He Was a Pirate with Principles

"Bring me twenty servings of your signature dish! And two bottles of your most expensive wine."

"Coming right up."

Speck didn't even look at Chaos. He wrote down the order, shouted it toward the kitchen, then brought Chaos two bottles of red wine before moving on to another table.

He wasn't worried Chaos might not be able to pay after eating. If that happened, Chaos would have only one fate: the hotel would sell him into slavery.

A simple, brutal rule of business. It worked.

As Chaos sampled the wine, he listened to the pirates in the hall bragging and chatting.

There was always some pirate making waves across the seas, or some new story about the Marines. All sorts of news and gossip made for interesting listening.

Most of the talk was about the Roger Pirates, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Lone Red, Iron Fist Garp, and Buddha Sengoku—big names like them.

There were plenty of rising stars, too, and others already showing their edge!

Chaos didn't find any of it boring. Before long, his food arrived.

"This is the place?"

Outside the restaurant, some thirty pirates stood reading the sign. At their head was a man in an open coat, with a thick mat of chest hair, bushy brows, wide eyes, and several scars. Three pistols were tucked at his waist, and his lion-like mane of hair was impossible to miss.

The Tropical Grand Hotel. Looked like trouble.

"That's right. We've looked into the guy. He only came to the island today, and he doesn't have any companions. Someone saw him enter this restaurant, and he hasn't come out."

A bucktoothed pirate beside him spoke up. He looked like an informant.

"Sir Gappa, you have to avenge me!"

The bearded man from earlier was wrapped in bandages, his face deathly pale and sickly. He'd brought in the big guns.

That bastard had to die today.

"Go tell that kid to come out. He may be nothing but a dog, but he's under my protection."

Gappa snorted. It wasn't that he cared about the bearded man getting beaten. The problem was that someone had kicked his dog without regard for its owner.

He had a bit of a reputation in Demon Valley Town. If word got around that one of his men had been beaten and he'd done nothing, how was he supposed to keep operating?

And how could he expect his men to keep following him?

Out here, it was all about saving face.

But Gappa wasn't stupid. He knew there were plenty of pirate crews and powerful figures in Demon Valley Town he couldn't afford to offend, so he'd sent people to investigate first.

"Yes, sir!"

A pirate ran into the restaurant and hollered over the smoky hall. "Which one of you is Golden Emperor Gaia Chaos? Our captain, Lion King Gappa, wants to see you!"

The pirate surveyed the now-silent room with an arrogant, disdainful look.

"Lion King Gappa? The one with a bounty of fifty-three million?"

"Who's Golden Emperor? That's a pretty cocky title."

"Never heard of him!"

"Is he famous?"

The hall stayed quiet for barely a few seconds before growing lively again.

Every pirate looked on as if they were waiting for a show.

"Which one of you is Golden Emperor Gaia Chaos? You didn't get scared by our captain's name, did you?"

When no one answered, the pirate sneered.

"Whoever he's looking for, get out there and settle it. Don't disturb my business."

The smoking owner behind the counter addressed the whole room, but his eyes settled on Chaos.

He was the only one who looked suspicious.

Chaos calmly swallowed his food, drained his glass of red wine, then stood with his hands in his pockets and walked toward the messenger.

The pirate looked Chaos up and down. His appearance and clothes matched the bearded man's description well enough.

He was the one they were looking for.

"You punk, you dared to mess with the Lion King Pirates? Get ready for our captain to crush you to death!"

The messenger sneered, as if he could already see Gappa crushing Chaos with his bare hands.

Chaos didn't even give him a glance. He simply walked past the messenger, stepped outside, and looked at the thirty-odd pirates gathered there, with plenty of spectators around them.

"You're Golden Emperor Gaia Chaos?"

Lion King Gappa's gaze turned cold as he grinned viciously. "That's a mighty arrogant title. You dared to kill one of my men? You're asking to die!"

"Are you famous?"

Chaos folded his arms. His contemptuous look made Gappa laugh in a fury.

"Kid, if you've got the guts, follow me!"

Gappa turned and walked away as soon as he'd said it.

He was a pirate with principles.

Fighting here would put him at a disadvantage. If they broke even one thing, those greedy bastards would demand a hundred times its value in compensation. It wasn't worth it.

A powerful pirate wouldn't care about any of that. They'd fight wherever they pleased.

And those greedy bastards wouldn't dare make a peep.

Chaos glanced around. Plenty of people were watching him with amused expressions.

With every eye in the place on him, Chaos rose into the air and shot skyward, flying straight over the Lion King Pirates and out of town ahead of them.

The entire street fell a little quieter.

Lion King Gappa stopped in his tracks, his expression shifting uncertainly.

"Flight!"

"Doesn't look like the Marines' Six Powers technique, Geppo."

"He's probably a Devil Fruit user, too."

"Looks like Lion King Gappa may have picked a fight with someone he can't handle."

"This just got more interesting."

"After him!"

"So this Golden Emperor guy's a bit of a show-off, huh!"

"We'll soon find out if he can back it up."

Chaos's display made quite a few people reconsider their earlier contempt.

The strong had always been high-profile!

How else would anyone know they were strong?

Of course, showing off attracted trouble. But Chaos's Devil Fruit ability meant he could never keep a low profile.

Everyone out here was after power, wealth, and fame!

Chaos now had the strength to match his bold title. Hadn't he spent more than three years keeping his head down just to live large from now on?

He had to admit, it felt great!

Though he'd have to be careful not to get himself killed.

Chaos descended from the sky and came to a stop three feet above the ground.

He looked cool and carefree, with a strangely heroic air.

He wore a white shirt beneath a gray jacket, black pants, and polished leather shoes that gleamed.

His hair stood up in a neat, sharp style, with a lock of bangs falling across his forehead. He looked sunny and open, yet a little fierce.

He was the picture of confidence and pride!

Two or three minutes later, Lion King Gappa arrived with more than thirty men, followed by plenty of pirates looking for a show.

Gappa didn't back down, either. He took off his coat, revealing his powerful chest, then strode over to Chaos barehanded, rolling his neck until it cracked.

"Place your bets!"

"Hundred thousand berries on the Lion King!"

"I'll put three hundred thousand on the Golden Emperor. With Flight ability, he can't lose!"

"That guy looks like a fraud. I'm betting on the Lion King to lose!"

"Bunch of broke losers. I'm putting five hundred thousand berries on the Lion King!"

"Then I'm betting on the Golden Emperor."

The fight hadn't even started, and some of the spectators were already placing bets.

Most were betting on the Lion King. People in Demon Valley Town had heard of Gappa, but Chaos wasn't known at all.

If he hadn't shown off his Flight ability, even fewer people would have bet on him.

In the middle of the open ground, Gappa's body suddenly swelled. Fur sprouted all over him as he grew taller and more muscular. With a roar, he transformed into a humanoid lion.

His limbs were strong, his claws gleaming, and a tail swung behind him. A fierce beastly aura surged over them, kicking up the surrounding dust as he stood in all his might!

Gappa had started in his hybrid form. He might have acted contemptuous of Chaos, but he'd already been on his guard..

PS: A huge thank-you to Wanfen Shenkou (Shamelessness Is Invincible) for 5,000 Qidian coins. Love you!

Qidian: Thanks to Wanfen Shenkou (Shamelessness Is Invincible) for 5,000 Qidian coins, and to reader 20200618205125556 for 100 Qidian coins.