Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

"And then, the afterimage of the face!!" As he spoke, Ivankov's face began to flash rapidly. With the constant acceleration, in just a moment, all that remained in Sett's sight was Ivankov's large face. The bizarre makeup and the incomprehensible pointed chin were already puzzling. Now, in an instant, it almost filled the entire field of vision, giving a feeling of utter horror in addition to confusion.

"The Milky Way...flirting glances!"

Immediately following, the countless afterimages blinked rapidly, almost simultaneously. While not as destructive as the Death Strike, the sheer number of afterimages multiplied the amount of air surrounding the explosion.

Even if it were ten arms using a piercing strike simultaneously, let alone one hand, it wouldn't be able to stop it—but that's exactly what Sett wanted.

With his right arm clenched into a fist, Sett hadn't forgotten that all his explosive damage as Sett was closely related to his Grit. In this situation, even Sett's Armament Haki evolved into Grit Armament Haki on top of its original form.

Indeed, Sett knew nothing about swords, nor did he have any understanding of the way of the sword. But that didn't stop him from combining the essence and spirit of the Gale Sword Technique in his own way.

In that instant, his arm was covered in Armament Haki, and the explosive roar of the Armament Haki provided powerful kinetic energy to his arm as he swung it. A powerful swing—in the past, this would have been just a simple, unadorned punch. But this time, he sensed the flow of the wind; the Armament Haki covered his arm again the moment he swung, and then exploded once more.

boom--!!!!!

A sharp, piercing sound, as if one's eardrums had been pierced, suddenly rang in everyone's ears.

Immediately afterward, before everyone's eyes, a wall of high-pressure vacuum was forcibly ripped out in front of Sett—using the powerful kinetic energy generated by the explosion of Armament Haki, he manipulated the wind to rapidly condense the air in the path of his arm as he threw a punch. The previously invisible air, under this constant pressure, developed textures that were even visible to the naked eye!

With a single punch, the vacuum was shattered. Just as everyone was still finding it hard to believe, the explosive air from Yinhe Qiubo made a series of booming sounds the moment it touched the gunshot.

Although it looks truly astonishing, closer inspection reveals that neither the debris from the explosion nor any other shockwaves were able to penetrate the vacuum wall.

Compared to others, the most unbelievable was Ivankov himself—he was fully aware of the power of his Galactic Wave. It was a super technology combining quantity and destructive force, especially considering it was powered by Facial Growth Hormone. The explosive bursts carried his eyelashes, as sharp as steel needles, and the destructive power at the moment of explosion even surpassed that of fragmentation grenades in later generations!

Even so, the eyelash fragments were firmly blocked by the vacuum wind wall, and the shock wave generated by the explosion was directly assimilated by the wind wall, which seemed to have increased the lifespan of the vacuum wind wall!

While Ivankov was still wondering how the vacuum wind wall was formed, on the other side, in Hawkeye's view, Sett pressed down in the center, his whole body shrinking slightly inward.

Immediately following, relying on his control over flesh and blood, his heartbeat increased—in the game, casting spells only requires mana and energy. But in reality, Sett doesn't have energy. Consequently, unleashing Highlander isn't simply achieved by consuming Willpower.

Literally, by continuously increasing the pressure within his body through muscle movement, his already pumping heart began to groan under the pressure. Just as everyone was still wondering, golden energy burst forth from Sett's body.

Consequently, in Sett's own perception, the speed of the entire world also underwent a new change—the traces left by the wind, the paths of falling leaves, and so on. Under the influence of his highland bloodline, Sett's speed entered another world.

Then, he raised his right arm and bent his elbow. Although the movement was exactly the same as before, everyone knew that Sett was no longer the Sett in his normal state—golden energy surged and burst forth from his body. Even his red hair stood on end, uncontrollably rising into the sky.

If the previous demonic spear strike could only be considered a stationary thrust, incredibly powerful but not particularly threatening, then now, accelerated by his high-altitude bloodline and ignoring wind resistance, the ever-accelerating kinetic energy transforms Sett into the most powerful spear ever!

