16.

Sett had been training relentlessly for months and was already starting to notice a significant increase in his strength. His half-mink physique and rigorous regimen had made him resistant to damage, and he was now almost impervious to Reparman's beatings.

~~~~~~~~

As Reparman raised his fist again and struck Sett's bloodied face, Sett refused to lose consciousness. "Arrgh!" Repairman screamed in pain as his bloody knuckles hit Sett's rock-hard face. He turned and limped towards a table to lean on it for support. Behind him, the chair that had been reinforced to the floor broke under the force of his strike and the weight of Sett's body.

Sett, barely conscious and lying on the floor, felt his bonds loosen and slowly pulled his arms free over the broken chair to break his ties and free himself.

Sett rose unsteadily to his feet behind the back of the repairman, grasping the chair tightly. He charged towards the repairman with a roar and delivered a decisive blow to his back with the chair, using all his strength. The chair broke and was rendered unusable. The repairman slowly stood up, turning around to face Sett with a look of pure hatred. Sett made a mocking face, which only further angered the repairman. The repairman raised his fist to punch Sett, but he nimbly dodged the punch and delivered a devastating counterpunch, knocking the repairman unconscious. "I've seen you throw that same punch at me a million times, you bastard!" Sett spat on him.

~~~~~~~~

And the one-sided beating sessions with Butcher turned into one-sided victories for Sett.

~~~~~~~~

Sett moved gracefully between the flurry of blades. To an untrained eye, it may have appeared as though Sett was easily dodging Butcher's attacks, but in reality, each move, dodge, and attack was made with an unseen focus. Both of them had minor cuts and blood loss all over their bodies.

After a few minutes of an evenly matched fight, Butcher started to slow down, and Sett noticed it. However, he decided against attacking because it wasn't the first time Butcher slowed down to draw Sett in and make quick work of him. Sett patiently waited for his time to strike.

Finally, Butcher made a slower and more telegraphed strike. Sett moved in without a thought and grabbed Butcher's right hand, which was still holding his long knife; just before the swing moved towards him, Sett killed all his opponent's momentum.

Still holding Butcher's hand, Sett stepped back and pulled him in, causing his opponent to lose his footing and fall towards him. Before he could fall, Sett's right fist came like a meteor on Butcher's unguarded face. He fell towards Sett's left side, but in a fluid movement, Sett let go of his right hand and struck a powerful left undercut with the rotation of his whole body behind it, causing Butcher's body to straighten up. With Sett still having the advantage, he decided to finish the fight and kicked with all his strength toward Butcher's knee. Butcher's legs gave up under him, and he fell to his knees with the force and weight of his body. Sett stepped forward, grasped Butcher's head with both hands, and unleashed a knee kick straight to his head.

The Butcher's body slumped to the ground as Sett stood still, waiting for him to get back up. However, slow clapping interrupted his concentration, and he turned to see Fox walking towards him with a deadly rhythm in her hips. "Well, there, cutie. I see that you're ready," she said with a smirk.

~~~~~~

Sett's knowledge expanded as he spent his free time in the library, finding helpful information. From his research in psychology, he learned that living in fear can be more terrifying than death.

~~~~~~

One way to induce fear is by leaving subtle threats in a place where the victim will see them, such as smearing a message on the wall at the end of their bed. This will cause the victim to live in constant fear, but the fear will wear off over time. The messages must be reinforced to prevent this, and a fear-inducing act must be carried out, such as placing a small explosive charge in their boat with a note that reads, "Next time I'll blow your legs off."

Another way to create fear is by sending a subtle note that plays on the safety of a loved one. This worked best when the victim's loved one planned to go somewhere without informing them. For example, if a son or daughter goes to a party and tells the victim they are going to a friend's house, the victim will fear for their safety when they cannot be found.

Alternatively, fear can be induced by charms, curses, and jinxes. As we all know, devil fruit abilities are widely known for their versatility abilities. The subject must first believe that the person is capable of cursing them, which can be done by staging an event or giving them an account of a previous incident. Next, the person must provide a basis for the curse or jinx, such as a small icon or special powder made from chalk dust or flour or devil fruit ability. The subject must be convinced that the icon or powder is cursed by false accounts of previous owners' lives or ancient manuscripts foretelling their fate. Once the victim is subjected to the icon or powder, they will believe that they are under a curse or jinx, and their fear will grow stronger over time, causing them only to remember the bad parts of their day. If a horrific event happens, such as a knifing, it will add to the person's reputation and increase the subject's suggestibility for future purposes.

