Kenway Veno

"Public Enemy" Veno is the and  of the Veno Pirates.

Appearance
Veno is an incredibly tall man (peaking at over 10') with amass of musculature clinging to his tan flesh, exhibited most primarily within his wide chest, broad shoulders, thick neck, and otherwise inflated limbs; yet unlike most sea dwellers, he is surprisingly well-proportioned for a man of his stature. Stemming from the bulk of his scalp is a flock of green hair, which has since become a trademark for him and by which he is now commonly identified; it is largely unkempt and for the most part left assorted in a wild manner, with some likening it to the mane of a lion. Furthermore, prior to the global adoption of his "Public Enemy" moniker, and before his actual name in itself was known to the world, Veno's hair led the marines to refer to him by the name of "Aogami" whilst they discussed his various wrongdoings.

Early on in his career in piracy, Veno sported a long, red trench-like-coat that fell down from its elaborate golden grazed shoulder epaulets all the way to his ankles. It was often kept open, exposing Veno's wide chest to the rest of the world. Beneath this, he wore simple trousers, brown in color. However, during his battle with the admiral, Warren D. Ralph, Veno removed his captain's coat in favor of being able to move more freely, tossing it into the ocean. After said confrontation, he was unable to reacquire it, as his crew focused more so on their escape.

Personality
Yer bounty is higher than mine. Like what the fuck? I can't be havin' no guy on my crew with a higher bounty than me. I'm gonna be the captain, for fuck's sake! All in all, Veno is a ruthless pirate incapable of bestowing mercy upon any he deems an enemy, not even Sengoku D. Autumn, who is both a woman and by age considered a minor. In fact, he is so very quick tempered that his cruelty essentially knows no bounds; when angered, Veno will even murder members of his own crew without the slightest bit of hesitation, as shown countless times, such as when he killed one of his subordinates for his overconsumption of alcohol (stating it would lead to a lack of overall productivity) and then another who had spoken out against the act. As per the latter incident, he is intolerable of those in particular who in any way question his authority, be they intentional or not. In example, he shot dead a pirate who had attempted to join his crew simply because he had a bounty larger than his own, affirming that one of his crew should not have a higher bounty than he who is the captain. Similarly, Veno was not fond of Wynn Erin, his own, being taller than him, as it in some way challenged his own imposing figure aesthetically.

Likely stemming from his respect for Bernard, Veno appears to have a bit of a fixation toward, if not a direct obsession in trying to reciprocate their behavior. From the time he was but a little boy, he began to howl in the direction of the moon in an attempt to impress Bernard, yet only truly managed to irritate the wolf mink by placing forth a common stereotype. Indeed, in the earliest stages of their creation, the Veno Pirates were once dubbed as the "Wolf Pirates", until the crew adopted the name of their captain to circumvent confusion. However, while the aforementioned may be true, he disapproves of any other person or animal that attempts to do the very same, seen when he kicked the Alfred's pet dog —that just so happened to resemble a wolf— through the walls of their own house. Furthermore, Veno stated his desire to consume a -type that would allow him to transform into a wolf in the past. Whether he is able to accomplish this goal has yet to be seen.

Incredibly savage, Veno is not beyond torturing those whom he has abducted or captured; as a matter of fact, he appears to rather enjoy it, laughing maniacally to himself whilst his victims morn and plead for their lives. During his invasion of Tariland, in which he raided the former residence of the admiral Alfred Glave, Veno battered the latter's grandson before the entirety of the world over a live stream, handing the child a "third" nostril that grew between his nose and causing every last tooth in his upper row to fall out, while also sticking a lit cigar into his daughter-in-law's eye. His style of torture, if such a thing even exists, is one comprised of showing as much disrespect as possible, seen when he literally urinated over the face of the Celestial Dragon, Saint MacGaradh, while the latter was within his hands.

