Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Stroking his chin, Sett nodded. "Alright, since you've been so nice, I'll let them know later."

"That's wonderful!" Hearing Sett's promise, the captain's anxiety was replaced by delight. Even if Sett had only mentioned it casually, the Orbit's chances of obtaining passage would have greatly increased!

"Then I won't disturb Lord Seti's meal any longer! If there's anything you need, please just let me know, and the entire crew of the Orbit will provide you with the best service!!"

Having said that, seemingly aware that Sett didn't want to talk to him anymore, the captain then left the restaurant, cheerfully going to supervise the first mate and the others in preparing the suite.

While eating, Hawkeye raised an eyebrow; "Judging from his tone... you're a hidden billionaire?"

"It's alright. I know nothing about running a business, I rely entirely on my little secretary at home," Sett said nonchalantly. "I've been out here for a year and a half... Speaking of which, I didn't expect my little secretary to be so capable. The casino's reputation has even spread to places like this."

"Then why did you even go to sea... alright." Hawkeye realized he'd uttered another useless piece of nonsense halfway through his sentence.

Given Sett's personality, money? What money? Can money make me happy? No, only fighting makes Sett happy.

"I have no interest in money," Sett said nonchalantly. "Of course, I didn't become a bounty hunter for any reason other than to punish evil and uphold justice."

Upon hearing Sett's words, Sanji, who had come to deliver the food, also perked up his ears—in his heart, both Sett and Mihawk were good people who had saved him. Under this "good person" filter, it would be strange if Sanji didn't pay attention when he suddenly heard Sett say he never considered himself a good person.

"All I care about is getting a good fight!" Sett said nonchalantly, leaning back in his chair. "When you're fighting, you have to go all out! If someone tries to lecture me, I'll throw a punch right away! If the food doesn't suit my taste, I won't pay. Logic only works when the fists are about the same size!! As for the rest, to hell with it."

Sanji was puzzled as to why Sett would say such a thing. In contrast, Hawkeye seemed quite calm—in Sanji's eyes, Sett and Hawkeye were heroes who had saved him, embodiments of justice. But Hawkeye knew very well that Sett was Sett, and from the beginning, he had no intention of living up to anyone's hopes.

The service on the Orbit was quite good, so Sett called Robin after dinner. He didn't insist that Robin make special arrangements, just said to make do casually, and if there were any extra seats, the Orbit could have them. Robin said she understood.

As the current leader of the Skullcrushers, Robin's prestige is even greater than Sett's in the eyes of the lower-ranking members, given Sett's long absence from the West Blue.

If this were any other power-hungry individual, their first instinct would probably be to divide power and weaken Robin's influence within the Skullcrushers. But Sett is different. He initially established the Skullcrushers as a hobby, gathering a few underlings to help him out. Accustomed to a free and easy lifestyle, he was actually quite pleased to hear that Robin was managing the gang so well—Sett couldn't be more than a hands-off boss, not having to worry about anything.

Although Sett downplayed it, Robin still gave the Orbit a green light in terms of the East China Sea route. While it might not be the best outcome, one thing was certain: with this priority, the Orbit's business would experience a small boom. But whether they would actually become rich depended on whether they could seize the opportunity.

After sailing through the storm for some time, when the rain stopped, the crew of the Orbit had arrived in the East China Sea.

“Mr. Sett, there’s a small island ahead, that’s Seymour Zki Village. If you’re going to set sail, this is a good choice.”

Hearing the captain's words, Sett nodded indifferently.

Is there anything special about this place?

“Something unique…” the captain said upon hearing Sett’s question. “Does having a famous dojo count?”

"A dojo?" Sett asked, somewhat puzzled.

The captain nodded and said, "It's called the Isshin Dojo. I heard the dojo master is a very powerful swordsman."

"……oh?"

Hawkeye, who was standing to the side, raised his head.

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I'm leaving tonight, so I'll update now. I'm busy packing, and I'm not sure if I'll have time to continue updating the next chapter tonight.

150 Kendo

Upon hearing the captain's words, Hawkeye's face, which had been filled with indifference and calm, showed a hint of curiosity.

