Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Hawkeye doesn't have Sett's special ability to convert pain into an equal amount of excitement, and being constantly exposed to the wind makes him prone to infection, so Hawkeye simply covers his eyes.

Now, hearing Sett's words, Hawkeye felt a surge of curiosity—closing his vision and strengthening his Observation Haki. Perhaps this was the shortcut to breaking through to the next level.

It's not exactly a shortcut, but Hawkeye's swordsmanship is already incredibly difficult to advance further. In comparison, it's better to wait for the right opportunity and a more mature mindset. And in the meantime, developing other abilities wouldn't be bad... like what Sett mentioned, being able to use Observation Haki to depict the outlines of the surrounding environment and the colors of emotions.

This can play a huge role in both attack and defense during battle.

In the previous battle with Sett, Sett's brutal shave, which was several times stronger than normal, left a deep impression on Hawkeye... If it were anyone else, how far or how fast they could blink after using such a brutal shave would be a question, but a ruptured Achilles tendon, swollen muscles, and fractured bones would be absolutely unavoidable!

However, Sett's physical abilities are sufficient for him to use it continuously—it's as if this guy's physical abilities are like an animal's, allowing him to recover quickly.

That brutal shave, which nearly exceeded the limits of Hawkeye's Observation Haki, has remained uncounted by Hawkeye until now... But now, enhancing Observation Haki seems like a good approach. At least, it's much more reliable than predicting the attack's trajectory in advance.

Thinking this, Hawkeye nodded, then closed his eyes completely behind the white cloth, released his Observation Haki to the maximum extent, took a step—and stepped into the pit.

“You’re such a fool.” Raising an eyebrow, Sett stroked his chin and said, “You don’t actually think the terrain and conditions of the primeval jungle are suitable for walking with your eyes closed, do you?”

"..." Upon hearing this, Hawkeye got up from the ground, twitched the corner of his mouth, and then opened his eyes: "Indeed."

Even cultivation must be done step by step... Let's start by getting familiar with the environment on the flat ground and the deck.

Thinking this, Hawkeye continued, "By the way, the matter of the knife isn't over yet."

"Huh? Isn't it already here?" Sett pointed at the white staff-sword in Hawkeye's hand, clearly not believing it.

Hawkeye shook his head with a sigh: "You even dared to say that? This is the second sword that's broken since we went to sea together... Rusty Velvet is at least a good, sharp blade, but this cane sword is just an ordinary knife. Neither its hardness nor its toughness is up to standard. The blade is quite sharp after rough sharpening, but it's still just an ordinary knife. If we really encounter a tough enemy, it'll probably chip in less than ten rounds, and break in half in less than fifty!"

As he said this, a hint of helplessness appeared on Hawkeye's face.

This is also the swordsman's predicament—for a swordsman, the quality of their weapon greatly affects their combat strength. In an evenly matched contest, a common sword against a great sword will be cut in half within fifty rounds. Even if their Armament Haki is evenly matched, it's useless. Unless, of course, a black sword can forcibly enhance the weapon's strength, allowing Armament Haki to completely permeate the blade's core.

Even Hawkeye is still exploring that level. And even if one could upgrade the grade, it would be impossible for a mortal sword to rival a Great Grade Sword… A Great Grade Sword is a divine weapon capable of severing ten human bodies, even by someone who has never trained. It's not something ordinary swords can compare to.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be called "the supreme great undertaking".

"Speaking of blades..."

Hearing Hawkeye and Sett's conversation, Dorry stroked his chin and said, "I think I've heard of a place with a very powerful knife."

"Ok?"

Upon hearing the giant's words, Hawkeye raised an eyebrow slightly and then asked, "A very powerful sword... what are its characteristics?"

Upon hearing this, the giant beside him seemed to ponder for a moment, perhaps because of the antiquity of the time. After a long while, he slapped his forehead and said, "I remember now! It seems that the blade was black, and then there was a chaotic, overlapping T-shaped pattern on the blade."

"!!!"

Upon hearing this, Hawkeye straightened up instantly, his hand no longer hurting, and his eyes widened: "Night!!"

"……yeah?"

Upon hearing Hawkeye's words, Sett paused, then, somewhat belatedly and uncertainly, raised two fingers in a V-shape and said, "Huh...?"

"..."

They looked at each other, both Sett and Hawkeye's eyes filled with doubt, as if asking each other what they were doing.

After a long silence, Hawkeye finally broke the silence, taking a deep breath and saying, "I was talking about the night."

"..." Sett remained silent, staring at Hawkeye without uttering a word. This guy didn't seem to realize he'd just said something pointless.

Feeling Sett's gaze, Hawkeye suddenly slapped his forehead—damn it, how could he make such a basic mistake?