What appears to differentiate Veno from the countless other pirates sailing the seas is that he is, by all accounts, essentially fearless. He does not appear to have any bone in his body capable of feeling the emotion, as he has never opposed the idea of committing a crime despite the potentially large scale consequences that it may uphold. This was seen first and foremost when he idiotically stood before the incoming vessel of Saint MacMharais, which had Menu Merchant, an agent belonging to on board, denying it entry into his homeland of Wrusha, and again when he deliberately murdered Saint MacGaradh, another, before the eyes of Marine Admiral Warren D. Ralph, as if he hadn't even the faintest care in the world. What's more, he openly pursued the destruction of Tariland to gain the wrath of another Marine Admiral in Alfred Glave, and, while being on the brink of death itself, did not shy away nor back down from a bout with Salazar, one of the Seven Warlords.

Wynn Erin
"Listen 'ere, Erin. Yer the backbone to this crew. If yer so much as seen by them, it'll really put a dent in my plans. Ye understand that, right?"

- Veno to Wynn Erin during the midst of battle with Warren D. Ralph.

Wynn Erin was the first person Veno recruited to join the Veno Pirates. At the time of his acceptance into the crew, Erin was required by Veno to undergo the "Pussy Test", which was essentially a test comprised of analyzing the former's ability to follow through with the captain's orders. As apart of the test, Veno had Erin shoot an innocent bartender in cold blood, which the latter completed in succession. However, even so, Veno affirmed the former Marine navigator that it would take much more than a "simple act like that" to gain his trust, and even went as far as to accuse the man as being a potential double agent for the.

While Erin has never explicitly been disloyal to Veno, the Public Enemy remains indifferent with the former's standing within his crew nonetheless, seeing Hazen Yosef, a man who was a far later addition to the Veno Pirates than he, as being a more reliable and capable leader. Naturally, this led him to officially elect Yosef as the in place of Erin himself, a decision which came as a surprise to many of the other members of the crew. Erin instead was named the, and while he did not make any verbal mention of it, his slighting at the hands of his own captain left him to feel helplessly bitter about the situation.

Despite his suspicions, Veno has stressed Erin's importance to the crew in rare occurrences, one example coming in the midst of their confrontation with Marine Admiral Warren D. Ralph. During such an event, Veno referred to Erin as the "backbone" of the crew, stressing the importance of the navigator remaining an enigma to the. Next to being the longest tenured member of the crew, Erin is also one of the most involved, frequently being chosen by his captain to assist him on missions and the like. During their visit to, Erin aided the crippled Veno in scaling an entire mountain while allowing the latter to lean against him along the way.

Nonetheless, Veno appreciates Erin as a valuable asset to the crew, most primarily because of the fact that he is a former navigator of the Navy; as a result, he has knowledge of several facilitated pathways across the that no mere Pirate alone could know, all the while being more advantageous for the Public Enemy. Furthermore, it was Erin's ship, the Nimbus, that ultimately became the Veno Pirates'. Veno has since upgraded the ship to sport wings, allowing it to be flown through the combined prowess of he and Erin (who is able to pilot the ship through the powers of his wind based logia powers).

Worden Luhr
"So how's about ya give yer life some meanin' and join my crew? We could use a strong feller like you."

- Veno recruiting Worden Luhr to join his crew.

Worden Luhr became a member of the Veno Pirates after they helped him escape from a slave auctioning house in Blagh Ait. Unlike the other members, Luhr was recruited by Veno primarily, if not exclusively, for his abilities in combat, as he had a very limited skill-set outside of fighting. Through thick and thin, Luhr emerged as a powerful force for the Veno Pirates, becoming the second member of the crew —alongside Veno himself— to register a bounty issued by the, while also having the second highest bounty among the crew at the time of the revelation.

The relationship between Luhr and Veno, however, is by all accounts complex. While the two have trusted and fought alongside one another in many instances, with Veno even sacrificing his own body to rescue Luhr from meeting his death at the hands of Sengoku D. Autumn, they have also clashed mentally, verbally, and physically. An example that stands out far beyond the rest was when Veno appointed Hazen Yosef as his while showing Nassau to his crew for the very first time, with which Luhr disagreed completely. This inability to reach a proper consensus ultimately led to a physical altercation between the two, with Veno actually trying to murder Luhr. Were it not for the intervention of Yosef, Veno would have almost certainly killed Luhr with his then recently attained cyborg gun enhancement.

