Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Shaving is a common technique in the New World. In fact, it has become widespread in the latter half of the first half of the Grand Line... It sounds like a riddle, but it is indeed true.

However, the physical exertion required for shaving is also enormous. In addition, Moonwalk itself has a smaller version, so the combined effect of the two means that a ten-kilometer journey back is no less than a hundred thousand kilometers.

Moreover, unlike aerobic exercises like long-distance running, the "Shaving and Moonwalking" techniques are anaerobic exercises, resulting in extremely rapid energy depletion. Even an ordinary naval vice admiral would likely be exhausted after just a dozen or so repetitions, as is the case now…

However, Hawkeye also knew that while Sett might not be as good as a monster like Garp in some aspects, in terms of endurance, probably only the legendary "unkillable" Kaido could match him in the entire world.

Now, with Moonwalk and Shave constantly being used interchangeably, the energy expenditure has increased exponentially. However, Sett doesn't feel the slightest bit strained; in fact, not a single drop of sweat has dripped from his face.

Before long, when Hawkeye came to his senses, the surroundings were already enveloped by thick clouds. Even the once boundless sea had taken on an oval shape.

This guy's physique remains as monstrous as ever.

As he watched the sea recede into the distance, Hawkeye's expression quickly shifted from brief astonishment to nonchalance.

As mentioned before, this might be unbelievable to others, but for Sett, Hawkeye would at most just sigh, "As expected of you," and then forget about it... Throughout the journey, the person who understands Sett's talent the most is undoubtedly Hawkeye.

At least, since Hawkeye's debut, this is the first time he has seen someone who can directly confront his Blade with only his fists.

As the altitude increased, Hawkeye felt a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath—he knew this was due to the thin air at high altitudes. Judge had told him about this; as Sky Island was a rarely visited place, the people of Qinghai experienced a certain decrease in physical strength upon arriving there.

Of course, glancing down, Hawkeye saw that the speed hadn't slowed down at all, and he was certain that this reduction wouldn't apply to Sett—that guy's nose was practically a high-powered vacuum cleaner. And his formidable physique allowed him to maintain high-intensity, continuous bombardment even in an oxygen-deprived environment for five minutes straight.

Keep in mind that this was a high-intensity five-minute burst of attacks, not five minutes of steady movement. In normal action, those five minutes would at least triple the original intensity.

Gradually, the surrounding clouds began to feel heavy.

We have entered the White Sea.

Hawkeye quickly realized the problem and shouted to Sett below, "We've entered the White Sea, seven thousand meters above sea level! Three thousand meters to the upper sky island!"

The White Sea is a navigable sea of ​​clouds formed by cumulonimbus clouds at an altitude of 7000 meters. It is called the White Sea because the clouds are pure white. In contrast, the ordinary sea below is called the "Blue Sea" by the people of the Sky Island.

Three kilometers left?

Sett nodded upon hearing Hawkeye's words.

The moment Sett entered the White Sea, he felt a sense of oppression—the White Sea's seawater was heavier and thicker than the ocean's water, feeling more like thick silk or yogurt than clouds. However, unlike those things, the White Sea's seawater had no taste, and with each movement, he knew it was somewhat like a non-Newtonian fluid, becoming increasingly heavy with each step.

Is it because of water pressure?

Seti thought to himself.

Just as the ocean has water pressure, since the White Sea can support the sky islands above, there must also be pressure settling within it. Although this sounds somewhat inexplicable, compared to the mystery of Devil Fruits, the "water pressure" of the clouds doesn't seem so hard to accept.

Thinking this, a look of surprise flashed in Sett's eyes. Then, he took a step forward and his right leg suddenly tensed up. Hawkeye, who was above, felt as if he were on a roller coaster. The impact boat, which was moving at a constant speed, suddenly accelerated. Due to its structure, the mast at the top of the impact boat broke off without any resistance!

But it was precisely with this exponentially increased consumption that Hawkeye soon felt the surrounding clouds becoming thinner and thinner, and then he arrived directly on the white sea surface!

