"Back here again, huh?" Zavia sat cross-legged on the deck, gazing at the surrounding ocean, when a strange sense of familiarity washed over him. His last visit had been a year ago.
The ship descended, the surrounding water gradually shifted from purple to black.
The purple hue was a remnant of the thunder zone surrounding Raijin Island. Its transformation to black was due to Valona's intervention. While the thunder zone was gone, Raijin Island was naturally shrouded in perpetual storm clouds, blocking out the sun. Thus, the water, no longer illuminated by the refracted lightning, appeared black.
The darkness didn't bother Zavia. His eyes adjusted within three minutes.
As he had done during his previous descent to Fishman Island, he released his killing intent at a depth of 1,000 meters to deter any unwanted encounters.
The silence of the deep sea didn't faze him. While he wasn't a believer in the supernatural, he had, in the past, been prone to flights of fancy in dark environments.
Besides a natural fear of the unknown, his overactive imagination had played a significant role. Years of consuming fantasy and anime had conditioned him to fill in the blanks, a common trait among otaku.
Of course, not everyone was prone to such imaginings.
With nothing better to do, he placed the Yamato before him and entered a state of semi-meditation. Maintaining his killing intent prevented him from fully immersing himself in meditation.
Time passed, and the ship continued its descent. Fish, upon nearing Zavia's location, would invariably flee in terror, driven away by his potent killing intent.
After an indeterminate amount of time, a faint light reached Zavia's eyes.
He opened them and his pupils constricted to adjust to the sudden brightness.
"Fishman Island. I'm back. But this time, I won't be staying." He looked at the island bathed in sunlight, encased in its massive bubble, his expression impassive. He had no sentimental attachment to this place.
He had no intention of landing. He had already experienced everything Fishman Island had to offer a year ago with Arthur.
While he was curious to see Jinbe, he knew the fishman was currently with Whitebeard, a thought that quickly dissuaded him. He had just returned from the New World; there was no point turning back.
"However, while I won't be visiting the island itself, there's some business I need to attend to in the Fishman District." He shifted his gaze towards the district below Noah, the massive ship. It was a lawless area, home to Fishman Island's criminal underworld.
He had no particular interest in the district itself. He was here for one fishman in particular, a fishman who had to die.
"Hmm, how thoughtful. While I don't need to steer the ship, it still has a helm. Did Valona anticipate I might have other business to attend to?" Zavia walked to the upper deck, noticing the helm, and thought of Valona. Whether the helm's presence was intentional or not, he couldn't say.
He took hold of the helm and steered the ship towards the Fishman District, stopping two buildings away.
He didn't disembark immediately. He scanned the area for bubble coral.
While the deep-sea pressure wouldn't kill him, he still needed to breathe.
This, however, raised a curious point. Logically, the immense pressure at 10,000 meters should crush a human instantly.
Yet, in the original story, a group of human pirates had visited the Fishman District as children, wearing only bubbles on their heads, their bodies fully exposed to the pressure, and they had survived.
And when Luffy fought Hody, his arm, briefly exposed outside the protective bubble, hadn't been crushed.
During his descent into the 7,000-meter deep trench, Robin had warned Luffy against using his Gomu Gomu no Pistol outside the bubble, stating that the pressure would crush him.
But this rule seemed to be disregarded at 10,000 meters. Had Oda forgotten his own rules?
Zavia didn't dwell on it. Oda was a manga artist, not a marine biologist.
He spotted a cluster of bubble coral nearby.
Taking a deep breath, he activated his spatial abilities. A ripple of distortion, and he appeared next to the coral, 100 meters away. His Spatial Teleportation had a range of 500 meters; this was child's play.
He broke off a small piece of coral, pressed it to his head, and a small bubble enveloped his face.
"Emmm, this is quite useful. I'll take one." He examined the coral, impressed by its functionality, then stored it in his spatial bag.
Another spatial distortion, and he appeared at the entrance to the Fishman District. He wasn't going to waste time walking.
He entered the district. The sight before him didn't surprise him.
