Hello, Moria  

"Well, I suppose I'll hold onto this blade for now."

Zavia placed Shusui into his spatial bag and let out a long sigh as he sat on the ground.

Recalling his battle with Ryuma, Zavia felt a distinct lack of fulfillment.

Since it wasn't the real Ryuma, and the techniques used weren't his own, there wasn't much to learn or gain from the encounter.

The move he had used, "Heavenly Blade: Instant Inferno," was one he had developed before arriving at Thriller Bark.

Based on his previous sword techniques, it was easy to discern that Zavia had drawn inspiration from the three-sword style swordsman, Roronoa Zoro.

In the original story, Zoro defeated Ryuma with his one-sword style Flying Dragon Blaze, and Ryuma subsequently gifted him his prized blade, Shusui.

Zavia, knowing he might face the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman Ryuma, had contemplated how to defeat him using swordsmanship rather than relying on his spatial abilities' instant-kill techniques. In the end, he decided to adapt Zoro's Flying Dragon Blaze.

The principle was similar, just without the flashy dragon and with increased speed and power.

Zavia examined the wounds on his body – his left arm, right side, abdomen, and left shoulder, all bearing the marks of Ryuma's blade.

There was also a wound on his chest, piercing through to his back, a result of Ryuma's thrust from the front. Zavia jokingly referred to it as a "Spartan Skewer."

This particular wound was inflicted when Zavia deliberately exposed a weakness during their battle, allowing Ryuma to pierce him with Shusui.

His motive for this, besides wanting to experience the "Spartan Skewer" firsthand, was to see if his body could heal from such a severe injury. As it turned out, it could.

The wounds had already healed completely, thanks to his demonic constitution and its accelerated regenerative abilities. It was similar to how Vergil, despite having his heart pierced, could recover in an instant.

As for the tears in his clothes, that was easily remedied. With a touch of the Legacy of the Demon God's power, the fabric mended itself. In a sense, his clothes were a manifestation of that power.

Using his signature Hair Gel Hands technique to fix his slightly disheveled hair, Zavia stood up and walked towards Arthur.

…

"Hmm? And you are?"

As Zavia approached the bushes where Arthur had been hiding, he saw an old man with a lantern talking to the boy.

"Big brother, you're back! Did you win?"

Seeing Zavia return, Arthur ran towards him and hugged him tightly. Zavia smiled gently and patted the boy's head.

"Of course, your big brother Zavia is very strong."

"Wow! Big brother is really amazing!"

"So, what brings you here?"

After accepting Arthur's praise and satisfying a bit of his vanity, Zavia turned his gaze to the old man.

The old man was momentarily stunned, then spoke with a slight tremor in his voice, "I am Spoil, the president of the Victims Association. There's something I need your help with!"

"Hmm... You want me to help you defeat Moria and reclaim your shadows, don't you?"

Having read the original story, Zavia understood the old man's request. On this island, if someone sought help from a strong individual, it was undoubtedly to defeat Moria and reclaim their stolen shadows.

Furthermore, the old man had introduced himself, reminding Zavia of his identity. He remembered that Spoil had been quite kind to Luffy and his crew.

"Uh... Yes, that's right. Please help us!"

Spoil was momentarily taken aback, perhaps surprised that Zavia knew his request. He then pleaded with Zavia, nearly falling to his knees.

"...Before that, you over there, don't you think it's time to come out? Your presence is quite obvious."

Instead of responding to Spoil, Zavia glanced to the side, addressing the trees. More precisely, he was speaking to someone hidden behind them.

As soon as he finished speaking, a skeleton wearing a suit, with an afro hairstyle and a cane sword in hand, emerged from behind a tree. His hollow eyes were filled with tears, giving him a rather endearing appearance.

"So, you're also here to ask me to defeat Moria?"

Upon seeing the skeleton, Arthur clung tightly to Zavia, fearing the creature might devour him.

Zavia, however, remained calm, continuing to stroke Arthur's head as he spoke in a steady voice.

"No, no... I... I'm here to thank you! Thank you very much! You retrieved my shadow!"

The skeleton, overcome with emotion, spoke with a slight stutter. He bowed deeply before Zavia.

"No need to thank me for that, Brook. Defeating Ryuma was merely a fortunate accident."

"How... How do you know my name?!" Brook's face contorted in shock upon hearing Zavia speak his name.

"When I was passing through Reverse Mountain, I overheard a doctor telling a story, a story about the Rumbar Pirates."