Demon Gun!!!

boom!!!

The sonic boom cloud exploded the instant they approached. Before acting, Sett had given Ivankov ample time to prepare. Seeing Sett's movement, Ivankov crossed his arms without hesitation, and then, the Hormone-Horse Fruit rapidly secreted hormones—"Ambrio - Arm Enhancement Hormone!"

Just like his head, his arms grew rapidly under the influence of hormones. Then, Ivankov's body, disproportionately large to his head, suddenly tensed.

"The Forty-Fourth Secret of the Transvestite Fist: Beauty Technique - Stratum Corneum Modification!"

To the average person, Ivankov's terrifying nature might stem from his bizarre and extraordinary Hormone Fruit. However, the reality is quite different—long before obtaining the Hormone Fruit, as the king of the Kama Kingdom, Ivankov's Kama Fist was already well-known—it's just that there are simply too many powerful individuals in this world.

In contrast, although the transvestite boxing style is powerful, the prerequisites for learning it are so demanding that no one pays much attention to it.

In addition, the Hormone-Hormone Fruit's extremely unique abilities led to Ivankov becoming well-known—it must be said that Devil Fruits remain the mainstream on the high seas. No matter how weak the user is, a Devil Fruit provides a minimum level of power.

Just like now, thanks to the unique ability of the transvestite boxing style to influence the body's hormone secretion, Ivankov's arm stratum corneum gained a strength comparable to steel in a short instant.

Then, Armament Haki instantly covered the area. But the next moment, a crisp sound of bones cracking reached everyone's ears.

That straight, piercing hand, rather than a fleshy arm, felt more like a cold, hard steel bar.

Huff—Crack!

Blood splattered as the fingers pierced through the bones of the arm. The pierced arm was a bloody mess, with bits of flesh still stuck in the fingernails.

The thick, hard fingers that ran through Ivankov's arm pressed against his chest. With just a little force, they could pierce right through him.

Fortunately, Sett knew this wasn't a life-or-death battle, so he only pressed against Sett's chest and didn't push any further.

Before Ivankov could react, Sett pulled his arm back. Looking at his arm, Sett shook his head; "Sorry... I've only just mastered this technique, and I can't yet perfectly control the force."

He wasn't lying. Sett's initial idea was to stop once he broke through the surface of Ivankov's arm. Unfortunately, Sett's attempt failed—he thought simply braking as before would be enough, but Sett forgot that in his high-altitude state, his body was immune to wind resistance. In other words, with a single push, Sett could move forward indefinitely. This led to Sett's actual attempt to stop being flawed.

Fortunately, he reacted in time at the last moment. Otherwise, it probably wouldn't just have been Ivankov's arm that was pierced.

Taking a deep breath, Ivankov's nails grew longer again. This time, however, they weren't aimed at Sett, but rather plunged into his own shoulder.

"Ambrio - Healing Hormones!!!"

The Hormone-Hormone Fruit is an extremely powerful Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. This fruit can control a person's body temperature, pigmentation, growth, and emotions, modifying the human body from within, and even changing gender to create a new type of human, also known as a transvestite. Furthermore, through the power of the fruit, it can keep the target in a state of peak physical condition at all times.

His hormones are even said to be able to cure all diseases—not through external force, but by stimulating the body's potential for recovery through the fruit. The price, however, is a reduction in lifespan. Of course, this only applies when the illness is already terminal.

Injuries like this, which are only to the bones and flesh, will at most consume some physical strength and produce a small amount of healing hormones, which is enough to deal with and treat the injury.

The bleeding stopped quickly, and the cut surface of the original wound also healed rapidly through the wriggling motion.

One can sense that the user is experiencing a severe depletion of hormones. While this level of damage is not life-threatening, one thing is certain: the process of using it is extremely painful.