This vast ocean is fraught with danger, but it is also teeming with powerful individuals. It is precisely to pursue these strong individuals, to prove himself as a swordsman, and to demonstrate his swordsmanship that Hawkeye embarked on his bounty hunter journey without hesitation.

Although their goals are the same as Sett's—to pursue the strong—they differ in that Sett is indiscriminate in his approach. Whether it's a powerful swordsman or a powerful Devil Fruit user, they will all engage in a fierce and passionate battle.

In contrast, Hawkeye appears much more aloof and only shows interest in powerful swordsmen. He's usually too lazy to fight even when encountering pirates unless they're committing evil deeds in front of him or he's really short on cash.

Now, upon hearing that a powerful swordsman was present, Hawkeye's combat radar immediately began beeping. A pair of sharp eyes flashed with the words: "Quickly engage me in sword fighting!"

Then she looked at Sett with a look that startled Sett.

Fortunately, Hawkeye immediately said, "This is a powerful swordsman; you can't take him from me!" He had to make it clear, because they had encountered very few skilled swordsmen along the way. They had finally found one, and if Sett snatched him away, Hawkeye wouldn't stand for it.

Upon hearing this, Sett grinned and distanced himself. It's truly hard to understand the sexual fetishes of people who treat swords like their wives. Even if it's pedophilia, although it's a polluting heavy industry that shouldn't be encouraged, this world is full of unknown possibilities. Sea Kings and giants exist, so adding a legal loli shouldn't be a problem.

But your iron grip is shaped like a knife. You even sleep with it in your hand. Just imagining yourself as Hawkeye makes Sett feel uncomfortable. A traditional joystick game for one person requires keeping one hand free to hold Liu Bei or a phone.

Seemingly sensing Hawkeye's interest, the captain beside him said, "The head of the Isshin Dojo is named Koushirou, and he has a very good reputation in the East Blue. He treats all opponents with courtesy. Judging from his habits, he seems to be an outsider from the East Blue. However, when it comes to challenges, I have never heard of Headmaster Koushirou ever losing."

Upon hearing this, Hawkeye's eyes gleamed even brighter. He glanced at Sett beside him, and although he didn't speak, Sett could easily guess Hawkeye's thoughts. He immediately shrugged nonchalantly, "Then let's go!"

After saying that, Sett and the others boarded their small boat. Fortunately, Judge and his crew had given it a major overhaul before they set off. Not only was a steam engine installed, but the entire hull was also upgraded and reinforced.

Even after being rear-ended by the cruise ship, it didn't suffer much damage; only the paint on the surface of the impact boat was scratched off. Therefore, the Orbiter simply restored the impact boat's paint scheme to its original state and added some decorations as best they could. Further improvements were impossible; given their technology, even disassembling the upgraded impact boat from Judge seemed unlikely.

With the billowing steam, Sett, along with Hawkeye and Sanji, quickly arrived at the port of the small island of Seymourne.

The port's profits have always come from the temporary docking of foreign ships, but since it's just a small village, the fees aren't outrageous. After paying a deposit of three hundred Berries, Sett and the others arrived on the island.

During this process, a large ship caught Sett's attention.

It was still a classic wooden galleon, less technologically advanced than Sett's assault boats. However, the ship's decorations were undeniably imposing. From bow to stern, there was an oriental dragon head figurehead, a dragon body on the deck, and a dragon tail at the stern. Beyond that, some details on the hull revealed a hint of naval style to Sett. Having trained with Zeff for a year, Sett was quite familiar with naval customs, such as the standard construction and craftsmanship of naval ships.

"What's wrong? Is there anything different?" Hawkeye glanced at the dragon boat beside him. Although he was eager to see these strong people fight, Hawkeye was not a brainless guy like Sett who would ignore everything just because he smelled a battle.

Noticing Sett's reaction, Hawkeye also glanced at the somewhat flashy dragon ship. But unlike Sett, who had an official background, Hawkeye found that apart from the eye-catching oriental dragon-shaped figurehead, there seemed to be nothing particularly remarkable about it.

“That’s naval technology,” Sett said. “Naval warships are produced in a standardized manner, and different ranks correspond to different designs. And that warship’s design is that of a vice admiral at the Navy Headquarters.”

