Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Enel knew better than anyone how powerful he was. For example, the Thunder Beast he had just unleashed, though easily torn to shreds by Sett, gave Enel enough confidence to easily defeat the so-called Skypiea God, the Sky Knight Gan Fall.

His mental network was incredibly powerful; even now, he could easily hear sounds from a kilometer away. Enel was confident that, given enough time, he could conquer not only Skypiea but also the legendary Endless Land.

Unfortunately, it seems his ambition to dominate the world is about to come to an end at this moment...

In the past, Enel might have begged for mercy, right? After all, back then, Enel had already fought tooth and nail just to survive the discrimination. But now, Enel wouldn't... He had already tasted the power, the thrill of being revered. Making Enel beg for mercy or feel fear now would be far more painful than killing him.

But just as Enel had prepared himself for death, Sett on the other side burst into laughter: "Hahahaha~~ Hawkeye, yes, and Icha, did you hear that? This pretty boy actually said I'm afraid of him??"

As Sett spoke, wiping away tears, he said, "How can this guy be so funny? Damn, he made me laugh so hard I almost peed myself!"

Looking at Sett's face, which was streaked with laughter, Hawkeye remained silent for a moment before a strange smile appeared on his lips: "Indeed."

Hearing this, he fell silent. Sett paused slightly as he laughed until tears streamed down his face. Looking at Hawkeye's strange, ambiguous expression, he felt his fist inexplicably swell and harden.

Seeing this, Yi Xiao shook his head with some emotion—it was clear that Hawkeye and Sett's relationship was indeed extraordinary. If it were anyone else, Sett would probably have already raised his fist and attacked.

But Sett didn't immediately raise his fist to rub his old injury. Instead, he pressed his fist together, then grinned maliciously and said, "You can be arrogant for now, but wait until we get to the West Blue, you'll be in for a world of hurt, Hawkeye!"

Hawkeye showed no fear in response, but instead gave a cold, unyielding smile – “Heh.”

Although Sett was somewhat itching to fight, he held back. After all, according to intelligence, Shanks was currently wandering between Water 7 and the Sabaody Archipelago. Facing an opponent like Shanks, even Sett had to go all out. Hawkeye? Just dessert. Sett hadn't reached the point where his mind was controlled by battle lust.

The gaze turned to Enel, and upon hearing Sett's mockery, Enel, who had already resigned himself to death and even accepted the fact that he was going to die, uncontrollably opened his eyes again.

His eyes were filled with indescribable rage—after being repeatedly struck down, Enel couldn't help but recall his childhood experiences. This mocking anger surged within him, and looking at Sett before him, Enel gritted his teeth.

But perhaps Enel himself knew that for a loser, nothing he said mattered until he died. So he remained silent, glaring hatefully at Sett, his arm gripping the golden staff tightly. Then, he struggled to his feet: "No matter what... I will kill you!!!"

"You have good eyesight!"

Faced with Enel's hateful words, Sett cracked his neck a couple of times: "So what? You have talent but don't go to the Casino of the Armored One to make a name for yourself, instead you stay here and be a little bully?"

"..."

Upon hearing Sett's words, Enel seemed to realize something, and his initial anger faltered. After a moment of silence, Enel pursed his lips: "What... exactly do you mean...?"

To this, Sett casually remarked, "I don't care what your abilities are, but your talent is quite good... It's just a pity that a place like Skypiea only buries talent. Want to kill me? No problem, I can even provide you with the venue!"

"..."

Upon hearing Sett's words, Hawkeye shook his head, as if he hadn't expected it. Smile, standing beside him, nodded thoughtfully—though he'd already seen it coming back with Urouge. But now, it was undeniable. Sett was about to begin building up his power base…or rather, assembling his own organization.

However, there was one thing that puzzled Yixiao. Sett had a very good relationship with the Navy, so why would he suddenly take such a move that would put the World Government on its guard?

You see, if things had continued to develop in this orderly manner, Sett's Casino could have become a member state of the World Government like the Kingdom of Marger... After all, Sett's power alone was enough to rival the entire Vinsmoke family.

unless……

After pondering for a moment, and recalling Robin's matter, a look of understanding quickly appeared in Yixiao's eyes.