"Hmm? A human?"
"A human?"
"This is interesting. Another foolish human. Go tell Boss Hody, we have another laborer."
"…" Fishmen and merfolk lined the streets, staring at Zavia with predatory gazes, their weapons glinting.
"Sigh, as expected, humans aren't welcome here. How troublesome. Hey, you trash, I'm here for one fishman. He looks like a giant squid. Bring him to me." Zavia muttered to himself, then addressed the surrounding rabble.
"Hmm? A giant squid? Hmph! You think you can just demand to see Ikaros, an officer of the New Fishman Pirates?" A mackerel fishman, wielding a machete, stepped forward, his voice dripping with disdain. He looked at Zavia as if he were an inferior being.
It wasn't surprising. Over ninety percent of the Fishman District residents viewed humans with contempt, considering them a lesser race.
Unfortunately for them, Zavia wasn't entirely human. While he shared their lineage, he, like Vergil, embraced his demonic heritage.
"Hmph hmph hmph, so you know him. Good." Zavia fixed his cold gaze on the mackerel fishman, sending a shiver down his spine.
"You… you lowly human! How dare you look at me like that! Get him, boys! We'll take him to Boss Hody!"
"Of course, we'll take him to Boss Hody."
"Yeah, yeah." The mackerel fishman, initially intimidated, reacted with indignant rage.
"A swarm tactic? That might work against ordinary humans at 10,000 meters below sea level. But you've chosen the wrong opponent."
"What—!!"
Zavia shook his head slightly as the surrounding fishmen and merfolk charged towards him. Then, to the mackerel fishman's astonishment, a wave of crimson energy erupted from Zavia.
The energy rippled outwards, washing over the attackers. Their eyes rolled back, bodies went limp, and they collapsed to the ground.
"Th-this… th-this… th-this…" The mackerel fishman stared at the scene with terror. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
He looked at Zavia, and in his eyes, the white-haired man in the blue trench coat transformed into a blue demon with two horns.
"Now, can you bring that squid to me? Remember, this is an order, not a request. If you breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll destroy this entire district, including you." Zavia's cold voice sounded from behind him. He turned to see Zavia standing there, as if he had teleported.
"The only one I want dead is that squid. Understand?"
"Y-yes… I… understand…" The mackerel fishman stammered, abandoning any thoughts of capturing Zavia. Fear consumed him. Killing Zavia? After witnessing such a display of power, what sane person would even consider resistance?
"Good. Now go." Zavia nodded and sat down on a nearby chair, waiting.
The other fishmen, witnessing the scene, had lost their nerve. They knew they were no match for him.
Perhaps due to Zavia's proximity to the New Fishman Pirates' headquarters, the mackerel fishman returned within ten minutes, accompanied by the giant squid fishman.
"What's going on here!? This isn't what you told me, Mushi!" The giant squid, seeing the bodies littering the ground, sensed something was amiss and turned to the mackerel fishman.
"I brought him! Goodbye!" The mackerel fishman yelled, fleeing in terror, leaving the squid fishman confused.
"Hmph hmph hmph, Ikaros Muchi, is that the name?" A cold voice echoed through the district. Ikaros Muchi, the giant squid fishman, raised his six pistols, aiming towards the source of the sound.
"Hmm? A human? Did you do this?" He saw Zavia and gestured towards the bodies on the ground.
"Yes. And now, goodbye." Zavia nodded.
"What—?"
Before Ikaros Muchi could react, the Yamato flashed. A silver streak, and his head flew through the air, frozen in confusion. He saw his headless body, still holding its pistols, and the white-haired man standing behind it.
Zavia sheathed the Yamato with a click.
Thud. Thump.
Ikaros Muchi's body collapsed to the ground, knees buckling first, sending bubbles swirling around him. This was the underwater equivalent of dust.
"Let me tell you why you died. Blame your parents for giving you that name. Though, you can't hear me anymore." Zavia looked down at the corpse, then turned and walked towards the entrance of the district, heading back to his ship, leaving the stunned residents of Fishman District behind.