Powers and Abilities
Within the current era of piracy, Veno has established himself as an incredibly notorious menace, to such an extent that he has garnered the wrath, attention, and or respect of some of the world's most influential and reputed entities and organizations, such as the, the admirals of the , the Shichibukai, and even the Yonko, as well as two of the major intelligence gathering divisions of the World Government in the form of and. His current bounty of 405,000,000 suggests that the World Government considers him not only a large threat against their own operations, but furthermore, against all of humanity.

At the mere sighting of his, the citizens of Tariland committed suicide in preparation of his arrival, considering the alternative of a quick death at their own hands to be more desirable than what Veno himself could have potentially done to them in the ways of torture. As he was without a ship at the time, his discovery of Nassau consisted of him relentlessly swimming through the infested waters of the 's  until coming upon land, which, although managing to survive, was apparently an "annoying" experience. Furthermore, he was capable of wrestling the leader of the Akaryū, a species of winged salamanders native to Nassau that prey on Sea Kings, with nothing more than his own two hands.

Physical Abilities
Accredited to his herculean stature, Veno is one of the most physically imposing pirates within the world at large, suffocating the terrors of even the New World with his mere shadow alone. The simple output of his foot in an otherwise humane function so fundamental as walking is enough to invoke tremors across the face of the earth, throwing those whom are present strictly off balance. While suffering from the setbacks of severe lung cancer, Veno was unable to walk properly, and upon losing his balance, his massive frame produced a literal crater in the ground.

His strength is such that he lugged an entire pirate ship by its anchor over his shoulder whilst sailing on another vessel, and caused the ground to cave in and fall, resulting in a large and ominous void, with a simple punch, both without much apparent effort on his part. Lifting an ordinary human to him is child's play, and even whilst holding back considerably, he is strong enough to hurl one off of an island as large as Wrusha.

He is also surprisingly fast for a man of his size, as seen when he successfully intercepted a lightning bolt crafted from the powers of a  before it could kill one of his subordinates. In another instance, Veno managed to cover a fairly large distance —while not having fully recovered from severe injuries— quickly enough to deflect the sword attack of a -level opponent —who is also specifically reputed for his speed— that was intended to cut down another individual.

As his defining and utmost reputed characteristic, in every facet of the word, Veno is simply a juggernaut. Due in part to his large frame and colossal size, he is able to receive and absorb countless attacks without the slightest indication of having been injured, even when wounds have become physically visible on his body. For the most part, his flesh in itself appears to be impervious to damage, with even cannon fire being unable to corrode it. He was able to go toe-to-toe with Warren D. Ralph, an admiral of the Navy, while suffering innumerable blows —including several of the master's — to his own being, without allowing it to hamper his own ability to fight in return. He was even able to survive being impaled through the chest by what is often described as the "invincible" lightning logia Devil Fruit powers of Sengoku D. Autumn moments later, and launch a successful counterattack of his own to force the woman into retreating. Even while recuperating from the injuries he had sustained from the prior battle, Veno was still able to remain intact after being slashed and sent flying through several buildings by the Shichibukai swordsmen Salazar, though the latter wound worsened his state of being enough to severely restrict his movements from that point onward.

Fighting Style
In battle, Veno utilizes a form of martial arts that goes by the name of "War Technician", which he began learning from Bernard as early as age 10. Now two decades later, he has displayed complete mastery over the style. It incorporates the entire body within its frame of work, with an immediate preference for hand-orientated techniques, with the limb in question being further coated in haki to make for a more devastating effect.

