Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Compared to Judge, who had been cheering for their father and hoping he could avenge them, Sanji was utterly astonished by what he saw. Not only were Yong-Chi and Reiju speechless, but even Sanji himself gaped in disbelief. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently at the sky, then turned to Mihawk beside him. "Just who is Mr. Sett...?"

"He's an idiot."

Shaking his head somewhat helplessly, Hawkeye really didn't want to take action right now if he could—he'd been adrift at sea for a month and a half, half of which had been spent suffering from diarrhea. He'd finally managed to recover some strength, and then this happened…

"Get ready to run, that guy doesn't think straight when he gets excited."

"..."

Hearing Hawkeye's words, Sanji and the others were somewhat bewildered—they had fallen from the sky like meteorites. They wanted to run, but where could they run? The warship in Sett's hands had fallen horizontally from the sky, completely covering the three ships surrounding them!

"Disassemble! Disassemble now!!!"

Judge, his eyes filled with fear and panic, issued the orders.

The twelve warships of the Germa Kingdom are currently linked together. If they were to suffer a violent impact under these circumstances, the remaining warships might all sink to the bottom of the sea!

As he spoke, Judge leaped into the sea without looking back. He didn't plunge directly into the water; just before reaching the surface, his boots unleashed a powerful gust of wind, propelling him forward and preventing him from falling into the ocean current!

The next instant, it crashed down from the sky. The giant ship slammed into the sea, and in that instant, huge waves tens of meters high rose from the calm surface.

Severely damaged, the twisted steel behemoth sank to the bottom of the sea. But in that instant, a sharp blade flashed out from the side of the warship. Along with the sheared-off decking, a lean, wielding black sword, larger than Hawkeye and Sanji, pulled them towards the impact boat moored in the outer waves.

A gap appeared, and soon after, the other servants and attendants on the warship swarmed in, leaping one after another from the gap that had been slashed open onto the sea.

Fortunately, the servants on the prince's ship were few due to Judge's educational philosophy; most were android soldiers. If it had been a civilian ship, this alone would have wiped out a third of the Germa Kingdom's population!

Morgans, who had been looking at the warships with some disappointment from the sky, had thought he would never be able to capture any more valuable footage. Just as he was pondering how to format and design the next issue of the newspaper, he suddenly noticed something had appeared beside him.

Sett carrying the warship.

Startled for a moment, Morgans then, without thinking, pulled out his spare camera and started snapping away.

As the huge wave rose into the air, Morgans felt that he was only a hair's breadth away from being swept away by it!

Instinctively, Morgans began to ascend into the sky. Meanwhile, above sea level, Judge's gaze was filled with indescribable shock. Judge had now completely abandoned any hope of being enemies with Sett. In fact, Judge was now absolutely certain that the World Government intended to use Sett to eliminate him!

Otherwise, how could they tolerate a monster like Sett wandering around in such a tiny place as the Four Seas?

Five Elders, you are despicable now!

Although he had long realized that cooperating with the World Government was like seeking a tiger's skin, Judge was confident in possessing the world's most elite military force and the "Bloodline Factor," which served as the blueprint for his life. Therefore, Judge never worried about his safety—because if he died, those who were dissatisfied with the World Government would immediately learn the secret of the Bloodline Factor.

But now, why? Is it because the World Government has decided to completely eliminate them? Or have they ruined their own contingency plans?

Otherwise, why would this guy named Sett launch such a devastating attack on himself without the slightest hesitation?!

Through intelligence, Judge knew firsthand the story of Sett's rise from an unknown underground boxer to the leader of the most unique organization in the West Blue... and his unclear, ambiguous relationship with the Navy. No matter how you looked at it, this guy couldn't possibly be a fool!

He's definitely not an idiot, because Sett is completely brainless right now.

In that instant of thought, something underwater tore through steel. Almost immediately, the detectors on Judge's suit detected a powerful threat rapidly approaching from the depths!

Looking at the dark figure underwater, there was no doubt that it was Sett!

"Damn it, damn it!!!"

