Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

About five years ago, Vinsmoke Judge worked with Vegapunk in an illegal research group and successfully obtained biological "lineage factors." This was known as the "blueprint of life."

Humans, wild beasts, animals, plants... any life form that can be imagined can be transformed and evolved through a life blueprint.

It was precisely because of this that Vegapunk was arrested by the World Government not long after, and soon joined the World Government's scientific research force. Within this research group, Vinsmoke Judge was one of the few with political awareness. The moment he discovered the blueprints for life, he knew they would attract the World Government's covetousness.

Therefore, Vinsmoke Judge was the only one who escaped from the research group. Returning home, relying on the Life Design Blueprint, Vinsmoke Judge built a massive army of androids. Through his manipulation of the Life Design Blueprint, he gained the leverage to negotiate with the World Government.

Following this, Vinsmoke Judge further deepened his research on replication and modification, and successfully designed cyborgs with tougher skin, naturally possessing exoskeletons, strong regenerative abilities, no emotions, no sense of pain, and absolute obedience to his commands.

Relying on these cyborgs and their own immense power, the once obscure Germa Kingdom rapidly began its transformation into an "army of evil" and a "war empire." And immediately after completing this transformation, they created a momentous event that shook the entire North Blue—the conquest of the four kingdoms.

To this end, the power-hungry Vinsmoke Judge even commissioned a massive oil painting. The subject of the painting is simple: standing on a throne, Judge holds a crown. At his feet are four neatly arranged heads of kings, each with a different expression.

Sett's next journey will involve the Germa Kingdom, which is known to the World Government. Based on this, Sett is currently like a flea on a prisoner to the World Government, hindering their work at every turn.

It didn't matter much before; Moria was a notorious pirate, so being defeated was just a matter of paying the bounty. After that, although Sett occasionally made some outrageous remarks, the World Government didn't bother with him. Perhaps in the World Government's eyes, Sett was just a loudmouth, but still a useless flea bounty hunter.

But this time was different. With the discovery of Flevance's scandal, public resentment surged within the World Government's territory. Even many member states questioned why they were maliciously interfering in the internal affairs of other countries…

It was for this reason that the World Government decided to eliminate Sett.

Among these, Vinsmoke Judge's Germa Kingdom became the best choice.

Not only is their military formidable, but the Vinsmoke family itself is also a top-tier assassin family in the underworld. They revere force, and war is their honor—Sett is undoubtedly a perfect target. Moreover, it would allow them to further deepen their dealings with the World Government!

And so, after hanging up the phone, Vinsmoke Judge's eyes were filled with a vicious murderous intent.

A woman walked in from the side. Although only eight years old, thanks to the human-modifying drugs, Judge's eldest daughter, Vinsmoke Reiju, already showed signs of becoming a beauty. Similarly, hidden within her childlike body, which appeared somewhat frail compared to adults, were powerful abilities far exceeding those of ordinary people, honed through modification. Even without using any technology, Reiju could easily and swiftly execute enemies much larger than herself, solely through her modified body.

After the modifications, the Vinsmoke family members have a much higher muscle density than ordinary people—not considering their growth rate, it even sounds somewhat like Sett.

"Pass down the order: all warships are on high alert," Vinsmoke Judge said coldly. "Within one month, report immediately any approaching assault boats in the surrounding waters and prepare to encircle and destroy them!"

"Yes, Father."

Nodding, Reiju, as the eldest daughter who underwent human modification, wasn't completely devoid of emotions, but she was also born with genes that prevented her from disobeying her father's orders. Reiju had no power to refuse Judge's commands.

Just as Reiju turned to leave, Judge seemed to remember something and continued to ask, "Has Sanji... awakened his own power yet?"

The so-called awakened power is actually the power of the modified bloodline factors. As a scholar, Judge quickly assembled his own scientific team to assist in research after unifying the Germa Kingdom.

Without any silence, Reiju calmly said under the influence of her bloodline factor, "No, Father. The scholars say that Sanji's bloodline factor remains unchanged from when he was born."

"..."

Upon hearing this, he remained silent for a moment. A cold glint appeared on Judge's face; "I understand, you may leave."

Although he didn't say anything, Reiju could sense the gloom in her father's heart. It wouldn't be long before he completely couldn't tolerate Sanji's existence.

But right now, the most important thing is to deal with that guy named Sett... According to intelligence, based on the speed of the assault boat, Sett will arrive in the Germa Kingdom in three days.

However, neither Reiju nor Judge expected that Sett, the prey of their glory, was now drifting aimlessly on the sea.

"Holy crap!"

Crawling on the capsized assault boat, Sett's face was filled with terror—he was asleep when suddenly a mouthful of seawater was poured into him!

"Dog-fisted Hawkeye! Didn't you say sails were easy to control?!"