Looking at Enel before him, Sett said, "Your power comes from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, which is indeed a good fruit, but Logia types are not invincible. Once you master Haki, the elemental transformation of Logia types loses its invincible characteristic. Want to learn it?"

Hearing Sett's words, Enel remained silent, but the gleam in his eyes betrayed his true feelings. Sett then said, "I can teach you. Including combat techniques... your amateurish fighting skills are truly appalling."

If it were before, Enel would have been furious upon hearing Sett's assessment. But now, Enel showed no anger whatsoever; instead, he remained unusually silent. He seemed aware of just how clumsy his fighting skills were… of course, clumsy. Enel's fighting skills were entirely self-taught. And he was the only one on Skypiea with a Logia-type Devil Fruit. He could only fight imaginary enemies; even with his exceptional talent, what could Enel possibly achieve?

Although he had his own thoughts, Enel had been influenced by too much, and now he didn't even know how to express his true feelings. In the end, Urouge shook his head helplessly and said to Sett beside him, "This guy has never had a normal conversation with anyone before, so leave him to me!"

"Do as you please, just don't cause any trouble."

Nodding, Sett then sat down on a chair and leisurely rested, while also ordering the soldiers to prepare food—they hadn't eaten since arriving on Skypiea, so this was a good opportunity to try out the island's specialties.

Meanwhile, looking at the somewhat dejected Enel, Urouge said, "What are you standing there for, you long-eared, afro-haired guy?"

Upon hearing the nickname "Long-Eared, Afro-Haired," Enel looked up and glared fiercely at Urouge—his childhood nickname. It was certainly not a pleasant one. Because of his unusual appearance, Enel had been bullied countless times. And now, it was being brought up again…

Although he was talking about someone else's painful childhood memories, Urouge didn't seem to care—just as Enel wasn't too angry. He knew that Urouge wasn't saying these things to provoke him, but simply to get him to pay attention.

"You hate Skypiea too, don't you? Then why don't you come down with us! There's nothing here worth staying for anyway." Urouge gestured with his chin towards Sett. "Or perhaps, you're still afraid of him?"

"I'm afraid of him?!"

Upon hearing Urouge's words, Enel became somewhat agitated: "Don't joke around! He should be the one afraid of me! He's just relying on his knowledge; once I master those technologies..."

At first, he spoke excitedly, but as he continued, Enel's voice began to uncontrollably grow softer. Everyone present could clearly sense that the monster named Sett had never feared Enel's talent. Or perhaps, from the very beginning, the monster named Sett never believed he would be defeated!

Thinking about this, and recalling what he had just said, Enel felt a wave of shame. He snorted coldly, turned his head away, and said nothing more.

Uroki burst into laughter at this, saying, "If that's the case, then let's just go down! I asked that myself anyway."

Uroki said with bright eyes, "The arena at the Armstrong Casino has not only featured one-man fights but also the fighting style of the Boxing Gang! I heard there are even giants over twenty meters tall there!"

"..." Upon hearing about the giants who were over twenty meters tall, even Enel couldn't help but feel curious. He swallowed hard, recalling how he had defeated the giants in front of everyone, with everyone chanting his name, Enel the God of Thunder...

"We're the two strongest people on Skypiea! If we team up, we'll definitely become the brightest stars there! Hahahaha!!!"

As he indulged in his daydreams, even Urki himself couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Is being invincible interesting?

Well, at least it was interesting at the beginning.

However, after encountering the vast sky that awaits me, and realizing that I am not the strongest, but merely a frog in a well, some people will become angry, or even become discouraged because of it.

However, true strength doesn't diminish. Like Urouge, who believes in himself and is even eager to see people cheer for him!

And what about Enel? Would he be interested?

The issue isn't whether Enel is interested or not, but whether he has ever received recognition from anyone... From the bullying he endured as a child until now, Enel has never gained anyone's approval. Even his own elite troops and priests only do so out of fear of Enel's abilities.

The thought of everyone chanting his name... no matter how much Enel denied it, his tightly clenched fist still betrayed his true thoughts.