The jetpacks on their feet were still the original version, unable to move with the agility of the future models. They could only sustain continuous flight for a dozen minutes or so, their sole purpose being to prevent accidental falls into the water and damage to their suits. There was no choice but to fight—or rather, to resist!

The technological spear was broken and unusable. In desperation, Judge could only unleash the wind power output of his combat boots, simultaneously sidestepping and raising his right foot high. Crackling electricity crackled around Judge's toes. Without the slightest pause or hesitation, the fully charged boots shot out with a deafening roar the instant Sett approached—Electromagnetic Smash!!!

A flash of golden lightning streaked across the sky. Accompanied by a powerful gust of wind, Judge's kick was strong enough to snap a telephone pole in half. But in the next instant, Judge felt as if he had kicked a city wall. The seemingly indestructible sensation left Judge with nothing but utter powerlessness.

Then came the bone fractures that started from his toes and spread upwards. A pair of arms reached out from the ocean and grabbed his arm viciously before Judge could react.

The tech boots emitted a grotesque, distorted sound under that malicious grip, and with a creak, a tiny electric current sent a tingling sensation through Judge's calf.

"fighting!!!!!"

Sett leaped out of the water, his upper body arching backward like a fully drawn bow. He gripped Judge's ankle tightly and slammed down before Judge could react.

The surging water felt harder than concrete to Gaji in that instant, like a Filipino athlete entering the water—no, even more miserable! Sparks of crimson water splattered in all directions. Gaji felt as if he had been hit head-on by a dump truck; the instant he touched the sea, a piercing, disorienting pain coursed through every muscle in his body.

But it was precisely because of the lubrication of the blood, accompanied by the cracking sound under his feet, that the final impact of the jet boots successfully allowed Judge to escape Sett's grasp.

But just as he took off, before Judge could even activate his backup thrusters, he felt a weight on his back. An arm landed on his shoulder, and turning to see Sett's malicious smile. "Why are you running?"

The next moment, Judge, who had just flown less than five meters away, was shoved directly into the water. Instinctively, he opened his mouth, and a stream of bubbles mixed with blood and foam rushed out of his mouth.

Isn't he a Devil Fruit user?!

Seawater was poured into his mouth, but Judge suddenly realized what was happening. Whether he was leaping out of the water carrying the warship or in his current state, this monster named Sett showed none of the characteristics expected of a Devil Fruit user. He was unable to use his powers while submerged in seawater, and appeared completely exhausted.

In fact, this guy named Sett's movements in the water were not affected at all. On the contrary, because of the resistance and water pressure, even if he could react, he could not keep up with Sett's attacks!

"How did that guy use it again... Right!" Sett's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Judge—relying on his formidable physical talent, Sett could remember every attack from his enemies. Just like now, entering the water had stirred up memories from not long ago for Sett.

Also underwater, but the opponent was a ravenous, wounded red-skinned fishman—: "Water Cannon!!!"

Sett lacked the webbed hands of a fish-man, but he didn't care. The sole purpose of webbed hands was to increase the surface area of ​​the body in contact with water, thus allowing for better exertion of power—although the contact area was smaller, Sett's strength was far beyond that of ordinary fish-men!

Forcibly grasping the ball of water in his hand, just as Judge was wondering what Sett was about to do, Sett's arm suddenly grew a third thicker. The underwater pressure, the water resistance, the pumping heart constantly pumping blood—the high concentration of oxygen in his blood further fueled Sett's explosive power. In the instant of the swing, a vacuum was forcibly ripped out of the seabed!

What then came into Judge's view was only a palm-sized, crystal-clear water bullet—dissolving into the water, but without any sign of slowing down or assimilating. Although he saw it, it disappeared the next moment.

bump!!!

In an instant, a sharp pain in his shoulder jolted Judge's nerves. The underwater world was not Judge's domain; in fact, he hadn't even considered fighting underwater. Although he could sense the energy attack, he was now surrounded by seawater. Even breathing was extremely difficult! His Observation Haki was ineffective, and his radar malfunctioned underwater, producing the sound of burning circuitry in his ears.

