You Can Afford to Be a Little Arrogant Now

"You're dead, brat!"

"I work for Lion King Gappa, a Great Pirate with a bounty of fifty-three million. You killed my men, and you think I'm just going to let that slide?"

The bearded man glowered as he drew the long blade at his waist, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He'd misjudged the situation.

The guy had suddenly vanished just now, and he hadn't even seen how.

A trace of mockery curled at Chaos's lips. These men were strong compared to ordinary people, but to him, they were just lackeys.

He was very interested in the Lion King Pirates. Since he'd already made an enemy of them, he might as well wipe them out in one fell swoop.

A bounty of fifty-three million should make them suitable whetstones.

In this era, a bounty of fifty-three million was no small sum.

He'd also heard someone say that their captain was a Zoan user. A human shield like that couldn't be more suitable.

Whoosh!

Chaos disappeared from where he stood and appeared beside the bearded man in the blink of an eye. He kicked out with tremendous force.

The bearded man had some skill. At the critical moment, he managed to hold his long blade upright in front of him to block the kick. But Chaos's kick was so powerful that the man's face flushed red, and after holding out for just two breaths, he was sent flying.

The onlookers quickly backed away, shouting and hollering.

They were even more excited than the two men fighting.

They craved the taste of blood, the sight of a brawl, and, more than anything, the sound of screams and groans!

"Cough, cough!"

Ten meters away, the bearded man lay on the ground, blood spilling nonstop from his mouth and nose. A single kick had nearly left him unable to get up. His chest hurt as if it had been torn open, and he'd probably broken quite a few bones.

Chaos looked at the miserable, terrified man and instantly lost interest.

The guy was all show and no substance.

Leaving him alive would give him a chance to notify the Lion King Pirates.

That pirate crew would be the first chicken he killed to establish himself in Demon Valley Town!

Chaos turned and left, planning to find an inn first. The days ahead might not be so leisurely.

"You got the guts to leave without telling me your name?"

Chaos stopped and turned to look at the bearded man, considering the question for a moment.

Since he'd come here to fight, he could afford to be a little arrogant now.

He'd been laying low for three years and five months. Now that he had the strength to protect himself, it was time to make his name known throughout the world.

"Golden Emperor Gaia Chaos!"

After leaving them with his name, Chaos walked away. The pirates watching cursed loudly, then scattered.

As for the bearded man, he watched Chaos's departing figure with hatred, clutching his chest as he slowly left too.

"Tropical Grand Hotel!"

More than ten minutes later, Chaos stood in front of a large hotel. He could hear the noisy din inside even before he entered; quite a few pirates were drinking.

"What do you need?"

As soon as Chaos stepped inside, a burly, four-meter-tall server approached him. He carried a spiked club and wore a flintlock pistol at his waist, looking down at Chaos.

Who would have thought this guy was a server?

Usually, servers were supposed to be pretty, delicate women. This guy was practically a beast.

"Speck, you idiot! Bring us a barrel of rum!"

At a table not far away, several pirates reeking of alcohol shouted angrily.

"Bastards, can't you see I'm serving a new customer? Wait your turn!"

Speck turned and shouted back even louder, then looked at Chaos again, impatiently. "Brat, are you here to eat or stay the night? Hurry up!"

"Both. I want a room and a meal!"

Chaos's mouth twitched. The hall was full of mixed smells—sweat, smoke, alcohol, and food. It was as hot as a pigsty!

"Most luxurious room, one hundred thousand berries a day."

"Second-most luxurious room, fifty thousand berries a day."

"Single room, ten thousand berries a day. Come with me to the counter and pay the deposit."

Dragging his spiked club, Speck turned and strode straight toward the counter.

The person taking the money was an old man smoking a pipe. He was also the hotel's owner. He looked senile and half-blind, but he'd once been a pirate, and people said his bounty had almost reached a hundred million.

He also knew the other business owners in Demon Valley Town, and many pirates preferred not to cross him.

After bringing Chaos to the counter, Speck went off cursing to haul the rum.

Very rude.

"What price room do you want?"

The pipe-smoking owner didn't even look up as he flipped through his ledger.

"The most luxurious one!"

A lump of gold appeared in Chaos's hand, about the size of a fist. This time, the pipe-smoking owner raised his head.

His eyes, previously a little cloudy, suddenly sharpened.

"You can only stay for five days. Food costs extra. Break anything, and you'll pay ten times its value. If you have trouble with anyone, take it outside to settle."

The pipe-smoking owner tossed the gold in his hand, put it in the counter, and took out something like a room key card. Then he explained the hotel's rules.

Chaos took the card and nodded.

"Triss!"

"Triss, where the hell are you? Take this guest upstairs—to the most luxurious room!"

The pipe-smoking owner shouted across the hall.

"Boss, you're definitely going to die before me. When you do, remember to leave me your property, or I'll throw your corpse into the sea."

A loud voice caught Chaos's attention.

A three-meter-tall, obese woman with an enormous bust and a centipede-shaped scar across her face came over. She wore an odd-looking uniform, had a flintlock pistol at her waist, and carried a large axe on her back. Without the slightest courtesy, she wished the pipe-smoking owner dead as soon as possible.

That way, she could inherit his estate.

"Damn it, Triss! I'll live longer than you!"

The pipe-smoking owner glared furiously.

"Hmph, we'll see who lasts longer."

Triss looked disdainful, then turned to Chaos and waved. "Follow me."

Following behind her massive frame, Chaos could still hear her muttering curses.

They reached the fifth floor. For all its fancy name, the most luxurious room was just an ordinary room with a private bathroom, a little extra space, and furnishings like a sofa.

There was a balcony on the side, with a view of the sea and the mountains behind them.

It cost a hundred thousand berries a day, and didn't even include meals. That was what you got on a pirate island of indulgence.

But Chaos lacked many things. Money wasn't one of them.

After looking around the room and settling in a little, Chaos went back downstairs to get something to eat.

There was no room service here. If you wanted food, you had to go downstairs to the hall.

Triss had left as soon as she'd brought Chaos to the door. She was a busy woman.

There were only four people running the whole hotel: the pipe-smoking owner, the two massive servers, Speck and Triss, and the head chef, Bard. It was hard to imagine such a big hotel being kept afloat by just the four of them.

There was no doubt that all four of them had once been pirates.

It was just unclear why they'd settled down and retired in Demon Valley Town.

Back in the smoky, noisy hall, Chaos still wasn't entirely used to it, but he could put up with it.

Putting everything else aside, the lively atmosphere was pretty nice. It made it easy to forget the things that were bothering you.

"What do you need?"

Speck was still dragging his spiked club, shouting insults back and forth with pirates at other tables, his expression fierce and violent. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was the customer.

The other pirates cursed and laughed like lunatics.

There wasn't a single normal person in the place...