Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

If I remember correctly, Sett seemed to have told me before that... the Armament Haki of the Fierce Will is different from ordinary Armament Haki. It not only completely abandons defense, but also adds the characteristic of "adhesion".

Adhesion!!!

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the next moment, just as Hawkeye regained his balance, the power contained within his Armament Haki erupted. The impact of the Armament Haki burst forth, causing Hawkeye to lose control of his body once again.

Just as Hawkeye had expected, the instant he lost control of his body, Sett appeared in front of him and raised his arms high.

Interlocking fingers and clasping hands, the posture is like a heavy hammer, the body suddenly straightens, the upper body leans back, resembling a taut longbow. The next moment, the bowstring is released.

Even though he hastily held his longsword horizontally in front of him, the powerful attack caused a visible deformation to the rusty blade in Hawkeye's hand. The straight longsword twisted into a U-shaped arc, and the heavy, hammer-like fists slammed into Hawkeye's chest through the blade!

boom!!!

Black Hawk Down!

Transforming into a broken shadow with faint crimson streaks, Eagle Eye's body plummeted straight down from the sky. A dull thud echoed from the mountainside.

Even so, Sett didn't stop his pursuit. Regaining his breath, Sett raised his arm, a surge of power erupting from the dragon's spine, flowing along the muscles of his back, gradually coalescing into a mighty river, and then, from a distance of tens of meters, he unleashed a devastating swing!

Rumble!!!

A penetrating force! The immense power transformed into a swift hurricane the moment the fist was thrown. The once lush primeval forest, already damaged by Eagle Eye's fall, was now battered by this steel-like hurricane. Ancient trees snapped in two, and large ferns, thriving thanks to abundant oxygen, were instantly torn to shreds into countless green fragments!

He barely managed to get up, but before he could even stand up, the heavy force struck again, and Hawkeye could feel his spine making a sound of unbearable strain.

His grip on the sword hilt never faltered, not even for a moment, even under heavy blows. And now, feeling this pressure, Hawkeye's gaze did not waver in the slightest. Instead, it was like a rough embryo being constantly tempered, with excess impurities in his eyes being gradually cleared away by the hammer blows.

Along with it, the rusty blade in his hand also solidified. The blade, which had already regained its original form due to the continuous attacks, became even more solid at this moment. At first glance, the rusty blade seemed to darken inexplicably… as if its core had been permeated with Armament Haki!

The ground was warm to the touch. This was understandable, given that the Little Garden Islands were pristine islands densely covered with volcanoes. And now… drawing the longsword from the ground brought with it a surge of scorching lava!

165. Battle Ends

boom!!!

The intense pressure of the sword, carrying with it molten lava, distorted the air with its intense heat, making even breathing painful.

Crimson lava and sword energy slashed towards Sett. Seeing this, Dorry and Brogy stared in disbelief, their mouths agape. They exchanged a glance—had the world outside become this terrifying in just a few decades?!

In their era, although there were many strong people, no one had ever heard of a strong person who could pull out a piece of lava with a single sword strike like this!

...Well, it's just that they haven't seen it before.

They've been battling it out in the Little Garden Islands for over eighty years, completely missing out on the legendary journey of the Pirate King. They only know about it because of a few snippets of information from a passing pirate.

Meanwhile, Sett's lips curled into a wide smile as he looked at the oncoming eyes. He raised his arm and threw a punch. The surging wind shattered the scorching lava into a rain of fire.

But just after the rain of fire was blasted away, Hawkeye's eyes were filled with murderous intent as he charged forward with his sword drawn.

"Eagle Slash, Molten Fire!!"

The jet-black blade, following the rain of fire, unleashed a crimson slash fueled by the intense heat. Instead of dodging, it raised its fist high, its own dark Armament Haki swirling around it.

"Die!!"

The power to subdue his opponent was unleashed once more, and a pale golden light rose from his jet-black iron fist. The wounds from the previous slashes had healed, and the thick calluses on his fist left a series of loud noises from friction in the air.

The hard iron fist clashed with the blade once more. Sett's eyes narrowed slightly; he could clearly sense that the rusty material in Hawkeye's hand was even harder than before. Or perhaps, the Armament Haki had become even more intense!

呲、

With a strange sound, the rusty fibers infused with Armament Haki sliced ​​through Sett's fist once more during the brief contact. But this time, before Hawkeye could even get excited, Sett's voice rang in his ears: "Do you think I'd make the same mistake twice?"

And more importantly, Sett said with a malicious grin, "How about trying my Blood-Blinded Blindness move?!"

Upon hearing this, Hawkeye's eyes widened, and he was startled. But before Hawkeye could sheathe his sword and withdraw, he saw the muscles in Sett's arm twitch. Then, blood spurted from the wound on Sett's fist.