"A lieutenant general from headquarters?!"

Hearing Sett's words, Hawkeye also looked at them with some curiosity. Admirals are the face of the Navy, while vice admirals represent the high command. It can be said that the presence of each vice admiral can influence the course of a war. Especially in a small place like the Four Seas, the position of a headquarters vice admiral is like that of a local tyrant. Of course, even so, no headquarters vice admiral would choose to be stationed there.

For the Navy, no matter how the four seas develop, their threat will never compare to the great pirates of the Grand Line and the New World. It's just that their ideas are contrary to Sett's. If Sett were a Navy officer, then putting aside everything else, if some kid in his territory grows up and wants to be a pirate? He'd drag them to the barracks for 48 hours of naval education, then find a few retired Navy veterans to tell them stories, recounting the magnificent era in which the Navy fought. He'd make them deeply realize their mistakes, repent, and start anew.

If you still want to be a pirate, that's even better, just go to a juvenile detention center.

A vice admiral represents formidable military power. However, this also raised Hawkeye's suspicions.

"Then why don't they have naval ensigns?"

Just as Hawkeye said, although it was a naval warship, and even a vice admiral's warship, there was no naval ensign on its mast. It was completely bare, without even the most common merchant ship flags.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?" Sett said, stroking his chin. "But it is indeed a standard-issue warship for a vice admiral. The standards and specifications are the same. That old geezer Zephyr used to entice me to join the navy to say all sorts of nonsense back then."

“It might have been stolen.” Hawkeye shrugged, unconcerned. “We’ll just go inside and ask.”

Hawkeye didn't care about any of that; all he wanted to do right now was to quickly engage in sword fighting with a strong opponent!

"Alright." He scratched his head. Although he didn't have any particular feelings for the Navy, a Vice Admiral's ship represented more than just a simple warship. It might contain special intelligence that the World Government was unwilling to disclose.

Sett would like to take a look if he had the chance, but now that the ship is already here and the people can't run away, there's no need to rush.

Hawkeye was clearly getting impatient. There were many powerful figures on the high seas, but only a handful in each sea could reach the level of Hawkeye and Sett. Especially in a small place like the Four Seas, to encounter a swordsman of Hawkeye's caliber, especially in such a remote and impoverished place, could only be described as luck.

"I advise you to lower your expectations."

As they walked further in, Sett said nonchalantly, "Strong individuals are rare, especially in a place like the East Blue. You should know that the East Blue is known as the weakest sea. That captain doesn't seem like a very knowledgeable guy either; seeking fame and fortune is commonplace on the high seas, isn't it?"

Upon hearing Sett's words, Hawkeye paused slightly, the excitement on his face fading somewhat, but he ultimately shook his head; "I understand what you mean, but powerful swordsmen are too few."

He paused, glanced at Sett, and cleared his throat before saying, "Furthermore, unlike you physical-minded types, swordsmanship is a combination of mind, body, and technique. It demands extremely high levels of mental cultivation. Even in a small village like this, it's possible for a great swordsman to be diligently training."

Upon hearing Hawkeye's words, Sett paused slightly, then draped his arm over Hawkeye's shoulder and said with a smirk, "What, you look down on warriors too, huh?!"

"We wouldn't dare look down on them."

Hawkeye pushed Sett's face away expressionlessly, then said nonchalantly, "I just meant that it's more elegant to kill with a sword, that's all."

"So you're saying you think punching people is vulgar, is that right?"

"Please don't try to twist the facts." Hawkeye shifted back slightly like an eel, a hint of wariness on his usually aloof and ascetic face; "I didn't say that."

"But you didn't refute it, did you?!"

Raising a middle finger, Sett's face was full of disgust: "To be honest, I really don't understand people like you who treat knives better than their wives. Human sexual fetishes are free, but at the very least, they should be organic. At least paper cutouts and suited figures can talk, but don't you guys ever consider seeing a doctor for your attitude towards knives?"

To be honest, Sett had always been curious about the thoughts of the first person to develop such feelings for a sword. Especially the first person to master Armament Haki binding a black sword. What kind of thoughts led him to reach such a level? "I want you to be stained with my color."

