Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

166·Temptation

Today's battle is over.

Although Sett repeatedly requested to fight the two giants again, unfortunately, no matter how much Sett pleaded, the two giants had no intention of fighting him. It wasn't out of fear, but rather because they spoke of some great maxim that forbade such an unfair duel.

Sett was quite frustrated by the two giants' inflexibility, but he had no choice but to hold back for the time being in order to continue the battle.

The wound on his chest was quite large, a deep gash running diagonally from his shoulder to his ribs. Seven-tenths of the bone had been cut in... It was only because Sett himself had such strong vitality that anyone else would have suffered enough bleeding to die.

Even so, a full recovery will take a considerable amount of time. While a broken bone takes a hundred days to heal, a skin injury like Sett's can heal completely in one or two days, with the new flesh indistinguishable from the original. But bones are different; bone recovery requires a long period of time.

In previous training sessions, the fractures always occurred on the outermost layer of the bone, the periphery. But this time, it almost severed it. Even Sett will need at least a week to recover.

Awakening from his deep sleep, Hawkeye rubbed his temples. Although he had been unconscious for some time, he was still feeling intensely dizzy.

A commotion arose from the side. Looking up, I saw Sett's face filled with despair.

There was a Den Den Mushi (snail phone) beside me, and I could vaguely hear a woman's voice screaming and howling inside.

"Sett! You coward! Get your ass back here right now, Tina!! Do you know how long Robin has been waiting for you?! If you don't come back, I'm putting a bounty on your head!!!"

"...But I've already entered the Grand Line..."

"What?!" Upon hearing this, Tina's anger flared even more on the other end of the phone: "Didn't you say you were going to come back before entering the Grand Line? Why did you go there directly now?!"

If it were anyone else, they would at least be more tactful, mentioning things like a storm or tsunami—uncontrollable events. But who is Sett? As the most straightforward person on this sea, Sett picked his nose and said, "Ah, because I forgot."

"...You filthy idiot!!" Tina, unusually swearing, took a deep breath and said coldly, "Tina doesn't care! You get back here right now! Immediately, right now, or I'll grab Little Robin and run over there to arrest you!!!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going to play in Chambord and I'll be right back."

"What? You still want to go..."

After quickly finishing his sentence, before Tina on the other end of the phone could react, Sett hung up without saying a word and then pretended to throw the Den Den Mushi into the water...

"Snails dissolve in salt." Although his head was still a little dizzy, Hawkeye's consciousness remained unaffected. He glanced at Sett, rubbing his head as he picked up the hat beside him and put it on his head, saying, "This is the last Den Den Mushi on our ship..."

As he was speaking, Hawkeye paused, then shook his head indifferently and said, "Anyway, you took it from the Navy, so do with it as you please."

"light and spacious!"

As he spoke, Sett pretended to throw away the ringing Den Den Mushi. Terrified, before Sett could react, the Den Den Mushi unplugged its own cord. The ringing stopped, and then the Den Den Mushi looked at Sett with a fawning, pitiful expression. Seeing this, Sett curled his lip in disdain, said "Good thing you know what's good for you," and tossed the Den Den Mushi into his backpack.

Seeing this, Hawkeye also breathed a silent sigh of relief—although he had always sailed without Den Den Mushi before, having one would certainly make things more convenient.

For example, if he encounters the navy, Sett can directly ask them for supplies, nautical charts, or even ask them to give him a ride. If problems arise, he can also directly request support from the nearest branch.

Naval relationships are not very useful in the New World, the latter half of the Grand Line, but they are quite useful in the first half and even across the four seas.

"Why are your eyes so red? Did you cry from being beaten?" Sett asked Hawkeye, somewhat uncertain. In Sett's view, Hawkeye's eyes, along with the surrounding eyelids, were all red and swollen, making him look like he had been crying.

Hawkeye shook his head: "It's all because of your corrosive blood..."

Hawkeye had a deep impression of that move, "Blinding with Blood"—once in combat, Sett's fighting instincts completely disregarded any sense of chivalry or morality.

As they were talking, the two giants beside them asked:

"So, are you going to fight or not?"

Seeing this unfold, the two giants beside Sett grinned. Sett clicked his tongue in annoyance, then shook his head nonchalantly: "Just kidding..."

As they were talking, they suddenly paused, then Sett raised an eyebrow and asked, "Speaking of which, do you have any requirements for the duel venue?"

"Requirements? There are no requirements. Why?"

Hearing Sett's words, the giants nearby were somewhat curious. Seeing this, Sett stroked his chin and said, "If there are no requests... have you considered fighting in a different place?"

"Let's fight somewhere else?" Upon hearing Sett's words, Dorry and Brogy exchanged a glance, then said in unison, "No, no, all battles should be fought under the great maxims of the God of War of Elbaf! A little guy like you who has only lived for ten or twenty years wouldn't understand!"