Has it really been because I've been spending too much time with Sett? Damn it, it seems Sett's brainless problem has evolved into an aura that affects everyone around him...

With this thought in mind, Hawkeye took a deep breath and said, "Black Blade, Night. Night Night. It is one of the twelve supreme weapons, known by swordsmen as the strongest black blade in the world. Its most distinctive feature is the unique T-shaped blade pattern with chaotic overlapping flowers. It is the strongest weapon that all swordsmen dream of."

Upon hearing Hawkeye's words, Sett nodded in understanding and said, "I see... Then what are you waiting for? Donley, do you know where that knife is?"

"If I remember correctly, it was in the royal tombs of Alabasta... It's said that many tomb raiders are interested in that knife."

Hearing Donli's words, Sett nodded thoughtfully. Then, scratching his head, he said somewhat uncertainly, "But Alabasta doesn't seem to have provoked us... Is it really appropriate for us to just go and dig up their ancestral graves like this?"

Hearing Sett's words, Hawkeye remained silent, simply staring at Sett. After a long silence, Sett finally bared his teeth in disgust and disdain: "Alright, alright, let's dig. We're going to dig up their ancestral graves... Damn it, if Tina finds out, she'll probably come running over and give me a good beating."

Muttering to himself, Sett untied the ropes that the assault boat was tied to the shore, then kicked the assault boat, sending it into the waterway before jumping aboard.

"Then we're off! You guys too, just head straight to the West Blue! Don't worry about the bounty, I have connections with the Navy. When you get to the Armor Casino, just find Tina, she'll help you with your identities!"

Upon hearing Sett's words, Dorry and Brogy exchanged a glance, then nodded with smiles and waved goodbye to Sett.

They were about to leave the Little Garden Islands, and they weren't particularly reluctant to leave—they had lived there for over eighty years, and it was only out of honor as warriors that they left; otherwise, they would have left long ago. Now, they could continue their duels in a different place, enjoying the cheers and adoration of the audience—yes, just as Sett had said, a duel worshipped by all was what the great maxim of the Elbaf war god endorsed!

With that in mind, the two giants, each over twenty meters tall, showed no reluctance and quickly prepared to set off.

Similarly, Sett and Hawkeye were also cruising at high speed in their assault boat. Hawkeye, in particular, became extremely excited after hearing the news of the Supreme Grade Swords' whereabouts. Although he was still showing off without saying a word, his speed had clearly increased by more than double.

Wait, something's not right!

Sett narrowed his eyes, keenly noticing that the impact craft's speed was clearly too high—even with the added boost of the steam engine, an impact craft should never reach such an astonishing forty knots! In fact, breaking twenty knots would be a miracle, given the ocean currents! And now…

"Wait a minute, you used an Impact Bead, didn't you?!" Sett raised an eyebrow. "These are the last two Impact Beads, you said you couldn't waste them!!"

"..."

Upon hearing this, he fell silent, then shook his head and continued sailing. Finally, he uttered, "We can't let the tomb raiders get ahead."

"...Alright then."

Upon hearing Hawkeye's words, Sett shrugged indifferently.

Upon closer inspection, according to the nautical chart, they shouldn't be far from the White Sea area where the Sky Island is located. So they might as well go all out and, if necessary, collect more of those Shock Shells and such.

While Hawkeye and Sett were rushing to Alabasta, Garp had finished his work at the G5 branch and returned to Marineford with his fleet, all smiles.

--------------

The purity continues to rise, and today's 8k is also over.

Tomorrow is National Day, I'll update depending on how things go. It might only be 4K, because I'll be spending time with family... the quality is fluctuating.

168·Terror

"Hahaha~ Warring States period, long time no see~~"

Entering the conference hall of Marine Headquarters, Garp's face was beaming with a cheerful expression. Having just returned from the G5 branch after a fierce battle, Garp showed no signs of weakness. On the contrary, his body radiated with boundless vitality; even Sengoku, who had consumed a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit, paled in comparison to Garp in terms of sheer stamina.

Upon seeing Garp, Sengoku didn't have a pleasant expression—but that was all in the past. Sengoku's feelings towards Garp were such that if they were together all the time, he would feel very uncomfortable and even find him quite troublesome; however, if they didn't see each other for a while, he couldn't help but miss him.

However, this longing only applies when they haven't met. Once they meet again, all the longing turns into irritability and annoyance.

Just like now, he was wondering if his old friend would run into any problems in the G5 branch, but when he saw Garp looking completely unaffected, he couldn't help but frown.

"Can't you be a little more mindful of your image? As a naval hero, you're supposed to set a good example."

As he spoke, Sengoku rubbed his temples in exasperation. He was utterly worried sick about his old friend. But what was the point of saying all that?

