The Plan Begins  

Zavia's gaze locked onto Rayleigh, his eyes devoid of warmth or emotion, like a frozen wasteland.

"Heh... I might, indeed." Rayleigh remained unfazed, but the air around him began to shift, crackling with a palpable tension.

(This old man is truly terrifying and he's worthy of being Roger's right hand.)

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Zavia's cheek as he felt the oppressive aura emanating from Rayleigh.

"Well, Mr. Rayleigh, I won't force you if you're unwilling to help. After all, this is merely a personal request. I only ask that you remain neutral during my plan." Zavia's demeanor shifted, now treating Rayleigh with newfound respect.

"Plan? What plan? Tell me about it."

"To raze this place to the ground and then either kill or torture the Celestial Dragon." Without hesitation, Zavia revealed his intentions to Rayleigh.

"...Are you serious? You do realize the underground organization won't let you off the hook, and the Celestial Dragons will send an Admiral after you. You'll be expelled from the Marines for this." Rayleigh's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.

"It doesn't matter. This is precisely why I devised this plan." Turning away, Zavia's voice remained cold, his entire being radiating a chilling aura.

"...I see. Alright then, I'll help you." Observing Zavia's back, Rayleigh's thoughts remained unreadable. Yet, in the next moment, he agreed to the request.

"Thank you, Mr. Rayleigh." The icy aura around Zavia dissipated instantly, replaced by a semblance of warmth.

"So, what do you need me to do?"

"Actually, there's not much. The Celestial Dragon will arrive in ten minutes. Mr. Rayleigh, all I need you to do is free all the slaves here. And as for the mermaid lady, please help her return to the sea. If she's alone, she'll be captured again quickly." Zavia's gaze swept across the surroundings, his eyes reflecting a mix of complex emotions.

"Are you sure that's all?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Mr. Rayleigh. Just set them free. I've already given the keys to the mermaid lady. Just hand the keys to the others and lead them out."

Walking over to the mermaid, Zavia accepted the keys she offered and tossed them to Rayleigh. He then gently lifted the mermaid and placed her near the iron cage door.

"I understand, Zavia. By the way, if your plan succeeds, come to the bar. I... quite admire you." Rayleigh nodded and used the key to unlock the collar around his neck. He then tossed the keys to the nearby slaves, who scrambled to grab them.

If Zavia hadn't immediately released his killing intent to subdue them, the commotion would have alerted the front desk, jeopardizing the escape plan.

"I will." For some reason, Zavia's favorability in Rayleigh's eyes skyrocketed. Sensing this, Zavia made a gesture and left the backstage area.

"The 'White Sword Demon' Zavia, huh... Is someone like him truly a demon?"

Gazing at Zavia's retreating figure, Rayleigh muttered to himself with a puzzled expression before leading the slaves out of the building.

***

Leaving the backstage area, Zavia crouched in a shadowy corner of the auction house, observing the interior. The place was now filled with nobles from various social strata. Since the auction hadn't begun yet, they were engaged in idle chatter.

"Hey, did you hear? It seems a Celestial Dragon will grace this auction with their presence."

"Eh?! Really?! Ugh, I hope the slave I want doesn't get bought by them."

"As if! The slave you like and a Celestial Dragon's tastes would ever align?"

"Hahaha, true."

"..."

Not far from Zavia, two male nobles were engrossed in conversation, their words causing him to frown a little. Although he had long transcended humanity, the lives and deaths of humans held no significance to him. Yet, hearing their conversation, a strange anger welled up within him. He quickly realized the reason. He was reminded of his mother.

Back then, he and his mother had been like slaves, enduring the whims and abuses of that bastard, with no human rights to speak of.

A chilling aura emanated from Zavia, causing the two nearby nobles to feel a sudden chill down their spines. They turned around but found nothing there.

Ten minutes passed quickly, and a fat, repulsive man with a bubble mask on his head and snot dripping from his nose entered the auction house, followed by a bodyguard in black. He was Saint Charlos, the "greatest" World Noble of the present day.

"Enough, you wait here." Charlos waved his hand dismissively, ordering the bodyguard to stand guard at the entrance.

The bodyguard wanted to say something but hesitated and eventually shut his mouth, simply nodding and taking his position.

"So that's a World Noble, a Celestial Dragon?"

