Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Power is the eternal main force of this ocean!

As he pondered, Sett had already raised his foot. With a deafening crash, the ground in front of Sett split open in a fan shape!

The soil, already somewhat loosened from the previous battle, was impacted once more, trembling as if an earthquake had struck. Even with Crocodile's ample combat experience, the sudden tremor caused him to momentarily lose his balance due to his unstable footing.

But in that instant of imbalance, a blurry image flashed from the corner of Crocodile's eye.

No, it wasn't an afterimage, but a fist shadow.

The heavy blow struck him squarely in the abdomen, penetrating his body without giving him a chance to dodge. Crocodile's upright body was instantly blasted into a V-shape. Blood filled his throat; the feeling of being attacked was always similar. Before Crocodile's body could even fly away from the impact, he felt something fixing his head to both sides. Rough and hard, like thick, tough sandpaper.

It was Sett's hand.

He lifted it up, then slammed it down. Towards the knee, stained black with Armament Haki. The cartilaginous nasal cavity received the direct impact, the bridge of his nose breaking as crimson blood gushed from his nostrils. His soft brain slammed into his skull, nerves compressed, and a powerful wave of dizziness washed over Crocodile's head.

Then, grabbing him by the neck and pulling him up, Sett's rough arm transformed into a heavy black meteor. Struck right in the face, Crocodile's body was sent flying five meters away, only managing to stop after crashing into a house.

Sett spat a curse and landed on the ground beside him, his face full of impatience.

"What kind of thing dares to negotiate with me here?"

Barely managing to get up from the ground, Crocodile knew there was some gap between him and Sett, but he never imagined the gap would be so vast. The speed that had just exploded was so incredible that even with Crocodile focusing all his attention on controlling every grain of sand around him, he could only detect a few faint traces.

Sett flicked his hair, looked at Crocodile in front of him, and cracked his knuckles: "I'm curious what you're planning to do to my little Robin... but it doesn't really matter. It doesn't matter whether you tell me your plan or not, since you're going to bring her to Impel Down anyway."

Taking a deep breath, before Sett could finish speaking, Crocodile suddenly clenched his fist, and a violent sandstorm erupted from the ground in front of Sett—Crocodile could rapidly absorb water, turning the soil into desert. Once desertification was complete, Crocodile's abilities, both offensively and defensively, would increase dramatically to a new level.

While Sett's attack did indeed inflict serious damage on Crocodile, this level of injury wouldn't affect Crocodile's control over his Devil Fruit—let alone the impact on his internal organs. As long as Crocodile has a breath left, with his mastery of his Devil Fruit ability, he'll be able to launch a new counterattack.

Moreover, during the battle, it wasn't just Crocodile who was affected—the ground itself became exceptionally soft and easier to manipulate due to the shockwaves!

Just like now, "Desert Greatsword!!!"

Originally, Crocodile was supposed to launch a sandstorm using his desertified arms, but with the softened soil, Crocodile's control over the land beneath his feet was further strengthened!

Even so, the moment it touched Sett's body, as his body transformed into a steel-black form, the sand greatsword merely scraped against the ground. Furthermore, it didn't even pierce Sett's thick skin—after constant training, the destructive power of this desert greatsword was less satisfying than when Sett himself was training his bones by crashing into mountains!

Not only was he not pierced by the desert greatsword, but right before Crocodile's eyes, Sett even grinned and then smashed the so-called greatsword head-on. Then, taking a step forward, he seemingly grasped the sword in mid-air—"Skullbreaker!"—to Crocodile's incredulous gaze!

As if an invisible force had been manipulated, before Crocodile could react, an invisible force pulled him directly in front of Sett!

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I slept in late this morning, it felt great, like I've made up for all the late nights I'd been staying up. I'm going out for a family dinner tonight, so I'll update a little later. I'll aim for at least 8k tomorrow.

How about I post a separate chapter requesting leave to make up for two chapters... that's not out of the question! I'm getting more and more shameless, guys!