Many of the names coined to each attack allude to Veno's craft as a shipwright, following a very specific name scheme: each technique begins with the prefix of "iron" and is followed by a type of tool or instrument used in carpentry. Coincidentally, this art was initially created by Bernard to replace the necessity of having to carry tools with him, as he could instead reciprocate the very same functions using nothing more than his two hands, however was later developed into a fighting style to punish corrupt business partners.
 * Iron Hatchet (アイアンハチェット): Raising his arm over his head, Veno imbues the entirety of the limb with haki; swinging it back down with vigorous force, a crescent shaped air blade is invoked, which can very easily slice through several waves of ordinary marines. It was first seen being used by Veno to dispatch a swarm of marines while he aided Worden Luhr in destroying a slave auctioning house. In its later usage, its power was shown to be great enough to split the sea en route to severing a marine battleship like butter.
 * Iron Mallet (アイアンマレット): Coating his entire arm in haki, Veno further cuffs his fist to take the appearance of a mallet, which he uses for both offensive and defensive purposes. Much like a real mallet, it has a preference toward mauling maneuvers and is most effective for such case scenarios. It is also the pinnacle of Veno's so-called "armament" haki, refining his flesh with such rigid force that lead bullets were reduced to mere fragmentations of dust upon coming into contact with it.
 * Iron Helmet (アイアンヘルメット): Among the best of all defensive techniques Veno has under his belt, this technique is synonymous of a helmet worn by a typical construction worker, so as to serve as a means of protection from potential danger. Functioning in a similar fashion, while Veno has concentrated haki into the bulk of his skull as that name of the technique would suggest, he has also been seen kneading haki into other areas of his body while still referring to the act by the same name. Its might was more thoroughly displayed in Veno's battle with Warren D. Ralph, where it successfully deflected the admiral's haki shockwave with minimal effort.
 * Iron Hammer (アイアンハンマー): A powerful punch infused with the brute might of Veno's cuff coupled with his expertise of haki, it is likened to a hammer by the Public Enemy for its devastating results. Unlike an ordinary punch, Veno flails his arm at an unorthodox angle, rendering it more difficult for his opponent to conceive. Veno was first seen using this attack to clash with Warren D. Ralph's own fist, which brought about a vicious tremor of haki that caused the oceans to tremble under its magnitude.
 * Iron Chisel (アイアンちょうこくとう): With his foot charged and made black with haki, Veno jabs the limb toward his opponent, delivering a resounding kick.

Fire Fist Kenpo
Did ya know? A truly great carpenter is just as good at takin' things apart as he is at puttin' 'em together. And there ain't nothin' better at taking things apart than fire!

Kenbunshoku Haki
This breed of Haki enables Veno with the capacity to detect other forms of life, so long as they too are composed of the very same spiritual energy. Veno likens this ability to having eyes "on the back of his head", as he is always alert of an incoming attack, no matter how far nor what direction it is coming from. When pitted together with his refined reflexes, it makes for a very potent combination, as Veno is able to skillfully evade the attacks of his opponents and thus, rescue himself from any would be dangers. It is also worthy of noting that Veno's senses appear to be superior to his own reflexes; despite not being physically able to keep up with Salazar's true speed, Veno was still able to track the Shichibukai's movements without much difficulty.

Veno generally makes use of this power before all others, in order to sense out the individual strength of his opponents, which then allows him to deduce whether or not they are truly "worthy" of his time. He was first shown being able to use this variation of Haki when he "felt" the presence of an incoming marine vessel many miles away while residing within a cave of a tropically infested island. From such a distance, he was able to successfully deduce Warren D. Ralph's presence aboard the ship, peering across the ocean and perceiving the admiral by his aura alone. On top of being able to accurately deduce characters over long distances, Veno's prowess in Kenbunshoku Haki is such that he can very easily sense the presence of even those whom are attempting to hide from him, as well as those whom try to deceive him in any way, shape, or form, rendering him a very difficult person to trick. While active, Veno's ordinarily gold irises are highlighted by a flux of red energy.

Busoshoku Haki
Among the various types of Haki Veno is able to employ, he upholds his mastery of Busoshoku Haki as being his greatest. With it, he is able to create an "invisible force" around his body, much like an unseen glass, which further inhibits him to bypass the abilities of others, next to augmenting the output of his own physical attributes. By concentrating more heavily upon a certain portion of his body, Veno can muster such a high aptitude of power that it quite literally renders the affected area black, further refining his flesh into what is described by him as being on the same level as tempered steel. This variation is most commonly seen within his War Technician style, whereby he utilizes his hands to reciprocate the function of mechanical tools.

In comparison to the various other individuals sailing the oceans, Veno has displayed a degree of creativity in his usage of Busoshoku Haki that is virtually unmatched. By generating a subtle force of Haki beneath the soles of his feet, and therefore adding an invisible "heel" of the sorts beneath him, Veno is able to tread upon the surface of water as if it were a plain solid. Furthermore, when uncovering a shortage of breath due to having been taken into a headlock by the admiral Warren D. Ralph, Veno internally transmitted Haki into his body to coat his lungs themselves within amass of energy, turning them solid so as to make the most out of each individual breath from that point on.