He... himself was starting to get restless.

He never revealed his true thoughts to anyone, nor did he ever gain anyone's approval. Faced with Urouge's invitation, Enel merely snorted coldly, then awkwardly said, "There's only one brightest star, and that's me, Enel. You're far from being able to join forces with me, monk!!!"

He paused, then shook his head with feigned helplessness: "But considering you also come from Skypiea..."

Enel sighed and sat there silently. Urouge, on the other hand, burst into laughter, then waved to Sett, who was already gorging himself, and said, "Hey! Boss! It's all done!! When are we going to the casino?!"

"Ah, this. Let Ichisho lead you there!"

Sett waved his hand and said, "Hawkeye and I are going to Sabaody Archipelago. We'll go back to the casino after we've finished dealing with things. Perfect timing, you guys can use this time to quickly familiarize yourselves with the rules of Qinghai. I'll have my secretary teach you things like Overpower later."

"Your secretary?...A woman?"

Upon hearing this, Enel hesitated and frowned. Sett chuckled and said, "That's right, it's my little secretary... Maybe if the two of you attacked together, you could force her to reveal her true abilities?"

Sett looked at the two of them with some uncertainty.

184 Team

After dealing with Enel's matter, Sett and the others began to rest on the spot—but this time it wasn't to buy supplies. Instead, they were building up their coffers for Sett's casino.

"One thousand Wind-Breathing Shells, five hundred each of Fire Shells, Light Shells, Water Shells, and Wind Shells. Impact Shells, Repulsion Shells, and Slash Shells—we have as many as we need! Oh, right, Enel, have you found the blueprints for that damn 'Ark Maxim' yet?"

Hearing Sett's question, Enel nodded with a touch of arrogance: "Found it! Because these things will be mine sooner or later!"

"Yes, yes, yes, it's yours, it's yours." Hearing Enel's arrogant words, Sett didn't even bother to pay attention, and waved his hand dismissively, saying to Urouge beside him, "You guys go down directly from the Western Peak along the high-speed airway. As for shellfish... there really aren't enough."

Sett scratched his head, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. The Ark Maxim was a levitating warship, and its movement and flight required at least two hundred Wind-Spitting Shells, as well as additional power support. And in the design blueprints, the power support was entirely derived from Enel's Rumble-Rumble Fruit… The same went for the blueprints of the Ark Maxim; Enel found them along with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

However, Enel's current energy output is probably insufficient to sustain even one Ark Maxim. Therefore, according to Sett's plan, he intends to seek design from Judge of Germa 66 to design some additional steam-powered systems... Of course, steam power capable of supporting a floating warship like the Ark Maxim would be extremely expensive. Therefore, Sett plans to establish a strategic partnership with Germa 66.

Indeed, Sett had some conflicts with Germa 66 before, but compared to tangible benefits, what were these minor conflicts? Germa 66 had initially been drawn in by the World Government's invitation and enticement. Sett didn't even hold a grudge about it. In fact, it was precisely because of that conflict that the Vinsmoke family of Germa 66 successfully established a connection with the Armored Casino on Antwerp Island… something even the World Government probably hadn't anticipated.

The Western Sea has a geographical advantage, directly connecting to the entrance to the high-speed airway to the Sky Island, "Western Summit." With its unique, almost semi-permanent shellfish, given the world's bizarre technology tree, creating steam power sufficient to support floating warships shouldn't be too difficult... the main challenge lies in the materials.

After all, regardless of whether they've made any connections, Germa 66 is essentially a private mercenary organization. It's impossible for them to do things for free just because of past events…

Fortunately, Sett has enough leverage in this regard.

The current Sett is no longer the impetuous young man he was when he first set sail—in fact, after entering the Grand Line, Sett began to curb his playful nature and start preparing a true foundation of his own, one capable of rivaling the World Government. Especially after seeing more and more, although he still held some goodwill towards some of the admirals in the Navy, he knew that some things had to be considered from the worst-case scenario.