Sure enough, with his life potential activated, Ivankov's large face turned bluish-purple. Sweat poured down like a waterfall.

After about five minutes, Ivankov finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then he collapsed to the ground, panting heavily, his legs in the air.

"Huff, huff... So tired, so tired..."

After carefully checking the scene, Long nodded as if he had breathed a sigh of relief, his expression suggesting that he was no longer surprised by anything.

"Don't worry too much. In your current condition, three days of rest should be enough."

Knowing that Ivankov couldn't even utter a complete sentence, Dragon simply took over. In contrast, Hawkeye glanced at Sett with some curiosity; "That piercing hand you just used... was it something you just learned?"

"Ah."

Nodding, Sett confirmed that Ivankov was simply overworked from healing hormones, so he didn't dwell on it and returned to his seat, sitting leisurely.

"That's about it. I learned it from a guy named Yasuo, but in his hands, it's a swordsmanship technique."

Sett shrugged. "But you know I've never liked using tools. So I just used my arms. And it seems to be working pretty well."

Upon hearing that Sett's move was a swordsmanship technique, Hawkeye nodded in understanding—he had noticed something amiss when Sett first used it. Both the movement and the angle of force were different from Sett's usual method of generating power.

If it's about swordsmanship, then everything makes sense.

Even so, Hawkeye was still somewhat curious—if it were any other martial art, Hawkeye wouldn't have bothered to inquire further. He had absolutely no interest in such violent arts. But if it was swordsmanship…

"Catch it."

As he spoke, Hawkeye picked up his teacup and flicked it at Sett.

Seeing the teacup hurtling towards him, and understanding Hawkeye's meaning, Sett also extended his palm. A flash of white light streaked through the air. The next moment, the teacup split in two.

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The Demon Spear comes from *Kengan Ashura*, which has both manga and anime adaptations. It's a visceral, hand-to-hand combat manga. After the first part ended, a second part, *Kengan Omega*, was released. However, both the art style and the overall presentation feel inferior to the first part…

Those who like heroes like Sett will probably also like Kengan Ashura. However, if you're reading the manga, it's best to tolerate the early, drawn-out parts; the real story begins when the tournament starts.

156. The Pact of Founding the Nation

Looking at the cup that had been split in two, Hawkeye's eyes narrowed slightly.

If the water glass was shattered by a blow, then Hawkeye could understand it. He knew Sett's strength perfectly well, proven in battle after battle.

But now, Hawkeye was certain that Sett's hand hadn't even touched the cup. Instead, it was sliced ​​open by an invisible blade when his fingers were still about an inch away from the cup!

"Qi." Seemingly sensing Hawkeye's doubt, Sett casually said, "The guy who taught me this move called himself the Swift Wind Swordsman, and his swordsmanship was based on controlling the storm. Of course, you know, I never use weapons, so I changed it to this."

Sett casually waved his arm – “I don’t care about sharpness, and the concept of ‘cutting’ is not my thing. What I’m really satisfied with is the explosive ‘speed’.”

"Perfect timing, I was lacking a way to exercise my fingers, so I made some modifications."

"..." Upon hearing Sett's words, although he didn't know which reclusive swordsman Sett was referring to, Sett was always shrouded in mystery, so Hawkeye didn't bother to ask further. Given Sett's personality, if he continued to press him, he'd probably just give him that "system in his head" nonsense and try to brush him off.

With that thought in mind, Hawkeye only glanced at Sett's surging body before shaking his head with a touch of emotion.

"Buying the casket and returning the pearl... what a waste of resources."

Yes, in Hawkeye's eyes... or perhaps, in everyone except Sett, Sett was wasting his talents. It goes without saying how powerful the techniques of a reclusive great swordsman truly were, but Sett not only didn't bother to learn them, he even took the dross and discarded the essence. He forgot the sharpness and cutting power of the Gale Sword Technique, leaving only its swiftness.

All that remained was its rapid speed and momentum; it was less a steel-slicing flash and more an iron-mountain lean...

