Chapter 50: The Dragon-Slaying Swordsman
Bam—!
A wall of one of the buildings on Thriller Bark exploded outward, sending a figure flying through the debris.
"Cough... cough... Why!!??"
The figure coughed violently, his eyes wide with fear as he stared at a white-haired man inside the building.
"I've been looking for you, Absalom."
The man with slicked-back white hair walked towards the figure, his long sword reflecting the silvery moonlight. The ice-blue glint in his eyes matched the blade's glow, creating a terrifying spectacle.
"Who the hell are you?! Why are you targeting me?!"
The figure, Absalom, rose from the rubble, his face contorted with anger and confusion, though anger was the dominant emotion.
Absalom, a name that would evoke strong reactions from anyone familiar with the Thriller Bark arc of One Piece.
This man, like Momonosuke, was a notorious pervert who had even seen Nami's naked body.
For this reason alone, Absalom's death, no matter how many times, wouldn't be enough to appease the anger of One Piece fans, although he wasn't as infuriating as Momonosuke.
While Absalom was a pervert, it was at least understandable, being a grown man. But Momonosuke was a different story.
An eight-year-old child, still in his innocent years, yet he understood such things and even bathed with Robin?!
Seriously, was that something a child should do!!??
Therefore, Zavia couldn't help but feel a sliver of admiration for Momonosuke's luck. If he ever found out Momonosuke had reached the first half of the Grand Line, he would eliminate him without hesitation!
"Who I am is none of your concern. All you need to know is that you are guilty, and I am here to judge you."
A blue glint flashed in Zavia's eyes, his voice cold and menacing, making Absalom feel the true meaning of fear for the first time. However, he quickly forced himself to calm down.
"Hmph! You arrogant fool! Do you think I, Absalom, am so easily defeated?!" With that, Absalom's face twisted, and his body began to turn transparent.
"Heavenly Blade: Azure" Seeing this, Zavia lunged forward, unleashing a sky-blue slash.
Slash!
Blood splattered, along with a severed right shoulder and arm.
"Ahhhhhhh!!"
The slash was incredibly fast, striking Absalom's right shoulder in less than a second. His right arm, along with the shoulder, was severed, causing him to scream in agony.
The attack also forcefully deactivated his invisibility, leaving him kneeling on the ground, clutching his wound.
"This, this, how is this possible—!" Absalom looked at Zavia with one eye half-open, his face contorted in pain.
"Hmph hmph hmph, so you're still essentially human? Just as I thought, you just had a transplant surgery." Zavia approached Absalom with a sneer, sending shivers down the man's spine.
The enemy knew his secret!
That was the first thought that flashed through Absalom's mind.
"Seeing your surprised expression, I'll tell you before you die. I know everything about all of you – you, Hogback, and Gecko Moria."
"What!!!???"
Zavia, seeing Absalom's reaction, suddenly felt the urge to toy with him. And the result was quite satisfactory. Absalom was clearly terrified.
"Big brother, are you done? Don't stray too far~" At that moment, Arthur ran out from behind Zavia and hugged his leg.
"Not yet, just a little bit more." Zavia freed his left hand to pat Arthur's head and smiled.
"Okay, then hurry up. This place is quite scary."
"With me here, you're still scared?"
"Not scared, but it makes me uncomfortable."
"Hmph hmph, since it makes you uncomfortable, I won't drag this out. Go inside and wait for me."
After sending Arthur away, Zavia's gentle expression vanished, replaced by cold indifference.
"I see, so that's how it is. Haha, hahaha..."
Slash!
Seeing the interaction between Zavia and Arthur, Absalom laughed like a madman. However, before he could finish, Zavia swiftly decapitated him.
Zavia flicked the blood off his Yamato blade, sheathed it, and then entered the building to retrieve Arthur before heading towards Moria's castle.
As for why Zavia was here? The answer was simple – he had come for Absalom.
Half an hour ago, after eliminating the zombie patrol, Zavia had kept the leader alive for information.
The information he sought was the location of Absalom.
The zombie soldier, fearing for his life with Zavia's blade pressed against his neck, readily betrayed his captain.
According to him, Absalom's appearances were unpredictable but usually limited to a few specific locations. After eliminating the other possibilities, Zavia deduced that Absalom would be at the wedding chapel.
The deciding factor was a "casual" remark by the zombie soldier about how Absalom had recently found a beautiful human woman and wanted to marry her.
As for the Suke Suke no Mi after Absalom's death? That wasn't Zavia's concern. If Shiryu of the Blackbeard Pirates somehow managed to obtain it, then that was simply his luck.