(

160. Levi's Hill

What kind of power is this?!

Suddenly pulled by an invisible force, Crocodile's eyes showed a hint of astonishment and confusion. If he had been pulled in front of Sett's true form, Crocodile wouldn't have paid much attention. But now, this invisible force could almost be considered a Devil Fruit, right?

Amidst his confusion, Crocodile was met with a pair of fists.

It was like two trucks colliding head-on. The impact was devastating to Crocodile's head, while his lower body continued moving at high speed. Although he wasn't completely shattered, the sudden loss of balance sent Crocodile spinning and hurtling towards the ground.

As Sett was about to reach him, Crocodile gritted his teeth, and a storm rose in his palm.

"Extremely Heavy Sandstorm!!!"

Its prototype is a sandstorm, a storm composed of flying sand and stones. Under Crocodile's control, it can easily blow away and grind down houses and rocks. More importantly, once a sandstorm forms, it can operate on its own and continuously increase in strength, even without Crocodile's intervention.

Faced with such a large-scale and continuous attack, Sett's face showed no sign of seriousness. It was so fast that it couldn't even be seen with the naked eye. In just a few blinks, Sett braced himself against the storm, his bulging muscles like the ramming hammer of a siege engine. With a strange roar, the storm exploded into a cloud of dust.

Forcefully breaking through the sandstorm's barrier, he arrived in front of Crocodile, who had not yet risen, and raised his steel-like, thick thigh high:

"Idiot!!!"

Click!

The black iron foot landed on Crocodile's lumbar spine, accompanied by a cracking sound. Crocodile's face turned pale with heat, and before he could say anything, he fainted.

The spine has the densest concentration of nerves; a single step like that would likely confine an ordinary person to a wheelchair for the rest of their life. Even with a Logia-type Devil Fruit, maintaining normal mobility would be extremely difficult.

But it doesn't matter.

Spitting, Sett stretched his shoulders and said, "Anyway, you'll be spending the rest of your life in prison anyway, so breaking your leg will save you from thinking about all sorts of trivial things."

As she spoke, Sett seemed to have thought of something, and chuckled to herself: "You might even have to thank me, since you're half-paralyzed, it saves you from having to operate that sewing machine."

Although he didn't know the situation in this world, Sett from his previous life knew it very well. Prisons didn't tolerate idlers, and labor reform was a matter of course. Before transmigrating, he'd heard that the electric eel had gone to jail; he wondered how that sewing machine was doing now.

After waiting for a while, a moment later, Hawkeye was seen walking over from not far away.

Hawkeye glanced at Crocodile, who lay sprawled on the ground with a shattered waist, and wasn't surprised by Crocodile's defeat—given Sett's strength, staying in the Four Seas was a waste of his talents. Defeating Crocodile was nothing particularly shocking.

"What's next?"

"Take it back with you."

Sett said nonchalantly, "Loguetown is a major town, so it probably has a lot of money in reserve. We can probably get the 50 million Berries directly, saving us the trouble of paying in installments."

As he said this, Sett also felt a little annoyed—he wasn't a person who liked to keep accounts, and cash on delivery was the most suitable way of trading for Sett.

Like other small places in the East Blue, even a pirate with several million dollars has to pay it off in full every month, which is incredibly troublesome.

"Then let's take it back first."

As he spoke, Hawkeye glanced around and frowned slightly—there was nothing suitable to put Crocodile in.

Sett, who was standing nearby, went inside and rummaged around for a while. After a moment, he took out a snakeskin bag used to hold urea and said, "This will do... Do you have anything else from before? Let's forget about the millions, but we should be able to squeeze in the tens of millions bounty."

Hearing this, he nodded, stuffed Crocodile into the urea bag, and then Sett followed Hawkeye back the way they came. Along the way, they picked and chose, stuffing any former officers they encountered directly into the urea bag. Before long, the once empty urea bag was bulging with defenseless pirates.

"Goodness."

