born into a Celestial Dragon family and was the eldest son of the Donquixote Family. He originally enjoyed the same privileges as his family as a Celestial Dragon. However, his father, Donquixote Homing, decided one day to advocate that Celestial Dragons and ordinary people were the same kind of human beings. He resolved to leave Mary Geoise and announced that he would give up his privileges as a Celestial Dragon and live like an ordinary family. Therefore, he took his family and left the Holy Land Mary Geoise."

"After that, Homing, who came to the West Blue, lived off his remaining savings. But because the whole family had lost their former privileges as Celestial Dragons and the protection of a Marine Admiral, the people who had been persecuted by other Celestial Dragons vented their resentment on this family. Theft, beatings, isolation..."

“Wait a minute…” Hawkeye frowned slightly, then said, “Even so, Saint Huo Ming was at least once a Celestial Dragon. Didn’t he ask for help?”

“We did ask for help,” Kalifa said, shaking her head. “But Homing Ancient Saint has become a heretic in Mary Geoise…”

“…Go on.”

Sitting on the sofa, Hawkeye's gaze held a hint of contemplation—he didn't have much affection for the Celestial Dragons. Or perhaps, it was true that almost everyone outside of Mary Geoise harbored little goodwill towards them. Because of the so-called "Heavenly Gold" tribute, countless families had been torn apart, and countless nations had fallen into war and poverty.

Although naive, Homing's ancient saint did prove that not all Celestial Dragons are villains.

"Later, due to poverty, Doflamingo's mother died of illness when Doflamingo was eight years old."

“…Foolish.” Rubbing his temples, he initially had some goodwill towards Huo Minggu Sheng, but now, even Hawkeye felt that Huo Minggu Sheng was a bit too idealistic.

Compared to Hawkeye's complexity, Sett was much more straightforward: "He's an idiot! He has a conscience, but he's just an idiot with a conscience!"

In Sett's view, people can be wild and do whatever they want. But at the very least, they shouldn't endanger their families! Like Homing, who, while indeed a good person, was also undeniably a fool.

Nodding, Kalifa didn't pay much attention to Sett and the others' comments, but continued after they finished speaking: 'When he was ten years old, Doflamingo killed his father and returned to Mary Geoise with his head, demanding to regain his Celestial Dragon status.'

"Hmph, quite the ruthless one~" Sett stroked his chin with a hint of interest—although patricide is morally questionable, the fact that he could go this far, even if it was for fame, fortune, and privilege, is astonishing enough. Or rather, this pursuit and fanaticism for power is something that demands serious attention.

"They didn't agree, right?"

Hawkeye said, "After all, if they had agreed, the Don Quixote family probably wouldn't have shown up in the North Sea at all."

“…Yes.” Kalifa nodded, then looked out the window—or rather, out of the large hole in the wall that Lucci had smashed open.

Awakened by the noise, Dr. Vincent is currently busy stopping Lucci's bleeding...

"A great story! I enjoyed it very much!"

Sett nodded in satisfaction and said, "Now that the story is over, it's time to deal with your problems."

"..."

Upon hearing Sett's words, the members of CP9 couldn't help but tense up, their faces filled with tension, much like the sense of urgency one feels when a teacher suddenly walks into a study room.

"Since the story is good..." Sett pressed his knuckles; "I won't resort to violence."

115 Request for Assistance

"Hey, what's up? Is something wrong? I'm on vacation right now."

On the deck, Vice Admiral Kizaru Borsalino wore an expression of annoyance.

As a seemingly carefree individual, Kizaru is a neutral admiral candidate in the Navy. He rarely pays attention to matters of hawks or doves, simply fulfilling his responsibilities to the rank he holds.

Of course, this doesn't mean Kizaru is merciful to pirates. In fact, quite the opposite. While Kizaru maintains an ambiguous stance within the Navy, at other times, especially when facing pirates, he firmly believes that "the crimes of pirates cannot be forgiven." Therefore, no matter what kind of pirate he faces, Kizaru never shows mercy.

Taking a break to relieve boredom and have some fun is a separate matter.

Now, during a rare vacation, I took the opportunity to visit my hometown in Beihai. Unexpectedly, before I even disembarked, I received an emergency call for help.

The emergency call button is a special Den Den Mushi that the Navy can only use when it encounters a crisis. This Den Den Mushi will directly contact the nearest Navy fleet and Navy branch, and supports many functions such as recording and transmission.

In theory, regardless of whether one is on leave or not, receiving such a call requires immediate support—the Navy is not pirates who can abandon their comrades at will. Especially at the officer rank, everyone cherishes their reputation.

"Vice Admiral Kizaru! C9 has been held captive by Sett!!!"

"...What the heck?"

Kizaru's expression hardened; he even felt like he'd misheard something—C9, that was the World Government's special forces. Even the Navy couldn't touch them based on their authority. And now, C9 was being held captive by Sett?

