Walking straight into the tavern, Chaos glanced around, sensing the various presences. "Camel Tepieru, I'm here to take your life. I'll be waiting at that place from half a month ago. If you're scared, you don't have to come."
With that, Chaos left.
He really couldn't tell which one was Camel Tepieru.
The entire tavern fell silent. Almost every pirate looked toward the same person: Camel Tepieru, who had a table all to himself.
"That looks like the Golden Emperor who defeated Zebra Killer Barnkes half a month ago."
"It really is him."
"Look, Camel Tepieru's storming out with a dark look on his face."
"Let's go see."
Quite a few pirates were getting excited. They'd been hoping for some entertainment.
They hadn't expected the Golden Emperor, who'd made a brief appearance half a month ago, to show up again and publicly declare that he'd take Camel Tepieru's life. No man could put up with that.
What's more, Camel Tepieru was a pirate with a reputation. He had a bounty of seventy-nine million Berries.
At the place where he'd killed Lion King Gappa and defeated Zebra Killer half a month ago, the ground was still visibly rough and uneven. Chaos dropped down from the sky, using Geppo.
He turned to face Demon Valley Town and waited.
Chaos didn't have to wait long. Camel Tepieru came running over soon after.
"Kid, you think you can challenge me just because you beat Zebra Killer? I could beat that guy easily if I wanted to. You picked the wrong person to mess with."
Camel Tepieru's face twisted with malice. He'd decided to tear this guy apart.
He'd been provoked in front of everyone. Did he have no pride?
Some distance away, a crowd of pirates had gathered to watch the show, and they'd already started placing bets.
At the same time, the pirates remembered Chaos.
"Whoosh!"
Chaos didn't waste any time. He used Soru and vanished from the spot, reappearing to sweep a kick at Camel Tepieru. But the latter dodged it with ease.
Chaos quickly launched a second attack. He vanished again, reappearing at Camel Tepieru's right side, his right fist clenched as it cut through the air with a sharp whistle.
Camel Tepieru's expression remained cold. He tilted his head to dodge the punch, then kicked out. Sensing the attack, Chaos crossed his arms in front of him. The tremendous force drove his feet deep into the ground as he was hurled backward.
"Hmph! I'm not Zebra Killer."
Looking at the gold covering Chaos's eyes, Camel Tepieru assumed he was blind.
That only made him angrier. This guy had the nerve to boast about taking his life despite being blind. What an insult!
Camel Tepieru's body suddenly grew taller. His chest bulged, and fur spread across it. His face turned savage as he transformed into a half-beast camel. His powerful aura whipped up a gale that scattered the dust around him. The ground exploded beneath his feet as he vanished.
"Ugh!"
Chaos sensed the danger, but Camel Tepieru was too fast. He didn't have time to block. A fist slammed straight into his face, and a tearing pain shot through the bridge of his nose. His body spun uncontrollably through the air, making a full three-sixty before crashing into the ground again and again, leaving a trench behind him.
Blood dripped from his nose. Chaos didn't even have time to wipe it away before quickly diving to the side.
The next moment, dirt and stones flew everywhere. Camel Tepieru's powerful foot plunged into the ground with ease, like a cannonball, while cracks spread in every direction.
His camel face was full of menace.
Chaos got up from the ground and took a deep breath, facing Camel Tepieru. He could sense that the man was in that direction, about ten meters away.
His nose seemed to be broken. It hurt badly.
"Is that all you've got? Half a month ago, didn't you bet I'd be killed by Zebra Killer? Well, now I'm betting you can't kill me either."
Chaos had already learned from Zebra Killer why the man had attacked him.
So those three had placed bets on him!
They'd decided his life or death just like that.
Luckily, Chaos had some ability. Otherwise, he wouldn't even have had the right to choose how he died.
"Let's see if you're still saying that in a minute."
Camel Tepieru's gaze was icy. In the space of just two breaths, he appeared in front of Chaos. His right hoof was powerful and strong, more than capable of shattering rock.
Chaos clenched his right fist as well and punched, following his instincts. A massive wave of force swept out from the two of them, scattering dirt and dust as cracks appeared all around them.
Hmph!!!
Chaos grunted, his face contorted with pain.
His whole body bent to the right. Camel Tepieru's right foot had struck him squarely in the side. The uncontrollable force made Chaos spit blood as he slammed into the ground, tumbling over and over and smashing through a mass of loose rocks.
Sensing danger overhead, Chaos rolled away in a desperate scramble. Camel Tepieru emerged from the dust and swiftly kicked toward his abdomen.
At the critical moment, Chaos crossed his arms in front of him. The tremendous force sent him rolling like a rubber ball, his face pale and twisted.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground shook with repeated crashes. Camel Tepieru's attacks were fierce and fast, giving Chaos no chance to catch his breath.
A right hook slammed into Chaos's face. He turned his head as blood, teeth, and spittle sprayed from his mouth. His body shot away in a spiral, smashing through layer after layer of rock as he groaned in pain.
"Die!"
Camel Tepieru was like a child who'd gotten his hands on a favorite toy. He dropped from the sky with a sharp whistle.
Chaos gritted his teeth against his body's agony and pushed off the ground, chaining together backflips to dodge. But Camel Tepieru stayed right on his heels and swept out a kick, then followed up with one spinning kick after another.
With a dull thud, Chaos went flying and tumbled across the ground. He quickly got back up and raised his arms in front of himself. Camel Tepieru appeared and kicked him.
The powerful gust tore through the ground around them. Chaos couldn't fight back at all.
It was a one-sided beating.
"Are you still not going to use your ability?"
Camel Tepieru had stayed on guard the whole time, but for some reason, this guy would rather take a beating than use his Devil Fruit ability.
The pirates watching from a distance were also discussing the fight.
"Cough, cough..."
Chaos lay battered on the ground, his face swollen and misshapen as he vomited blood. He looked utterly miserable.
"I don't need to use my ability to kill you."
He staggered to his feet and beckoned with a finger. That brazen, taunting gesture made Camel Tepieru's expression turn icy, his face brimming with murderous intent.
He was going to tear this guy apart with his own hands.
The ground exploded beneath Camel Tepieru's feet, flinging up dirt and loose rocks. He appeared in front of Chaos with a sharp whistle, his right foot surging forward with terrifying force.
Chaos's ragged breathing suddenly steadied. Time seemed to slow, and an image inexplicably appeared in his mind: Camel Tepieru's attack, and the direction it was coming from.
But Chaos still couldn't dodge. The sound of bones cracking rang through his body as he went flying, landing in a heap of rubble and coughing up blood.
"Haha!"
His whole body throbbed with pain. Even breathing hurt.
And yet Chaos laughed with excitement.
There was no mistaking it. He hadn't imagined that feeling.
It was a sign that his Observation Haki was awakening.
"You're still so damn arrogant, even with death at your door!"
Camel Tepieru was furious. To him, Chaos's wild laughter was an act of contempt.
He'd been holding back because he was wary of Chaos's ability, but now he stopped hiding his strength.
As Camel Tepieru attacked, another image appeared in Chaos's mind. He could see the path of Camel Tepieru's strike.
Chaos threw himself flat on the ground. A gale swept across the ground behind him, stripping away layer after layer of dirt, but he successfully dodged Camel Tepieru's sweeping attack.
But Camel Tepieru quickly counterattacked. This time, Chaos couldn't dodge in time.
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