“That doesn’t conflict with anything!” Sett raised an eyebrow, then said nonchalantly, “Shouldn’t the victors enjoy the cheers? Besides, look here, there’s no one else here, just the two of you fighting all alone. Since you believe in Shrews’ great maxims, why not just let everyone know just how great those maxims are, and how worthy of worship the God of War of Elbaf is?”

"...What are you trying to say?"

Even with the giants' thick-skinned reflexes, they had already guessed that Sett was probably saying these things with a ulterior motive. Seeing this, Sett didn't hide anything, grinning as he said, "I own a casino in the West Blue, with a dedicated fighting area. Go fight there, and you can not only continue your duels, but also make money, and more importantly, spread the name of the War God of Elbaf far and wide! Let everyone know the greatness of the Great Proverb!!"

Upon hearing Sett's words, before the giants could even speak, Hawkeye's face already showed a hint of speechlessness—Sett, once he put his mind to combat, becomes exceptionally sharp.

Just like now, because of Tina's urging, their journey might have to be sped up. Realizing that they might not have enough time to fight the giants, they simply dragged them to their territory and planned to have a duel with them in front of everyone when they returned—Hawkeye knew that Sett loved to enjoy the moment when people cheered after a victory.

Just like his previous battle with himself, after winning, Sett immediately raised his arms, but unfortunately no one cheered for him... or rather, two giants were far too few, and the atmosphere simply didn't heat up.

Since we can't take it with us, we might as well send it to our home.

Sett thought to himself, "Right now, a male Titan's market value is around fifty million. And that's just for an ordinary Titan who's not even famous. Titans like Dorry and Brogy, who are captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, have bounties of one hundred million each. In that case, the auction price would be at least one hundred and fifty million. Such an astronomical price, if it were at my casino, it could definitely be used as a signature item!"

Moreover, Sett was somewhat skeptical of the fact that the two had been fighting on this island for over eighty years.

Of course, it wasn't that he didn't believe they had fought for over eighty years, but rather that he didn't believe they had given their all every time. Consequently, he paid little attention to their grand pronouncements or their association with the Elbaf God of War. However, in the time that followed, Sett witnessed firsthand how the two of them actually fought.

It's fair to say that every move was aimed at killing. Broglie, in particular, even picked up an axe and swung it directly at Dorry's head. What's even more absurd is that it actually hit, which is completely different from the exhibition matches in WWE. Dorry seemed to be well aware of Broglie's fighting style; when his head is struck, his center of gravity shifts, allowing his sturdy helmet to withstand the heavy blow.

Even so, Dorry and Brogy's helmets were still covered with slash marks... Although they had long forgotten why they fought in the first place, the honor of warriors drove them to fight with all their might every time.

Even Sett was getting excited watching this – it was quite interesting, you could see that they were giving it their all every time, but every time the final result was a draw.

After watching several matches, Sett finally got a general idea. It wasn't because they were holding back. Although both sides considered each other good brothers, one thing was certain: every battle was fought with a true fight to the death. While he didn't understand what the Great Maxims were, as warriors, they were absolutely qualified.

The reason why they fought more than 7,000 matches without a clear winner is quite simple—they were all taught by the same master, and they couldn't break each other's moves.

Since he couldn't break through their moves anyway, based on Sett's interactions with them over this period, the giants' training paths were remarkably similar. Especially their power generation techniques—not exactly identical, but practically identical. According to them, they were all techniques from the war god of Elbaf, the land of warriors.

Sett didn't care about their fancy techniques. As long as it looked good, that was enough. Since there was no clear winner anyway, he might as well go to my place and help my secretary earn some money to save face. He'd give her a good beating when he got back!

Upon hearing Sett's proposal, the two giants exchanged a glance, actually somewhat tempted.

On this vast ocean, which warrior truly wishes to remain unknown?

Anyone who ventures out into the world hopes to become famous and admired by all, a warrior, or even a god of war!

but……

"But we agreed to fight here..."

As he said this, Dorry and Brogy hesitated. Although they were somewhat tempted, the nature of the giants meant that once they made up their minds about something, they would not back down until they hit a wall.

In response, Sett pointed to the volcano next to him and said, "It's no use. I've already broken the ley lines here. If you want to fight in the future, it will probably only erupt once every two weeks."

As he spoke, Sett pointed to the volcano nearby. The aftershocks of his battle with Hawkeye had triggered a premature eruption of the volcano. The penetrating force and the breathtaking barrage of attacks had severely impacted the ley lines of this land. While the volcano remained active and plants could continue to grow, the internal structure of the lava had fractured due to the impact, drastically reducing the frequency of future eruptions.

"If you want a good fight and a quick victory, then go to the Armstrong Casino! Even though you're all tall, don't worry, I have plenty of money! Besides, I've always felt that the previous arena was too small to be effective, so going there will give you an excuse to build a new arena!!"

As he said this, Sett's face was filled with excitement.

Isn't it too small? The aftershocks of the fight with that guy, Issho, destroyed most of the casino. Now that it's been rebuilt, it's still the same as before. Although Robin keeps saying it's enough, Sett doesn't think so—men just like big ones!

Gay men are a different story.

