Half of Demon Valley Town was seething with undercurrents. As night deepened, pirates had gathered all along the street, openly and in secret, their eyes fixed on the Tropical Grand Hotel.
The entire hotel was dark, with only one room still lit. Since Chaos had checked in, not just the owner and staff but the other pirate guests had left during the day as well.
In the luxurious room, Chaos studied the various wanted posters in his hands. Quite a few offered bounties of over fifty million, and some even topped a hundred million.
He had asked for the newspapers with the wanted posters when the owner, who was always smoking, left.
Chaos was reckless and provocative, but he had the strength to back it up. He had prepared and knew what he was doing!
If anyone proved too strong, he'd make a quick escape without hesitation!
"After tonight, I'll be famous!"
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Chaos rested his chin in his hand and studied the posters. He was looking forward to this game.
He wanted to tempt fate!
He loved the thrill of being so brazen; it made his blood race.
Three years and five months of holding back had nearly driven him crazy.
"The lights are out."
About ten minutes later, the hotel's only light went dark. A number of pirates surrounding it grinned in the darkness, their greedy eyes glowing like wolves that had spotted a sheep.
"That's the Black Cat Pirates. Their captain has a bounty of 5.2 million, and the crew's combined bounty is ten million."
"Those small fry are just going to get themselves killed."
"What idiots."
Pirates lurking in the shadows scoffed. Where had those little no-name pirates gotten the nerve?
The Gilded Emperor had even killed Camel Tepieru, who had a bounty of 79 million. The captain of the Black Cat Pirates wasn't worth a fraction of that. Greed had clearly addled their brains.
"Why hasn't anything happened?"
"Hasn't it been five minutes?"
"Don't even wonder. They didn't even scream. They must've been taken out in an instant."
"We need some stronger pirates to test the waters."
Five minutes passed, and not a sound came from the hotel. It was like a ravenous beast opening its jaws in the dark, waiting for someone to walk straight into its trap.
"Someone else couldn't hold back. That's the Poison Hand Pirates, with a bounty of 48 million. At last, someone with some weight!"
Another five minutes passed.
"What's going on? Even pirates with a 48-million bounty couldn't make a splash?"
"Damn it, could it be a trap?"
"The Gilded Emperor wouldn't show himself so openly unless he trusted his strength."
The third wave.
The fourth wave.
The fifth wave.
A strange atmosphere settled over the entire street. The last pirate to enter had a bounty of 81 million, yet he hadn't made a splash either. There hadn't even been a fight.
It was frighteningly quiet.
A number of pirates swallowed nervously. They would've been relieved to hear even the slightest sound!
"Doo-doo. Now this is interesting!"
A group of pirates sat at an open-air spot not far away, drinking without bothering to hide themselves.
Their mannerisms were somewhat comical.
The fellow at the head of the group, dressed as a clown, let out a bubbly laugh. He'd clearly become intrigued.
"That's Octopus Maniac Rotes, with a bounty of 105 million."
"Wait, that's Swordsman Crus."
"Are they interested in the gold too?"
Suddenly, a commotion rose from the street, drawing most of the crowd's attention.
A man in aristocratic clothes was approaching, a long, spiral-shaped sword hanging from his waist.
"What the hell is he trying to do? He'd better not die here, or how am I supposed to wash away my humiliation?"
On the roof of a building, Zebra Killer shifted his gaze from Octopus Maniac Rotes and Swordsman Crus to the Tropical Grand Hotel, shrouded in darkness and haze. He frowned, looking displeased.
He was arrogant and conceited himself, but he had a fierce sense of pride.
Zebra Killer wasn't the only one who had appeared. Reaper Tesys and Blood Thorn Pradanite were there too, along with several pirate crews whose bounties exceeded a hundred million.
"Bang!"
Without warning, every pirate on the street turned to look at Chaos's room. Its window was flung open, and the loud crash rang out through the night.
But the next moment, they were stunned.
"I'll be damned! Can't any of you put up a fight? I put the gold here so you could take it! Can't you at least try to kill me? You're all a bunch of spineless cowards, not even as good as women!
"You useless pieces of trash!"
The window slammed shut. The whole street fell silent.
Several pirates stared up in shock, blinking as they tried to process what they'd just heard.
Inside, Chaos was genuinely furious. After all this time, only a few no-name pirates had come up. He hadn't seen a single one of the powerful ones. They were giving him no respect at all.
He'd been looking forward to this for nothing.
"Damn it, I can't take this anymore!"
"He's too arrogant!"
"I'm going to kill him!"
"Brothers, charge! Take down the Gilded Emperor!"
The pirates snapped out of it, their faces contorting with fury.
The Gilded Emperor was supposed to be the sheep, and they were the wolves!
But this sheep, surrounded on all sides, was even more arrogant than they were.
He was insulting them to their very souls.
No man could stand for it—least of all pirates with fiery tempers, no humanity, and no regard for the law.
Chaos had successfully provoked them.
"Kill!"
"I'll tear him to pieces!"
"I've never seen anyone so arrogant!"
"Hack him to death!"
A horde of pirates charged into the hotel, all murderous and ferocious!
Unfortunately, the pirates with bounties over a hundred million still didn't move, though their expressions had turned ugly.
There were plenty of people this arrogant out on the sea.
Those who survived had the ability to back it up.
They still needed to watch and wait.
There were plenty of smart people around.
"Ahh!"
"Help!"
"Bang! Bang!"
Before long, screams and a storm of gunfire rang out from inside the hotel. The stench of blood mingled with gunpowder, overpowering the air. The noise lasted only a minute.
Then silence returned.
Some pirates who'd been about to swoop in and steal the spoils stopped in their tracks, weapons in hand, watching the hotel with wary expressions.
Something was seriously wrong!
At least a hundred people had charged inside. Their bounties ranged from a few million to forty or fifty million, yet all they'd managed was a couple of screams.
And then nothing?
They could see it now: the Gilded Emperor was a ruthless one.
"Is he finally going to make his move?"
"Swordsman Crus."
Zebra Killer, Reaper Tesys, Blood Thorn Pradanite, Octopus Maniac, and the others all looked toward Crus, dressed like an aristocrat. He was a swordsman, with a bounty of 124 million as a lone pirate. That alone showed how powerful he was.
"It's Swordsman Crus."
"The Gilded Emperor is dead."
"That's a swordsman with a bounty of 124 million!"
Hundreds of eyes followed Crus into the hotel. Many people swallowed nervously, the tension rising all at once.
Creak...
Creak!
The sound of heavy footsteps on the wooden stairs seemed eerie in the dim hotel, thick with the smell of blood.
Bodies lay sprawled on either side of the stairs, all pirates who had rushed in earlier.
Their blood had gathered into streams, dripping steadily down the stairwell like filthy water running from the eaves. The stench was thick and overpowering!
Crus remained expressionless. He'd seen scenes like this many times before.
He was interested in the Gilded Emperor now—and, of course, the gold.
"Finally, a big fish."
Chaos's Observation Haki had already covered the entire hotel and part of the street outside. He could sense a powerful presence approaching him at an unhurried pace.
Steady, and razor-sharp!
Like a drawn sword, it radiated a sense of oppression...
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