Looking at the bag of urea in front of him, Smoker, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, raised an eyebrow. Even with his usual demeanor, he couldn't help but be somewhat surprised and shocked by what he saw—although Baroque Works was still quite low-level and had very few core members, this bag alone, including the captain and all the officers, would amount to a bounty of around 120 million... Baroque Works was indeed a strange company.

The main reason is probably because Crocodile is a low-key person, which has led to many of his officers having bounties comparable to his own. Unlike other pirates, where a captain can take up 60% of the total bounty.

"Now I know why those navy guys welcomed you so much."

While counting the pirates, Smoker, the old smoker, exhaled a puff of smoke, his eyes showing a hint of surprise as he handed the receipt recording the total bounty to Sett, and then said, "Every time you come here, it's a record of achievements. You don't know, but Tina is so arrogant during every annual review. It's only because you're not in the Navy that she gets half the credit. If you were in the Navy, I reckon you'd probably be transferred to Marine Headquarters by now."

Even Smoker's words carried a hint of envy—that was the Marine Headquarters. And not just soldiers, but true admirals. Admirals in their early twenties, with their undeniable talent, becoming an admiral was practically a certainty.

Unlike Smoker now, who can only stay in Loguetown to accumulate merits and slowly get promoted—"Ah, if only I had met you back then."

Smoker stroked his chin, speaking with a touch of melancholy. Sett, standing nearby, couldn't help but shudder—briefly recalling how he met Tina and their current life and way of communicating. And then, putting Smoker in her shoes…

Oh my god, ugh.

I covered my mouth, which at least prevented me from vomiting.

Looking at Smoker in front of him, Sett shook his head and squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Don't say anything yet..."

"..."

Hearing this, Smoker fell silent. Looking at Sett before him, Smoker felt utterly insulted—it was just a matter of changing the person who discovered promising talent, was it really worth it?

As for it, absolutely as for it.

He waved his hand, not wanting to say another word to Smokers, took the receipts and ran to the Navy branch to exchange them for money, then took Hawkeye and ran onto the ship.

Unfortunately, Crocodile's illustrious reputation was tarnished. Logically, after his draw against the demon descendant Bullet, he only needed one more fight against Whitebeard to qualify as a Shichibukai. However, the appearance of Sett forced the Shichibukai plan to be shelved. While the fight with Bullet earned Crocodile considerable fame, without the Shichibukai plan, this fame only drew more attention to Crocodile himself.

Since there were no real benefits, Crocodile didn't provoke Whitebeard and went directly to the four seas to look for clues about Pluton... As a result, he unexpectedly ran into the freak Sett.

One kick and his back snapped instantly. His body was stuffed into a urea bag, and he'll likely spend the rest of his days in prison, with nowhere to even cry...

Take the money and leave.

Accompanied by the buzzing sound of steam, Sett and Hawkeye embarked on their journey once again. Watching their small boat disappear into the distance, Smoker scratched his head at the urea bags on the ground, then directed the nearby Marines to collect them and lock the prisoners in jail. As for the Seastone handcuffs specifically designed for Logia-type Devil Fruit users… well, those things are far too precious. Ordinary Marine branches usually just use large fish tanks to lock up Devil Fruit users. But this is Loguetown, after all.

As a major naval base, Smoker should be able to obtain seastone handcuffs through the approval process—he was quite pleased, considering the considerable value of Logia-type Devil Fruits. Especially after the reforms, Devil Fruit users now accumulate merit points several times faster than ordinary criminals. And with Logia-type Devil Fruit users, if it were any other time, Smoker would be certain he'd be first in his class this year.

The reason I say "in the past" is because Tina really had a stroke of luck, running into someone like Sett who wasn't a Marine but would choose to help catch pirates... Even though the capture was on his own territory, Tina will probably still get 30% of the loot in the end.

Thinking back to the pirates Sett had taken down recently, Smoker's expression was somewhat wistful—Tina had inadvertently latched onto a powerful ally.

