Demon Slayer Virgil [Isekai One Piece]

"That man is—!!"

Zavia's emotions surged upon seeing the figure in the distance. Not joy, not elation, but pure, unadulterated rage. For standing there was the one person in this entire pirate world he most desired to kill, one of the Marine Headquarters' ultimate forces: Admiral Sakazuki, also known as Akainu.

A wave of hatred washed over Zavia, not a hot-blooded, impulsive kind, but a chilling, glacial loathing. Killing intent radiated from him, his eyes turning icy cold. The marines around him shivered involuntarily, feeling as if they stood beside a ferocious beast.

One marine, his body trembling, turned towards Zavia. "R-Rear Admiral Z-Zavia? Are you...alright?" His voice stuttered, laced with palpable fear.

"Hmm? Is something the matter?" Zavia glanced at the marine.

In that instant, the marine's nerves and muscles tensed, cold sweat erupting on his face and back. His grip failed, sending the cargo he carried tumbling to the ground, unnoticed.

(I'm going to die, aren't I?) The thought flashed through his mind. He felt death's icy breath on his neck, and in his mind's eye, he saw the ghosts of his parents, slain by pirates years ago.

(Mom, Dad, I'm...I'm coming to join you.) With this silent farewell, his eyes rolled upwards, nearly turning white.

"Hey!!" A sudden shout pierced his ears.

The marine jolted awake, his eyes snapping back into focus, though still glazed over with shock.

"Hey, what's wrong? Answer me!" In his daze, he heard someone calling him, shaking his body violently.

His vision slowly cleared, revealing his captain staring at him with concern.

"Captain, I...I thought I was going to die, wuwuwu~~" Seeing his captain, the marine burst into tears, clinging to him.

The captain, both embarrassed and helpless, had no idea what his subordinate had experienced. He looked to the side, only to find Zavia had vanished without a trace.

"Hey, where did Rear Admiral Zavia go?" With a sigh, the captain turned to a nearby guard.

"Sir! Rear Admiral Zavia headed towards the branch office just now!"

"Ugh, that Zavia..." Hearing Zavia had gone to the branch office, the captain rubbed his temples with a pained expression before turning to comfort the traumatized marine in his arms.

Meanwhile, Zavia walked towards the Marine branch office.

"Tch, I almost lost control of my killing intent." He muttered to himself in annoyance.

Seeing Sakazuki had nearly unleashed all his pent-up hatred. If not for his daily meditation practice to strengthen his mind and willpower, he might have succumbed to his rage. Given Akainu's personality, Zavia would likely be dead already.

"I didn't expect my resentment towards Sakazuki to be so strong. I remember when I saw him on the computer screen, I wasn't this furious." Forcing down his killing intent, Zavia tried to think rationally, but found it impossible.

"Forget it, I'll leave it for today. First, I'll report to the branch office, then I'll figure things out slowly."

Shaking his head slightly, Zavia cleared his mind and headed straight for the Marine branch office on Sabaody Archipelago.

Since this wasn't the lawless zone of the archipelago, but the area where the Marines were stationed, he didn't encounter a single pirate on the way.

Arriving at the branch base, Zavia went directly to his superior's office. After reporting in, he returned to his own room and "rested" early.

***

Early the next morning, Zavia opened his eyes, the killing intent in them significantly diminished. He felt refreshed and clear-headed.

Walking to the window, he opened it and took a deep breath, the fresh scent of nature filling his nostrils.

Since Sabaody Archipelago was made up of mangrove trees, the air here carried a natural fragrance.

After taking a deep breath, Zavia felt even more invigorated. Taking out water and toiletries from his spatial bag, he began to wash up.

Seven minutes later, Zavia finished washing up. Instead of rushing out, he sat back on the bed and pondered why he had reacted so intensely yesterday.

"Something's not right. Even if I hate Sakazuki, it shouldn't be to that extent, right? Especially in public..."

After careful consideration, Zavia could only think of one reason: the influence of his inherited power, the Legacy of the Demon God.

