Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

"I told you."

Upon hearing Sett's words, Hawkeye calmly replied, "You do this a few days every month... I'm used to it. He doesn't believe me even if I tell him it's the system. You'll have to figure out an explanation yourself."

Not only did Garp not believe it, but even Hawkeye scoffed at the idea of ​​a system—if you don't want to talk about it, just say so. What system?

Hearing Hawkeye's explanation, Sett scratched his head, and upon thinking about it carefully, it did seem to make sense. However, he didn't pay too much attention to it, glanced at Garp, scratched his head, and said, "How should I put it... never mind, you wouldn't understand even if I explained it, just think of it as evolution."

"evolution?"

Hearing Sett's words and sensing his current aura, although it seemed somewhat absurd, compared to other things, the word "evolution" seemed to fit perfectly... Otherwise, there would be no way to explain why Sett's bones had suddenly become so hard. Even his demeanor had changed slightly.

Upon closer inspection, Garp could clearly sense that Sett's fighting spirit had become even more intense, and he was even more bloodthirsty and belligerent. However, it was obvious that Sett was now able to control this perfectly, so there was no need to worry about him turning into a bloodthirsty pirate or a scoundrel among bounty hunters.

I didn't understand, but luckily, Garp wasn't the type to pry. So he simply sat down again and started eating and drinking in front of Sett.

"Speaking of which, I'm about to leave."

"Really? What a coincidence?" Hearing this, Sett, who was gnawing on meat, raised an eyebrow in surprise: "I'm about to slip away too!"

"Huh? Aren't you still going to train your bones?" Garp looked at Sett with some curiosity. "Aren't you planning to train for a while longer?"

"Training behind closed doors is so boring!" Sett said. "It's definitely more fun to train while fighting outside than to stay cooped up here and train slowly! And speaking of which, why did you leave?"

Hearing Sett's question, Garp waved his hand and said, "I'm a Vice Admiral! I've been resting for a month, and the New World is in complete chaos... Hmph, those idiots in Mary Geoise, saying they wanted to stabilize the four seas and the first half of the Grand Line. Now the New World is completely out of control, I have to go back to the G5 branch to stabilize the situation!"

Upon hearing Garp's reply, Sett nodded thoughtfully.

The so-called G5 branch is the Navy's most fortified stronghold in the New World, known as Marineford of the New World. Previously, while the Navy had considerable control over the New World, it generally controlled one-fifth of the territory centered around the G5 branch. Now, to solidify its dominance over the four seas and the first half of the Grand Line, the Navy has continuously expanded its sphere of influence, until now, it is reduced to only the G5 branch and a portion of the surrounding seas.

Garp's return is clearly to maintain order and prevent the Navy from completely losing the G5 branch and the influence it represents over the New World.

"And what about you?"

Garp glanced at Sett: "If you just want to find a few opponents, you can come with me to the New World! There's no shortage of strong fighters there!"

As he said this, Garp's eyes were filled with undisguised enthusiasm—Garp had personally witnessed Sett's strength and talent. He had previously thought Zeff was exaggerating, but after actually interacting with him, he realized that Sett's abilities far exceeded Zeff's descriptions.

Whether it's now, or the talent and potential they've shown, it's all the same...

After a brief moment of thought, Sett shook his head. "No, I made a promise with my secretaries to just travel around the first half of the Grand Line." Sett said casually, "I plan to go home after I get to the Sabaody Archipelago. If I go to the Grand Line, I probably won't leave for several years."

Sett valued the agreement highly. And he knew his own personality better than anyone—he was fine most of the time, but once a fight broke out, even Sett struggled to control his emotions. Before, he could barely restrain himself, though with little effect, but it had some impact. But now, Sett could clearly feel the passive effects of Ragnarok stimulating his fighting spirit. Without adapting to this mental state, rushing into the battlefield of the new world, Sett feared he would become addicted to combat and unable to extricate himself.

It's not that I'm avoiding battle, but rather that I don't want my desires to dominate my mind.

Hearing Sett's words, Garp nodded in understanding. It wasn't that he understood Sett's fighting spirit, but rather his promise to his family—that this world was a world full of idealism.

Pirate King Roger, Whitebeard, Garp, Golden Lion Shiki… every one of those who has a name on the seas has, to some extent, their own ideals. And they fight tirelessly for those ideals, even at the cost of their lives. And within the light of those ideals, the promise is undoubtedly the most dazzling flame.

"You must keep your promises to your family!"

With a grin, Garp patted Sett on the shoulder and said, "Come find me whenever you want to join the Marines!" Although he knew Sett might never join the Marines, Garp wasn't discouraged. Their love for the Marines was ingrained in the bones of the older generation.

Garp saw through Sett's prejudice against the Navy, but he believed that one day the Navy would change, and become better—the first step being to get his two grandsons into the Navy!

Just thinking about two new Marine recruits with Conqueror's Haki makes Garp's face light up with a smile.

"Ha ha ha ha!!!!"