If Sett weren't so rigid about gender... Wait, what the hell am I thinking?!

Smoker quickly realized something was wrong, shivered, and then called the Navy back to the branch to calm his thoughts.

On the other side, after leaving Loguetown and another day of sailing, Sett and Hawkeye soon came into view a mountain range that looked like a giant wall.

The same scene could be transferred from the mountain-like red earth continent to the Attack on Titan set next door without any problem.

"We've arrived at Mount Levi... How many times has this happened already?"

Upon seeing Mount Levi's before them, Hawkeye and Sett showed little surprise—the seawater, under the combined force of water and wind pressure, surged upstream towards the mountain peak. The first time they saw it, Sett had made countless sarcastic remarks about Newton's complicated relationship with his coffin. But now, and not for the first time, neither Sett nor Hawkeye showed any outrage.

From the West Sea to the North Sea, and then from the North Sea to the East Sea, they all traveled along this sea route. Although the waters are currently flowing upstream, this isn't the case year-round. The tides change cyclically; at times, the waters of the four seas flow towards the Grand Line, and at other times, the waters of the Grand Line flow back into the four seas. Ship navigation depends entirely on understanding these tide cycles; if the tides are flowing in the opposite direction, then one can only wait for the cycle to change.

...There's no other way, after all, the Calm Belt lies on both sides of the Grand Line. Endless Sea Kings roam the area; even if you managed to fight your way through, the rest of your ship would be completely destroyed.

"This time, let's go straight to the Grand Line."

Hearing Sett's words, Hawkeye nodded silently without saying anything more. Although it wasn't his first time here, Hawkeye could sense this time was likely the last. The paradise in the first half of the Grand Line should be the end of their journey.

Thinking this, Hawkeye felt a pang of emotion—although his time with Sett wasn't exactly pleasant, it wasn't exactly unpleasant either…if he were unpleasant, he wouldn't have traveled from the West Blue to the East Blue. They had a certain level of camaraderie, so leaving suddenly was a little bittersweet.

However, neither Hawkeye nor Sett were the kind of people who hesitated. Although they had guessed that the Sabaody Archipelago would be their final destination on this journey, neither of them showed the slightest hint of regret or emotion on their faces.

Sett, in particular, showed not a trace of melancholy, nor even the slightest hint of tension. His eyes were filled with anticipation for this unknown world. A single glance revealed a thirst for battle.

This was nothing new to Hawkeye. He simply gave a shout to prepare for the impact, and then the small boat shot off like an arrow toward the Grand Line along the Levi's Passage.

Unlike Sett, who comes from the Four Seas, Hawkeye, who comes from the Grand Line, wouldn't be in a small place like the Four Seas if he weren't chasing Shanks...

Of course, looking back now, Hawkeye doesn't regret it, because along the way he pursued Shanks, he encountered many formidable opponents. Especially in the East Blue, known as the weakest sea, he actually met a swordsman from Wano Country, the samurai nation of the New World. Putting everything else aside, that alone was worth the price of admission. Moreover, Hawkeye also acquired the Black Blade during this process.

And although Hawkeye himself doesn't care, because he sails with Sett, Hawkeye is now a bounty hunter, but in the Navy's eyes, Hawkeye is not the kind of bounty hunter who competes with them for credit, but rather a true half-one of their own.

Downstream, before long, two peculiar, green islands shaped like steamed buns came into view. The shipping lanes were located precisely between the two islands, and along the way, Hawkeye and Sett even saw many civilians waving small flags and enthusiastically welcoming them.

However, after seeing Sett and Hawkeye, and especially the bounty hunter markings on the assault boat, their expressions changed from cheering and excitement to indifference, and then they ignored them completely.

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Finally finished writing! I was planning to do a big update, but then it rained heavily in Rizhao and I had to go down to help unload the goods. I didn't get home until after 10 pm and didn't even have time to eat dinner. 4k for today, 8k tomorrow if nothing else happens.

I hope it won't rain tomorrow.