Shave: In a split second (0.36 seconds), repeatedly kicking off the ground dozens of times at high speed generated explosive reaction force, allowing the user to move at incredible speed. To an enemy, it looked as if the user had simply vanished.
It didn't require any inner power, Immortal Qi, or Battle Qi to activate. As long as your physique was strong enough and your legs could move that fast, you could master it.
There were no profound martial arts manuals involved. You just had to take ten steps in 0.36 seconds.
At first, he'd only tried training it on the off chance he might succeed.
Iron Body was just about taking a beating.
He hadn't made any progress with Geppo, Tempest Kick, or Paper Arts. Maybe he still hadn't met the requirements.
Although he hadn't mastered Finger Pistol, when Chaos kept both hands in Golden Material form, he could leave dents in trees with his fingers.
Compared with his former self three years ago, the Chaos of today could beat ten thousand of him.
But he'd earned everything he had now through three years of sweat and torment.
It had been hard to keep going at first, but gradually he'd gotten used to it.
Lying on his back atop the big tiger, Chaos kept his whole body Goldenized. How long he could maintain it depended on when his stamina ran out.
But the stamina he used up every second was almost negligible. If he stayed Goldenized while taking hits, though, he'd use up stamina much faster.
"Roar~"
Before long, Little Tiger carried Chaos around to the other side of the mountain. A male lion, seven or eight meters long, lay sprawled on the grass. A scar on his face made him look even more ferocious than Little Tiger.
He was Little Lion, one of the Three Musketeers.
His experiences had been much like Little Tiger's.
Ever since meeting Chaos, his life as a lion had been a wild ride!
Now, whenever he saw the gleaming little golden man, his fierce face drooped at once.
"Go catch me two top-quality deer!"
Chaos sat up and looked at the lion, who was wearing a sour expression. His golden eyes narrowed slightly.
Who was he pulling that face for?
Was he asking for a lesson in love?
Chaos wasn't afraid of tattooed tough guys. Why would he be afraid of one with a perm?
When it came to being a badass, he was the king of the animal kingdom.
"Pfft~"
The enormous lion's head shook. After sneezing, Little Lion swished his tail, radiating the gloomy aura of a melancholy prince.
Little Tiger continued onward, eventually reaching a wide river. On the sandy bank lay a fifteen-meter-long crocodile, belly exposed as he basked in the sun and snored.
His jaws were already gaping wide, and his tongue lolled to one side, drooling.
He looked like he was sleeping soundly.
He was the ruler of this river, and his greatest dream was to bite Chaos to death.
Boom!
Chaos appeared out of nowhere on the sand. He drew back his right leg and kicked the crocodile's toothy head hard. The fifteen-meter-long body shot through the air amid a pitiful wail, then crashed to the ground and rolled over and over.
The crocodile quickly rolled back onto his feet. When he saw Chaos, his anger vanished in an instant.
That damn guy again!!
Ten minutes later.
On a dry stretch of riverbank, Little Lion reluctantly dragged back two deer. Little Tiger had brought back plenty of Withered Wood from the forest, while Little Jaw emerged from the river with several fat fish clamped in his jaws.
They all had their assigned jobs.
Chaos had been practicing handstands and balancing on his index finger, but he stopped and started a fire.
A man, a lion, a tiger, and a crocodile sat around the fire. Compared with the lion, tiger, and crocodile, Chaos still looked small, even though he'd grown again over the past three years, from 1.76 meters to two meters.
"What are you standing around for? Go skin them, remove the guts, and wash everything clean. Do I have to teach you?"
Chaos raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp.
"Roar~"
The three animals were furious but afraid. Grumbling, they started cleaning the fish and deer.
Their sharp claws made quick work of the bodies, slicing them open with a flick. They skillfully removed the innards, stripped off the deer hide or fish scales, washed everything in the river, then threaded it onto branches.
They worked with such crisp efficiency that it was almost heartbreaking to watch.
Chaos sat by the fire and watched the three big animals work with miserable expressions. He didn't feel the slightest bit guilty.
There was something strange about this world. Some animals were surprisingly intelligent, and some could even use Armament Haki—like these three.
He'd gotten along quite well with them over the past two or three years. If they hadn't chased him all over the mountain when they first met, his physique might not be nearly as strong as it was now.
Unfortunately, apart from Shave, he hadn't made any progress with the other six powers, or with Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
As for Armament Haki and Iron Body, he remembered that all you had to do was take hits. The more you took, the more likely you were to awaken them out of the blue.
He'd taken plenty of beatings over the past three years, but it hadn't done a damn thing.
Still, his ability to take a beating and his recovery had improved. That much was clear.
He'd also trained his Observation Haki. He'd blindfolded himself and turned into a little golden man, letting the three of them ambush him. His reflexes and other abilities had improved, but he was still missing that last push. Until he broke through, the difference was like night and day.
In the world of pirates, Armament Haki and Observation Haki were the most basic abilities. He had to master them.
"Looks like it's time to leave."
Chaos stared into the fire, deep in thought. For the past three years, he'd dealt only with animals. He'd faced life-threatening situations, but he hadn't fought another person even once.
That would leave him at a disadvantage.
In other words, he lacked real combat experience.
Only a real fight would reveal his weaknesses and help him grow stronger quickly. Training in isolation wasn't the answer!
He could at least defend himself now. It was time to go out and see this turbulent, magnificent era for himself.
The lion, tiger, and crocodile saw Chaos deep in thought and didn't disturb him.
Instead, they laid the deer and several big fish over the fire, occasionally reaching out with their huge paws to turn them. As the smell wafted through the air, saliva began dripping from their fearsome fangs. They swallowed repeatedly, their thick tails sweeping back and forth across the ground.
This was the only time of day—or at dusk—that they were happy to see Chaos.
The rest of the time, they wanted to bite him to death and leave not even a scrap of bone!
Once he'd filled his belly, the usual mutual slaughter began.
Chaos shut his eyes and dodged the three animals' attacks. When he couldn't get out of the way, he took the hit, and every so often he struck back. Either way, they went at it as hard as they could.
The three animals never held back. They wanted nothing more than to kill Chaos.
Every one of them was out for blood!
This wasn't the sort of freedom a lion, a tiger, or a crocodile ought to have.
All they wanted was to kill him.
Scratch, claw, bite, ram. The three animals exchanged a glance and reached an understanding. They'd built up a wordless rapport over the past two years. Once they killed this human, they'd be brothers again.
Then they could go back to their harems and live out their dreams of freedom and glory as tigers, lions, and crocodiles!
For a while, the place was all chaos and cries of pain, until the sun began to set.
"Whew~"
"Awesome!"
Soaked in sweat and covered in bruises, Chaos shook the damp strands of hair from his forehead and stretched. Every part of him ached. Maybe it was just his imagination, but he felt uncomfortable if he went a whole day without getting beaten up.
The three animals lay on the ground with swollen, bruised faces, tongues hanging out as they panted. Every so often they twitched, their faces twisted in despair from the pain.
It was like having your innocence forcibly taken for the first time in your life.
They were already tainted.
More than ten minutes later, Chaos dragged a deer over and waved goodbye to them warmly. The three fools crouched on the ground and spat to the side in perfect unison, hoping Chaos would vanish from the face of the earth forever.
They'd been praying for that for more than two years.
But it was no use.
The next day, that bastard would come looking for them again.
Before you continue