Saint Poplar Island.
A relatively prosperous island on the Grand Line.
It was one of the islands on the seven routes.
Those who sailed the seas knew that the first half of the Grand Line had seven routes, each with a certain number of islands.
Saint Poplar was one of them.
At a height of a thousand meters, a giant golden longsword pierced through the clouds, with eleven Chains of Heaven hanging below, each with a person bound at the end.
Kaos stood at the tip of the sword, watching Saint Poplar Island approach from a distance, then rapidly descended and hovered over the port.
The eleven Chains of Heaven clanged with metallic sounds as Ox and five Rear Admirals and Colonels were thrown to the ground.
The Chains of Heaven retracted and merged with the golden longsword, and Kaos stood with one hand behind his back, looking down proudly.
On the ground, Ox and the others had fluctuating expressions, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
"You are free."
With his golden earring and black hair fluttering, the golden longsword turned and Kaos prepared to leave.
"You~"
Ox didn't even know what to say.
"When I, the Golden Emperor, do business, I value my word. Remember to raise my bounty when you go back."
Kaos turned back, addressing them with his nostrils, his attitude extremely arrogant and disdainful.
Finally, he transformed into a golden stream of light, soaring into the sky and disappearing over the horizon in a blink of an eye.
"That guy actually let us go."
"First, notify Marineford."
Ox retracted his gaze, his expression calm.
He didn't know whether to be happy or worried.
He had to report everything that happened this month.
On the other side, Kaos returned to the edge island of the Calm Belt at the fastest speed, took the Sea Stone and Crocodile, and moved to another island.
"Boss, why did you let them go?"
The new island was larger than the previous one, and the weather was even harsher.
Crocodile looked more haggard than a month ago.
Especially his dark circles, which looked like he was wearing sunglasses.
He was very confused by Kaos letting Ox and the others go; if it were him, he would definitely kill them.
"That's why I'm the boss, and you can only be a subordinate."
Kaos withdrew his gaze from the Sea Stone, turned to Crocodile, lit a cigar, and continued with a righteous air, "When you're out here, you need to have principles. That's called charisma."
"To grow big and strong and create new glories, credibility is the most basic."
"Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. You're still too young."
Seeing Crocodile's disdainful look, Kaos was too lazy to educate him.
There was a reason why this guy became disabled in the original story.
No wonder he could only be a mere Shichibukai.
"From now on, you have to train with this."
Kaos kicked the box with his foot.
During this time, he had been training Seimei Kikan, while Crocodile had been training Armament Haki and Observation Haki, but unfortunately, there was no progress after a month.
Compared to his own talent, Crocodile was simply trash.
"Sea Stone? How can Sea Stone be used for training?"
Crocodile was first stunned, then looked at Kaos as if he were looking at an idiot.
Devil Fruit users avoid it like the plague; how could they possibly use it for training?
Don't they know that a user becomes weak and powerless when they touch Sea Stone?
He had no common sense at all.
He had been guessing what Kaos was doing with these Sea Stones, and now the truth was revealed.
"So much nonsense."
"Put it on!"
Kaos exhaled a smoke ring, his sword-like eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his tone became somewhat dangerous.
Crocodile gritted his teeth and cuffed one hand.
The moment he made contact, he fell to the ground.
Although only one wrist was cuffed, his body still couldn't muster any strength.
Kaos didn't waste any more words and cuffed his left hand as well.
Sure enough, the Gold-Gold Fruit ability could not be sensed, and the original surging strength disappeared, as if he had a serious illness, his limbs were weak and powerless, and even moving a finger was difficult.
However, Kaos was much better than Crocodile; he swayed but did not collapse to the ground.
The difference between the two was now obvious.
Both were cuffed with Sea Stone, but Crocodile collapsed to the ground like mud, while Kaos could still stand.
It was just that his legs were trembling a little.
And his face looked very strained.
That feeling of weakness was truly uncomfortable, like losing connection with his body, feeling powerless.
There was a sense of emptiness, and everything felt bland!
"From now on, train like this, starting from learning to walk!"
Kaos took a step, a difficult step, resting for a while, then taking another step and another.
That feeling of weakness was truly unbearable.
He had no sense of security at all.
"Hoo~"
Exhaling a light breath, Kaos's body suddenly expanded, his body temperature began to rise slightly, and finally, wisps of white steam emerged.
Then his steps became much lighter.
Let's try Haki again.
Using Sea Stone for training really works.
Behind him, Crocodile lay sprawled on the ground, watching Kaos, who was walking as if on a stroll.
He gritted his teeth and cursed in his heart, then began to move.
He was just crawling on the ground.
He looked very disheveled, even a little pathetic.
Little did he know that later, Crocodile would more than once be glad that he persevered at this time and followed that man's footsteps, embarking on an arrogant and high-profile path that made him an enemy of the world and never ceased.
It was a life of courting death, constantly pushing the boundaries of mortality, with his head hanging by a thread!
He fully experienced the meaning of life!
One can only say that living is truly good.
While Kaos and Crocodile entered a new round of training, on Saint Poplar Island, Ox and the others waited a day and finally received rescue.
It was none other than Tsuru.
In the Marine office, Tsuru sat behind her desk, while Ox and his group sat on chairs below, reporting on what happened in the Calm Belt over the past month.
After listening, Tsuru tapped the desk with one hand, her expression changing rapidly and unpredictably.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, I am willing to accept punishment when I return to Marineford."
Ox was well aware of his mistakes, even if there were extenuating circumstances.
"You all go and rest first!"
Tsuru did not blame them. Only the Fleet Admiral had the authority to punish generals of the Rear Admiral and Vice Admiral rank.
As Ox and the others left, the office suddenly became quiet.
Tsuru had anticipated this outcome before, so it wasn't too surprising.
However, the Golden Emperor keeping his word was truly a bit unexpected.
But what truly alarmed Tsuru was that the Golden Emperor had awakened Seimei Kikan within twenty-five days; that was the most terrifying part.
Don't assume that learning all Six Styles necessarily means one can awaken Seimei Kikan; that is incorrect.
Marineford did not lack Marines who mastered one or two, or even all, of the Six Styles.
But those who mastered Seimei Kikan were actually very few.
It could be said that the difficulty of awakening Seimei Kikan was similar to Haki, or even greater.
And the Golden Emperor only took 25 days, which made it different.
Now, Kaos's importance in Tsuru's mind had risen another level.
If he continued to grow, he would surely become another Kaido or Big Mom!
The next day, Kaos's bounty suddenly increased from 567 million to 783 million.
The increase was somewhat too fast.
And the news of the Golden Emperor appearing on Saint Poplar Island also spread.
Saint Poplar Island naturally became lively, with large numbers of pirate ships docking every day, and various killings, robberies, fights, and deaths occurring frequently.
Unfortunately, these pirates and forces were destined to come up empty-handed, as no one expected the Golden Emperor to be training in the Calm Belt.
Tsuru, following the route given by Ox, had found the previous island, but there was nothing on it.
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"If you would conquer, master, and make use of a man, let your first step be to get a reputation for sincerity." - Niccolò Machiavelli