“Same to you.” At this point in the conversation, Hawkeye didn't hide his thoughts, shaking his head and saying with some incomprehension, “A sword is a weapon. But the way of the sword is a combination of mind, body, and skill. If it's just reckless chasing and fighting to train the body, then what's the difference between humans and beasts? So-called passionate blood is just a manifestation of bodily desires. The way of the sword is a courtesy to the strong, and as a strong person, one should be even more self-disciplined.”

"That's because you don't understand the fun of tanks fighting each other, the joy of flesh and blood clashing."

"True pleasure should not be so superficial."

Clearly, neither side could convince the other, so Sett simply and decisively raised the international friendship sign. Hawkeye, standing nearby, shook his head in disapproval and then ignored him.

Although he said he would ignore it, Hawkeye did take one thing to heart and lower his expectations.

Indeed, as Hawkeye said, swordsmanship, as a way to cultivate one's mind, leads some master swordsmen to choose seclusion in famous mountains and rivers or remote wilderness to hone their skills and achieve a state of oneness with the sword. However, in the struggle for survival, only the fittest survive. Working in isolation is never the mainstream approach in this world.

Like Hawkeye, who rudimentarily touched upon the realm of Black Blade, yet still tirelessly adventures on the high seas in search of other powerful individuals. And now, this small village, at a glance, doesn't even have a single naval branch.

The East China Sea is too peaceful, and the number of naval branches there is only a quarter or even less than that in the West China Sea.

Even in such small villages, the West Sea would symbolically recruit and station some people to prevent bandits from running rampant. But in the East Sea, let alone a naval branch, the tallest buildings didn't even have two stories. The streets were bustling with people, mostly children and the elderly; the young people had probably all gone to sea with the tide of the times. The whole town exuded an indescribable tranquility and peace on this vast sea.

Indeed, this place is suitable for retirement, and the scenery is quite beautiful, but no matter how you look at it, it doesn't seem like a place that can produce strong individuals.

Although he didn't say it, Hawkeye was still somewhat disappointed.

I asked a passerby, and it turns out that Yixin Dojo is quite famous in this small village. After asking a few questions, an old man pointed out the way.

"You're here to see Master Koushirou too, right? Haha." The old man chuckled as he accepted, "Master Koushirou is a very kind man. Years ago, when we were short of food, he would help us out without asking for any payment. And his kendo is also very skilled. Many young people are eager to learn kendo from Master Koushirou!"

""

Upon hearing the old man's words, Hawkeye and Sett exchanged a glance, but didn't say anything more.

As they walked, Hawkeye and Sett finally saw something interesting when they arrived at the main gate.

It was a group of people, the leader of whom was completely covered in a gray robe. Although they were far apart, Sett's half-beast blood allowed him to clearly smell the faint, almost tangible, scent of blood in the air, almost carried away by the sea breeze.

Behind that man was another man with a huge head, wearing strange clothes.

Well, to be honest, it's a bit of an eyesore. That enormous head has an afro of blue-purple hair that's so thick it could practically hide a person. And those eyelashes—they're like steel needles! Blue eyeshadow, purple lip gloss. The fishnet stockings and tight, low-cut top—it's the kind of scene that haunts your nightmares!

I was going to write another chapter, but my head is already buzzing. I've only slept four hours since yesterday, had a family dinner when I got home, and now I'm really exhausted. Tomorrow I'll update three times, with each chapter at least 4 words. I'll guarantee at least 1.2 words to make up for the missed updates.

151·Dragon

"To be honest... although I'm already familiar with the strange costumes on this sea, even so, this kind of attire is just too... surreal."

Rubbing his temples, Sett was used to seeing nine-headed and twelve-headed figures in this world, and all sorts of bizarre costumes were commonplace. But this four-and-a-half-meter-tall two-headed figure was truly shocking... We're both from the world of anime, so why are other people's two-headed figures so cute, while yours is so terrifying?

"This guy is definitely colluding with the ophthalmology hospital. The damage is so great, I want to go wash my eyes now!"

Surprisingly, he didn't refute it. Looking at Ivankov's makeup, even Hawkeye couldn't help but worry whether his target this time was a normal person.