Cyborg Enhancements
To combat the effects of, which rendered an act so simple as standing upright a true challenge for the once physically profound Public Enemy, Veno sought out an alternate method of fighting that focused less on mobility. And what he ventured upon eventually was to become a, a human armed with the powers of a scientifically engineered robot, as it was a most convenient process all the while bearing the most similarity to his craft as a shipwright than any other style of combat.

Childhood
"No son of mine will be a mess; just give it some time. Hess, my love, Veno just has a harder time paying attention than most other children. Getting him a tutor to learn from home will help him focus more on his studies —and I happen to have just the man for the job."

- Veno's father, Bogle, speaking of his son's lackluster performance in school.

Veno was born in Wrusha as the only child of Bogle, a wealthy businessman, and Hess, who was afforded the luxury of being a housewife due to the success of her husband. During his childhood, the riches his family harbored took a negative toll on his personality, making him very full of himself; while Veno was enrolled into the best academy within the entire country, because he was to someday inherit the family business, he did not feel inclined to studying nearly as hard as the rest of his peers.

Registering poor marks due to a severe lack of studying, Veno fell far behind in class, until he ultimately failed to advance to the next grade. All of the friends he had made up until that point were quick to turn against him, making a joke out of his failure. Unable to withstand the mockery, Veno pulled out of the academy to be home schooled by Zabaco, an instructor of his father's choosing. Zabaco, who served under Veno's father as his aide, greatly admired Bogle for his successful business and sought to be like him in every way possible.

With Zabaco around to tutor Veno, Hess would often times request the tutor's assistance for various house chores, leaving Veno alone to do his work many a time. When Zabaco's duties began taking longer than usual, Veno's suspicions arouse, and he soon uncovered his mother having an affair with his tutor within the comfort of their own home. However, rather than confront his father about any of it --being mindful of his feelings in the case he were to find out-- Veno opted to take matters into his own hands by convincing his parents that he was confident enough to return to the academy, in an attempt to rid Zabaco's presence within their home.

However, as it would turn out, because Veno's grades alluded to a better performance from home, his request was denied by Bogle. By the time Veno mustered enough courage to inform his father of Hess' affair, it was far too late, as Bogle had not only his company and fortune stolen from him by Zabaco in a grand scheme, but his wife as well. In someway feeling responsible for the events that transpired, Veno elected to live with his father, who was forced to move out from his mansion and into the slums of Wrushia.

Technician in Training
"You won't be able to tell just yet for yourself, but this tree has a certain energy emanating from within. It may look smaller than the others, and perhaps to you much less worthy of constructing a hull with; but in actuality, it's far more durable than the others."

- Bernard stressing the importance of haki to Veno.

At the tender age of 10, Veno was seen sitting on a tree stump pondering upon the happenings of haki. It was later explained to him by Bernard as the energy that composed "all of life", and the wolf mink demonstrated its usage in the form of Kenbunshoku Haki by differentiating a truly powerful tree from the ordinary. Much to Veno's surprise, the tree that Bernard had selected was able to withstand his attack far greater than the others; while the others were severed easily, the aforementioned tree sustained but a single scratch.

Years as a Privateer
Prior to becoming a pirate, Veno was a privateer under the service of Wrusha for the better part of 20 years.

In the year of 1573, Veno built a casino for a man, expecting to be paid back once the man amassed greater profit. However, due to never receiving his dues, Veno directly confronted the man in front of the doors of his casino, only to witness a drastic change within the man's persona. By comparison to his past humility, due to the great success of his casino, the man now thought himself superior to Veno. Angered by the man's show of arrogance, and the fact that he refused to pay him, Veno caused the casino he himself had built to collapse by plucking a single brick from its foundation, before hurling the man off of the island with a simple throw.