Hearing Sett's words, they scratched their heads, exchanged glances, and finally, unable to resist the temptation of fighting amidst the cheers of the crowd, Dorry and Brogy nodded and said in gruff voices, "Alright then, let's go check out your Sett's casino... but if it's not good, we'll cause quite a ruckus!"

"No problem!"

Hearing that two burly men were coming home to be beaten up, Sett's face broke into a smile. He reconnected the phone, and amidst Tina's torrent of curses and accusations, chuckled and said, "Sent two big guys over," before hanging up again.

After resting for a while and waiting until his wounds were almost completely healed, Sett prepared to embark on his journey once again.

But this time was different from the last. After replying, Hawkeye turned his gaze to Sett beside him.

"what?"

Sett keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Seeing this, Hawkeye raised an eyebrow and then raised the rusty velvet in his hand.

Grasp the hilt and draw the blade—the original four-foot-long sword is now reduced to a short section, no more than twenty centimeters long.

"..."

"It's not my fault, you were careless during the fight..."

Do you think I'm stupid?

Hearing Hawkeye's cold words and feeling his indifferent gaze, Sett clicked his tongue a few times in annoyance, then scratched his head: "Alright, alright, we'll find you a good knife first... until we find one, you can find something to substitute for it."

167·Starting Again

Meeting Hawkeye's calm yet firm questioning gaze, Sett remained silent for a moment before saying with a hint of disdain, "There's a lot of stuff at Donley's place. Take a look yourself."

Upon hearing Sett's words, Hawkeye snorted lightly, said nothing, and walked straight over—as one of the islands that must be passed through on the Grand Line, Little Garden Island is frequently visited by pirates. Those who dared to attack Donlibrogyra were easily killed by them. The remaining supplies were then carelessly piled up together.

The supplies of alcohol and food were almost completely used up. Giants have a far greater fondness for alcohol than other races, and their enormous size also means an enormous appetite. So what would sustain a pirate crew for ten to fifteen days is, for giants, only enough for two or three days at most.

Although the food and drinks were gone, there were plenty of other supplies. Clothes, plates, tables, chairs, and benches were everywhere. Although they varied in style, one thing was certain: they were all covered in a thick layer of dust.

These things might be useful to ordinary people, but for giants, they were too small even to play house.

After searching for a while, Sett's eyelids involuntarily twitched slightly when he saw Hawkeye.

"Where the hell are you, cosplaying as that guy?"

It's no wonder Sett said that. Hawkeye emerged from inside, holding a simple, unadorned staff-sword, his eyes covered by a white cloth.

Although there was a significant size difference between him and Yixiao, the image of this blind swordsman left a very deep impression on Sett, so it's no wonder that Sett made such a comment.

Hawkeye was puzzled: "A smile? Who is that? Doesn't he look a lot like me?"

“He’s a lot like you now.” Hearing this, Sett said casually, “He also plays with swords… I’m not sure about his skill level, but he’s very strong. His swordsmanship might be slightly weaker than yours, but unlike you, he uses Devil Fruit swordsmanship. You two can decide who’s stronger by having a fight. Anyway, I fought him once, and it was really fun.”

As he spoke, Sett gave a thumbs-up. Regardless of whether Hawkeye, whose eyes were covered by a white cloth, could see it, he continued talking to himself—though he didn't understand swordsmanship, he'd seen it all, even if he hadn't eaten meat. Having spent so much time with Hawkeye, he'd picked up some knowledge about swordsmanship from what he heard and saw. Although he and Issho were both quite naive back then, gold shines wherever it is. He figured Issho must be much stronger now.

As he thought about it, Sett said:

"That guy said he wanted to check out the New World, but I wonder what he's up to now. Next time I see him, I'll have to ask him when he's going back to the West Sea. Damn it, he promised he'd follow me!!"

As he said this, Sett completely forgot that Yixiao had never actually agreed to his request, only saying that she was considering it. However, for Sett, this wasn't a problem. In Sett's worldview, as long as there was no refusal, it was considered agreement. No matter how eloquently you spoke, Sett wouldn't care.

The blind swordsman is very strong, and he has also mastered the Devil Fruit...

Hearing this, Hawkeye felt a surge of excitement. But then came a hint of doubt: "Wait a minute, you said he's a blind swordsman? How does he see?"

“I asked him,” Seti said. “Although that guy’s eyes are blind, his mind isn’t. His Observation Haki is very strong. He can not only sense hostility, but he can even use Observation Haki to depict the outline of the surrounding environment and the emotional expressions of people. So neither fighting nor anything else affects him… In his words, everyone looks different in Observation Haki. However, he doesn’t know exactly what they look like, because the people in his Observation Haki are only outlines and colors.”

Upon hearing Sett's words, Hawkeye nodded thoughtfully.

Hawkeye didn't wrap his eyes with a white cloth to show off; it was simply because Sett's blood-blindness move was too sudden, and he was corroded by the blood. Although it wouldn't affect his vision, Hawkeye would feel a stinging pain even in the summer breeze.