Demon Slayer Virgil [Isekai One Piece]

"How is this possible!?"

Witnessing her Negative Hollows being effortlessly dispelled by a single slash, Perona felt her sanity plummet, like a groundhog screaming into the void.

"Do you understand now? The difference in strength between us? Don't assume I can't touch you just because you're a spirit. If I wanted to kill you, you would have died the moment you showed your face."

Zavia sheathed the Yamato blade, patted Arthur's head reassuringly, and walked straight ahead.

As they passed by Perona, who was still hovering in mid-air, stunned and speechless, Zavia glanced at her briefly before continuing on their way. The zombies parted, creating a path for them to leave.

"This... this is... a monster...? How can there be such a monster in this world..."

After Zavia and Arthur departed, Perona's body seemed to lose its strength, drifting erratically in the air. The surrounding zombies rushed forward in concern.

…

"Hey, big brother, why did you record the video?"

As they walked through the forest shrouded in a light mist, Arthur looked up at Zavia with his large, curious eyes.

"Hmph hmph hmph, nothing much. Just wanted to make myself a little more famous." Zavia replied with a smile.

"I see. But big brother, you're really strong! That guy was so big, but he still couldn't defeat you."

"I suppose. If he had understood the importance of physical combat, the outcome might have been different. I'm only slightly stronger than him."

Zavia brought his thumb and index finger together, making a pinching gesture to indicate the small difference in strength between him and Moria.

Anyone familiar with the Overlord series would recognize this as Touch Me's signature move, often used to feign humility and downplay his own strength.

"I want to be like big brother when I grow up!"

Arthur's eyes seemed to ignite with a newfound determination, as if he had discovered a goal – to become a strong individual. Zavia ignored the boy's enthusiasm and continued walking silently.

…

One month later.

Zavia steered his ship towards an island covered in massive trees.

He docked at Grove 13, the mangrove area, and lifted Arthur into his arms before leaping onto one of the towering trees.

"Hey, big brother..."

Arthur clung tightly to Zavia, his eyes filled with fear. It seemed the Sabaody Archipelago incident had left a deep psychological scar on him.

"Don't worry. I told you, I won't let anything harm you."

Zavia knelt down and smiled reassuringly. Arthur nodded slightly but continued to hold onto him tightly.

Zavia understood and decided not to force the issue. If clinging to him provided a sense of security, so be it.

He carried Arthur to a long, white staircase and ascended the steps, reaching a tavern at the top.

Ding-a-ling~

"Welcome... I didn't expect you to return."

Inside the tavern, Shakky stood behind the counter, her face momentarily registering surprise before returning to its usual calm expression.

"Miss Shakky, it's been a while. How have you been?"

"I've been well, as you can see. By the way, who is this child?" Shakky exhaled a puff of smoke and glanced at Arthur beside Zavia.

"He's my younger brother, Arthur." Zavia replied, stroking Arthur's head.

The reason he referred to Arthur as his brother was due to an agreement they had made. Until Arthur found his parents, Zavia would be his family and friend. Arthur was delighted by this arrangement.

It was the first time since arriving in this world that someone was willing to be his friend and brother.

"Younger brother? You have a younger brother? That's quite surprising news." Shakky tapped her cigarette against the ashtray a couple of times, her voice tinged with surprise.

"Life is full of surprises, there's nothing strange about it. By the way, where's Mr. Rayleigh?"

"Old Rayleigh? I don't know. Perhaps he's out with some young lady. Though I wouldn't worry about his well-being."

"Hmph hmph hmph, as expected of him. Well, I didn't come here to see him anyway. I'm here for you. Here." Zavia shook his head slightly and tossed the recording Den Den Mushi to Shakky.

Shakky caught the Den Den Mushi and instantly recognized it as a recording device. She looked at Zavia with a puzzled expression.

"This is a recording of me defeating the Warlord Gecko Moria. I hope you can spread it, Miss Shakky. With your methods, it shouldn't be difficult, right?" Zavia sat down on a nearby sofa chair, trying to comfort the still-frightened Arthur.

"You defeated Gecko Moria, one of the Shichibukai? Do you have any idea how much this news will impact the Marines if it gets out?" Shakky pressed the play button and began watching the footage, her voice laced with concern.

