Demon Slayer Virgil [Isekai One Piece]

The next day, Zavia and Arthur headed towards Grove 11. Reaching the shore, Zavia looked down to see a small, coated ship resting peacefully in the water.

He lifted Arthur into his arms and jumped down, landing on the deck of the ship. As he stepped onto the surface, it felt less like solid wood and more like a soft, jelly-like substance.

"So this is what a coated ship feels like? Amazing." Arthur poked at the bubbles on the planks with curiosity, his face alight with wonder.

"They even thoughtfully included a manual." Ignoring Arthur's inquisitiveness, Zavia walked over to the main mast where a folded A4 sheet of paper lay.

He picked it up, and on it were three words: Instruction Manual.

Unfolding the paper, Zavia skimmed through the instructions, benefits, and risks of the coating, finding them identical to what was described in the anime.

After confirming this, he stored the paper in his spatial bag and walked to the edge of the ship, jumping into the water to remove the floatation sacks from the bottom.

By the time he returned to the ship, the bubbles had already inflated, forming a perfect sphere around the vessel.

"Arthur, can you control the ship underwater? If not, I'll take over." Zavia glanced at the inflated bubble and turned to ask Arthur.

"Hmm, although there's resistance in the water, I can still control it within 4,000 meters. But below that, I'm afraid it's beyond my capabilities." Arthur replied after a moment of thought.

"4,000 meters, huh... Then I'll leave it to you. Well, I'd like to say that, but there's no need for you to push yourself. Just follow the current downward, along the roots of the trees and the flow of the water."

"Okay, I understand."

Arthur simply nodded obediently, much to Zavia's satisfaction. He didn't need to explain things further.

One of the things Zavia disliked most was having to explain things.

A blue aura enveloped Arthur as he placed his hand on the deck, the light spreading throughout the entire ship.

The ship began to descend slowly under his control.

"Wow, so this is the underwater world? It's so beautiful."

Not long after they submerged, Arthur was mesmerized by the breathtaking scenery.

The massive roots of the Yarukiman Mangrove trees stretched out around them, and various fish swam freely in the clear blue water. Sunlight filtered through the surface, adding to the beauty of the underwater landscape.

Zavia was equally amazed. He had never witnessed such a magnificent sight.

Although he had seen it in the anime, experiencing it in person was on a whole different level.

It was like watching a 3D movie with and without 3D glasses – two entirely different experiences.

After taking in the scenery, Zavia sat down by the main mast, placing the Yamato blade before him and closing his eyes to meditate.

Arthur, meanwhile, continued to marvel at the surrounding beauty, exclaiming in wonder at the unknown fish that swam past.

Time passed slowly as Zavia's ship descended deeper and deeper.

100 meters, 200 meters, 300 meters, 400 meters, 500 meters...

Soon, the sunlight began to dim, until only a few faint rays penetrated the depths. Eventually, it vanished entirely.

Two hours later, Zavia opened his eyes and looked around. The surroundings were almost completely dark, but not to the point where he couldn't see.

"Are you hungry, Arthur?"

He turned his gaze to Arthur, who was still standing by the edge of the ship.

"Yeah, I'm starving. Controlling the ship at this depth takes a lot of energy."

"Good boy."

Zavia looked at Arthur with approval. This was no time for jokes. If Arthur tried to act tough and lost control of the ship, the consequences could be disastrous.

He retrieved various food items from his spatial bag – meat, vegetables, soup, and more.

Since time was frozen within the spatial bag, the food was still warm. Zavia and Arthur enjoyed their meal, admiring the fish that swam past.

"It should be about time for the underwater waterfall."

After finishing the last of his soup, Zavia sensed that they were nearing the Downward Plume, a massive underwater current.

As if responding to his thoughts, the surrounding water began to flow more rapidly.

"Bingo. Hey, Arthur, eat quickly. The next part of the journey will be a bit... thrilling."

Zavia smirked upon seeing this and stood up, heading towards the bow of the ship. The Downward Plume, a magnificent underwater waterfall, was one of the must-see sights in the world of One Piece.

"Eh, wait for me." Arthur hurriedly finished his food and followed Zavia to the bow.

The moment he arrived and saw the sight before him, he froze in astonishment.

Why? Because it was simply breathtaking!

The surrounding water rushed towards a massive downward current, forming a magnificent underwater waterfall.

Zavia's ship seemed insignificant in comparison.

"Hey, Arthur, you still with me?"

"Eh!?... Th-this, this, this..."

Zavia waved his hand in front of Arthur's face. The boy was so mesmerized by the waterfall that he was speechless.

"If you want to admire the view, just stay here quietly." Zavia patted Arthur's head and then turned, his expression hardening as he walked to the edge of the ship and looked down. There was something he needed to confirm.