Just like now, upon hearing Sengoku's words, Garp remained completely unconcerned, grinning as he held up a senbei and said, "Haha, it's alright. I'm not an admiral anyway~~ nobody's going to bother me~"

After hearing Garp's words, what could Sengoku do but shake his head?

Garp made it sound easy, but it wasn't really like that at all.

As someone who personally arrested the Pirate King, Garp's intimidation of pirates is no less than that of an Admiral; in fact, he could easily be considered a legendary figure. And a living legend at that.

If we're really going to compare, even an Admiral isn't as valuable as Garp. This is evident from the fact that Garp's son betrayed the World Government and formed the Revolutionary Army—his son formed the Revolutionary Army, yet Garp, as the father, wasn't affected in the slightest. In fact, as the Great Pirate Era intensifies, Garp is becoming increasingly valued.

Without dwelling on the matter any longer, Sengoku turned his gaze to Garp, his eyes unusually serious.

"Speaking of which, I heard you've been in contact with that little guy Sett?"

"Ah."

Upon hearing Sengoku's question, Garp nodded, the playful look on his face fading slightly: "We've been in contact for a while... a little over a month. We met by chance on the sea. He was chasing Shanks."

"Shanks...that red-haired guy?" Sengoku nodded upon hearing Garp's words. They naturally knew something about this former member of the Pirate King's crew. Or perhaps, all the Pirate King's crew members were figures that Marine officers needed to know. The reason...was quite simple: the reason for the Roger Pirates' disbandment was shrouded in mystery. Even now, many unsolved mysteries remain.

"That Shanks guy isn't your average pirate... but that's beside the point. What do you think of Sett? Is there any possibility he could join the Marines?"

His gaze was serious and earnest; Sengoku's love for the Navy was genuine. Upon hearing Sengoku's question, Garp, after a moment's thought, shook his head.

"That kid's talent is the strongest I've ever seen."

"...Such a high evaluation?"

Upon hearing this, Sengoku's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

To gain a more intuitive understanding of power, while the title "Sinking Kingdom" sounds impressive and many people take it seriously, in reality, even powerful states like the Warring States period, which stood at the pinnacle of the seas, wouldn't readily accept it. After all, exaggeration in the news is commonplace; it would be strange if everyone believed it.

Blindly believing everything in books is worse than not reading at all; newspapers are arguably even worse in this regard.

And now, judging from what Garp said... Sett might really have that kind of destructive power? Possessing destructive power worthy of the title "Sinking Nation"?

Seemingly sensing Sengoku's surprise, Garp blinked and waved his hand with a laugh, saying, "Hahaha! What are you thinking! Sett may have some skills, but he's not really capable of lifting a national warship! Otherwise, my arm would have been ruined long ago when we were punching each other!"

Having a clear understanding of power, Garp said, "I fought that brat... Without a doubt, that brat is the strongest among his peers, without exception. Even Borsalino and Sakazuki might be able to hold their own... No, wait."

As they were talking, Garp suddenly shook his head again and said, "With that kid's talent, surpassing Sakazuki is probably only a matter of time."

As he said this, Garp felt a pang of emotion.

Garp clearly remembered that when Sett first came into contact with him, he was able to contend with Sett, who was using Armament Haki, through his taut flesh and blood. He even had a slight advantage.

However, as his bones were trained, Sett's bones continued to crack and heal. In the end, his punching power was even 20% greater than at the beginning.

The strengthening of the skeleton further increases the power threshold that Sett's physical strength can output.

In a sense, meeting Garp was Sett's biggest gain since setting sail—ordinary people can strengthen their bones by drinking milk, eating beef, and chewing calcium tablets. Yes, Sett can too. But Sett had already maxed out his progress bar for strengthening through food before even setting sail; the rest of his eating was just maintaining his body's daily needs and building muscle, not strengthening his bones.

Therefore, external force is required.

"That kid, at first he would fight me with fists, but after a couple of days he got tired of it."

"Tired...is it because you lack perseverance?" Sengoku hesitated upon hearing Garp's words. Judging from Zephyr's information, Sett shouldn't be a lazy person. If he wasn't lazy, then why would Garp say that...?

"Then... how do you train?" Sengoku pondered for a moment, recalling Garp's training methods.

Sensing Sengoku's hesitation, Garp shook his head and said, "I wanted to see how resilient he was, so I used the bone-fracture technique, which has the fastest rate of improvement."

"Bone fracture method? Are you insane?!"

Upon hearing Garp's words, Sengoku couldn't help but change his expression and rebuke him, "Even within the Navy, very few people have tried this method! And you should know that if the bone fracture method is used for a long time, it is very likely to cause deformities and irreversible lesions due to excessive bone recovery! What's more, Sett is just a child!"

He's just a child!

Sengoku couldn't help but reiterate, "If he doesn't get enough nutrition in time, it could even lead to more serious problems. You're basically harming him!"