Seeing Garp suddenly laugh for no apparent reason, Sett merely raised an eyelid and ignored him.

Upon arriving at the foot of the mountain, Luffy and the others gasped in surprise upon hearing that Sett was leaving. "Ah! You're leaving! What about our challenge?!"

Even though Luffy inherited Garp's massive nerves, he still realized a serious problem: "If we can't defeat you, does that mean we can't be pirates?!"

"This?" Sett stroked his chin and said, "My hometown is Antuo Island in the West Blue. Go there to find me after you decide to set sail. If you can defeat me, I'll grant you the qualifications to become pirates."

"Okay! It's settled then!"

Hearing Sett's words, Luffy's face filled with fighting spirit. Meanwhile, Ace opened his mouth, feeling somewhat helpless—Sett was gone, wouldn't it be better to just consider it automatically void?

Although Ace initially thought that way, Luffy's energetic voice unconsciously stirred a strange fighting spirit within him—some people are like that; even knowing the challenge is incredibly difficult, they still feel their hearts surge with excitement. He exchanged a glance with Sabo beside him, and then the three brothers spoke with unwavering resolve.

We will definitely defeat you!!!

Regarding this inexplicable unity of purpose, Sett simply poured cold water on it, saying:

"No, it would be quite an achievement if you could defeat my little secretary."

It wasn't that Sett looked down on Luffy and his crew, but simply that, based on their Den Den Mushi conversations over this period, Sett was certain that, although Robin's training time was relatively short compared to Luffy and the others, her combat strength had already surpassed Luffy and his crew by a large margin.

Backed by the most profitable casino in the West Blue, and with the fearless Mundo as her sparring partner, Robin, with her Hana Hana no Mi (Flower Flower Fruit) honed through physical training, could easily defeat ten Luffys of equal physical prowess!

Of course, this is the Luffy we know now—once he eats the Devil Fruit, things could change.

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Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

155 Bounty Order

“Sail!!!”

Standing at the bow of the ship, Sett's eyes shone with fierce fighting spirit.

Sett stayed in Windmill Village for a month and a half, only because he had Garp as his sparring partner; otherwise, he would have been bored to death.

Now that Garp's vacation is over, Sett also feels it's time for him to leave and see more of the ocean.

"It's estimated that we're lagging behind by at least half."

Hawkeye glanced at Sett and said, "That Shanks guy has already completed half of the first half of the Grand Line."

As he spoke, Hawkeye tossed the newspaper to Sett. Although the paper was soft, it was as sharp as a blade in Hawkeye's hands. It spun out, making a whooshing sound, and landed in Sett's hand. As Sett turned the page, he saw Shanks' annoyingly sour face.

With a grin, the headline reads that Shanks has arrived at Drum Island and his bounty as a Supernova has surpassed 500 million.

"Too low." Sett glanced at the bounty and said with a sneer, "Shanks' strength is definitely over two billion. It's only five hundred million now. Those guys in the World Government really look down on people."

"After all, we're in Paradise." Hearing Sett's words, he held a cup of coffee to stay awake—they were about to speed up their voyage, possibly even working through the night. He couldn't stay awake without some caffeine or something similar beforehand.

While taking small sips, Hawkeye said, "With the Red Line as the boundary, the latter half of the Grand Line is called the New World, while the first half is called Paradise. In Paradise, although the Navy's control is not as strong as in the Four Seas, it is still not something that pirates can resist. Therefore, no matter how high the bounty is, it is impossible to break through one billion."

After a pause, Hawkeye added, "Once Shanks gets to the New World, even if he does nothing, his bounty will at least triple in a while."

"Will it be of any use?" Setiyo said indifferently. "Is there still room for bounty hunters to survive in the New World?"

Having spent nearly two years at sea, Sett had gained a general understanding of the harsh living conditions of bounty hunters. In the Four Seas and Paradise (the first half of the Grand Line), things were alright, as the World Government still held some influence. However, in the New World, the World Government's influence was almost zero. Any bounty hunter with any ability either joined the G5 branch or was simply recruited by powerful pirates.

Otherwise, they would be attacked by pirates—and the Navy wouldn't help them. Especially the G5 branch, which is full of powerful but wicked thugs. In their eyes, bounty hunters are less helpful in fighting pirates and more like outsiders trying to steal military credit.

To this, Sett can only say yes, absolutely right, bro!

And—do you understand the value of joint military-civilian law enforcement? Do you understand the value of the people of Chaoyang District?

"So the bounty isn't for bounty hunters."

Hawkeye glanced at Sett and said, "It's like an internal division among pirates, making them kill each other. So in the New World, even pirates can collect bounties... it's just that the way they collect them has to be more discreet."

"That's really impressive."

As he said this, Hawkeye lowered the sails and untied the mooring ropes from the harbor. He waved to Luffy and the others on the shore, and then set sail once again.