"As expected... but I didn't think it would be here already. Damn you, Hody Jones." He saw what he had anticipated – the Kraken, carrying out Hody Jones' orders, lurking near the underwater waterfall.

The sight of the Kraken and the thought of the mastermind behind it – Hody Jones – filled Zavia with a surge of anger.

(Should I just kill Hody Jones now? He doesn't seem to play a significant role in the original story.)

A sudden thought crossed Zavia's mind.

Looking back at the original story, it seemed that Hody Jones' existence didn't have much impact on the overall plot.

If Hody were to die now, would it affect the future events?

Zavia believed it wouldn't.

If Hody died, Luffy's journey to Fishman Island would simply be a regular adventure, without the added element of being a hero. And Jinbe likely wouldn't join the Straw Hat Pirates.

Wait, Jinbe wouldn't join the Straw Hat Pirates?

That realization made Zavia reconsider. Hody Jones' life or death had significant implications.

If Jinbe didn't join the Straw Hats, it meant Luffy would be without a powerful ally, potentially leading to their defeat at Whole Cake Island. The storyline would be disrupted, and the world would descend into chaos.

Jinbe's gratitude towards Luffy might be limited to the fact that Luffy had rescued him from Impel Down.

However, as it turned out, Zavia was overthinking things. Jinbe wouldn't simply abandon Luffy.

Setting aside his relationship with Luffy, Jinbe had been entrusted by Ace to look after him. Would Jinbe have a reason to refuse such a request?

The answer was yes, but would he actually do so? That was hard to say.

Jinbe knew that Ace's words implied his impending demise. His bond with Ace made it impossible for him to refuse his friend's dying wish.

Therefore, even if Jinbe didn't join the Straw Hats, he would do his utmost to help Luffy overcome any challenges.

Because that was a promise between friends and comrades!

However, in the original story, Jinbe had eventually been persuaded to join the Straw Hats. This forced Zavia to weigh the pros and cons of the situation.

In his mind, Jinbe not joining the Straw Hats equaled Luffy losing a valuable ally, potentially leading to their defeat at Whole Cake Island.

But the reality was that Jinbe would still help Luffy, regardless of whether he officially joined the crew. Zavia had simply been overthinking things.

"What should I do..."

Zavia became conflicted. Based on his reasoning, he couldn't kill the Kraken either.

After all, it played a role in helping Luffy and his crew when they encountered the "Sea God." Without the Kraken, their ship would have been destroyed.

Of course, that scenario only occurred because Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were incapacitated at the time. If they had been available to fight, things might have turned out differently.

But that was just wishful thinking. The location where they encountered the Sea God was 7,000 meters below the surface. Fighting at such depths, even for someone like Whitebeard, would require careful consideration, especially in the pitch-black darkness.

"Sigh, I'll spare you this time. I don't want to disrupt the original storyline. If killing you leads to chaos, I'll be in trouble."

After careful consideration, Zavia decided to let the Kraken live. Altering the course of events was a risk he couldn't afford, at least not yet.

He hadn't reached the level of "world-class" strength.

Just as Zavia made his decision, one of the Kraken's tentacles approached his ship and wrapped around it, as if intending to crush it.

"Eh! What's that!? It's terrifying!!" Arthur, upon seeing the massive tentacle, reacted just as Zavia had expected, running towards him in fear.

"Don't worry." Zavia comforted Arthur and then turned his gaze back to the Kraken.

"Although I don't have Conqueror's Haki, I have something even more effective."

A faint blue glow emanated from his eyes, and a chilling aura surrounded him.

Sensing this aura, the Kraken's tentacle halted its attempt to crush the ship, and the creature itself seemed to sweat profusely, as if it were human.

"Listen, you better not mess with us. If you dare crush this bubble, I'll kill you and your brethren." Zavia's voice was cold and menacing as he spoke to the Kraken.

Although he didn't understand the language of fish, he knew that this particular creature could comprehend human speech.

The Kraken flinched, its eyes filled with terror.

"Hmph, judging by your reaction, you seem to understand the situation. Rest assured, as long as you don't attack us, you and your brethren will live to see another day." Zavia smirked coldly at the Kraken.

From the Kraken's perspective, Zavia was like a demon from hell, far more terrifying than Hody Jones.

Based on the killing intent it had sensed, this human had slain at least a thousand, no, perhaps even tens of thousands of beings!

That was the Kraken's assessment.

After weighing its options, the Kraken retracted its tentacle and closed its eyes, pretending as if nothing had happened.

"Being able to communicate is truly convenient. Hey, Arthur, don't be scared. That thing won't harm us. Let's ride that waterfall now."

"Ah?... Oh, okay."