And the human woman? To be honest, Zavia hadn't seen her. She might have been hidden away by other zombies.
Well, whether she lived or died had nothing to do with Zavia. He wasn't a saint who felt obligated to care for every woman he saw, deciding whether or not to add them to his harem based on their looks and figure.
He had stated from the beginning that he wouldn't be building a harem in the One Piece world, not now, not ever.
On the way to Moria's castle, Zavia encountered many zombie patrols similar to the first one. But this time, he didn't waste time with words and simply cut them down.
As for whether this would negatively influence Arthur, that was absurd. Arthur had been a slave and had seen the cruel side of the world. Blood, corpses – these were things Arthur had witnessed countless times.
Honestly, Zavia admired Arthur's ability to maintain his innocence despite his experiences. After all, he was only eight years old.
"Yohohohoho, would you please stop right there, sir?"
"Hmm? Arthur, go hide somewhere. Don't come out until I call you."
Suddenly, a voice accompanied by laughter reached Zavia's ears. He turned to Arthur and instructed him.
"Okay, I understand."
Zavia turned towards the source of the voice and saw a zombie emerge from behind a tree on the right. He had bandages wrapped around his face, white hair, and wore a worn white kimono with a sword at his waist.
(Ryuma the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman? Tch, I thought I'd only encounter him inside the castle.)
Zavia's eyes narrowed with caution as he observed the zombie before him. This was a formidable opponent.
The title of "Dragon-Slaying" wasn't just for show, it was a testament to Ryuma's past deeds.
Slaying a dragon that soared through the sky – even Zavia wasn't confident he could achieve such a feat with his current strength.
Unless the dragons in the One Piece world were weak, like the one Zoro encountered, then it might be possible.
"Yare yare, I didn't expect to meet you here. I've heard tales of you slaying a dragon. Is it true?" Zavia gripped his Yamato blade tightly but didn't attack first, choosing to exchange pleasantries instead.
"Yohohohoho, those are stories of the past, not worth mentioning. Speaking of which, sir, your sword is quite impressive."
As expected of Ryuma the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman, he recognized the Yamato blade as no ordinary sword at a glance.
"It's decent, I guess. Just something I came across by chance." Zavia sighed, his tone somewhat helpless. In a way, obtaining the Yamato blade was indeed by chance.
"Hmm? It houses a sword spirit? This is truly..." Ryuma muttered to himself as he observed the Yamato.
"Anyway, sir, would you listen to my advice and leave this place?"
"What do you think?"
"Is battle unavoidable? Yohohoho, then..."
Ryuma chuckled, his aura shifting dramatically, becoming sharp and focused. He drew his black blade, Shusui, and pointed it at Zavia.
(Using a katana as a sword? What a shame.)
Zavia felt a pang of regret as he watched Ryuma wield the katana like a sword. Fighting the original Ryuma would have been much more interesting.
Unlike Ryuma, Zavia bent his body slightly, assuming a stance for a Iaido slash, the Yamato blade slightly drawn from its scabbard.
Whoosh—whoosh—
A gentle breeze blew past, causing Zavia's trench coat and Ryuma's kimono to flutter.
Caw! Bam!
Suddenly, a crow's caw echoed through the air, serving as a signal for the start of their battle. With two bursts of speed, both figures vanished from their spots.
Clang! Ding!
The next moment, the Yamato blade sang, a silver flash illuminating the air as it clashed with a black katana, producing a metallic clang.
Without wasting any time, Zavia, seeing his attack blocked, swiftly shifted his weight to his left foot and unleashed a powerful roundhouse kick towards Ryuma's side.
Ryuma sensed the attack and stomped his foot on the ground, using the recoil to propel himself backward, narrowly dodging Zavia's kick.
However, a faint smirk appeared on Zavia's lips. Ryuma immediately felt something was amiss, and his intuition proved correct the next moment.
As Zavia's kick followed through, a blue slash flew out from his foot, aiming straight for Ryuma.
Ryuma, still midair, realized he couldn't dodge the attack and quickly raised Shusui to block.
Ding—! Crack—crack—Boom!
The Rankyaku struck Shusui, sending a powerful shockwave through Ryuma's body. He was sent flying backward, crashing through several trees with human shadows before landing in a heap, creating a small crater.
Ryuma quickly got back on his feet, knowing he couldn't give his opponent any opportunity to strike.
However, just as he rose, a blade shimmering with silver light descended towards him.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
CollegeKid_V
CollegeKid_V Want more chapters,
Support V at:
patreon.com/CollegeKid
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone