Kenway Veno

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

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.

Physical Abilities
With credit 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.

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.

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 canon fire being unable to corrode it.

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!

Haki
A mysterious power encompassing each individual aspect of the world, it is in truth the spiritual energy residing within every element. In the case of Haki, Veno is nothing short of a genius, in that he taught himself how to utilize its power to maximum effect. He is able to employ two variations of Haki, which he displays as a bred and born expert.

Kenbunshoku Haki
Referred to by the sea dwellers as Kenbunshoku Haki, this breed of spiritual energy involvement permits 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 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. When active, Veno's ordinarily gold irises are highlighted by a flux of red energy.

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.

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 95,000,000. 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.

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.

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.