Veno was later summoned to a meeting with his captain by one of his fellow crewmen. There, he was informed that the island of Wrusha had been bought out by the World Noble, Saint MacMharais, and that the latter was on his way and would be arriving briefly. Angered beyond belief, Veno met the incoming vessel halfway across the ocean and stopped the ship from moving with his bare hands alone. Menu Merchant of, who was tasked with the responsibility of transporting Saint MacMharais safely, questioned Veno's intentions, to which Veno plainly remarked, "I won't let no fuckin' World Noble step foot onto this island ever again!" The two battled briefly, with Merchant very quickly gaining the upper-hand. Following his defeat, Veno was imprisoned by Merchant's Devil Fruit powers and was meant to be transported to, while Merchant himself stayed back on Wrusha to ensure the safety of Saint MacMharais. However, as Merchant later explains to Warren D. Ralph, Veno somehow managed to not only escape from his shackles and imprisonment, but furthermore, sink the ship that was meant to transport him.

Following his escape, Veno aimlessly swam about the waters of the, reaching the by swimming through the. At some point during this time, he discovered Nassau, fought against Kuroyajū, the leader of the Akaryū, and came to good terms with the Hariunagi Clan, a group of elves native to the island.

Forming the Veno Pirates
"Ye see, I invented the pussy test to sniff out pussies. Separate the weak from the okay-bunch, and the okay-bunch from the better-than-the-okay-bunch. Does that make sense to ya? No damn men of mine are goin' ta be afraid ta do what I tellem' ta do. A captain's order is his decree; there's no turnin' against it, ya got that?"

- Veno to Wynn Erin

While searching for members to join his crew, Veno made a stop in Diamond Archipelago, specifically within its most reputed tavern, The Tired Elderberry. There he openly declared himself as a pirate and announced his motives, yet after he was approached by another pirate who immediately offered his services to him, Veno shot the latter dead due to the aforementioned pirate possessing a bounty higher than his own. He was later approached by Wynn Erin within the same tavern, who despite having witnessed the events that had unfolded, still placed interest in joining Veno. Being wary of Erin's behavior, deeming it overly suspicious, Veno put him up to what he dubbed the "Pussy Test", making Erin prove himself worthy enough of being considered an ally.

As apart of the test, Veno instructed Erin to shoot the barkeeper, to see whether or not Erin would be capable of following through with his orders as captain, even if it meant taking the life of an innocent. After the deed was completed and Erin had done as he was told, Veno, without much of a reaction, walked out from the tavern, enlisting his very first orders to Erin as his captain, which consisted of getting him "a smoke", though not before expressing irritation in Erin being taller than him. Once outside, Veno examined Erin's ship, The Nimbus, and compared it to his own; deducing that his was in better shape, the two opted to sail it instead. As they made off in The Nimbus, the two conversed briefly, with Veno lugging his own ship by its anchor along the way. Erin informed Veno of his past as both a former marine navigator and pirate, which appeared to confuse him, while Veno shared with Erin his desire to consume a Zoan type Devil Fruit that would enable him to transform into a wolf.

After having acquired more crew members, Veno initially dubbed his crew as the "Wolf Pirates". While sailing somewhere in the Grand Line, Veno awoke to many of his subordinates being drunk, which angered him enough to take their lives with his pistol. Shortly thereafter, Erin reported the sighting of a ship with a Celestial Dragon by the name of Saint MacGaradh on board within the distance, and though the latter suggested his captain turn the ship around, Veno instead told his men to prepare for battle. Many of his subordinates protested either way, causing them too to be slain by his own hand. Removing his coat, Veno instructed Erin to stay put and look after the ship before jumping into the ocean. When he boarded the enemy ship, Veno was displeased as he witnessed many of the passengers be sniped in front of his eyes by Erin. Nonetheless, he assaulted the Celestial Dragon who had been on board and abducted him.

Celestial Dragon Abduction
Over the course of the next month, Veno and his crew attacked five separate islands while utilizing the Den Den Mushi they had acquired from Saint MacGaradh to publicize each individual event, while also streaming footage of mishandling the Celestial Dragon himself. Veno also made direct contact with the World Government on multiple occasions, and when the organization offered large sums of money in compensation for Saint MacGaradh's life, Veno agreed to the terms, only to ultimately act against the agreement and take the money for himself without giving up the World Noble in return. One such example of this was when he and his crew were docked within Blagh Ait, Veno telephoned an officer within the World Government and requested they bring him 300,000,000 in exchange for Saint MacGaradh's life, which according to the officer on the line, was twice what he had asked for the last time.

