The Damned Man Had Finally Left

Spring passed and autumn came. Heavy snow drifted down from the sky.

He had thought a merchant ship would arrive at Goat Island in three or four months. But five months had passed, and there wasn't even a trace of one!

He'd miscalculated.

At that moment, Chaos stood proudly atop the island's highest peak, like a bare-branched pine. Snow blanketed everything in sight, with greenery only halfway down the mountain and at its foot.

It was a very dull winter.

He was undergoing ascetic training, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. His muscles weren't especially prominent, and at two meters tall, he looked fairly well-proportioned and lean.

In this pirate world, where the average person stood over three meters tall, Chaos was undoubtedly disabled.

It was a very sad thing.

"Hm?"

He gazed across the endless sea. A large ship was sailing toward the island. Chaos had good eyesight, but couldn't see a pirate flag.

It was a merchant ship.

After waiting five months, one had finally arrived!

Chaos exhaled a cloud of mist, then leaped straight off the cliff. Thirty meters above the ground, he suddenly hung in midair, as if running through the sky, and sped toward the mountain's base.

He had mastered Geppo during those five months.

The main thing was that he had mastered Soru. Strictly speaking, Geppo was an evolved version of Soru. Once he mastered Soru and learned to balance the force involved, Geppo came naturally.

And that wasn't the only ability he'd learned.

He had now made a solid start on mastering his powers. It was time to go to sea and write his own legend.

He'd spent three years and five months hiding out here. So far, it seemed like those years had been well spent.

As he flew over a stretch of forest, Chaos reached toward the ground. A lump of gold the size of a fist floated up and became several tiny throwing knives. They whistled through the air like bullets and struck a rabbit and a pheasant twenty meters away without fail.

Then the two catches flew toward him!

Chaos didn't even say goodbye to Little Jaw, Little Tiger, or Little Lion. He was already itching to go home.

Standing before the cherry tree by his house, he reached toward the ground. A large amount of gold burst from the earth, then glittering metal covered his body, forming fitted greaves and inner armor. He went inside and put on a shirt, jacket, and trousers. No one would ever guess that he was wearing Golden Inner Armor.

This was Chaos's trump card. If he wanted, he could turn the Golden Inner Armor into a deadly weapon or a defensive shield.

A weapon that could both attack and defend was essential for travel, home protection, and robbery.

The material for this Golden Inner Armor was refined gold, which Chaos had repeatedly purified to remove impurities and concentrate.

When he entered the town, he saw many people buying supplies. Some of the merchants' leaders and guards were eating in the tavern. Merchant ships usually made a killing when they stocked up.

And it was also when everyone spent their money.

Chaos carried a rabbit and a pheasant, along with a number of dried animal pelts, to the harbor. A huge ship nearly thirty meters long lay before him, and plenty of people were loading supplies. Just from its size, he could tell it was a ship with some clout.

Most pirate ships wouldn't dare rob a merchant vessel at sea.

The cannons on either side of the ship and the guards patrolling its perimeter were enough to deter them. Some guards wore armor, while others carried flintlock rifles. They were well-trained, so the ship might belong to a kingdom or some other power.

Many villagers were trading goods with the people aboard the merchant ship along the shore. Both sides got what they needed.

Quite a few villagers greeted Chaos. The merchant ship would buy the animal pelts he was carrying, too!

But this time, Chaos wasn't planning to exchange them for money or supplies. He wanted to trade the pelts for passage aboard the ship. First, he needed to find out if it was headed to the Four Blues or the second half of the Grand Line.

Ideally, it would be going to Water Seven or the Sabaody Archipelago!

"Animal pelts go over here!"

A junior manager aboard the merchant ship spotted the pelts Chaos was carrying and smiled, though there was a sly look in his eyes.

He could tell at a glance that the pelts were in excellent condition. Wealthy ladies loved this sort of thing. All he had to do was take them to a prosperous country or town and sell them for more than fifty times what they were worth.

In a little village like this, he could swindle Chaos however he pleased.

"Are you looking to trade them for supplies, or sell them?"

When Chaos approached with the pelts, the junior manager asked casually.

There were several well-preserved tiger pelts, and, most importantly, a few snow-white fox pelts without a speck of dirt. There were plenty of other animal pelts, too, but none were as valuable as the tiger and fox pelts.

"May I ask where your ship will ultimately dock? Which islands will you pass along the way?"

Chaos blinked, looking honest and simple.

"Our final destination is the Sabaody Archipelago. We'll pass through the Alabasta Kingdom, Water Seven, and a few other islands."

The junior manager kept his head down, continuing to inspect the pelts.

"You probably haven't even heard of those islands, so there's no point asking about them! Are you trading for supplies or Berries?"

"Could I trade these for passage aboard your ship? I want to go to the Sabaody Archipelago."

Chaos didn't hesitate much. The junior manager looked up, and their eyes met.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah."

The junior manager hesitated, then thought it over for a moment before clearing his throat. "I can let you aboard, but these goods will have to cover your entire fare. And if we run into pirates or any other danger along the way, I won't be responsible for you."

"Fine!"

"We'll set sail in three hours. Take this. Show it when you board, and someone will lead you to your quarters."

The junior manager pulled a ticket from his pocket. It was actually a ship ticket.

Merchant ships ran into people like Chaos all the time.

There were already quite a few people aboard who, like Chaos, had boarded at another island and were traveling to the next one. In this era, small-time merchants and ordinary people relied on merchant ships to travel between islands. At least that offered a little security.

Setting out to sea alone was the stupidest thing you could do.

Especially here on the Grand Line.

Take Luffy, for example. He'd dared to set out in a little boat right from the start. Chaos knew he couldn't do that.

He really was the chosen one of this world.

If Chaos imitated him and went to sea the same way, his body might never be found. For all he knew, it would already have turned into shit and become one with the ocean.

"Chaos, you're leaving?"

The several older women and men nearby didn't look surprised. Everyone knew Chaos was an outsider, so they weren't shocked that he would leave one day.

"Yeah!"

Chaos handed the rabbit and pheasant to two of the women, then looked back at the town and the mountain behind it. He felt more than a little reluctant to leave.

After all, he'd spent three years and five months hiding out here!

Once he grew stronger, perhaps one day he'd return.

This was where his journey had begun. He'd left the most important years of his youth here.

After saying goodbye to the group of older women and men, Chaos boarded the ship.

He showed his ticket, and a deckhand led him into a room on the lowest level of the hold. It was narrow, cramped, and messy—about the size of an ordinary bathroom. The only decent thing about it was that it had a window overlooking the sea. At least Chaos had the room to himself.

The room was too small for two people anyway.

There were rows and rows of rooms like this along the corridors, all meant for people without much money. Those with more money stayed on the upper level, where the rooms were bigger and more luxurious.

Chaos didn't plan to switch. This room was fine.

He didn't want to flaunt his wealth. He wasn't looking for trouble yet.

Three hours passed quickly. The merchant ship started up and began moving away from the harbor.

Halfway up the snow-covered mountain, three enormous beasts sat watching the ship sail away. They all breathed a sigh of relief.

That damned man had finally left.

He hadn't even said goodbye to them.

No animal decency at all!