A sea of ​​crimson! If it were just ordinary blood, it wouldn't be so bad, but Hawkeye knew that Sett's body couldn't be judged by ordinary standards. Just like now, the moment he saw the crimson, Hawkeye instinctively, almost voluntarily, closed his eyes.

And just as Hawkeye had anticipated, the instant the blood touched his eyelids, an indescribable, scalding heat surged through him. The burning sensation was like being doused with sulfuric acid! Instinctively, Hawkeye swung his sword forward. But losing his sight—if it were against ordinary people, it wouldn't be so bad; he could still fight with Observation Haki. But against someone like Sett, could he really rely solely on Observation Haki? Was that even possible?

Sure enough, right after that, Sett punched Hawkeye in the stomach again.

After being struck repeatedly, his soft abdomen, unprotected by bones, suffered multiple organ damage despite Hawkeye's exceptional physical abilities.

Even so, there was not a trace of despair in Hawkeye's eyes—the scar on his back was a swordsman's shame. As long as he hadn't lost consciousness, for a swordsman, the battle was not over!

At this moment, as if in a final burst of energy, just as Sett was about to unleash a thirty-two-hit combo on Hawkeye's stomach, Hawkeye, enduring excruciating pain, suddenly opened his eyes.

Perhaps due to the stimulation of his talent for burning, Hawkeye's eyes, though still sharp, now had a few scattered blood vessels.

Coincidentally, Sett was in the middle of throwing a punch and didn't expect Hawkeye to open his eyes again at that moment. In that instant, his hands clenched tightly, and the blade that had been hanging low and tilted flashed a sharp light in the air.

There were no fancy names, no fierce roars, only Hawkeye's cold, indifferent shout—so calm it couldn't be calmer, so cold it couldn't be colder: "Slash!!!"

The chaotic space froze for a moment, and then a silver line appeared from it. From Sett's left shoulder to his right rib, the silver line tore through flesh and blood. As blood gushed forth, the deep, bone-piercing cuts on his ribcage were faintly visible!

The blow landed squarely, but Hawkeye knew he had neither the chance nor the means to strike a second time. So, enduring the excruciating pain, he gritted his teeth and, before Sett could retaliate, struck Sett squarely in the chest with the hilt of his sword.

With a dull thud as flesh and blood shattered, Sett was slammed into the distant volcano!

bump!!!

With a sound, Hawkeye managed to catch his breath. Throughout the fight, Hawkeye had unleashed numerous strikes, but only now had he truly inflicted damage on Sett's body. Before, no matter how much blood he lost, it was all in vain. These were merely superficial wounds; Sett wouldn't even need rest, as his activated life force would heal itself during the battle.

But now, the blade had penetrated seven-tenths of the way into the bone, and then it was struck by the hilt of the sword. Even with Sett's strength, his already scarred sternum cracked further.

After a brief respite, the ground suddenly began to tremble.

Hawkeye's gaze was heavy as he watched the trembling stones. First, Hawkeye was slammed to the ground from mid-air, and now Sett had been hammered down.

Little Garden Island is itself riddled with active volcanoes, sometimes erupting as many as three times a day—including the rivalry between Dorry and Brogy, which began with volcanic eruptions as a signal. And now, after a series of shocks, the active volcano has erupted prematurely!

Rumble!!!

Thick volcanic ash billowed from the mountaintop, forming heavy clouds, followed by lava eruptions from the crater. At the very moment of the eruption, a mangled figure, trailing blood, leaped into the air once more. In Hawkeye's view, he abruptly bent his right leg, followed by a blur of motion.

boom!!!

It wasn't physical contact, but rather the release of Armament Haki the instant the toes touched the lava!

As Sett's shot rang out, scorching lava flew towards them. Seeing this, Hawkeye, wielding his swords in both hands, flashed a cold light just as the lava approached. In an instant, the lava, mixed with scalding flames, was cleaved in two.

But immediately after that, Hawkeye was met with even more molten meteors. One after another, they left behind the scent of sulfur as they hurtled towards him.

But an attack of this magnitude posed absolutely no threat to Hawkeye. Similarly, Hawkeye knew that Sett knew this as well.

Knowing this, yet still doing it... Hawkeye's eyes narrowed slightly as he thought this. Although the area around his eyes had turned slightly red from the burning sensation, it did not affect his sharp gaze or keen mind.

With heightened perception, his entire being focused intently on the attack, and his Observation Haki, which had previously radiated outwards, transformed into a focused attack on the flying flames and streams of fire in front of him.

Sure enough, Eagle Eye could clearly sense a hidden energy clinging to one of the rocks.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and Hawkeye's body flickered, dodging the other flames. Then, the longsword in his hand sliced ​​through the air, heading straight for the lava.

