Near the territorial waters of Loguetown, aboard a large ship with no flag, slowly approaching the island now visible on the horizon…
"997... 998... 999... 1000."
Boom!
Seth dropped a bundle of tightly tied barrels from his back and ended his pressure training session.
"Whew…"
He exhaled deeply, exhausted from hours of intense exercise. He lay on his back, wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, and muttered:
"The Marines are probably on high alert, ready to take me down. I need to restock quickly and get out…"
His concern wasn't baseless. In the past fifteen days, he had obliterated multiple Marine branches. The first was when he destroyed a Marine base and killed Lieutenant Nezumi.
The World Government reacted swiftly. When they couldn't find the real culprit, they arrested several pirates in the East Blue, desperate for a scapegoat.
When Seth heard about it, he came up with a brilliant idea: let the Marines do their job, clean up the East Blue, and at the same time, he'd exact a bit of revenge for the months of suffocating pursuit they'd put him through.
Without hesitation, and under the anonymity of his black mask, he struck again. Another branch fell. He destroyed it, left no survivors, looted everything. And he didn't stop there. One by one, Marine branches collapsed. Just this morning, he wiped out Branch No. 4 and added to his haul.
By the time he totaled all the treasure he had seized across his attacks, the amount had reached 123 million Berries. Of course, he never harmed a single civilian.
He had made sure to use only the Pressure Fruit, Creation Fruit, and Flame Fruit. With such potent abilities, no Marine detachment had stood a chance.
As he expected, the Marines responded. They rounded up rookie pirates and reasserted some control over the East Blue, regaining a sliver of pride. However, when Seth destroyed the second base, they issued a bounty for a new figure, The Masked Destroyer. No one linked this persona to The Rebel Seth, who already carried a bounty exceeding 500 million Berries.
Now, he was heading to the infamous Loguetown to restock before disappearing once more. The ship he was standing on belonged to a pirate crew he had caught attempting to raid a populated island. He'd crushed them, taken their ship, and left under the grateful gazes of the islanders.
"Hmm… Time to move," Seth murmured as he sat up, grabbing the black mask and fitting it over his face.
"This mask stinks…" he grumbled, irritated by the growing stench of sweat and salt.
"Alright… Since I'm visiting Loguetown, I might as well get a new mask, preferably metal instead of wood!"
He slipped on his jacket , a black leather armor with red accents. He'd gotten it from one of the islands he visited. And no, he hadn't stolen it, he'd hired a skilled tailor, providing him with a custom design crafted using the Gray Matter transformation.
He strapped the sword that lay on the deck to the sheath on his back, then dropped the anchor to hold the ship in place. He wanted to keep the vessel offshore, away from the harbor to avoid attention. As for himself…
[Fish-Man]
His thoughts shifted, connecting to the genetic library inside the Omnitrix.
His body grew slightly taller, his teeth sharpened , dense and hard like steel.
Without hesitation, Seth dove from the ship into the sea and swam like a fish, cutting through the water with blistering speed.
In no time, he had reached the port. He pulled a hood over his head. He faced a dilemma: removing the mask would risk exposure, but wearing the now-iconic black mask in public also posed a threat. You might ask, "Why not wear a different mask?" Simple , he'd forgotten to buy another one!.
He climbed ashore discreetly. No one paid him much attention. Many wore cloaks and hoods that concealed their faces.
"Just as I expected… They're looking for me."
Seth thought grimly as he peeked from behind a building, watching Marines hold up wanted posters and question passersby.
"Tch… I wanted to check out the execution platform, maybe see a few doctors… but it's best to leave this place quickly."
He slipped away from the patrols and entered a shop to buy supplies.
"And I definitely don't want a fight with that guy… White Hunter, Smoker."
As he browsed food items, his mind replayed the information he had gathered about the Marine stationed at Loguetown.
"White Hunter. First Lieutenant. Uses the Smoke-Smoke Fruit. Logia-type…"
"A Logia… that's tough. I can't harm him, and if I use the Flame Fruit, he can't harm me either."
"Since I don't have Sea-Stone, my only real option in a fight would be to drag him into the sea…"
"Even though being in water slightly restricts my Devil Fruit powers…"
"…The sea doesn't weaken me like it does other Devil Fruit users."
The shopkeeper's voice pulled him out of his thoughts
"Sir, your goods are ready."
Seth looked at the full bag and asked as he pulled out some cash
"How much do I owe you?"
"123,000 Berries, sir."
"Hmm… 123,000... Alright, here."
He placed a wad of cash on the counter, then picked up the groceries and asked:
"Do you know where I can find..."
He paused mid-sentence as a group of uninvited visitors entered the shop. He instinctively adjusted his hood lower.
"Never mind ! , Pleasure doing business with you."
"Thank you, sir. You're welcome anytime. I'll even give you a discount next time," the vendor replied with a smile, pleased to have a customer who didn't haggle.
Then he turned to face the new arrivals: three Marines.
Two men and a young woman wearing glasses, a long sword hanging at her side.
"What can I help you with, officers?"
"We're currently searching for a wanted criminal."
One of the Marines stepped forward and handed him two wanted posters.
"Have you seen either of these men, especially the one in the first poster?"
Seth's eyes, hidden behind his mask, narrowed when they landed on the second poster.