The white assault boat capsized, bottom up, with one side of the hull submerged. Standing atop it, Hawkeye numbly pulled off his clothes, wringing out the water. Then, with a detached expression, he said, "Storms are unavoidable..."

"Then why were the masts all blown off?!"

"I'm the helmsman." Hawkeye glanced at Sett, then said nonchalantly, "The overall strength of the mast and hull structure should be the responsibility of the shipwrights..."

"You fucking..."

132 Shipwreck

Hawkeye sighed somewhat helplessly. Of the four seas, the East Blue was the weakest and most peaceful. The West Blue was the most dangerous and the most isolated. In comparison, the North Blue was relatively mediocre. It didn't have many major storms, had abundant resources, and both Akainu and Kizaru, current Admiral candidates, originated from the North Blue, giving the Navy considerable deterrent power there. Although there were still many powerful pirates, these only appeared after Roger's death.

In fact, before Roger's death, the North Sea and the East Sea were the largest recruitment sites for the navy because of the favorable weather and few disasters.

It was unexpected that the usually calm West Sea would one day suddenly experience such a huge storm.

I wrung out my clothes and stood on the bottom of the boat—not soaking in the water, but because the hull of the overturned assault boat was now facing upwards.

Hawkeye inwardly lamented his bad luck. Glancing at Sett beside him, who was grumbling, "I should be inside the boat, not under it!", Hawkeye shook his head with a sigh—it was clear that assault boats were indeed unsuitable for masts. Putting aside everything else, the very design of an assault boat meant that its overall structural strength couldn't be guaranteed in strong winds and waves.

"Stop singing, it's your turn to work, boatman."

Hearing Hawkeye's words, Sett grumbled unhappily. But there was nothing he could do; he dove into the water, yelling, "Hold on tight!"

Immediately, Sett gripped the edge of the small boat with both hands along the water's surface. With a sudden burst of strength, the previously capsized assault boat was flung into the air and flipped over. Having prepared beforehand, Hawkeye took two or three steps into the air. After confirming that the assault boat was back on the water and there were no problems, Hawkeye then descended back down.

You wouldn't believe it until you see it. Although it hasn't been long, the ship already has multiple areas of damage.

"It looks like we've hit a snag... Damn it, the storage room's been leaked too!"

"What's the matter?"

Hearing this, Sett perked up, climbed onto the ship, and went to take a look. Sure enough, the supplies they had just replenished in Flevans had been mostly lost due to the storm hitting a reef. What remained were mostly waterlogged salted meat and vegetables. The meat was still usable for a while, but with the storage room damaged and soaked in brine, the vegetables would likely dehydrate and rot soon.

"We're out of fuel too."

Good things don't always come in pairs. Hawkeye, looking grave, paced back and forth in the flooded cabin. "The hull is mostly fine, but the mast and the last impact bar are damaged. Wait, let me see... Oh, thankfully they replaced it with oak barrels, so the wine and fresh water should be okay."

Relieved, Hawkeye said, "We're not worried about the water, but we're really running low on food. All we have left are some salted meat and pickled vegetables. Without sails or any other power source, we'll just have to drift with the ocean currents for the time being..."

"...How long would it take to drift like that?"

“Then you’ll have to ask about the ocean currents.” Hawkeye said with a hint of helplessness, then rolled up his sleeves, took out two wooden buckets, and tossed them to Sett; “Get to work.”

"Gan!"

And so, a month passed.

Standing on the deck of the Germa 66, Reiju's gaze was calm—obeying her father's orders, she had been waiting on deck for Sett's arrival. Normally, at the speed of the assault boats, Sett and his crew should arrive in three days. However, to demonstrate his resolve and fulfill his deal with the World Government, Vinsmoke Judge had extended martial law to a month—ten times longer than usual—waiting for Sett and his group to arrive.

But now, a month has passed, and Reiju has searched not only the assault boats, but even the passing fishing boats, but she still hasn't found any trace of Sett...

"Hmph, looks like they knew beforehand and hid!"

Arriving behind Reiju, Vinsmoke Judge, known as the Garuda, said disdainfully, "I've long heard that the bounty hunter Sett has an inside man in the World Government. Now it seems he knows the World Government is looking for me to deal with him, and deliberately doesn't dare to come!"

“This shows that even that guy named Sett is afraid of Father’s power.” Reiju wasn’t surprised by her father’s arrogance—he had always been like that; rather than being arrogant, it was more accurate to say he placed great importance on honor. Even his cooperation with the World Government was aimed at restoring the Germa family’s status and glory on the seas.

Sett's retreat before the battle is perhaps a kind of glory in his father's eyes—his mere reputation is enough to make the enemy retreat without a fight, collapsing before the battle even begins!

Just as Reiju had thought, a fleeting smile appeared on Judge's face after hearing the girl's words.