Without the slightest warning, a chunk of flesh was simply wiped away from Judge's shoulder. The cut was smooth and rounded, without a trace of flesh remaining. All that could be seen was a burst of blood mist, giving the impression that an invisible hand had erased it with an eraser!

Before he could even recover from the bizarre attack, Judge found himself gripped by a pair of iron-like hands around the throat. At the same time, the surrounding seawater surged rapidly—no, it was his own body that was surging.

Forced to the surface with his throat being choked, the first thing Judge did when he came to his senses was to open his mouth wide in an attempt to breathe in fresh air.

But before Judge could even savor this happiness, a heavy hook landed on his abdomen. The rapid shift caused his body's glands to malfunction, and seawater mixed with tears, stomach acid, or something else gushed from Judge's mouth, nose, and eyes.

His once fluffy golden hair was now soaking wet and clung to his body, but Judge, who was concerned with his appearance and royal honor, was completely unaware of his disheveled state.

Click, click,

The sound of knuckles cracking came from behind him. An indescribable fear crept into Judge's heart. He wanted to run away, but Judge found that he didn't even have the strength to move. All the muscles and bones in his body responded with moans. Ankles, chest, abdomen, arms... almost every bone was covered with cracks.

"Come on... tell me, how much is my head worth? I heard I don't need to know?"

After stretching his shoulders, Sett felt a sense of comfort from the inside out.

"You rascal..."

The ship docked, and Hawkeye, carrying a few kids, stepped onto the deck with Moonwalk. His face was full of helplessness. "I can already guess what the front page headline of tomorrow's World Economic News will be."

"Who cares?" Sett smoothed his wet hair, revealing his handsome face with a wicked smile.

"I'm just curious, what did the World Government give you that makes you dare to mess with me?!"

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I originally intended to seek comfort from a female reader, but upon closer reflection, I realized there's a female reader named Jill on the show "Kung Fu Hustle"? Oh well, I'm forced to emerge from this shadow. If I'd known this would happen, I would have written about Yuumi instead. Damn.

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144. Reflection and Rest

Sett was very curious about his price—it wasn't that Sett was being unreasonable, but rather that too many people in the world saw bounties as a sign of power.

Every time Sett thought about this, he felt the World Government was a group of mentally challenged people sharing their experiences. Putting bounties on pirates who couldn't possibly be killed by bounty hunters only created panic—look, his bounty is so high and he hasn't been arrested by the Navy, the Navy is so weak. The same kind of thing...

Of course, the World Government would be an idiot to put bounties on others, but now it's putting one on itself. That makes a completely different difference. Sett has a firm grasp on double standards.

There is no fixed price... it's just a bunch of numbers.

Lying helplessly on the ground, Judge had completely given up resisting—he knew that continuing would only lead to further humiliation. Four of the twelve homeland ships had already been destroyed in the recent battle. One was lifted up, while the three that had been struck sank directly to the bottom of the sea. Their twisted forms and the splashing waves were enough to make the Titanic exclaim in amazement. The nearby ships, due to the delayed dismantling, also suffered varying degrees of damage… Fortunately, the main ship housing the scholars and the laboratory was not significantly affected; otherwise, everything Judge had done would have had to be started all over again.

The problem is, the World Government won't give him a second chance... It's like trying to get something from a tiger; they've never been staunch allies.

It was just a transaction of interests.

And as Judge said, the reward the Five Elders gave Judge was not simply money.

After catching his breath for a moment and feeling his internal energy gradually calming down, Judge continued, "Eliminating you will grant the Germa Kingdom additional preferential treatment, including special permission to read some of the latest achievements of its science and technology units..."

Judge knew very well that there were too many powerful figures on this sea. Kaido, Whitebeard, Big Mom… each one was an insurmountable peak. Therefore, Judge's goal from the very beginning was to revitalize the Germa Kingdom through technology; "These achievements cannot be measured in Berries."

