Absolutely Insane

On top of that, there were a few ridiculously powerful people who had either been born with Observation Haki or pushed it to the absolute limit in one of several fields.

Now that was truly impressive.

Take Roger's Listening to the Voice of All Things. In his eyes, everything in the world was alive—even flowers and trees, stones, and air!

Queen Otohime of Mermaid Island could manipulate emotions.

Charlotte Katakuri could see the future.

Lone Red could read minds or alter memories.

Fujitora Issho had All-Weather Observation Haki, allowing him to sense the presence of meteors in outer space.

Then there was Enel's Mantra, combined with the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, though it wasn't as clearly defined as the five abilities above.

Any one of these abilities was one in ten thousand. If only one person in a million could have Conqueror's Haki, then these five advanced forms of Observation Haki appeared only once in a hundred million.

Chaos was greedy. He'd coveted these five abilities for ages. Awakening even one would be like getting a cheat skill.

For now, they were far too distant and unrealistic. He hadn't even awakened basic Observation Haki yet; he was getting ahead of himself.

But a toad could still dream. What if he happened to find a swan one day?

After all, his talent had improved quite a bit thanks to his transmigration!

Half a month. Chaos and Zebra Killer had spent a full half month in the ravine.

All that time, Chaos had been pondering the problem, living in the ravine with his eyes covered in gold.

He'd trained this way before on Goat Island, so he was familiar with it.

But this time was clearly different. At the very least, his perception felt different.

Within a certain range, Chaos could sense the presence of animals, though it was vague. He could also detect obstacles and other things. The barrier was getting thinner and thinner.

But he still couldn't break through.

It always felt like he was just a little short.

Then, at an offhand remark from Zebra Killer, inspiration suddenly struck Chaos.

He knew what he was missing.

The threat of death!

People only unleashed their body's potential when they were on the brink of death.

So the next step was simple.

Chaos gritted his teeth and decided to risk his life in Demon Valley Town.

He wouldn't use the power of the Gold-Gold Fruit anymore, unless his life was on the line.

He'd risk everything to awaken Observation Haki.

Take a gamble, and a bicycle might become a motorcycle. Lose, and it was curtains.

But he wasn't going to die. When things got truly dire, he'd run away immediately.

What did pride matter when his life was at stake?

He was going to become the world's richest man. He hadn't even started living a life of luxury and extravagance yet—how could he die?

As long as he was alive, he'd grind out Observation Haki, even if it took him a little longer.

"Hey! Are you kidding me? You're really just going to leave me here?"

On the side of the ravine, Chaos had made a concealed cave in the mountainside. Now Zebra Killer stared at him furiously, his face saying, Are you messing with me?

"You're a Zoan user. You should be able to last ten days or half a month without food or water. I'll be back before then."

Zebra Killer was still tightly bound in gold, with only his head sticking out.

A closer look revealed a pile of gold inside the cave. Chaos had sensed it in the mountains over the past half month, and there was quite a lot of it.

It was a piece of Sky Island, after all!

In the opposite corner lay a pile of herbs. Any doctor would recognize them as herbs that stopped bleeding, reduced inflammation, and sped up healing.

Chaos obviously wasn't a doctor, but he'd deliberately prepared those herbs.

He'd learned about them from Little Jaw, Little Lion, and Little Tiger. Those three often got injured and sought out these herbs, so Chaos had learned to recognize them over time.

He'd even used them quite often during that period.

He was preparing in advance.

Chaos raised a hand and beckoned. More than half the gold began to writhe, transforming into a golden coffin at least a meter thick. That showed just how much gold he had under his control now.

"You damn bastard! Tying me up wasn't enough, so now you're locking me in a coffin too?"

Zebra Killer's face turned green. Just how little did this guy trust him? This was absolutely insane.

Chaos ignored his wailing. The golden chains around him continued to spread, wrapping around his head and leaving only his nostrils and mouth uncovered. Then he climbed into the golden coffin, and the gold flowed together into a seamless whole, leaving just two holes the size of thumbs for air to pass through so the guy wouldn't suffocate.

Zebra Killer kept cursing inside the coffin, though his voice was much quieter.

After settling Zebra Killer, Chaos looked at the small pile of gold. He hesitated, then waved his hand, forming a palm-sized layer that clung to his lower body. If his life really was in danger, this would be his guarantee of escape.

The rest flew toward the coffin and merged with it, adding to its thickness.

Once everything was ready, Chaos used Geppo to fly toward Demon Valley Town.

Half a month had passed, but Demon Valley Town hadn't changed much.

Some pirates left, and new ones arrived on the island. It was still bustling and chaotic, with bloody incidents breaking out from time to time.

People had still been talking about the title of Gild Tesoro ten days ago, but not much anymore.

Demon Valley Town was never short on news. One day, some pirate with a bounty of a few million would be killed; the next, a pirate worth tens of millions would arrive. Who would remember what happened half a month ago?

But the pirates would soon remember the Golden Emperor.

"Kid, you're still alive?"

"Your room's past its checkout time. Pay up if you want to keep staying."

At the Tropical Grand Hotel, the smoking owner behind the counter looked a little surprised to see Chaos.

"Do you sell information here?"

Chaos had come to see if he could find out anything useful.

People who ran restaurants and hotels were bound to be well-informed.

"Ten taels of gold per piece of information."

The smoking owner took a puff.

"I want the whereabouts of Reaper Tesys, Blood Thorn Pradanite, and Camel Tepieru."

Chaos placed a fist-sized lump of gold on the counter, as if it were nothing more than a rock.

"You're in luck. Those three haven't left Demon Valley Town yet. Turn left when you leave and go all the way down the street. There's a bar. Camel Tepieru's there; Reaper and Blood Thorn are there too."

After confirming their locations, Chaos turned and walked out of the bar.

Though his eyes were covered, he didn't bump into a single table or chair on the way.

It was like a man who'd been blind for over thirty years, able to sense certain obstacles.

One thing was certain: this wasn't Observation Haki.

It was more like a sense, yet it led to the same destination as Observation Haki. He just needed that little bit more, just one tiny opening in the barrier, and Observation Haki would fall into place.

"This guy disappeared for half a month. I thought he was dead!"

Speck and Triss appeared from who knows where, leaning half their bodies against the counter as they watched Chaos disappear through the doorway.

"Isn't it interesting? He actually came up with this way to train."

The smoking owner puffed on his pipe, then turned and shouted, "You two bastards, slacking off during work hours again!"

"I went to that fortune-teller on the corner yesterday. He said you'd kick the bucket in three days, and then I'd inherit your fortune."

Triss was still eyeing the smoking owner's hotel.

"That old bastard's been telling you that for ten years, and you've believed him all this time. Yet I'm still alive and well."

The smoking owner scoffed.

"Damn it, I'm going to go settle the score with him after work."

Triss flew into a rage, feeling she'd been deceived.

"But every time you go looking for him in a rage, nothing ever comes of it."

"Damn it, this time I'm definitely punching him."

"You say that every time."

Meanwhile, on the street, Chaos followed the smoking owner's directions to the bar on the corner. Along the way, plenty of pirates eyed the gold covering his eyes greedily, but none of them made a move.

Maybe Chaos's brazen display had left the pirates second-guessing themselves...