Observation Haki had only just awakened, and it came and went. If he wanted to fully awaken or master it, he would have to keep fighting.
Only fighting could speed up the awakening and mastery of Observation Haki.
Whoosh!
Bang, bang!
The battle went on. At first, Chaos had been nothing more than a punching bag, but now he could predict Camel Tepieru's attacks and react quickly enough to dodge.
His success rate was still pretty low, though. Maybe one out of every five attempts worked.
Chaos's ability to take a beating was stronger than he'd imagined.
After all, over the past three years, he'd taken plenty of beatings from Little Jaw, Little Tiger, and Little Lion while training his Armament Haki and Iron Body. All those blows had toughened up his defenses.
You could say he was thick-skinned and hard as nails.
But this couldn't go on. Who the hell could take this kind of beating?
His opponent wasn't some nobody. He was a Zoan user with a bounty of seventy-nine million. An ordinary person would've been kicked to death already.
He couldn't take it anymore!
He was done for!
"Just you wait! I'll be back!"
Chaos spat out a mouthful of blood, then shot away. He controlled the gold to carry him into the sky and quickly flew off, leaving behind a final threat.
It was a threat, sure, but no matter how you looked at it, he seemed unusually excited and delighted!
Camel Tepieru stood on the ground in his hybrid form, his expression grim and tinged with bewilderment.
But above all, he was furious. He hadn't killed the guy, and he'd even let him escape.
If he could fly, he definitely wouldn't have let that guy get away.
There was little point in chasing him now.
After weighing it for a moment, Camel Tepieru returned to normal and gave up.
Back in the ravine, Chaos came crashing down to the ground, drenched in blood and in a pitiful state.
His injuries were severe, but he could still move.
Though his face was deathly pale and his body covered in wounds, Chaos was elated and exhilarated, to the point that even the pain seemed to ease.
That beating hadn't been for nothing.
He floated into the hidden cave. Ignoring Zebra Killer's growls, Chaos grabbed the herbs he'd prepared earlier and went to the river. Gritting his teeth, he washed himself off.
Then he tossed the herbs into his mouth and chewed them, before controlling the gold to plaster his wounds like poultices. His practiced movements were almost heartbreaking.
Chaos couldn't help but thank those three guys on Goat Island for teaching him this skill. The treatment was primitive and rough, but it worked no worse than the miracle drugs invented by humans.
He straightened his nose and bared his teeth as he stuck a piece of gold over it, hoping he wouldn't be disfigured and ruin his handsome face.
"If only I could use Life Return."
After treating his injuries with great difficulty, Chaos lay on a rock and sighed.
If he had Life Return, all he'd need to do now was eat a big meal, and he'd be back on his feet the next day!
Life Return didn't just speed up recovery. It also boosted attack power, speed, defense, and everything else.
Marine Hero Garp could rule the seas both now and in the future thanks to his Haki, the Six Powers, and Life Return. He was a true master of martial arts.
Meanwhile, Chaos's name had once again spread through Demon Valley Town, albeit on a small scale. It hadn't caused much of a stir.
After all, Chaos didn't have a bounty yet, and nobody even knew whether he was a pirate.
If his bounty were over a hundred million berries, it would certainly have caused a sensation throughout Demon Valley Town.
Take the several pirates in town with bounties over a hundred million. When they first walked down the street and were recognized, they caused quite a commotion and made plenty of people wary.
No pirate dared to provoke them. Only pirates of the same caliber had the qualifications and strength to do so.
That was the difference.
A bounty over a hundred million was a watershed!
But at that moment, the one who felt most aggrieved was undoubtedly Camel Tepieru.
Reaper Tesys and Blood Thorn Pradanite had also heard the news, but neither paid it much mind. They were both very confident in their own strength.
If Gild Tesoro came looking for trouble, they could simply deal with him.
Also, Zebra Killer, Camel Tepieru, and Reaper Tesys were all lone-wolf pirates. Blood Thorn Pradanite, on the other hand, captained the Blood Thorn Pirates, with sixty or seventy men under him.
He had a bit of a reputation in the Grand Line.
But his situation wasn't great at the moment. He'd come to Demon Valley Town to evade a Rear Admiral who was hunting him.
The sun rose and set, and two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Demon Valley Town remained a paradise for pirates. The casinos, Red Light District, and taverns were packed day and night, full of debauchery and extravagant excess.
But bloody incidents could break out at any moment.
Come to think of it, Chaos still hadn't really explored Demon Valley Town, even though he'd been there for over half a month!
"I've recovered even faster than I expected!"
Deep in the forest, in the ravine, Chaos stretched and found himself fully recovered.
His constitution was already strong, and the herbs had made him even stronger.
In the golden sunlight, the two tiny golden knives hanging from his ears stood out. They somehow gave Chaos a contradictory air of arrogance and aloofness.
They weren't just ornaments. In a pinch, they were deadly weapons.
He also wore golden rings on all ten fingers, each decorated with patterns. Altogether, they made him look even more brazen and unruly!
If he added a thick gold chain around his neck, he'd have a whole different vibe.
Now that he had the tiny knife earrings and golden rings, Chaos didn't plan to wear any more gold.
He estimated he'd have to take another brutal beating this time.
But for the sake of completely mastering Observation Haki, he could take one beating. Hell, he could take two.
It was all for the sake of making a living!
Chaos had a remarkably strong will.
Nearby, Zebra Killer was bound with chains and stood inside the golden coffin, his face dark throughout. He really hoped the guy would drop dead!
Camel Tepieru, Reaper Tesys, and Blood Thorn Pradanite—those three idiots hadn't managed to kill him.
After hunting a few animals for lunch, Chaos stuffed Zebra Killer back into the golden coffin amid his angry protests. Then, with some herbs prepared in advance, he stepped through the air with Geppo and flew toward Demon Valley Town.
"Hey! Isn't that Gild Tesoro?"
"It really is."
"Camel Tepieru nearly killed him two days ago. I thought he was dead!"
"Where's he headed?"
Chaos's appearance caught the attention of a few pirates.
Chaos had barely stepped into a tavern on the street corner for five seconds when a figure smashed through the wall and came flying out. It was Camel Tepieru.
Chaos walked out of the tavern, beckoned to Camel Tepieru, and then flew toward the town.
"I'll kill you!"
Camel Tepieru roared. His body quickly swelled into its hybrid form, and he charged after Chaos like an arrow.
He had only one thought: he had to kill this guy.
By the time the pirates who'd come to watch arrived, Chaos and Camel Tepieru were already fighting.
This time, Chaos hadn't covered his eyes with gold, but he still chose to fight Camel Tepieru with his eyes closed.
Bang, bang!
A powerful gale swept through, sending dust and rocks flying in every direction.
With his eyes closed, Chaos traded blow after blow with Camel Tepieru. The moment they clashed, Camel Tepieru sensed something was wrong.
The guy wasn't blind. Last time he'd covered his eyes with gold, and this time he was fighting with them closed. And every now and then, he was blocking Camel Tepieru's attacks head-on.
Camel Tepieru's fury surged like a rocket. He wasn't an idiot.
"You're using me as a whetstone!"
Camel Tepieru's thick right leg swept across, his eyes bloodshot as he nearly went mad.
He'd never suffered such humiliation!
Chaos raised his knee to block the roundhouse kick and slid sideways, one foot sinking deep into the ground. Without saying a word, he beckoned to Camel Tepieru.
His manner and expression were utterly arrogant!!
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