But just as the blade struck the lava, boom!

The scorching rocks shattered with a deafening roar—that was the golden, domineering force!

Hawkeye quickly realized something was wrong. With the explosion of lava, scalding flames swept towards Hawkeye like a torrential downpour. Seeing this, Hawkeye could only forcefully twist his wrist, despite the injury, and then slashed with his sword. The intense wind pressure rubbed against the flames, and in the next moment, the scalding flames swept away along the blade.

But Hawkeye knew this wasn't over yet.

Sure enough, right after that, from behind Hawkeye, from behind another piece of lava, Sett's body leaped over, passing under his ribs, wrapping his arms around him, and then suddenly tensing his waist and slamming backward!

bump!!!

Having already suffered one setback, Hawkeye knew that even at the cost of his arm being destroyed, he could not launch another counterattack.

The German back throw left him in a daze. He had no strength left to break free, because Sett did not stop his attack.

He grabbed Hawkeye, then sped off, finally leaping into the air to stabilize Hawkeye's body. His lower leg slammed into the ground with a deafening roar, blood gushing out. What would shatter a leg bone for an ordinary person, a brutal act several times greater, sent Sett's body soaring a hundred meters into the air. He fell like a meteor, leaving a trail of golden light that lingered wherever he went.

Absolutely amazing!!!

Cushioned behind him, it was repeatedly struck hard, and the rusty black blade shattered completely!

Then, the violent impact directly affected Hawkeye's body, and a surge of energy rushed from his spine into his heart, causing his brain to become turbulent.

Already severely injured in the previous battles, the breathtaking spectacle became the final straw. Even with his hands still tightly gripping the rusty cloth, the overloaded mechanisms and his brain were no longer able to sustain Hawkeye's will.

With a dizzying sensation, Hawkeye, who had just managed to stand up, fell to the ground with a dull thud and lost consciousness.

After catching his breath, Hawkeye got up from the ground with a hint of accomplishment in his eyes: "Hooray! For Champion Sett!!!"

He pointed both fingers to the sky, but this time, not many people seemed to be distracted. That's true, Sett thought, after all, this was a deserted, primitive island, not a crowded casino—thinking this, Sett felt a pang of emotion.

Sure enough, the best place to fight is somewhere crowded, like a ring or a casino!

But then again...

Scratching his head, Sett vaguely remembered mentioning that he wanted to go back to the West Blue to see Robin and Tina before entering the Grand Line.

"..." Scratching his head, Sett realized that he had forgotten about this matter again because he was so focused on fighting. He had often heard that drinking would lead to trouble, but he never thought that fighting would be the same.

Just then, loud applause and cheers erupted from the side.

Looking up, the ones clapping and cheering were none other than Dorry and Brogy, the giants who were the former captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates.

"Hahaha! By the God of War of Elbaf! Little one! You are the victor of this duel! You are the one who has won under the watchful gaze of the God of War of Elbaf!!"

Hearing the two giants' booming voices, Sett grinned, but his eyes didn't show much excitement; instead, they were filled with fierce fighting spirit as he said:

"The God of War of Elbaf? Sounds impressive! But the God of War can only be me!!"

Hearing Sett's arrogant words, the two giants exchanged a glance, then burst into loud laughter in unison: "Haha, hahahahaha!"

Wiping away tears of laughter, Donli said, "Even if a brat like you said something like that, the great Elbaf War God wouldn't care, hehehe~"

"Exactly!" Hearing Donley's words, Brogy nodded in agreement and said, "You brats who've only lived for ten or twenty years wouldn't understand Elbaf's 'great wisdom'! Of course, even if you don't understand, the God of War won't be angry! Because the God of War wouldn't be unhappy over such a trivial matter, hahaha~~~"

Hearing that the two guys hadn't taken his words to heart at all, Sett surprisingly wasn't angry. Because in their words, Sett could clearly sense that there was no mockery or contempt in their tone.

On the contrary, through the battle just now, they genuinely acknowledged Sett and Hawkeye's status as warriors and their strength as challengers.

Even so, they still worshipped the legendary God of War. Perhaps to them, the God of War was not merely a powerful being, but also a great spiritual anchor, the spiritual homeland of the giant warriors.

Thinking it over, Sett struggled to his feet, looked at Dorry and Brogy in front of him, and said, "Alright! Chicken's already down, so no one's going to fight me for him! Now, you two, are you going to take him one by one, or both of you?!"

As they were talking, perhaps because of the sudden movement when he stood up, the wound on his chest, which had just managed to stop bleeding, started gushing blood again.

Hearing Sett's words and seeing his injuries, the two giants exchanged a glance, then shook their heads in unison: "You should heal your wounds first! The God of War won't condone such an unfair duel!"

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Today's purity has increased; 8k is now complete.