While waiting for the Navy to arrive, Veno heard a ruckus in the distance; arriving upon the scene of a slave auctioning house, Veno found the fishman, Worden Luhr, to have been the cause. Aiding Luhr in his escape, Veno fought off an entire wave of marines together with Luhr and invited the latter to join his crew, which the fishman gladly accepted. During the encounter, the marines had also begun to refer to Veno as the "Public Enemy", due to the highly publicized streams he had produced over the past weeks. Upon sinking the marine ship he had telephoned in himself, Veno and his crew once again made off with the ransom money.

The crew was later seen residing within the cave of a tropically infested island. As Veno urinated on Saint MacGaradh, Luhr came to him with the day's newspaper, stating that they had made the front page and that Veno's bounty had risen to 175,000,000, while his own had gone up to 75,000,000. In issuing the crew updated bounties, the World Government also published Veno's epithet as the "Public Enemy" for the very first time, and referenced his crew after his name; taking after the report, Veno opted to rename his crew the "Veno Pirates" and found amusement in the infamy the World Government had given him and found his moniker to be especially fitting.

Moments later, Veno expressed greater excitement upon sensing the presence of an incoming marine vessel and asked Erin whether or not he too was able to "feel" it coming. Moving from the cave to peer out at the ocean, Veno utilized Kenbunshoku Haki to identify the admiral, Warren D. Ralph, on board the incoming ship, and despite the negative reaction of his crew, Veno himself appeared poised to meet the challenge of fighting one of the marine's utmost powerful forces. Using haki to somehow walk on water, Veno met the marine battleship halfway across the ocean, together with Saint MacGaradh in his grasp. Despite the protest of the various marines aboard Ralph's ship, Veno murdered the Celestial Dragon in cold blood, openly declaring war against the World Government.

With Erin and Luhr taking on the Vice Admiral Sengoku D. Autumn, Veno fought Ralph on his own. The two fought on even terms throughout their bout, clashing on several occasions with their haki while causing the ocean itself to tremble under the might of their brute strength. Halfway through the battle, Veno rubbed his hands together and set them ablaze with fire, activating his Fire Fist Kenpo, which allowed him to deal severe damage to the admiral. After a brief altercation, Ralph opted to retreat, suggesting that he had never intended to capture Veno in the first place, only offer him a warning. However, Autumn refused to retreat along with her superior, and instead on her own terms chose to stay behind and finish Luhr after she had defeated him with a single attack of her Logia Devil Fruit. Before she received the chance, however, her attack was intercepted by a grievously wounded Veno, who despite his horrid condition, still managed to harm her and this time force her to retreat. Autumn in return mocked him and stated that the two would meet again someday. After the marine vessel made off into the distance, Veno, leaving all within the hands of Erin, at last lost consciousness.

Gaining Further Notoriety
"So long as yer one of them Government's puppies, ye'll always be at a disadvantage against a real pirate. 'Cause unlike me, ye can't just whip around yer dick whenever ye want!"

- Veno taunting Salazar.

Word of Veno's battle with Ralph spread far across the sea, bringing great shame and dishonor upon the name of the World Government. Due to the happenings of the media, Ralph was ridiculed beyond belief, being labeled as the admiral who was defeated by a "rookie", despite having been the victor of the duel, in all technicality. Veno amassed greater notoriety as a result, earning a bounty worth 340,000,000, with his name becoming known to each of the Yonko, as well as CP0.

Despite all that had gone on, Veno regained consciousness by nightfall and was wide awake by the time the Nimbus arrived in the port of Haevyn. When the famed, self-employed doctor, Hazen Yosef, came aboard the ship to treat him and his crew through nothing more than his own sincere generosity, Veno questioned the latter's motives behind aiding wanted pirates, accusing Yosef of wanting the bounties on each of their heads, and expressed disappointment in the lackluster condition of his crew. With nothing to lose with Yosef operating on him —seeing as though the only alternative was death— Veno willingly complied to being treated, though it was his crew mates who ultimately reported the nature of his injuries to Yosef, as Veno himself was much too prideful to admit where he was hurting. Through the power of his devil fruit, Yosef was able to return Veno's health to stable condition, and transferred he and his crew to his clinic.

