Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

As he pondered this, Kizaru walked toward the gate.

Aside from coordinating C9, there's another reason why Kizaru wants to meet Sett, whom Zephyr constantly mentions... In the past, it wouldn't have mattered, but given the whole story of the Shichibukai incident, Kizaru is now very curious about Sett.

117. The Celestial Dragons Question

"I heard you were looking for me?"

Upon hearing Sett's question, Kizaru, who was sitting at the entrance, nodded casually.

He turned his head and looked at Sett, his lazy eyes filled with a hint of curiosity.

"So you're Sett? Just like the teacher said, you're not someone to be underestimated~"

With a joke, Kizaru's eyes showed a hint of surprise—without a doubt, Sett was now far stronger than his teacher had described. Putting everything else aside, just the surging, vibrant aura of bloodlust alone was enough to make one realize that this guy was no ordinary being.

Upon seeing Kizaru, Sett's gaze held a hint of curiosity.

Although Sett knew nothing about Kizaru's background, one thing was clear: as a candidate for Admiral, Kizaru was the one chosen to succeed Zephyr after Zephyr retired. Thinking about this, Sett felt a little itchy...

Seemingly guessing what Sett was thinking, Kizaru waved his hand and said, "I was on vacation when someone suddenly called for help, asking me to take CP9 away... What's going on with them?"

"I was about to ask you what happened," Sett said nonchalantly. "This lead poisoning isn't contagious at all. The root cause is the lead poison mine here... and then what was it again?"

As he spoke, Sett scratched his head and looked behind him. Seeing this, Dr. Vincent stepped forward and said, "Once they leave Frivans, patients with mild lead poisoning will gradually excrete the trace amounts of lead from their bodies through metabolism. Even if there are residual effects, they will at most have minor problems at the level of rheumatism and bone disease, and will not endanger their lives."

His eyes were filled with excitement—before this, the highest-ranking naval officer Dr. Vincent had contacted was the naval officer who was blockading Flevans with CP9. But now, if he could persuade an admiral candidate, then even if the blockade remained in place, there would be no need to worry about the flow of supplies!

Although Frivans is dangerous, it has been under lockdown for over three months. Even Dr. Vincent can see the business opportunity. As long as there's a 300% profit, people are still willing to do it, even risking the gallows—in fact, they flock to it.

Now, the price of a bag of blood has skyrocketed to 300,000 Berries. The profit margin is well over 300%.

It is foreseeable that once the blockade is lifted, the supply problems in Flevans will be greatly alleviated. At least, we won't have to stand by and watch innocent people die because of this unreasonable blockade!

Upon realizing this, Dr. Vincent became even more agitated:

"For severely affected patients, this can greatly reduce unnecessary suffering! Lead poisoning is not contagious; it's just a rumor caused by the propaganda of some unscrupulous media and the blockade by world governments!"

"Um... even if you tell me all this, I still wouldn't know..."

Kizaru scratched his head, looking a bit annoyed, and said, "I was in the New World before, and I only had time to go back to my old home in the North Blue because I was on vacation..."

"You didn't know about this?" Sett stroked his chin, somewhat puzzled. "Isn't the outside sealed off by the Navy?"

“That was assigned by the World Government,” Kizaru explained. “In theory, CP9 has the authority to directly command Marines below the rank of Rear Admiral, but due to the special nature of its intelligence agency, they have the right to keep such small-scale movements secret from the Marines.”

"...That navy is really a disgrace." Sett shrugged at Hawkeye beside him; "It's a good thing I'm not in the navy, or I'd be disgusted to death."

"Zeff-sensei is right, you really dare to say that." Saying this, Kizaru shook his head with a sigh—it's only because Kizaru has a relaxed personality; if it were Akainu hearing such words…

wrong!

Kizaru suddenly realized that it might be even worse if it were Akainu—that guy now thinks highly of Sett, and has even asked more than once to forcibly drag Sett to Marine Headquarters so that he can personally do ideological work on him.

Akainu himself had long been dissatisfied with CP9's meddling. In a situation like this, Akainu might even agree and invite Sett to help change the deplorable Navy... Unaware that Sett was also supporting Robin, Kizaru genuinely believed such a possibility existed.

"As for CP9, whatever," Sett said. "Anyway, I've stripped them of all their valuables. They're all like clay figures, so fighting them would be boring."

"Well, thank you very much..." Kizaru said, smacking his lips, then seemed to remember something and said, "Speaking of which, you should know Doflamingo, right?"

"I know." Sett nodded nonchalantly; 'The Bordered Yellow Banner, huh? I just wonder how it feels to fight them.'

What is the Bordered Yellow Banner?

