The Look Had to Be Impressive, Something Different

As the sun set, Chaos left the Tropical Grand Hotel after showering and eating.

Chaos had thoroughly enjoyed his meal this time. Every pirate in the hall had watched him carefully. There was nothing more satisfying than being feared and admired.

The feeling of being envied, hated, and yet beyond anyone's reach was intoxicating!

His empty, lonely heart had finally been filled.

Fame was a wonderful thing.

Back in the ravine, Chaos swept the area with his Observation Haki. The golden coffin flew out of the cave and stood upright before him, opening on its own. Zebra Killer no longer glared at him or looked resentful. Instead, he seemed calm and composed.

He had given up.

He really couldn't break free of the golden chains around him or the coffin, a meter thick.

He didn't want to struggle anymore.

But the next moment, the golden coffin and chains shifted, and Zebra Killer's calm expression changed.

"What do you mean by this?"

Now that he was free again, Zebra Killer wasn't happy. Instead, he watched Chaos warily.

Was this guy planning to kill him now that he was no longer useful?

Chaos folded his arms and leaned back. The coffin and chains melded together, becoming a golden chair that floated three feet above the ground. He crossed his legs and sat on it, then ran a hand through his bangs with a touch of vanity.

"As the Golden Emperor, I live by one word: honor!"

"I said I'd let you go once you learned Observation Haki, and I'm letting you go."

"You're free now."

Zebra Killer's mouth twitched. He felt a little relieved. By rights, he should've been happy.

But for some reason, seeing Chaos's vain, arrogant expression irritated him.

This guy really didn't take him seriously.

"You'll regret this!"

Their eyes met. Zebra Killer decided not to attack and wash away this humiliation just yet. He left a threat behind, then sprinted through the ravine and disappeared.

He'd barely escaped with his life. If this guy was willing to let him go so easily, he must have some kind of trick up his sleeve!

Did he think Zebra Killer couldn't see through him?

Hmph!

He was bound to be wrong.

He wasn't falling for it.

"He ran off like the devil was after him!"

Chaos sneered. Zebra Killer had pushed his speed to the limit, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Aside from keeping his word, Chaos had let Zebra Killer go because he wasn't worried about him coming back for revenge. It wasn't arrogance; Chaos was simply confident that if he could win once, he could win again.

Life called for more than swagger and showmanship. It needed a few setbacks and troubles, too.

Every strong person had fought their way to the top, hadn't they? And each had their own charisma.

Chaos held himself to high standards.

He sought a sense of elevation in spirit and soul. His presence had to be impressive, something different!

Whoosh~

Boom, boom!

In the first half of the Grand Line, on a choppy stretch of sea, a warship was chasing a pirate ship. The pirates were fleeing in disarray, many of them terrified.

"Damn it! How did we run into Sakazuki, that mad dog?!"

The pirate captain looked back at the warship hot on their heels. His face was grim, and cold sweat covered his forehead.

If it had been any other Rear Admiral, he wouldn't have hesitated to take him out.

But their pursuer was Sakazuki, one of the Navy's three promising new Logia Rear Admirals. He was notorious for being even more vicious than pirates. Any pirate caught in that mad dog's sights had only one possible fate: death.

They wouldn't even get the chance to go to prison.

Compared with the other two Navy rising stars, this mad dog was far more ruthless. He despised evil and couldn't tolerate the slightest stain. Once he caught pirates, he killed them!

Kill, kill, kill!

All he did was kill!

Worse still, he was frighteningly strong. Though he was only a Rear Admiral for now, his combat strength already rivaled that of the Navy's Vice Admirals.

"Rear Admiral Sakazuki, we just received word that the Blood Thorn Pirates are in Demon Valley Town."

Grenades kept exploding around the ship, sending up sprays of seawater. A Navy communications officer hurried to the bow, Den Den Mushi in hand, soaked by the splashing waves. He looked admiringly at the man standing there with his arms folded, a Navy cap bearing the word "Justice" on his head. The man wore an open red shirt, baring a rose tattoo on his right shoulder, and stared sharply at the pirate ship ahead.

"Turn the warship around and head for Demon Valley Town!"

Sakazuki's gaze turned cold. He left the order and vanished from the bow. When he reappeared, he was ten meters away in midair, flying toward the pirate ship with Geppo.

"Captain, that mad dog's coming right at us!"

"Fire the cannons! Blast him out of the sky!"

"Quick, quick!"

The pirates panicked and aimed every cannon and gun at Sakazuki.

But none of it could stop him. The cannonballs and bullets passed right through his body, splattering magma everywhere. It dripped into the sea with a sizzling hiss. Even the explosions were useless.

"Damn it!"

"He's a Logia user! Our attacks don't work!"

Sakazuki emerged from the smoke of the explosions, drew the long sword from his back with his right hand, and let a vicious look cross his cruel, villainous face. He slashed at the pirate ship from a distance.

In the next instant, a brilliant Slash attack shot out, tearing through the air and splitting the sea. The pirates on deck turned deathly pale and leaped overboard in a desperate attempt to escape.

The devastating Slash split the entire pirate ship in two. Flames and black smoke surged into the sky.

Sakazuki used Geppo to hover above the sea, looking down at the pirates struggling in the water. Red-hot magma began to spray from his left hand. Ignoring their terrified pleas for mercy, he drove his fist down.

"Great Eruption!"

A magma fist the size of a villa, wrapped in scorching vapor, tore through the air and crashed into the sea.

A tremendous explosion overturned the sea in an instant. The water sank across a five-hundred-meter radius. The entire pirate ship and several pirates disappeared, while clouds of steam spread in every direction. Bubbles popped across the surface, which boiled like a pot of water.

Sakazuki sheathed his sword. His vicious face was utterly impassive. He'd killed more than fifty people with ease, as casually as crushing ants. Not a flicker of emotion crossed his face.

"Another crew wiped out to the last man!"

Aboard the warship, which had already turned around, several Navy men lowered their binoculars and sighed.

Everyone in the Navy knew that when they went on a mission with Rear Admiral Sakazuki, there was no chance of making a little extra money.

Every pirate crew they encountered ended with a wrecked ship and a dead crew. Not one survivor.

That meant there'd be none of the money from the pirate ship for them to claim.

Going out with Rear Admiral Sakazuki was easy enough; often the enemy was dealt with before the fight even began. But what was the point of going out to sea if they couldn't make a little money on the side?

Every mission at sea meant risking their lives, never knowing when they might die in the line of duty. Navy men with families weren't just standing by the justice in their hearts. They had plenty of other things to consider, too.

If they were unlucky enough to be captured by pirates, they shouldn't expect Rear Admiral Sakazuki to come rescue them. He'd take the pirates and their captive out in one fell swoop!

In Sakazuki's eyes, Navy men who brought shame on the Navy deserved to die.

Even so, that didn't stop some Navy men from admiring Sakazuki.

Some were downright fanatical about him.

"Rear Admiral Sakazuki!"

Sakazuki used Geppo to catch up with the warship and landed on deck. He wasn't even breathing hard. His expression was as calm as ever, and merely standing there, he radiated a menacing aura.

"How long will it take to reach Demon Valley Town?"

"About a day."

"Too slow!"

Sakazuki furrowed his brow, and the air around them seemed to grow heavy.

"We'll pick up the pace!"

The Navy man beside him stood ramrod straight, his expression solemn.

"Wake me when we arrive. Destroy every pirate ship we encounter along the way. No need to report it!"

"Yes, sir!"

As they watched him disappear below deck, several nearby Navy men breathed a sigh of relief...