At first, Sett and his crew followed Garp's fleet, but they parted ways after three days. They stopped at Cocoyasi Village to replenish their supplies. Perhaps because the East Blue is relatively calmer than other seas, when they saw Sett and Mihawk, they were more curious than suspicious of them being pirates.

Sett and Hawkeye even sold a few small orange trees to help with sepsis caused by vitamin deficiency. The orange grove's owner was named Bellemere, a pink-haired woman whose two daughters were adopted, and from their conversation, they learned that they were both orphans from the war. Bellemere was also a retired former Navy officer.

Bellemere was somewhat surprised to hear Sett reveal his name, as Sett had always had a good reputation within the Navy. Because of this, Bellemere even gave Sett a 20% discount, saving him a little money—Sett didn't really have much of a concept of money. For Sett, making money was just too easy. The story of Higuma, the Mountain Bandit King, with his eight million yen still isn't finished.

After confirming that supplies were plentiful, Sett and his crew set sail again—the East Blue was far too calm, and Sett's desire to leave was almost palpable. It was only because he encountered Garp that Sett was able to imagine how bored he would have been.

The same was true for Cocoyasi Village; nothing much happened. The small-time pirates they encountered along the way didn't interest Sett at all. After battling Garp for a month and a half, although Sett's fighting spirit hadn't diminished in the slightest due to the berserker blood of Ragnarok, having tasted a grand feast, he had absolutely no appetite for this third-rate ingredient and fourth-rate chef's subpar dish.

With favorable ocean currents, it took Sett and Hawkeye about a week to reach Loguetown, the most famous island in the East Blue, the town where the beginning and the end meet.

The reason this place is so famous is quite simple. The Pirate King Gol D. Roger was born in Loguetown, and he was also executed there.

Before Roger's execution, Loguetown was at most a small town in the East Blue near the entrance to the Grand Line, and not many people remembered it. But after Roger's execution, Loguetown became a famous tourist attraction. Any pirate preparing to enter the Grand Line, even those from other seas, would make a special trip to Loguetown before setting off.

This has led to Loguetown becoming a key town of interest for the Navy—more pirates preparing to enter the Grand Line are arrested here each year than in all other towns across the four seas combined.

That is why the navy personnel stationed here are not ordinary people.

"Hey! Smoker! I saw you smoking as soon as I walked in!!!"

Sett kicked open the door to Smoker's office, his face beaming with a grin.

Smoker, initially annoyed that someone had so rudely kicked open his door, visibly relaxed when he saw that it was Sett.

After all, it's Sett—others might act this way out of disrespect, but Sett is different; this guy has no brains.

Although he may be brainless, there is one thing that cannot be denied: Sett is very much to Smoker's liking—especially in terms of dealing with pirates. Smoker considers himself a hawk, and he genuinely believes that instead of appeasement, it would be better to simply lock all the pirates up in prison!

"What brings you here? I remember you were traveling the world, weren't you?"

Standing up, a cigarette dangling from his lips, Smoker poured a glass of water and handed it to Seti—he was at work and had no intention of drinking right now.

It's no secret that Sett is currently traveling the world; after all, it's been reported in the newspapers more than once. Smoker, however, is more curious about why Sett is in the East Blue—known as the weakest sea, with the lowest level of pirates. Only Loguetown has special historical factors; otherwise, Smoker would never have stayed there… The Marine branches around Cocoyasi Village have practically become retirement homes. This shows just how peaceful the East Blue is.

He craves thrilling battles and carnage. Smoker knows Sett's personality—which is why he's surprised to see Sett here.

There are no great pirates like Doflamingo or Moria in the East Blue.

"Chase after someone."

Sitting in a chair, Sett borrowed a water glass, gulped it down, and put it aside, saying nonchalantly, "His name is Shanks, but now that guy has entered the Grand Line, I'm planning to follow him for a while and see if I can catch up!"

Smoker was somewhat surprised to hear Sett's words.

Shanks has left behind quite a few legends during this time, and is considered by many to be the most famous pirate supernova. It's just unexpected that even Sett is pursuing him.

Have you had any contact with him?

"We fought once... it wasn't over, but he was very strong. His Conqueror's Haki level was the highest I've ever seen!"

Upon hearing Sett's words, Smoker's eyes flashed with surprise—he knew how powerful Sett was. Back when he trained with Zeff, the battle was comparable to a beach volleyball being defeated by a cannon—a memory Smoker still vividly remembered.

His incredible stamina and muscles that grow stronger every day. Even in the elite class, Sett could clear a level in one go. To outsiders, these seemingly invincible, promising marine elites could only cower and huddle together when facing Sett. But even so, when the fight actually broke out, Sett still dominated them.

It's fair to say that the longer Smoker and the other elites spend time with Sett, the less arrogance they develop. Sett is an absolute master at destroying people's confidence and pride.

And now, Sett actually acknowledges Shanks in this way...

"That's truly a formidable pirate... And what about Conqueror's Haki? I've never heard of it before."

"You're right that you haven't heard about it."