"What happened here?" Half an hour after Zavia's departure, Hody Jones, Luffy's future adversary on Fishman Island, arrived at the scene with his crew.
His face was a mask of shock. Not because of the scattered corpses, but because he saw the decapitated body of his beloved officer, Ikaros Muchi, discarded carelessly on the roadside.
He grabbed a nearby fishman, demanding to know who was responsible.
"I-it… it was… a human!" The captured fishman was struggling on his feet, and the words he spoke were much faster than his normal speed. He knew that a hesitant or unsatisfactory answer would result in his death at the hands of Hody Jones.
"A human?" Hody's already grim expression darkened further.
"Did you see what he looked like?"
"Y-yes! He had white hair, wore a blue trench coat, and carried a sword at his hip. I don't know anything else!"
"Is that so… Find him! Search every newspaper and bounty poster! Whoever finds him first will be handsomely rewarded!" Hody Jones threw the fishman aside and ordered his crew to gather information about the murderer.
"Yes, sir!!!" His subordinates, too terrified to disobey, scattered to find any information about Zavia.
"Hmph! I don't know who you are, but once I find you, I'll show you what hell truly looks like!" Hody stood beside Ikaros Muchi's body. A menacing aura emanated from him, filling his subordinates with dread, even the nearby sea beasts recoiled in fear.
Meanwhile, the perpetrator was on his way back to Sabaody Archipelago, 10,000 meters above.
…
Marine Headquarters, Marineford
"Garp, I have an assignment for you. Deal with the pirate-induced unrest in several East Blue kingdoms, then escort the captured criminals from the Goa Kingdom." Sengoku handed Garp a signed document.
"Understood." Garp nodded, took the document, and turned to leave.
"Wait, Garp. Do you really believe it?" Sengoku called out as Garp reached the door.
"Believe what?" Garp asked, his back still turned.
"About that Zavia boy. Do you really believe he's dead, like the newspapers say?"
"Sengoku." Garp turned, seeing the regret on Sengoku's face.
"He's no longer a Marine, Sengoku. There's no need to dwell on it."
"I know, but it's such a waste. Such a promising young man. With proper guidance, he could have been the next Fleet Admiral. Such a pity…"
"Sengoku, he's no longer a Marine. Whether he lives or dies is no concern of ours. Besides, he's a pirate. One less pirate in the world is a good thing, isn't it?" Garp interrupted, shaking his head.
"A pirate… Yes, you're right. I'm being sentimental. Thank you, Garp." Sengoku hesitated for a moment, then turned his attention back to the documents on his desk.
Garp smiled, gave Sengoku one last look, and left the office to carry out his mission.
…
After an indeterminate amount of time, Zavia, meditating on the deck, slowly opened his eyes. Sunlight bathed his ship in a warm glow.
"Finally arrived. Sabaody Archipelago."
Pop~
The ship surfaced and the bubble coating dissipated into the air.
Zavia stepped to the edge of the ship and jumped onto the mangrove roots of Sabaody. The ship, created by Valona's magic, disintegrated into dust the moment he left it.
(So, it disappears once it reaches its destination.) He watched the remnants of the ship vanish into the sea.
He didn't linger. He turned and headed inland, searching for Arthur. But first, he needed to determine which grove he was in.
As a precaution, he donned his gray cloak and the mask of Hei, the protagonist of Darker than Black.
His previous mask, the V for Vendetta mask, had been photographed and plastered all over newspapers and even his bounty poster, which depicted him wielding the Yamato.
The photo had been taken without his knowledge. The One Piece world was full of strangely angled photographs. He didn't dwell on it.
Wearing the V mask now would increase the risk of unwanted attention.
A pirate, seeking to capitalize on Zavia's notoriety, had once commissioned a replica of the V mask, hoping to intimidate others using Zavia's reputation.
The outcome was predictable. Anyone who dared to impersonate Zavia, or even use his image, was hunted down by Marine vice-admirals.
The Marines who had previously sought to "apprehend" Zavia were, in fact, vice-admirals. He had spared their lives out of respect for Sengoku, Garp, and the others.
Some of the more reasonable vice-admirals, understanding his explanation, had retreated. However, a few, feeling insulted or perceiving Zavia as cowardly, had persisted.
Zavia had swiftly executed them. With his mastery of Dual Haki and his spatial abilities, killing a few vice-admirals was a trivial matter.
While this negatively impacted his standing with Marine Headquarters, he wasn't concerned. He wasn't merciful. Second chances weren't his style.
This incident, however, had occurred six months ago. The vice-admirals who had hunted down the imposter were those who harbored resentment towards Zavia. The more discerning ones, like Onigumo, hadn't participated. He had interacted with Zavia briefly and recognized that he wasn't inherently bloodthirsty.
While a pirate, he wasn't inherently evil, nor was he a righteous thief. He wouldn't attack without provocation. In fact, if circumstances warranted, he might even assist the Marines.
This was Onigumo's assessment of Zavia. He believed Zavia possessed his own sense of justice, a remnant of his time as a Marine, though it was a strange and somewhat unsettling sense of justice.
Zavia walked through the streets of Sabaody, casually observing his surroundings. He glanced up at a nearby mangrove tree. The number "30" was clearly marked on its trunk.
(Grove 30? So, this is the shopping district.) It wasn't difficult to deduce, considering the numerous shops lining the streets. He had simply forgotten which grove it was.
(I wonder where Arthur is. With Mihawk, his presence is probably masked, or perhaps he's concealing it himself.) He shook his head, clearing his thoughts, then asked a passerby for directions to Grove 13 and headed that way.
"Hmm, it seems the Marines have increased security on Sabaody." He ducked into a nearby alley, observing a patrol of Marines outside. Even the lawless zones were being patrolled. Clearly, the Marines were on high alert.
He melted into the shadows and vanished.
Within minutes, he arrived at Grove 13. With Spatial Teleportation and his ability to distort space and render himself invisible, evading the Marines was effortless.
He ascended the long, white staircase leading to Shakky's Rip-off Bar and entered.
Ding-a-ling~
"Welcome… Zavia?" A familiar voice greeted him. Behind the bar, Shakky, a young woman with short black hair and a spider-patterned shirt, stared at him in shock, oblivious to the ash falling from her cigarette.
"Long time no see, Shakky." Zavia closed the door and walked towards the bar.
"…You're alive? I thought you were dead." Shakky took a drag of her cigarette and returned to her usual composure, though her words remained blunt.
"I'm not dead yet. By the way, have you seen Arthur?" Zavia sat on a barstool.
"Little Arthur? He's out shopping for ingredients with Hawkeye. Though, I must say, I'm surprised by how good his cooking is." Shakky exhaled a plume of smoke and extinguished her cigarette.
"Is that so? So, Mihawk brought him here after all." Zavia relaxed. He had initially assumed Mihawk would take Arthur to a regular hotel, but then reconsidered.
"Indeed." Shakky poured Zavia a drink and placed it before him.
"How much?"
"It's on the house. Consider it a welcome back gift. Little Arthur was quite worried you wouldn't return." Shakky waved off his question, mentioning Arthur's concern a year ago.
"Is that so…" Zavia picked up the glass and took a sip.
Ding-a-ling~
The door chimed again.
"I'm back, Shakky… Big brother! You're back!" A child's voice filled the bar.
Zavia put down his drink and turned to see a small figure rushing towards him.
He caught Arthur in his arms and smiled.
"Long time no see, Arthur."