Sett didn't care at all, and even said with an indifferent expression, "Say what you will, I can't be bothered with that kind of stuff. I want to become the ultimate boss with no blind spots, something you commoners would never understand!"

Upon hearing Sett's words, the dragon's gaze held a hint of surprise and amusement—before, he had thought Sett was prioritizing the trivial over the essential, that he had lost the big picture for a small gain. But now, upon closer reflection, it seemed that wasn't the case at all…

Having reached such a level, would Sett himself not know the subtleties of the Gale Sword Technique?

No, Sett knew. Long thought: and knew it better than anyone else present. After all, Sett was capable of wielding the Gale Sword Technique… but even so, Sett still chose to abandon sharpness and cutting power. Everyone present was looking at the issue from a swordsman's perspective, believing Sett's choice ruined the essence of the Gale Sword Technique. But from Sett's perspective, without a doubt, in this so-called Gale Sword Technique, only speed was what Sett needed. Everything else, while seemingly powerful, was extremely incompatible with Sett!

"It's not perfect yet."

Sett was familiar with his palm, and as the energy surged, the blood and energy in Sett's arm gradually boiled. A sharp ripple also appeared on the outer edge of his fingers.

"It's too sharp..." Sett said, "When this energy is fully integrated into the palm, that will mean when the magic spear will be fully mastered."

"Does it really have to be like that?" Having trained alongside the naval hero Garp to become stronger, Dragon was also well-versed in physical combat. Although he understood Sett's thoughts and purpose, Dragon couldn't help but stare at the sharp energy emanating from Sett's fingers and said, "Training with the 'Piercing Hand' technique, combined with your Armament Haki, your Piercing Hand would cut through enemy flesh like paper with a sharp knife. You shouldn't lack striking skills, like this..."

Why would you think that?

Upon hearing the dragon's words, Sett frowned and said, "If that's the case, then my purity as a martial artist has been greatly reduced!"

"...You seem to care a lot about purity?" Long said, somewhat puzzled. "What's the use of purity? And is it really worth it?"

“There’s no question of whether it’s worth it or not. The reason is simply that what I need is a ‘blunt spear,’” Sett said. “A blunt spear, even without a sharpening or a tip, that can still pierce through an enemy’s chest and shatter their skull with a club! That’s all!”

Upon hearing this, Dragon still seemed somewhat unable to understand. Hawkeye, standing nearby, shook his head and said, "Give up, you can't convince this guy."

"...What do you mean?" Hearing Hawkeye's words, Dragon also cast a curious glance. Indeed, Dragon didn't know Sett. But Dragon knew very well that Hawkeye did. After all, their partnership as bounty hunters was no secret.

“It’s no use talking to him about these things. The more you talk, the more he’ll think you’re a sissy.”

"Sissy???"

Upon hearing this comment, I must say, this is the first time in my life that I've been called a sissy—no matter the era, this is not a good term.

Standing over two and a half meters tall, with a robust and powerful aura, and possessing a naturally fierce appearance due to the absence of eyebrows, the dragon possesses a formidable presence. Having undergone rigorous training under Garp since childhood, his skin is thick and resilient, resembling cowhide. Add to that the stubble around his mouth and the weathered, calloused skin, and it's impossible to associate the dragon with the word "effeminate" by any means.

Upon hearing Hawkeye's words, Ivankov, who was lying on the ground recovering his strength, blinked his big eyes and looked over with curiosity.

"That's right, you heard me correctly, it's sissy."

Pointing to Sett, who had already gotten up to find a beer, Hawkeye calmly explained in response to the question: "Although Sett himself didn't express it, in Sett's eyes, he is the only male in the world, an absolute male. In other words, in his eyes, all life except him, whether old men or old women, sumo wrestlers, rugby players, soccer pros, or even humans or beasts, are female."

"Wow……"

Upon hearing Hawkeye's words, the first person to be surprised was not Dragon, but Ivankov standing to the side.