Zavia chose to tell a white lie rather than avoid the question, though he couldn't explain why he felt compelled to do so.

Perhaps a sliver of empathy for the people of this world still lingered within him.

"I... Is that so... Doctor Crocus... Is he still doing well? And Laboon?"

Upon hearing this, Brook began to weep once more, tears of joy streaming down his face upon learning that his friend was still alive.

"Whether he's doing well or not, I wouldn't know. I was just a passerby who happened to hear the story. As for Laboon, he must be the whale, right? Don't worry, he's as big as a mountain."

"Is that so... Laboon, Laboon!"

"..."

Zavia observed Brook, who seemed lost in some sort of fantasy.

"Well, that's about it. Old man, even if you hadn't asked, I was planning to defeat Moria anyway. But as for reclaiming your shadows? I'm afraid I won't be doing that." Zavia turned to Spoil, cold and indifferent.

"Ah? What... What do you mean?" Spoil took a deep breath, as if mentally preparing himself for rejection. He then looked at Zavia with confusion, unable to comprehend his statement.

"Just what I said. My goal is simply to defeat Moria, to make him surrender. Of course, I'll decide whether or not to kill him depending on the situation." Zavia gently removed Arthur from his leg and replied.

"This..." Spoil stammered for a moment, unable to form a coherent response. He was clearly taken aback by Zavia's words.

"That's how it is. So, I'll be taking my leave now."

"Please wait! Benefactor! May I know your name?!"

Just as Zavia was about to head towards the castle, Brook called out to him.

"My name? It's Zavia. That's all. Oh, and Brook, I suggest you stay here for another two years. You'll meet your comrades." Zavia answered Brook's question, then added a suggestion as something occurred to him.

"Comrades? What do you mean?"

"Just what I said. You'll meet your new comrades. Whether they'll accept you or not, I don't know. But one thing's for sure, they're fond of Laboon and have a good relationship with Crocus."

"Well, think it over. If you don't trust me, you're free to set sail now."

With those words, Zavia, accompanied by a slightly trembling Arthur, left the area, not giving Brook a chance to ask any further questions.

Brook stood there, in a confused mood.

…

Half an hour later...

"What did you say!? You said Ryuma was defeated!?" Inside the castle, Gecko Moria shouted in disbelief upon hearing the news.

"Y-yes! It's true, Master! Lord Ryuma was defeated! By a young man with white hair and a blue trench coat!"

Two small squirrels stood before Moria, their faces pale with panic and shock, mirroring their master's expression.

"Damn it! That Zavia! I heard about him from the Marines, but I didn't expect him to actually come to my territory."

Moria slammed his fist against the armrest of his chair as he contemplated how to deal with Zavia.

Creak—

At that moment, the door to Moria's room creaked open, and a young man with a blue trench coat, hair styled with what seemed like hair gel, and a long sword emitting a silvery white glow entered. His eyes gleamed with an icy blue light.

"Hello, Moria. I've come to defeat you." Zavia got straight to the point, his voice devoid of pleasantries.

"Damn brat! Don't get cocky! Just because you defeated Crocodile doesn't mean you can defeat me! I'm not on the same level as that fool!!"

Moria exploded in anger upon seeing Zavia. The young man had slain many of his zombie soldiers, including two of his officers, Absalom and Ryuma. It was no wonder he was enraged.

"Are those your last words before defeat? How pathetic, Moria. Just as useless as your former crewmates." Zavia ignored Moria's outburst and instead struck a nerve, reminding him of a painful memory.

"You bastard!!! Don't you dare insult my crewmates!!" Moria's eyes turned bloodshot with rage, his hatred for Zavia intensifying.

"Shadow Doppelman! Scatter Bats!"

He shouted, and the shadow beneath his feet began to writhe and contort. Soon, a black silhouette the same size as Moria emerged, transforming into a swarm of bats that surged towards Zavia like a tidal wave.

Zavia simply chuckled. He imbued the Yamato blade with Armament Haki, and spatial distortions rippled around the weapon.

With a swift slash, he unleashed a spatial energy wave that flew towards the oncoming bats and exploded in their midst.

Dozens of deep blue energy blades sliced through the space occupied by the bats, instantly annihilating them. The remnants, resembling black droplets, splattered onto the surrounding floor.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Moria, hasn't anyone told you that bats are wild animals and shouldn't be released carelessly? What will your subordinates do if your lungs get infected?"