--------

Thinking about it carefully, I actually feel this book is somewhat unfair to the readers… Because I wasn't writing on Qidian before, the pacing and writing style are different. This book was somewhat of an experimental web novel written to familiarize myself with Qidian's pacing and exciting elements. As many readers have pointed out, there are many logical contradictions; the main purpose was simply to create a satisfying reading experience. This book will probably end before reaching a million words. However, since it's fanfiction, the ending will definitely be well-written—mainly out of fear of Oda suddenly betraying me.

The pacing of this book is modeled after River of the Sea's One Piece: Garen, only the writing style is different. Orochi in that book was practically betrayed by Oda... Who would have thought the ruler of Wano Country would be such a lowly guy?

175. The Eccentric Monk

"Haha! It looks quite spectacular!"

Looking at the scene before him, even Sett, with his usual personality, couldn't help but show a hint of curiosity and amazement on his face.

Above the thick, heavy clouds, there were rows of small houses. Each cloud island wasn't very large, but they were incredibly dense. The cloud islands were connected by huge green vines, giving the impression of the Giant Pea from a fairy tale. But unlike fairy tales, there were no giants on the huge vines, but rather white-skinned humans who looked somewhat thin and had decorative wings on their backs.

Not feeling much pressure, Sett could sense from the people in front of him that there weren't many truly strong individuals on this island.

Upon seeing Sett and his companions, the Skypiea inhabitants showed no fear; instead, their faces were filled with curiosity. Then, a young man in his early twenties, roughly the same age as Sett, stepped out from the crowd. He was no ordinary person; his attire resembled that of a monk.

Having reached adulthood, the two distinctive topknots on the Skypiea's heads were shaved off. Unlike the others, this young man appeared more robust, and his gaze towards Sett carried a hint of fighting spirit.

"So you're the legendary people from Qinghai? You don't look like much, hahaha!!"

His voice was rough, and his eyes held curiosity. His bald head and the prayer beads around his neck confirmed that he was a monk, but judging from his words and actions, he was probably a reckless Lu Zhishen.

One of the future supernovas, the eccentric monk, Urouge, has officially made his debut.

The Sky Island isn't just one island, and there's more than one way to enter it. Besides the route taken by Sett, there's the dangerous Sky Current, and the high-speed airway that starts from the Western Peak and leads to the Sky Island. Along this route, you'll encounter numerous smaller Sky Islands. However, this high-speed airway is extremely dangerous, and only a few know its route.

Just like now, although Sett and the others have entered Skypiea, they have not entered Angel Island, which Luffy and the others will enter in the future, but Monk Island.

Urouge clearly has the credentials to say that – although he is close to Sett in age, Urouge is already nearly 3.3 meters tall, a head taller than Sett, let alone Hawkeye, who is only 2 meters tall.

His entire body was muscular, he had a smile on his face, and his voice was full of hearty laughter, which was undoubtedly to Sett's liking.

Unfortunately, in Sett's opinion, the monk in front of him was somewhat "bloated".

"He looks strong, but unfortunately, he's not very strong."

Hearing Sett's words, Hawkeye glanced at the monk before him, then silently nodded. Those at their level could directly sense an enemy's strength through their blood and qi… If the strength was equal, they could at least conceal it, preventing Sett from seeing through them. But someone like Urouge, weaker than Sett, could be seen through at a glance…

This was Ulki's first time meeting someone from Qinghai, but he wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "Haha! You've really underestimated me! Let's have a fight!"

Uroki chuckled and waved his fist, saying, "Violence is the quickest way to solve problems!"

Hearing this, Sett nodded in agreement, giving a thumbs up and saying, "I agree with you on this point."

Upon hearing this, Urki smiled broadly. Just like his appearance, Urki seemed to be smiling all the time. Aside from his penchant for using violence to solve problems, from other perspectives, Urki appeared very kind and cheerful, truly embodying the image of a monk who is content with his lot and avoids conflict.