Although he laughed, Judge snorted coldly a moment later and said, "There's nothing to be proud of; it just scared away a coward!"

After saying that, Judge walked towards his palace without looking back.

Reiju didn't say anything about it. But in her heart, Reiju knew very well that her father was very satisfied—to have a bounty hunter with a little reputation on the high seas defeated before the battle even started was enough for her father to enjoy an extra glass of wine at dinner.

However, something puzzled Reiju—before this, in preparation for a potential conflict, she had carefully studied Sett's resume. Although some information in the resume was inaccurate, as intelligence provided by the World Government, it was of great reference value.

Based on the information above, Sett doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would be afraid of challenges... On the contrary, the Sett in the information is a complete madman who not only is not afraid of any challenge, but will even actively seek out battles, provoke fights, and then participate in them!

Although the Germa family is powerful, compared to CP9 and the Celestial Dragons...

It doesn't seem worth his backing down?

Unbeknownst to Reiju, behind the Germa fleet, a small, dilapidated ship, seemingly stranded and then pushed back into the sea by the waves, was struggling to drift with the ocean currents.

Lying in the cabin, he looked noticeably thinner.

"I...I'm...I'm going to starve to death..."

Weak and listless, Sett's face was filled with longing for food—anyone who had been eating raw fish for over a month would find it unbearable! Especially now, Sett felt like he was on the verge of developing anorexia!

There's a lack of accurate understanding of the world's biodiversity, which is largely due to Sett's formidable physical abilities. Just look at Hawkeye: because some fish carry toxins, and his detoxification abilities are inferior to Sett's, he suffered from diarrhea and became so thin he looked like a stick...

He's stopped pretending and doesn't even dare to drink alcohol anymore.

133 Breaking Through the Boundary

The past month has been like hell for Sett and Hawkeye.

On the vast sea, they didn't encounter a single island. Having run out of salted meat in the hold, they could only fish; the vegetables, soaked in seawater for two or three days, had rotted. Fortunately, Sett had learned some baiting techniques from TikTok in his past life, and by casting his Hawkeye, he caught several large fish.

But eating raw fish for three or four weeks straight would be unbearable even for a tough guy! Luckily, it was sea fish, so it didn't have such a strong muddy taste, otherwise Sett would probably have lost even more weight.

Sett had undergone countless physical enhancements, so even the neurotoxins of Aquamans couldn't affect him in the slightest, let alone the toxins from these small fish and shrimps. They'd all be digested into energy and protein in his stomach anyway, so Sett wasn't worried.

But Hawkeye is different—he practices swordsmanship. Although Hawkeye's physical abilities are indeed quite good compared to others, he is still inferior to a monster like Sett.

Mihawk, standing at 1.98 meters tall, had a much higher muscle density than others due to years of training, and weighed around 95 kilograms. However, in just one month, Mihawk's weight plummeted to 70 kilograms. He looked like a stick, spending more time on the toilet than sleeping. Previously, he would carry a knife tucked into his waistband or on his back; now, he used it like a cane to support himself.

The word "emptiness" was visibly written all over his face.

Before, Mihawk was secretly wondering if Sett was so strong because he didn't use his brain for years and all the nutrients went into his muscles. But now, Mihawk could only be envious... Heaven help him, he's practically been living in the toilet lately!

"Wait!" Suddenly, Sett's eyes widened in surprise. Then he said to Mihawk, "Can you smell something?!"

What does it taste like?

Mihawk was so weak he was practically having a nervous breakdown; what could he possibly smell? But hearing Sett's words, he still strained to be on his best. However, no matter how hard he tried, all Mihawk could smell was the disinfectant in the toilet—after a month, Mihawk was practically pickled in it.

The two burly men, their gaunt heads held high, twitched their noses repeatedly. A moment later, Mihawk's gaze suddenly sharpened; "It's an egg!"

Sett added, "And rice!"

"And ham!"

"radish!"

"cucumber!"

"soy sauce!"

Shrimp!

After carefully discerning the smells in the air, the two finally exchanged a glance, their eyes gleaming with intense fighting spirit, and exclaimed in unison, "Someone's making fried rice!!"

Following the scent, the two spotted the Germa family's fleet ahead. Without hesitation, Sett dove into the water, propelling the speedboat forward with seemingly inexhaustible strength. Mihawk, sitting aboard, wasn't idle either; his hawk-like eyes gleamed with a wolf-like green light. Forgetting to cherish his precious sword, he licked his lips and used the hilt as an oar to propel the boat forward!

On the other side, in the cramped cabin, five-year-old Sanji was happily sharing his cooking with a plate full of mice.

Sanji's childhood wasn't pleasant... Well, this is Sanji's childhood now.

As Judge's third child, Sanji, despite being a prince, actually held a lower status than even a servant.