That sounds so strange, doesn't it?

While thinking, Kizaru said, "Since they've been detained, why don't you go and get them? Sett isn't a pirate, are you going to refuse to release him?"

Not only that, Kizaru also felt somewhat puzzled. Because in this Marine's words, Kizaru didn't hear the expected panic or anger. It was as if they could understand Sett's actions… That didn't seem right, did it? The inhabitants of the North Blue were usually quite outgoing and flamboyant, and known for their martial spirit. Could it be that his recent trip to the Grand Line had changed the local customs?

While Kizaru was still thinking, on the other side:

“Mr. Sett really won’t release them…” the Navy said helplessly; “The C9 members initially asked us for help, but after our soldiers arrived, Mr. Sett told us to leave and asked us to find the highest-ranking officer here to explain the matter of Flevance…”

"Frevans?" Kizaru asked, somewhat puzzled, upon hearing the Navy's words. "Isn't Frevans currently under lockdown due to an infectious disease? I remember reading about it in the newspapers."

Although the Navy is subordinate to the World Government, due to the unique nature of the ocean, its authority within the World Government is semi-independent. Furthermore, any information about what happened within Flevans would be entirely classified as a "scandal" if it were to become public.

It is precisely because of this that even Kizaru, a candidate for admiral, only had a limited understanding of Flevance based on one-sided information from the newspapers.

"Uh... about that..." Hearing Kizaru's question, the officer hesitated for a moment. Finally, he sighed and said with a hint of helplessness, "C9 forbids us from disclosing this..."

"...Alright then."

Upon hearing this, Kizaru immediately guessed many unsavory things.

As a neutral candidate for admiral, Kizaru rarely gets involved in troublesome matters. For example, regarding the Buster Call in Ohara, regardless of how good it might leave on his superiors, Kizaru chooses to stay away, preferring to get injured and recuperate rather than get involved in such things.

It can be said that Kizaru is one of the few in the Navy who views the relationship between the World Government and the Navy from an outsider's perspective... At least, in Kizaru's view, many of the World Government's methods are indeed not honorable.

And now, Frevans is likely one of those involved in this dishonorable scheme.

"I'd heard that Sett always asks about everything." Kizaru emerged from the cabin, a weary and resigned look on his face as he draped his coat over his shoulders. "It's understandable that he won't budge in this situation... My precious vacation..."

As he spoke, Kizaru suddenly understood why the officer's words lacked the expected anger and panic.

It's likely that even the Navy itself, which is blockading Flevans, disapproves of C9's actions... C9 is a loyal lackey of the World Government, while the Navy's position within the World Government is semi-independent. As both are armed forces, competition between them is perfectly normal.

The evenly matched strength was one thing, but with the advent of the Great Pirate Era, the Navy's power expanded rapidly. To maintain its position, C9 indirectly controlled the Navy through the orders of the Five Elders, becoming a hidden, semi-superior department…

C9 and the Navy already had an inherent rift, and now Flevance's actions have further humiliated the North Sea Navy... No wonder they're angry. They probably wish Sett would give C9, whom they couldn't beat, a few more beatings.

But is this really just a conflict between the C9 and the Navy?

Kizaru doesn't think so—the two have been at peace for so many years, why the sudden and unexpected eruption? There must be some trigger.

With this thought in mind, Kizaru called back and asked, "Are there any other forces on Flevans?"

“This…” the sergeant hesitated.

To this, Kizaru casually replied, "I'm asking you this in my capacity as a Vice Admiral."

"It's the Donquixote Family, Vice Admiral Kizaru!"

Upon hearing the officer's reply, Kizaru paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, I'll be there in a bit."

As he spoke, Kizaru hung up the phone again, a hint of understanding appearing on his sagging, aged face—Kizaru, or rather all the high-ranking Navy officers, knew very well about Doflamingo.

Every time Doflamingo robs the Celestial Dragons, he gets away scot-free, but the blame for dereliction of duty falls on the Navy... and the Navy can't even take action against this outcast Celestial Dragon.

"Doflamingo bumped into Sett..." Kizaru stroked his chin, finding it quite amusing; "I'd better hurry over and take a closer look. According to my teacher, Sett isn't someone you can easily get along with."

116·Top Agent

After glancing at the time and confirming the direction, Kizaru raised his arm and waved to the Marines behind him; "Get ready, I'm about to depart."

"Yes, Vice Admiral Kizaru!"

The soldiers beside him nodded solemnly. Then, escorted by the soldiers, Kizaru was placed inside a cannon barrel. Then:

"Human Cannon, Level One Ready!!!"

"Human Cannon, Level Two Ready!!!"

"Human Cannon—Fire!!!"

With the final sound, the soldiers nearby took out matches and lit the fuse of the cannonball. With a crackling sound, and a loud boom, the cannonball, along with the half-photon-transformed Kizaru, flew away into the distance as a blur.