Just like now, although Enel and Urouge have submitted, Sett still doesn't have much trust in them... Regardless of whether it's Urouge or Enel, their knowledge is quite limited, and they haven't spent enough time with Sett. Even if they take the high-speed air route back to the West Blue, it will take at least a month. If anything goes wrong, both the Ark Maxim and these Sky Island shellfish could be lost.

After much deliberation, Sett entrusted Yixiao with the task—although he hadn't known Yixiao for long, Sett was certain that Yixiao was trustworthy. At the very least, Yixiao wouldn't betray his friend for money or personal gain.

"Since you're also going back to the West Sea, why don't you come along? If there are any problems, please help me out!"

"No problem." Yi Xiao nodded and said with some emotion, "After wandering for so many years, I also want to take a break... I wonder how Antuo Island is now."

Although he had read about it in the newspapers, Yi Xiao hadn't forgotten the chaotic state of Antuo Island when he first left. Now, the newspapers were portraying the West Sea as a chaotic mess... Yi Xiao found it hard not to be skeptical.

Sett just smiled and didn't say anything.

Then he took out his phone and dialed Robin's number.

"Hey, are you there?"

"Sett? What's wrong?"

Upon hearing that it was Sett, Robin on the other end seemed somewhat surprised. After all, Sett rarely initiated phone calls.

Sett didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "Go to the Western Summit and prepare to pick up someone. One is Enel, the user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. The other is Urouge, whose ability is to return double the damage received. They brought some shellfish from Skypiea; have them teach you how to use them to strengthen the security at the Armored Casino. The leader is an old friend, Ichijou, so don't be too nervous!"

"Okay, is there anything else?"

Hearing that it was important, Robin was somewhat disappointed, but she did not forget her duty. Immediately, a pair of hands grew out of the table next to her and recorded all of Sett's words like a printer.

Robin's main body wasn't slacking off either—to avoid falling too far behind and becoming a burden, Robin had long ago developed the ability to multitask. Like now, although she was on the phone with Sett, both the hand holding the phone and the hand taking notes were summoned by Robin through her ability. Meanwhile, Robin's main body was undergoing endless strengthening according to the Navy's training methods that Tina had found for her.

Although only fourteen years old, Robin's physique already far exceeds what one would expect from a fourteen-year-old. A fine layer of sweat covered her body, but her eyes showed no sign of dullness. Sufficient nutrition, resources from all corners of the world, even the Grand Line and the New World, were continuously being sent to Antuo Island thanks to Tina's connections and the financial support of the Wanhao Casino.

Coupled with her exceptional learning ability, Robin has now fully mastered the application of Armament Haki hardening and Observation Haki... This is mainly thanks to her teacher. Tina has practically applied Zephyr's methods to Robin.

It was like special training. In the story, Luffy spent two years transforming himself from someone who was so difficult to deal with a peacemaker that even wiped out his crew, into a strongman who could even go toe-to-toe with the Four Emperors—although he was always at a disadvantage in this battle and constantly had to activate his invincibility cheat.

Now, having survived the Ohara massacre and with ample resources, Robin's desire to become stronger is no less than Luffy's.

"And also about the Ark Maxims."

"The Ark's Maxims?"

Robin seemed to not quite understand what Sett said.

In response, Sett said, "It's a special kind of warship that can fly in the sky, but it needs the Rumble-Rumble Fruit as its energy source to operate."

"Are you sure?"

Robin's voice was filled with deep surprise. Being able to fly was no small feat. The range of artillery in this world was limited, and those capable of fighting in the sky were a minority compared to the entire ocean. Even if someone had mastered Moonwalk, so what? Did they really think everyone could possess a monstrous physique like Sett and run freely through the sky?

For ordinary naval officers, being able to climb 1,000 meters using lunar walking is already quite remarkable. Even for a vice admiral, it's only about double or triple that. Keep in mind that the higher you go, the thinner the oxygen becomes, and the faster your stamina is depleted. The rate of stamina depletion increases continuously with the frequency of use.

If they really went all out to climb, even an ordinary colonel could indeed climb three thousand meters. But what about after that? How would you get down? Even if you climbed onto the warship, what then? The climb alone would completely exhaust them, and once they got to the top, any one of them could probably easily crush them...