He removed that muscular physique.

Seeing the two talking, the Sky Island monks nearby couldn't help but say, "Wait a minute! Urki! Are you going to start another fight!"

"Exactly, they just came up and haven't eaten yet!"

"Hahaha!" Urouge didn't care about the monks' words, and looked at Sett with a smile: "It's alright! This guest didn't say anything either!"

Upon hearing Urki's words, the monks beside him, though somewhat anxious, exchanged glances but said nothing more, their eyes filled with helplessness—although not the abbot, Urki's personality was known to everyone on Temple Island.

They rarely cause trouble, especially not like now. If Sett had refused, that would have been fine; given Urouge's personality, he wouldn't have bothered. But coincidentally, Sett and Urouge's personalities are remarkably similar in some ways. Since they've both agreed to a spar, neither of them will back down.

Urouge stood upright in front of Sett. As he drew near, he could clearly sense the powerful aura emanating from the man who was a head shorter than him. This completely dispelled any initial underestimation Urouge had felt. At the same time, he took a deep breath, twisted his body, tensed his muscles, and unleashed a swift and direct punch towards Sett, without concealing its trajectory.

"May they be delivered to the afterlife!!!"

With a smile on his face, Urouge threw a punch, his arm instantly becoming a blur in everyone's sight. The terrifying power caused the monks and sky island civilians nearby to close their eyes in shock—they knew that when they encountered the sky island bandits, Urouge had sent them and their Vespas—a unique mode of transportation on the sky islands—flying off the island with a single punch!

That terrifying physique meant that even artillery couldn't inflict much damage on it.

In the next instant, Sett's fist struck first, even though it was delayed. It was clear that Urouge had used his full strength. But Sett didn't—if he had used his full strength, Urouge's arm would likely have been ruined.

Even so, Sett's thick, gauntlet-like calluses remained incredibly tough. The moment they made contact, Urouge felt an overwhelming force, and with a thud, he was thrown back nearly three meters before the force dissipated.

"Your personality is great, it suits my taste."

Looking at Urouge before him, Sett's gaze held a hint of amusement—and it was precisely this amusement that led Sett to show mercy. Or perhaps, he didn't want such a man, who suited his taste, to die young.

"How about coming to work with me?" Sett's eyes made no attempt to hide his thoughts.

Urouge let out a sneer, then stared at Sett in front of him and said, "You think you can make me admit defeat so easily?!"

As he said this, Urouge tilted his body slightly, looking at Sett in front of him, and his right arm, which was swollen from the punches, twitched. Then, the swelling quickly dissipated, and accompanied by a strange fluctuation, a power wave several times greater spread from Urouge's arm.

Upon witnessing this scene, the people around began a new round of discussion.

"Here it comes! Urki's going to use that move again!"

"That move must be the power of a god, and combined with Urki's physique, it's impossible for anyone to defeat him."

"Yeah, that guy doesn't look weak either, which makes Urki even stronger!"

Hearing the conversations around him, Sett's brows furrowed with amusement—judging from their descriptions, the guy in front of him named Urouge might be a Devil Fruit user?

Although Sett had heard about the power of gods, he knew very well that there were too many ignorant people on this sea. Take, for example, Ohara, Robin's hometown, the island of scholars. Even though Ohara was teeming with scholars, its inhabitants still viewed Robin's abilities as ominous, as a cursed power.

In contrast, this is even more true in remote places like Skypiea. Even if a powerful pirate were to tell them about Devil Fruits, they would probably just dismiss it as hearsay.

Because I am strong, the monk in front of me will be even stronger... That sounds quite interesting!

Thinking this, Sett's brows furrowed with a deep sense of amusement.

Judging from their previous encounter, the monk before him was clearly not the kind of useless person who relied solely on his Devil Fruit—Sett wasn't prejudiced against Devil Fruits, but simply against those who became complacent once they had one. Urouge, however, was clearly not one of them. In fact, his formidable strength proved that Urouge trained diligently every day. This was evident from the calluses on his palms. The base of his fingers, the pads of his middle, ring, and index fingers were covered in thick calluses. Even his fists showed the hardness forged from years of hammering wood and stone.