While this power had given him many advantages, it also had its drawbacks. It amplified the darkness within the inheritor's heart. His behavior yesterday was a prime example.

Zavia truly loathed Sakazuki, even to the point of wanting to kill him, but that was a desire buried deep within his heart. He knew he wasn't strong enough to defeat Sakazuki yet.

But yesterday, he had suddenly unleashed his killing intent, wanting to slay Sakazuki on the spot. If not for his daily meditation, he would have been a dead man.

"This Legacy of the Demon God...it seems it's not a walk in the park. It can amplify my darkness. Could it be that my indifference towards enemies and my casualness about killing are also due to this power?"

Thinking back, Zavia recalled the scene where he had drawn his sword against the pirates on that nameless island where he met Garp.

He had held the blade against Morgan Mohsen's neck, a hair's breadth away from taking his head. At that time, Zavia hadn't felt any guilt or remorse, only a lake-like calmness, devoid of any ripples.

It was as if he wasn't about to kill a person, but an insect, without a shred of pity in his heart.

"No wonder I've been wondering why I haven't felt anything after killing people. So that's it. This Legacy not only amplifies my darkness, but also gradually erodes my emotions?"

Having untangled his thoughts, Zavia understood why he had become increasingly indifferent and why he felt no guilt when taking lives.

"Sigh, is the price of gaining power the loss of my emotions, the gradual descent into darkness? This is a headache."

The realization that he might have to sacrifice his emotions in exchange for power gave Zavia a headache.

He wanted to see a certain girl again, and he hoped she could become his partner. He didn't want to turn into an emotionless "machine" before reaching that world.

"Forget it, I shouldn't dwell on these distant matters. Time to head out and see what's interesting on Sabaody Archipelago. And take a look at the lawless zone while I'm at it."

Zavia hadn't forgotten his purpose for coming to Sabaody: to clean up the slave trade.

Although this might offend two groups of people at the same time.

One was the underground organization led by Doflamingo Donquixote Homing, the mastermind behind the slave trade.

The other was the world's most noble aristocrats, the descendants of the twenty kings from 800 years ago, known as the Celestial Dragons.

After all, the Celestial Dragons often came to Sabaody Archipelago for "sightseeing" and to buy some "things" to take back with them. And those "things" were the slaves being sold in the lawless zone.

Although the Celestial Dragons could obtain slaves through other channels without this slave market, Zavia didn't rule out the possibility that some of them might be complete idiots.

"But it would be great if there really were such Celestial Dragons." Walking down the street, Zavia thought to himself. He hoped that there would be such idiotic Celestial Dragons because he felt that this was a perfect way for him to leave the Marines.

If he were to be ostracized by the Celestial Dragons for destroying the slave market, then Zavia would have a legitimate reason to leave the Marines without appearing abrupt or hurting some of the people within.

To be honest, there was already a specific idiotic Celestial Dragon in Zavia's mind, but whether that person would actually expel Zavia from the Marines was up to fate. However, he was betting that this Celestial Dragon would definitely throw a tantrum over this. And that would be Zavia's chance to leave the Marines.

But who knew how long it would take for that Celestial Dragon to come to Sabaody Archipelago for sightseeing. This was just an idea, and whether it would actually come to fruition depended on luck.

As for his strength, Zavia had no problem. Knowing the original story, he understood that there wouldn't be any powerful guards in this kind of place.

Unless he was extremely unlucky and encountered a powerful individual participating in the slave trade that day.

Of course, if this person was indifferent, then things would be easy. But if they didn't allow Zavia to act rashly, then things would be difficult.

Unknowingly, Zavia wandered into the lawless zone. Looking at the pirates everywhere, Zavia was speechless. They were all staring at him with murderous intent.

"Sigh, maybe next time I should wear my own trench coat." Feeling a little troubled, Zavia sighed and continued walking, ignoring the pirates.

"Hey, wait a minute, Navy boy. Aren't you going to play with us?"

In front of Zavia, a burly pirate with three scars on his face and who was licking his knife like it was a lollipop, blocked his path.