The Romance of a Real Man

Chaos's appearance had certainly shocked quite a few people.

After all, he had taken down a Great Pirate with a 330-million-Berry bounty. More importantly, he was the captain of the Flying Pirates' 20th Fleet. The Flying Pirates were at the height of their power now, and you could count on two hands the forces that dared show them so little regard.

That kind of nerve alone put him ahead of ninety-nine percent of the pirates on the sea.

And on top of that, he'd killed Dragon Horn Jax using nothing but a puppet. So just how strong was the Golden Emperor really?

Or was the Golden Emperor himself not that strong, with his real strength lying in his ability to control things?

Like someone who excelled at long-range attacks but was terrible in close combat?

One thing was certain: Chaos was about to become famous!

Even more famous than he'd been seven months ago, when his first bounty of 123 million was issued.

"Hey! What's the Golden Emperor planning?"

Some pirates' faces changed in alarm, while the Marines looked horrified.

Standing in the palm of the Goddess of the Heavens, Chaos's upright hair and open shirt fluttered in the wind. The enormous golden halo behind him began to rise, once more transforming into an array of golden blades, spears, swords, and halberds. Every one of them pointed straight at the Marines.

"Is this guy going to attack the Marines?"

"So brazen? He's making a move on Sabaody Archipelago? Marineford isn't far from here."

Some pirates could only marvel at the Golden Emperor's audacity!

"Damn it!"

"Fall back! Fall back!"

Vice Admiral Ox's hair stood on end. He turned and roared at all the Marines.

He hadn't expected the Golden Emperor to attack them.

"I wasn't satisfied with my last bounty."

Chaos swept his left hand through his upright hair, revealing his smooth forehead. With a look of disdain, he raised his right hand and pressed down lightly. The weapons filling the sky shot toward the Marines like bullets.

His vanity demanded a higher bounty!

All he wanted was to make a statement.

A bounty only felt satisfying when someone else put one on your head.

It was a small sense of accomplishment.

Maybe it was narrow-minded, foolish, and vulgar, but this was a matter of principle.

It had nothing to do with good or evil—only different sides and different ideals!

"Open fire! Open fire!"

"Defend yourselves!"

"Ahh!"

The ground erupted in explosions. Countless rocks and clods of earth flew into the air as dust and rubble filled the scene, craters tore open, and screams mingled with the Marines' counterattack.

Whoosh!

Through the dense smoke, a figure appeared out of nowhere in front of Chaos. His coat of justice billowed in the gale, and his stern face was now twisted with fury.

"Golden Emperor, you're asking to die."

Ox was blazing with rage. His powerful presence spread across the battlefield as his right fist burst forward, tearing through the air. Armament Haki surged over his entire arm, brimming with explosive force.

Chaos clenched his fist with arrogant confidence. His own Armament Haki coated it as he met Ox's blow.

A shock wave burst outward. The Goddess of the Heavens staggered back two steps, while Ox crashed into the ground. His feet sank into the earth, leaving two trenches ten meters long. He raised his head, his expression grim.

"So there really is a difference between a Vice Admiral and a Rear Admiral."

Chaos leaped down from the Goddess of the Heavens and slammed into the ground. He stared at Ox, his eyes alight with fighting spirit.

This was the first Marine Vice Admiral he'd ever faced.

A perfect chance to test the skills he'd honed over the past seven months.

The Goddess of the Heavens rose into the air, hovering a hundred meters above the ground as she looked down over Sabaody Archipelago. Everyone across the archipelago could look up and see her enormous figure.

He'd already tested the Gold-Gold Fruit's abilities—his long-range combat power, so to speak. Now Chaos wanted to test his physical skills: his close-combat ability.

He loosened up, and the weapons that had been raining down suddenly exploded, scattering golden dust over the Marines. It silently seeped into their bodies.

At first, the Marines were tense. But after feeling themselves over and finding nothing wrong, they paid it little mind.