~~~~~~

Sett learned the importance of carefully selecting his targets and six basic assassination techniques that emphasized the need to act with confidence, never underestimate or fear the enemy, and never hesitate.

~~~~~~

When attacking a target, the two facets to consider are to kill them quickly and without an outcry. The best time to remove a target is when they will be least missed, such as after post-checks or when they are distracted.

The six techniques are: slitting the throat, kidney thrust, subclavian artery thrust, jugular thrust, heart thrust, and diaphragm thrust. In all cases, the target must be approached from behind within three or four feet, assuming a basic fighting stance and holding the knife in the rear hand. The lead arm is used to seize and hold the enemy for the knife thrust, allowing a lightning strike by springing on them.

Slitting the Throat: Spring forward and cup the enemy's chin with the left palm, lifting it from the throat. Draw the blade across the throat at the level of the cricoid cartilage, slicing the trachea to prevent outcry, then cutting deeper to sever the carotid sheath. Death results within twelve seconds due to oxygen starvation of the brain, with unconsciousness occurring in five seconds.

Kidney Thrust: Spring forward and whip the left wrist into the enemy's trachea to prevent outcry. Simultaneously drive the knife horizontally into the kidney, cutting to both sides by pushing and pulling the wrist side to side. Death results in thirty seconds.

Subclavian Artery Thrust: Spring forward and clamp the left hand over the mouth and nose to smother the target. Holding the knife in the ice-pick grip, thrust the point well down behind the collarbone and cut side to side, severing the subclavian artery. Death results in three seconds.

Jugular Thrust: Spring forward and employ the one-hand smother. Pull the enemy's head to the left and thrust the knife horizontally into the leading edge of the sterno-cleido-mastoideus muscle around the side of the neck. Cut side to side, severing the carotid sheath. Death ensues in twelve seconds, with unconsciousness in five.

Heart Thrust: Spring forward and slide your left arm over the enemy's right arm and up to clamp over their mouth from below. Bend them back to break their balance, then drive the knife upward under the rib cage to penetrate the heart. Cut side to side. Death comes in three seconds, with unconsciousness induced instantly.

Diaphragm Thrust: Spring forward and whip the left wrist into the enemy's trachea to prevent outcry. Pull their head slightly left, then reach around with the right hand and drive the knife at a 45-degree upward angle just below the rib cage. Cut side to side, ripping the diaphragm muscle to prevent oxygen intake. Death results in twelve seconds, with unconsciousness reasonably instant.

~~~~~~

Sett also knew that he would be in numerous times that he would have to lie to preserve some information.

~~~~~~

The best way to lie is, to tell the truth. For example, if someone asks if he has been smoking drugs in the house, he should sarcastically answer, "Yeah, of course, I have. And I throw the butt out the window so you wouldn't know." If questioned again, he should respond with, "Do you really think I have?" If asked repeatedly, he should say, "If you think I did, then I have already been convicted, and whatever I say will not change your opinion." This avoids the question and prevents future accusations of lying since he is telling the truth.

It is essential to act naturally when trying to conceal the truth, both in attitude and body posture. A lie can be detected when the subject becomes defensive, such as having a demanding manner of speaking or a defensive body position like crossing arms. Eye contact should always be maintained, aiming for the point between the questioner's eyes to provide contact without giving away too much information.

Excessive fidgeting or playing with body parts can project nervousness, which can be associated with guilt. However, the subject should always remain calm, relaxed, and conscious. It is also essential to back up statements with the closest version of the truth as possible.

When questioned, the subject should approach the situation as if they are the only one involved in the particular incident. Any "statements" made by colleagues or "witnesses" should be disregarded as they are often fabrications. Authoritative figures may raise their voice or threaten the subject, but it is crucial to remain calm and dismiss any such approach.

To be convincing, confident, and believable, the subject must also believe in what they say. There should be no cockiness projected at any time. Improvisation may be necessary for awkward questions, which can be aided by slow answers or objects in the room. It is crucial to have a consistent recollection of events and to avoid adding extra points later. Fabrications based on actual events can be more convincing.

Another valuable method for fabrication is to answer a question with a question or to avoid answering it directly. Above all, the subject must remain calm and relaxed and believe in their words.

~~~~~~

Sett stood in the dimly lit Stone office, his heart racing as he waited for Stone to speak. The air was thick with tension, and he could feel Fox's eyes on him. Stone looked unimpressed, his eyes resting on Fox before finally returning to Sett.

"Are you sure?" Stone asked, his voice low and menacing.

"Yepp," Fox replied, his voice filled with confidence.

"Fine then," Stone said, a slow smirk forming on his face. "Listen here, will you? Fox told me that we are ready to return some investment from you." He puffed on his cigar, the smoke swirling around his head like a menacing aura. "But I wanna see you dance with my own eyes. So here's the deal."

Sett's heart was pounding in his chest as Stone leaned forward, his eyes glinting dangerously. "You are going back to the arena. And I will make a fight for you."

Sett's blood boiled at his words. The arena was a place of blood and violence, a place where he enjoyed the most and where only the strongest survived. He had fought there once before, and the memories still haunted him.

"Here's the thing," Stone continued, his voice low and menacing. "As I own this pile of shit, I can make you fight the champ from the get-go. But on the other hand, you can go and fight on your own and climb slowly in the label. After that, you can go and challenge the champ. What do you say?"

Sett's mind raced as he tried to make a decision. But he also knew that he would be set for life if he could defeat the champ.

He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. "I'll fight on my own," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "I'll climb the ladder and challenge the champ."

Stone's smirk widened, and Sett knew he had made the right choice.