The rosy clouds swirled across the horizon as the sun sank in the west, painting a beautiful scene.
The fiery red sun would soon dip below the horizon. A gentle breeze swept across the mountains, filling him with a sense of peace and delight.
Chaos carried a deer down the mountain. Over the past three years, he had gotten to know the people in town and his neighbors.
He had never revealed his abilities or let on that he'd found gold in the mountains. Instead, he made do by hunting and trading his game for daily necessities. His home was halfway up the mountain, more than ten minutes' walk from the town below.
"Hey! Caught another deer, Chaos? That's a big one!"
As he walked down the town's streets, plenty of villagers called out to him.
"Got lucky today. Looks like I'll have another good meal."
Chaos flashed a hearty smile. He knew all the people passing by.
He couldn't catch game every day. Sometimes he went two or three days without a single catch; other times, he brought home only a few pheasants or rabbits. Chaos had made a point of presenting himself as an ordinary person.
He was extremely cautious, having perfectly blended in with the common folk.
With his current abilities, not to mention the three beasts—Lion, Croc, and Tiger—it would have been easy for him to catch some larger animals.
He kept smiling as he walked. Many of these people had helped him out one way or another.
Some had given him vegetables, soy sauce, vinegar, rice, or other necessities. In turn, Chaos occasionally shared some game or medicinal herbs with them. They helped one another, and life was peaceful enough.
Carrying the deer, he headed to the butcher's shop at the end of the street. The butcher handled all the pig slaughtering in town and also ran a meat stall. Chaos sold him most of the game he caught.
The prices were fair, too.
The butcher looked frightening, but he was actually a kindhearted man.
After selling the deer, Chaos went to the udon shop run by old man Tist and his wife. He'd eaten there on credit plenty of times.
"Uncle Tist, the usual! Extra chili and scallions!"
He plopped down on a stool and hollered toward the kitchen.
"Sure thing."
Tist didn't bother coming out to greet him. He recognized Chaos by his voice alone.
"There's a new newspaper today."
Chaos picked up the newspaper on the table and began reading.
For the past three years, it had been his only source of news from the outside world.
The News Coo were a wonder of this world. Almost anywhere people lived, News Coos showed up with newspapers to sell.
"Lone Red Patrick Redfield and Marine Admiral Buddha Sengoku battled for five days and five nights in the New World. After destroying a medium-sized island, Redfield fled."
"Iron Fist Garp pursued the Roger Pirates. The two sides clashed on the Grand Line. The outcome is unknown."
"Whitebeard Edward Newgate has appeared in the New World and clashed with Golden Lion Shiki, captain of the Flying Pirates."
"Fleet Admiral Steel Bone Kong personally struck down Kaido, but Kaido narrowly escaped."
"The Totto Land empire founded by Charlotte Linlin is rapidly expanding its influence."
"World Destroyer Bondi Wald destroyed a Navy branch. Marine Admiral Black Arm Zephyr has taken decisive action!"
"The Navy's three promising Logia rookies, Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, have captured numerous pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million on the Grand Line."
"..."
The latest newspaper had plenty of news.
Alongside the pirates who would become legends more than twenty years later, there were many other Great Pirates who never appeared in the original story, all with bounties over 100 million.
A 100-million-belly bounty in this era would have been worth 300 or 400 million in Luffy's time—and without any inflation.
In the future Great Pirate Era, a bounty wouldn't necessarily reflect strength. Instead, it would measure how evil someone was.
Massacring innocents or destroying villages and kingdoms would send a bounty soaring.
But in this era, bounties were tied to strength. The higher the bounty, the stronger the pirate.
"Damn, it's dangerous out there!"
Judging by the reports, a lot of the news was already a month or even half a month old!
The outside world was crawling with all kinds of monsters. Just thinking about it was thrilling.
Sure, only a handful would become legends after the great culling. But anyone with a bounty over 100 million in this era had real skills.
If they survived until Luffy's time, they'd absolutely be hailed as legendary pirates.
Kaido and Big Mom were already showing the first signs of their power. Roger, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, Lone Red, Garp, Zephyr, Sengoku, and World Destroyer were writing their own legends. Rookies like Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan were also making their mark.
The future world order—with the Four Emperors, Shichibukai, Navy, Revolutionary Army, and underworld kings—had yet to take shape. The World Government remained the undisputed overlord.
The idiots in the Holy Land were still singing and dancing, living lives of extravagant luxury.
The Great Pirate Era had yet to begin.
He'd kept a low profile for three years. It was time to get out there, see the world, and cut loose.
In his previous life, he'd been utterly ordinary, an invisible face among the masses.
When he saw glamorous celebrities on TV, rich heirs cruising around in luxury cars surrounded by beautiful women, or powerful tycoons who drew every eye wherever they went, he'd wanted to be high-profile, too. He'd wanted to act like he owned the place!
And he wanted people to be powerless to stop him. That was the kind of life he wanted.
He'd finally gotten the protagonist's script. If he didn't turn this world upside down, he might as well die.
Even if his legs got broken—or he died along the way—he was going to see it through. Not only that, he'd do it with style and swagger.
B! He had to show off!
It was a matter of principle.
There was no room for negotiation!
He was going to be the King of B!!!
After finishing his udon, Chaos returned to his wooden cabin halfway up the mountain.
The island was called Goat Island, and it lay on the Grand Line!
Every six months or so, merchant ships stopped there to buy or sell supplies. If he was unlucky, pirates showed up instead!
By his calculations, a merchant ship would pass by in three or four months.
Chaos planned to hitch a ride with one and see the outside world. He didn't have any particular destination in mind yet.
His most basic goal was to get stronger.
Once he had the strength to protect his wealth, he'd become the world's richest man. That was settled.
Even the Pirate King wouldn't have a more impressive title than him.
After all, Roger had started the Great Pirate Era with One Piece. But One Piece represented wealth, power, and fame—all three of which the world's richest man already had.
Roger might have to come up with some other bait to kick off the Great Pirate Era.
And if he got bored, he could always pick up a couple of side gigs—like becoming one of the Four Emperors or a Shichibukai!
He still had a long way to go before he could declare, "Money doesn't interest me. I've never even touched it," with the swagger of a true big shot.
It was a bit hypocritical, but the feeling was great.
Night had fallen. With nothing else to do for entertainment, Chaos could only keep training.
He was a little tired, but the thought of setting sail soon—and of the danger to his life—immediately filled him with determination.
The hardship and exhaustion now were all preparation for the future.
When he thought about the flashy life of a nouveau riche he'd lead someday, none of this seemed like a big deal!
He had three or four months. He'd see if he could master the Six Powers or one of the Two types of Haki. Even learning just one would be a win...
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