"Shut up! Do you want to get us killed?!"

A noble couple was nearby. The woman whispered to the man, who responded with a glare and a hushed warning.

Upon Charlos' arrival, all the nobles fell silent, watching as he made his way to the bottom floor and took a seat on a luxurious red sofa. It was a special seat reserved for the Celestial Dragons.

"Alright, let's begin." Charlos, sensing the anticipation around him, smirked and urged the proceedings to commence.

"Uh... yes! So, welcome everyone to this auction. Today, we have..."

As Charlos finished speaking, Disco, the auctioneer on stage, began to introduce some of the highlights of the auction in a vague manner, effectively whetting the appetites of the nobles present.

"Enough talk! Let's start already!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"..."

Ignoring the presence of the Celestial Dragon, the nobles grew impatient and began shouting excitedly, the atmosphere reaching a fever pitch from the start.

Charlos remained expressionless, having grown accustomed to such scenes. Besides, he wanted to get started quickly. He had decided to buy a mermaid to take home as his wife, although he wasn't sure if there would be one available.

"Since you're all so eager, I won't waste any more time. Next! Let's welcome our first item!" Disco, sensing the crowd's impatience, decided to cut to the chase. But what happened next made him feel like he had just brushed shoulders with death itself.

After announcing the first item, nothing happened.

"Let's welcome the first item!" Disco repeated into the microphone, this time raising his voice slightly.

Still nothing.

(It's over!) Disco thought to himself, glancing at the increasingly restless nobles below the stage.

(It's about time I made my entrance.)

Sensing the opportune moment, Zavia stood up and pulled out a mask from his spatial bag, placing it on his face.

Anyone from Earth, like Zavia, would instantly recognize the mask: the one worn by V from V for Vendetta.

As for where he got it, it was another "gift" from the Legacy of the Demon God.

While putting on the mask, Zavia caught a glimpse of a tall man standing by the entrance. "Peterman? Interesting, I didn't expect you to participate in this auction."

The man's name was Peterman, the slave trader from the original story who had kidnapped Camie and brought her here.

Upon seeing him, Zavia initially planned to kill him. But then he remembered that doing so might disrupt the future plot, preventing him from gaining any advantage. So he decided to beat him instead. Beat him to a pulp! After all, Zavia had been quite angry when he first saw that part of the story.

On stage, a guard approached Disco and whispered something in his ear.

"What did you say?! The slaves have all escaped?!" Disco, struggling to suppress his voice, stared at the guard with a tremor.

"Yes! I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Disco..."

At this point, Disco didn't want to hear any more explanations. He had to figure out how to handle this situation, or his life was forfeit.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a blue figure materialized in the center of the stage, drawing everyone's attention.

"You, who are you?! Someone, help!" After a three-second stupor, Disco finally reacted and started calling for the guards.

"Mr. Disco, there's no need to call anyone. Those guards are asleep, and they won't be waking up ever again. And as for the slaves, I set them free." Zavia's gaze slowly turned towards Disco, the eerie mask causing a sense of panic to rise within him.

But upon hearing that Zavia was the one who had freed the slaves, Disco's panic transformed into rage.

"So it was you who set them free! You bastard!" Disco gritted his teeth, a vein bulging on his forehead, his anger palpable. But there was nothing he could do. Almost all the guards were dead.

"There's no need to be angry. Because you'll be dead soon."

Hearing Zavia's audacious words, Disco was about to retort, asking if he dared to act so recklessly in front of a Celestial Dragon. But in the next second, his vision shifted horizontally, along with his body.

Disco was slain in an instant.

"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

"Run! He's killing people!"

"Protect Saint Charlos!"

Disco's death caused the previously anxious auction house to erupt into chaos. Nobles scrambled to escape, while the Celestial Dragon's bodyguards surrounded Charlos protectively.

"You bastard! How dare you kill someone in the presence of a descendant of the Creator!" A bodyguard clad in pure white armor shouted at Zavia, seemingly unable to comprehend his actions.

Flicking the blood off his Yamato blade, Zavia's eyes turned cold as he looked at the only remaining figures - Charlos and his bodyguards.

"Creator? Descendant? That piece of fucking trash? Don't make me laugh. That guy is nothing but a parasite on this world!"