He's a promising talent with a fractured bone... but unfortunately, his recovery ability doesn't seem to be very good.

Thinking this, Sett also glanced at Urouge's fist.

Although the swelling had subsided thanks to the Devil Fruit's power, Urouge was completely defenseless against Sett at his current level. His entire body's energy and blood flow were practically on full display for Sett to see. While the swelling had subsided, the damage to his flesh and blood hadn't ended; it was only temporarily suppressed by the Devil Fruit's power.

"Come and try this trick of mine, karma will catch you!!!"

Urouge doesn't know anything about Devil Fruits, has never left Sky Island, and doesn't even know that Devil Fruit users can't touch seawater.

Through constant physical training, coupled with the power of his Devil Fruit, the young Urouge has become invincible throughout Skypiea. Aside from that guy who happened to come here to train some time ago, he has never been at a disadvantage!

With a burst of air, the destructive force of Sett's attack on Urouge was converted into Urouge's own power in equal measure—of course, Urouge could not store this power in his body for long and had to release it as soon as possible.

And now, without a doubt, Sett in front of him is the perfect target for his venting!

With a deafening roar, BOOM!!!

Urouge's body twisted violently, his entire form seemingly flying through the air along with the force of his fist. It was as if a baseball, flying at high speed, was stuck to his hand and wouldn't let go. The moment it touched Sett's head, everyone seemed to see a scene of crimson blood flying through the air.

But after a brief moment of excitement, Uroki felt as if he had struck not a person, but a mountain, with this confident punch.

Ancient and heavy, it seemed to have stood here since time immemorial. No matter how immense Urouge's power was, upon impact, it vanished without a trace, like a mud ox sinking into the sea. In fact, apart from the face deformed by the impact of his punch, not even a ripple was stirred!

"Not bad, all the power I could control was returned to me. This Devil Fruit has great potential if it continues to be developed~ Hahaha~"

With that, Sett took Urouge's punch headfirst and shoved him back.

Because he had channeled his own strength into the wound, and without any active defense or force mitigation, a little blood trickled from Sett's nostrils. But Sett only snorted lightly, and the injury was completely healed.

"But that wasn't my full strength! If it were, your arm would be ruined by now, and you wouldn't even have a chance to give it back to me!"

Upon hearing Sett's words, Urouge rubbed his arm, which was throbbing with pain and appeared to be fractured. The smile on his face did not fade at all, but he said in a somewhat strained voice, "That really is... undeniable!"

Urouge has a strong sense of karma; given sufficient physical strength, the stronger the opponent's attack, the stronger Urouge's counterattack will be, making him a natural enemy of physical attackers.

However, even with this, if one's physical abilities are insufficient to withstand the opponent's attacks, then one punch would leave Urouge with no chance to recover before his arm is completely destroyed... Of course, this is very difficult. After all, everyone on this sea possesses maximum resilience. Unfortunately, the gap between him and Sett is simply too great.

“Come work for me,” Sett said. “This little place is too boring. Although I don’t have a Devil Fruit ability, I’m pretty good at mentoring people!”

Sett wasn't lying; the potential of this Devil Fruit, which we'll tentatively call the "Double-Counter" Fruit, is extremely high. Whether it's increasing the time it takes to store power or multiplying the power of a counterattack, it will possess immense destructive power.

The former gathers several power banks beforehand to recharge for taking the beating, ensuring every punch and slash delivers a devastating blow. The latter, on the other hand, retaliates with a vengeance, tenfold, like Hanzawa Naoki. The limits of development are only the size of imagination. Now that the hero recruitment system is closed, and we've arrived in the Grand Line, it's time to find some star henchmen for our casino!

Upon hearing Sett's words, Urouge stretched his neck a couple of times, then chuckled and said, "I'm a little tempted, but I'll have to take a closer look!"