Somewhat bewildered, Kizaru ignored it, because from Sett's words, he could tell that Sett knew Doflamingo's identity. However, considering that Master Zephyr had once described Sett's arrogant nature, as his senior, Kizaru still offered a word of advice:

"Although this may not be of much use, you'd better not have too much to do with him."

"why?"

Sett was a little curious.

In response, Kizaru explained, "The Celestial Dragons can tolerate Doflamingo killing his father, and they can tolerate Homin living in poverty and even being bullied by commoners. But this is also because they betrayed the Celestial Dragons' race and left Mary Geoise."

"But you are different. You are now a well-known bounty hunter. And your every move attracts the attention of most of the ocean... The Celestial Dragons do not have a good reputation among the people, but even so, no famous force dares to target Homing Ancient Saint."

As he said this, Kizaru's expression became more serious and earnest. "Being humiliated by commoners is something the Celestial Dragons are happy to see, because it is a 'punishment' they are happy to see. But if a Celestial Dragon, even an abandoned or outcast Celestial Dragon, is insulted by someone of status, it will rise to the point of insulting the Celestial Dragon race and insulting the Holy Land Mary Geoise."

Although he appears carefree and lazy, seemingly listless to everyone, Kizaru's rise to his current position is not solely due to strength... On this high seas, sometimes intelligence is more important than brute force. This is especially true within the vast organization of the World Government.

Hearing this, Sett stroked his chin, a keen smile spreading across his face; "Doesn't this sound interesting?!"

118. Raid

"..."

Looking at Sett in front of him, Kizaru also gained a new understanding of the "arrogance" that his master Zephyr had mentioned—this guy named Sett didn't care whether the other party was a Celestial Dragon or not.

Just like what Zeff said in private, Sett becoming a Marine might not necessarily be a good thing...

In response, Kizaru said, "You should know about the Shichibukai plan, right?"

"...Shichibukai?"

Sett, who had been feeling a bit listless, perked up immediately upon hearing Kizaru's words—pointing a finger at Kizaru, Sett exclaimed excitedly, "If you keep talking about this, I'm wide awake!!"

"..." After a brief silence, even Kizaru himself was unsure whether what he had said was right or wrong... But now that things had come to this point, it was unlikely he could take back what he had said. So, he steeled himself and said:

"Because of other looting incidents involving the Celestial Gold, Doflamingo is a pre-selected Shichibukai. In other words, within the World Government..."

Kizaru stopped mid-sentence. In Kizaru's view, Sett's previously excited eyes had been replaced by fanaticism.

Who is the Shichibukai? I will end his life! S11 Infinite Firepower One-Punch Sett Talent Rune Setup - WeGA Assistant.

With that fanatical demeanor, Kizaru even saw a red laser beam emanating from the depths of Sett's eyes—it was just the wrong color, otherwise, anyone who didn't know better would have thought Sett was the user of the Glint-Glint Fruit.

"It's decided! We'll beat Doflamingo!!!... Yes, we'll free Flevans!"

"...Liberating Flevance was just a side effect, right?" Hawkeye shook his head silently, a look of utter anticipation on his face. He considered himself quite familiar with Sett. Especially given his current behavior, it was definitely all about beating up Doflamingo!

Meanwhile, Kizaru was also somewhat bewildered—he had only intended to discourage Sett from his efforts, so how did it inexplicably turn into a pre-battle pep talk?

It's too late to say anything now.

Sett waved at Kizaru and said nonchalantly, "CP9, do whatever you want! I'm going to get down to business!!"

"..."

Just as Kizaru was filled with confusion and bewilderment, Hawkeye sighed softly, "Eh..." and then followed at a leisurely pace—it's good to have a powerful backer; there were indeed many people on Sett. Hawkeye thought to himself, even a future Marine Admiral could handle things so casually.

Having been a free bounty hunter for so long, this was the first time Hawkeye had experienced the exhilarating feeling of having a powerful backer.

Meanwhile, upon learning about CP9, Doflamingo's face was filled with solemnity. Veins bulged on his forehead as he strolled around, giving him the appearance of a suppressed Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Gladius is still recovering from his injuries—as the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, but the damage Gladius suffered far exceeds mere bone and muscle problems. Even in the world of One Piece, where everyone's resilience is off the charts, after receiving such a severe beating from Sett, it would be a pipe dream for Gladius to be able to get out of bed in at least ten days to two weeks.

As the bell rang, the Donquixote Family's executives entered the hall one by one. Looking at Doflamingo, who remained calm and thoughtful despite his rage, Trebol and the others exchanged glances, then silently took their seats, awaiting their young master's instructions.