"Of course, I do. But that's precisely what I want. How else am I supposed to increase my fame?"

Zavia glanced at a glass of water on the table, initially intending to give it to Arthur to calm him down. However, remembering Shakky's "black heart," he decided against it and instead retrieved a bottle of water from his spatial bag for Arthur.

This woman, in the original anime, had charged Chopper an exorbitant sum just for licking a piece of cotton candy she had offered.

Although she later clarified that friends of Hatchan were exempt from charges, Zavia had a feeling that without that special connection, Shakky would have demanded payment and possibly resorted to violence if Chopper refused.

"I see. Then you should know the price of my assistance."

"Money is not an issue. Just hand it over to the news agency and have them spread the word."

"Deal."

As she finished speaking, Shakky pressed the button again, stopping the playback of the recording.

"So, could you watch my brother for a bit? I have some matters to attend to."

"Big brother~"

Arthur clung to Zavia's clothes upon hearing that he was leaving.

"It's alright. Miss Shakky might be a bit of a swindler, but she's a good person. And you'll be safe here."

Zavia stroked Arthur's head, trying to reassure him.

"But..."

"Don't worry, Miss Shakky will protect you, right?"

Zavia glanced at Shakky.

"I don't work for free." Shakky extinguished her cigarette, lit another one, and looked at Zavia.

Zavia simply smiled and gave Arthur a reassuring look before leaving the tavern.

…

"Well then..."

Zavia stepped out of the tavern and closed the wooden door behind him. His expression shifted, becoming as cold and emotionless as the arctic tundra.

He looked to his left, a smirk playing on his lips, then donned his brown cloak and mask before vanishing from the tavern's entrance.

Two kilometers east of Shakky's Rip-off Bar.

Zavia reappeared, crouching on a high tree root and observing the scene below.

Beneath him stood a newly constructed building – a slave auction house.

The scale of the building was similar to the previous one he had destroyed, but this time, it was heavily guarded, presumably to prevent a repeat of the Sabaody incident.

Seeing this, Zavia felt a sense of helplessness. He had hoped those involved would learn their lesson, but clearly, they hadn't.

Greed, it seemed, could drive humans to do anything. In the pursuit of profit, they would trample upon any law or ethical principle.

However, Zavia's purpose for coming here wasn't to destroy this place again. He had already done that once, there was no need to repeat it.

What had drawn him here was a strange aura he had sensed within the auction house.

It was the same aura he had felt from Lily and Arthur, an aura that didn't belong to this world – an outsider.

The reason Zavia's senses could reach so far was due to his Observation Haki.

It might seem exaggerated, but in the original story, Rayleigh had accurately identified the number of monsters on Rusukaina, implying that his Observation Haki covered at least half the island.

An even more compelling example was Usopp's feat in Dressrosa.

He had used his giant slingshot to target Sugar, who was located within the palace, from a distance of at least a kilometer. Despite not being consciously aware of it or having trained his Haki, Usopp had accurately sensed Sugar's location.

This demonstrated the potential range of Observation Haki, capable of extending for kilometers.

"Hmm, I wonder who it will be this time..."

Just as Zavia stood up, intending to investigate further, the strange aura suddenly rushed towards him, entering his range of perception.

(They've sensed me!)

That was the first thought that crossed Zavia's mind.

He leaped back, and a second later, with a loud boom, the tree root he had been standing on was shattered.

Landing firmly on the ground, Zavia's eyes narrowed behind his mask, his expression turning serious.

"Oops, you dodged it."

A large man stood up before him, a smile on his face as he looked at Zavia.

The man was at least two and a half meters tall, his muscular physique evident beneath his tight clothing. He had a faint scar on his forehead, seemingly inflicted by a sharp weapon.

"Not bad, kid. Your perception is decent. Anyone else would be dead by now."

The man brushed off the dust from his clothes, revealing a set of shiny white teeth.

"What do you want?"

Zavia replied coldly, his left hand gripping the Yamato blade beneath his cloak. If the man made any aggressive moves, he would not hesitate to strike.

He decided to play dumb for now, hoping to gather information about the man.

The force behind the man's earlier attack had put Zavia on high alert. This opponent was clearly not as weak as he initially seemed.

"What do I want? You're the one who came looking for me, aren't you?" The man grinned playfully.