His ability is the Glint-Glint Fruit, a Logia-type Devil Fruit. Kizaru can make his body photon-like, immune to damage, and simultaneously move at high speed. Although he claims to be able to reach the speed of light, no one knows his true speed limit.

The shells don't fly very far. Especially these iron-mold cannons; even with the Navy's bizarre technological advancements, their range is only around four or five hundred meters. But fortunately, Kizaru can not only stand on them but also provide a continuous source of power for the shells.

His photon-like body propelled the cannonballs beneath his feet, the dark projectiles accelerating rapidly under the influence of the photon boosters. After flying for about an hour, Kizaru spotted the island of Flevans—a famous tourist attraction in the North Blue, Flevans was once ranked as the "top of the ten must-see attractions in the North Blue" by the World Economic News Agency.

The reason it ranks first is nothing more than the reputation of Baise town, and the fact that its amber and lead artworks are extremely expensive outside, but highly regarded in Fryvanes.

A single amber-lead plate, offered as tribute to the Celestial Dragons and sold to them, costs over 200,000, while those sold to nobles outside are not much cheaper. A slightly more refined one can be worth tens of thousands.

Furthermore, with its thriving trade, even along the Grand Line, there were sellers from Flevans… and these expensive items were only slightly more expensive than ordinary pots and pans in Flevans itself. Countless people throughout Flevans had become wealthy by smuggling amber and lead products… even though Flevans law prohibited it.

Although they are far apart, with the collapse of social order, the once dreamlike town of Baise has been engulfed in flames and smoke.

In the past, during his vacations, he often came here to stroll around, relax, and buy some artwork. But now, seeing how this once dreamlike town has become, Kizaru's face showed a touch of melancholy.

"I wonder what the World Government is thinking..."

Before he became the casual admiral he later was, still a young man, and Kizaru still had some ambitions. Besides, with no one around and only a cannonball at his feet, Kizaru wasn't worried about anyone reporting him—after all, discontent within the Navy towards the World Government was nothing new.

Especially after the Seven Warlords of the Sea plan was proposed, it's no exaggeration to say that the Navy was outraged.

As he thought this, Kizaru deactivated the photon propulsion. With a loud bang, the shell landed and turned into a mushroom cloud. A true man never looks back at an explosion; he walked out calmly. The lieutenant determined the direction, and Kizaru once again transformed into a golden flash and headed towards the church hospital—as one of the few large church-style buildings in Bass City, Sett's residence was easy to spot.

When Kizaru arrived, he found the hospital entrance crowded with people—not thugs, or rather, in Kizaru's mind, if what Zephyr said was true, then Sett would never tolerate thugs gathering in front of the place where he sleeps.

"If it's not Bao Tu, then who is it? What are they doing?"

Driven by curiosity, Kizaru pushed his way through the crowd. At first, some people tried to make a fuss when they noticed people pushing their way in, but they all fell silent after turning around and seeing the white Navy Justice Coat. In particular, Kizaru's distinctive face, with its loose skin that made him look particularly old, made everyone realize that this was none other than Vice Admiral Borsalino, whom the newspapers considered a strong candidate to become the next Admiral.

Ignoring the stares of the crowd, he squeezed his way in, and even Kizaru couldn't help but fall silent after seeing what everyone was looking at.

It was a makeshift platform, only about a meter above the ground. For Kizaru, that distance was just a matter of lifting a foot – with those two-meter-long legs, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a slightly higher step.

On the platform, there was something that looked like a gallows. Kaku, Lucci, Owl, Bruno... all the members of C9 were tied up like cocoons and hung on it, with a piece of white paper stuck to their chests, on which were written seven large characters.

Top Agent C9

Looking at the people crammed up like silkworm cocoons, Kizaru couldn't help but shake his head in astonishment.

To kill someone, you also have to destroy their spirit?! How terrifying!!

Perhaps because the crowd was making some noise about Kizaru's arrival, the C9 members, noticing the change in atmosphere, looked up. However, upon seeing Kizaru, they did not immediately call for help, but instead lowered their heads, seemingly feeling extremely ashamed.

This made Kizaru understand once again why the Navy, which had sealed off this place, would rather call him over than help rescue these C9s... How satisfying.

Relying on the trust of the Five Elders, they bully the Navy. The majority of the Navy members disapprove of C9's behavior—claiming to be for justice, but the World Government has trampled on their so-called justice countless times.

And now, C9, who is the Black Glove of the Five Elders, is being beaten up and left hanging outside... It's only because Kizaru doesn't usually have access to him that he's laughing out loud. If it were a mid-level Marine who frequently interacts with C9, he would probably be laughing his head off.

They even saved them; ordinary naval officers would have loved to step in and whip C9 a couple of times.

However, those were just the thoughts of the lower-ranking naval officers. Scratching his head somewhat helplessly, Kizaru, as the next Admiral, felt it necessary to mediate the conflict between the Navy and the World Government.