After further treatment, Yosef left the Veno Pirates within the infirmary to rest while calculating the cost of their expenses. During this time, the Shichibukai, Salazar, appeared inside after hearing word of the Veno Pirates' arrival, and sought to kill them. However, before he could do so, Yosef returned and challenged the Warlord to a battle against his pride, once more placing the Veno Pirates in debt of his services by rescuing them from danger a second time. When Salazar was in the process of delivering a meaningful blow to Yosef, Veno intervened out of nowhere, intercepting Salazar's blade, Coloda, with the use of his haki infused forearm, setting up a battle against he and the Shichibukai.

Veno immediately recognized Salazar as a member of the Shichibukai and openly pondered upon what in the world one of the Warlords was doing in Haevyn, of all places. Knowing he was at a clear disadvantage due to not having recovered from his earlier battle with Ralph, a bandaged Veno sought to gain the upper hand by attacking civilians, forcing Salazar to come to their aid. Taking in a hostage, Veno blackmailed Salazar into allowing him to depart from Haevyn safely, only to ultimately kill that hostage after boarding the Nimbus. Veno's cruel and merciless behavior angered Salazar greatly, and the Shichibukai vowed to bring the Public Enemy to justice. Because he had tainted his reputation by aiding the Veno Pirates, Yosef had no choice but to retreat along with the crew, thereby joining it indirectly.

Destruction of Tariland
"This is the dawn of a free world... and I I won't let nothin' get in the way of it."

- Veno upon showcasing Nassau to his crewmates for the very first time.

After departing from Haevyn, the Veno Pirates docked on an island somewhere in the, where Veno made repairs and upgrades to the Nimbus, who had suffered accumulated damage over the span of the last few weeks. Veno himself was discovered by Hazen Yosef as having contracted severe, due to an excess amount of smoking. Using nothing more than the scraps he found around the island, Veno constructed wings for the ship, rendering it capable of flight when piloted through the use of Wynn Erin's powers. This later allowed the crew to quite literally fly over the rest of and enter the.

With ease of transportation thanks to their new flying ship, the Veno Pirates traveled to Tariland, the residence of the Navy Admiral, Alfred Glave, with Veno asserting claims that the latter had "something" within his possession that he "wanted". When the citizens of Tariland identified the Nimbus as being Veno's ship due to its Jolly Roger, many of them began to take their own lives, seeing it as a better alternative to being tortured by him. As they had expected, when the Public Enemy made it onto land, he wrecked havoc upon immediately, slaughtering countless people over a live stream he created from the of the Celestial Dragon, Saint MacGaradh. In particular, he tortured Glave's family, most notably his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson, to purposefully anger the admiral into tracking him down.

From leaving Tariland in ruination, Veno took his crew to Nassau for the very first time. Once there, he exhibited the plain island, and more officially declared the positions each of his crew members would hold from that point on; in a surprise to many, Veno named Hazen Yosef, who was the newest addition to the crew, as his, while appointing Wynn Erin, whom most suspected to receive the latter position, instead as the. This led to an altercation between he and Worden Luhr, who openly refuted Veno's decisions. Angered by the show of disrespect, Veno was quick to attack Luhr, only to see his attack be so easily deflected by the Fishman due to his own rapidly deteriorating health. During the short lived brawl, Veno looked to be a former shell of himself, whereby it became a challenge for him to so much as stand upright. Claiming that he was well aware of his state of being, Veno revealed that he was slowly transforming himself into a to adopt a fighting style that required much less movement, before going to unload a massive round of bullets from his transformed left arm with the intention to kill his own subordinate. He was, however, stopped in time by Yosef's powers, who also went on to break up the fight.

Battle on Karakuri Bridge
Looking to convert his body into that of a —most primarily his lungs to combat the effects of his cancer— Veno embarked on a journey to, the birthplace of the famous  scientist, , bringing Wynn Erin along with him. As they searched the island for Vegapunk's former laboratory, Veno's condition was shown to have worsened to such an extent that he fell and bled out on numerous occasions, going so far as to almost giving up on scaling the large mountain that housed the lab. However, with Erin quite literally filtering out Veno's lungs with the assistance of his based wind  powers, Veno managed to survive the climb while being on severe life support.

Trivia

 * Veno has his name derived from a wine brand of the same name.
 * Veno's theme song, as chosen by the author, is "Conflict" by.