"Aren't you the one who discovered the bloodline factor?" Hawkeye asked with some surprise. "The Germa Kingdom's technology level is not bad, is it? The strength of those android soldiers has far surpassed that of the armies of other countries on the sea."

Hawkeye was somewhat surprised—as a bounty hunter, he had visited most of the larger islands and nations across the world. And among them, disregarding actual combat strength, Germa's android army, in terms of sheer military quality, was undoubtedly the best in the world—fearless, mechanically executing orders. It could be said that this was the kind of army every ruler dreamed of.

Judge shook his head at this.

“That’s because you can’t understand Vegapunk’s genius!” Judge said, frowning. “The lineage factors I’ve mastered are limited to a portion of the human body. After the World Government discovered this, my research came to a standstill. But Vegapunk is different. That guy’s intelligence is beyond the comprehension of this era. Before the World Government even discovered it, Vegapunk had already discovered the medium for transmitting Devil Fruits and was trying to make objects ‘eat’ Devil Fruits.”

"...This sounds like a fantasy." Rubbing his temples, Hawkeye found his brain struggling to process the complex information. Although he didn't understand it, even Sett knew how bizarre this sounded—making an object eat a Devil Fruit? How? They couldn't just mash it up into jam and add it during the forging process, could they?

I've heard that Devil Fruits taste and feel like eating shit. I don't know what the first person to eat them went through, but just the thought of turning shit into a paste and pouring it into weapons during forging is disgusting.

A mop soaked in poop, Lu Bu reborn. Isn't this the ultimate martial arts technique for elementary school students? Should we add stepping on a toe? Or digging into a penis?

"Because he is Vegapunk." Despite being a prisoner, Judge didn't back down an inch. Everyone who had come into contact with Vegapunk was awed by his abilities. The sheer difference in their pure intellect was beyond the comprehension of those who weren't scholars.

"So he can do it... You might not understand, but you should be able to guess what kind of changes this technology would cause if it were realized. Sett, you've had contact with Kizaru, but did you know? Kizaru is currently working with Vegapunk on a simulation of Devil Fruit abilities."

"That is indeed something to pay attention to."

Upon hearing this, Sett stroked his chin—although Kizaru Borsalino's body could not reach the speed of light, Sett was certain of one thing: while Kizaru's body could not reach the speed of light, his attacks could.

The attack here isn't a high-speed melee attack like a light-speed kick or punch. Instead, it's a photon attack formed through an ability—fast, but with a very limited area of ​​effect. Furthermore, because the photon condensation has a relatively long wind-up, Observation Haki can detect the danger in advance.

The technology in this world is incredibly outrageous. Although it sounds like a fantasy, if Vegapunk is really as genius as Judge says, it might not be impossible for it to be realized...

"That's really a headache... Does the World Government really want to get rid of me?"

Sett was somewhat bewildered—what had he done? Had he offended the World Government in any way? No, right? He'd even helped eliminate a few pirates. If he had to nitpick, only the CP9 and Flevans incident had somewhat embarrassed the World Government. But compared to that, was it really necessary to do all that?

Although Sett is too lazy to think, it doesn't mean he can't think—it's just that Sett has always been too lazy to use his brain for problems that can be solved with his fists.

But things are different now. For Sett, the World Government is still a behemoth. If he were alone, Sett could simply quit, strip down to his clothes, draw a skull on his head, and become a pirate. But unfortunately, not far away in the West Blue, Robin is still managing her businesses, and she has many friends in the Marines.

Sett doesn't care if the World Government causes him trouble, but if they cause trouble for those close to him, then it has to be said, it's quite annoying...

Just as Sett was frowning and thinking, Hawkeye stared wide-eyed in surprise.

He, that lump of muscle called Sett... was actually thinking?!

His sharp eyes were filled with surprise; Hawkeye's shock was no less than the shock he felt when he first encountered a sword.

In Hawkeye's mind, Sett, who had always presented himself as a brute, was actually thinking. Hawkeye had once suspected that Sett was so strong because he allocated the nutrients his brain needed to his muscles.