The golden dust had risen into the air again, returning behind the Goddess of the Heavens to form a halo.

Ox's expression was grim. White steam began to rise from his body, and his temperature steadily climbed.

A gale spread out from Ox. Cracks raced across the ground beneath him, and his presence was more than twice as powerful as before.

"Life Return!"

Chaos's eyes lit up. Ox's current state reminded him a little of Luffy in Second Gear. His body had grown slightly larger, and wisps of steam rose from him as his temperature noticeably increased.

Luffy's Second Gear wasn't actually Life Return. It simply accelerated his blood flow to improve his physical abilities across the board. Once activated, his skin turned red and gave off steam, like he'd taken a stimulant.

It could be considered a technique unique to a "rubber man."

And it consumed his lifespan.

Marine Six Powers: Life Return was different. It required mastery of all Six Powers and could be considered an advanced technique that combined them. It let the user control his body, hair, and internal organs freely. By infusing them with his will, he could control any part of himself at will.

It was like becoming a fighting machine. Every part of the body—even a single strand of hair—could deal immense damage. Speed, defense, attack power, recovery, and everything else shot straight up.

Unlike Luffy's Second Gear, it didn't consume lifespan.

In the original story, Life Return first appeared in Rob Lucci and made a spectacular impression.

But Lucci hadn't given off white steam like Ox did.

Perhaps everyone understood Life Return differently, resulting in different manifestations. But at its core, it boosted combat ability, defense, recovery, and so on.

One thing was certain: anyone who possessed Life Return was almost always a master of physical combat.

That was common knowledge across the sea.

Those who had taken Life Return to terrifying heights included Marine Hero Garp, Black Arm Zephyr, and the current Fleet Admiral, Steel Bone Kong. It was also certain that the World Government's CPO had experts of this kind.

Among the Marines at Marine Headquarters, most Vice Admirals who weren't Devil Fruit users had more or less mastered Life Return, all Six Powers, and the Two types of Haki. After all, Vice Admiral wasn't just a rank—it was also a symbol of combat strength.

Chaos had always wanted to awaken Life Return. He'd already gotten his Six Powers, Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Gold-Gold Fruit on track. As long as he kept training relentlessly in those areas, he'd keep growing stronger.

All he lacked now was Life Return.

And then there was Conqueror's Haki. Chaos didn't know if he had the talent for it.

After all, Conqueror's Haki was the ultimate tool for showing off.

His talent had improved after he'd crossed over, making him a genius in ten thousand. But that ability seemed to be something you were born with. It also required some kind of force of will. It was all a little complicated!

Chaos didn't worry too much about Conqueror's Haki.

He'd leave it to fate.

But Life Return, Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and the Six Powers were different. He had to learn them—and master them.

Boom!

The ground beneath Ox's feet exploded, leaving a five-meter-wide crater webbed with cracks. Rocks and dirt flew as he appeared in front of Chaos in an instant. His huge fist, coated in Armament Haki, tore through the air with a thunderous boom.

Chaos felt the force of the wind before the blow even arrived.

Their fists collided with a deafening crash. Chaos's fist was coated in Armament Haki too, and he met Ox head-on.

The earth seemed to split apart. A shock wave swept up the ground and surged outward like a landslide. Chaos's upright hair and shirt billowed, while Ox remained expressionless and swung another punch with his left hand.

Chaos laughed wildly and threw a punch of his own.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A deep crater was left behind as the two appeared a hundred meters away and clashed fists again. Several red trees snapped around them, while dirt and rubble shot in every direction.

Before the pirates could make out what had happened, the two were already thirty meters in the air. Their elbows collided, scattering even the white clouds overhead.

They flew apart.

Chaos flipped backward several times in midair, then landed with both feet buried in the ground and skidded across it. He shook out his fist, feeling the thrill of battle.

This kind of hard-hitting, testosterone-fueled brawl between tough guys—that was the romance of a real man.