However, just as the dishes were served and Doflamingo was about to say something, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the door.

"Who is Doflamingo?!"

As he spoke, a burly man over two meters tall dragged two henchmen by the heads and smashed the wooden door open. The agitation in his eyes and the bulging muscles all over his body testified to Sett's ferocity and savagery. The moment Doflamingo saw Sett, he knew who it was.

In fact, before Doflamingo could say anything, Trebol and the others, eager to take over, launched a swift and fierce attack.

While both Vergo and Sett had bulging muscles, Vergo's flesh color was different. After his bulging muscles burst through his clothes, Vergo, known as the "Demon Bamboo," became completely black from the influence of Armament Haki.

"I've certainly learned something new, hahaha!" Seeing this, Sett showed no fear whatsoever, and even laughed with great interest, "Is that Armament Haki or Ni Ge's Devil Fruit? It's so black, it's pure black. Did I get a Queen of Spades tattooed on my leg?!"

There's no such thing as a "nigger" in this world; most racial discrimination targets fish-men. But that doesn't stop Sett from reminiscing about his youth, running under the setting sun.

"Nonsense!"

Speaking coldly, Vergo's attack and defense surged dramatically under the influence of Armament Haki. A specialist in hand-to-hand combat, Vergo was one of the few executives in the Donquixote Family who hadn't consumed a Devil Fruit!

Similarly, this confidence stems from Vergo's faith in his physique—despite his young age, Vergo has already mastered full-body Armament Haki hardening. His formidable offense and defense make Vergo's destructive power far surpass that of ordinary Paramecia-type Devil Fruit users. Even facing a blade head-on wouldn't cause him much harm!

But before Vergo's attack could even touch Sett's body, a golden airburst transformed into a beam of light that struck Vergo's head.

The heavy blow sent a sickening crack of bone through Vergo's mouth. His normally swift black body, which appeared to move at almost three times the normal speed, was slammed into a deep crater in the wooden floor!

That hard face even had a deep indentation shaped like Sett's fist!

"What are you showing off for? My Armament Haki can harden even your bone marrow!!"

Regardless of whether he could actually do it, Sett scoffed dismissively, but immediately afterward, a strong sense of crisis inexplicably rose in his heart. However, Sett didn't sense any extra whispers—no, it was far too quiet.

Almost without thinking, Sett's feet stomped the ground repeatedly. The next moment, his entire body became a blur. But even so, a bloody wound still appeared on his solid, broad back.

Holding the long sword, Diamante's face was filled with undisguised disappointment; "Damn it... is that Observation Haki?!"

Using Rosinante's Silence-Silence Fruit powers to silence, Diamante silently circled behind Sett while he attacked Vergo. She thought she could deliver a fatal blow, but Sett's body was as hard as tempered steel. The sharp blade was immediately stopped as soon as it pierced him!

----------

It'll be released tomorrow, and I'll finish reading Doflamingo's story all at once then... To be honest, I really dislike accumulating drafts. Because I can't see feedback and make changes immediately...

119. It's on fire!

With powerful muscles and the ability to manipulate flesh to its limit, Sett is now perfectly capable of controlling his thick muscle fibers and bones to catch the blade the instant he is hit.

Thin trickles of blood flowed down Sett's back, but this did not cause him any pain. On the contrary, the stimulation of his pain receptors further heightened Sett's excitement.

"Disturbing people while they're eating..." Doflamingo, sitting in his seat with a cold expression, ignoring Sejuani's rising interest, simply said indifferently, "Isn't that inappropriate?!"

Upon hearing Doflamingo's words, Sett turned his gaze over and said, "Oh, so you guys are eating... How so? Have you eaten?"

He looked belatedly realizing what was happening, but then, without a trace of reflection, a cruel smile spread across every muscle on Sett's face:

"If you haven't eaten, how about taking a punch from me?!"

As he spoke, Sett let out a wild laugh: "Hahahaha!"

"How arrogant!!!"

Upon hearing Sett's words, Trebol and the others, before Doflamingo could react, flew into a rage. Then, a chain shot out from Trebol's snot-like clothes as he swung his arm.

Deliberately suppressed, the viscous chains didn't produce any excessive friction sounds during flight. At such rapid speeds, they were virtually imperceptible unless observed with the naked eye. Just as Sett's attention was drawn to the viscous chains, on the other side, before Sett could react, a humanoid silhouette appeared on the wall behind him.

Without a sound, the massive body, clinging to the wall, suddenly lunged and flew out. By the time Sett reacted, Pica's enormous body, fused with the boulder, had already firmly secured him in its embrace.

"Damn, where did this gay guy come from?!"