After considering it carefully, Dæmon decided not to waste the Elixir of Immortality.
He had only one bottle.
He could not squander it merely to satisfy his curiosity.
Besides, the wine would have no effect on him.
As the demon who had created the elixir, Dæmon already possessed immortality.
For a demon, such power was merely a basic ability.
There was no reason for him to drink it himself.
Imu seems to possess a similar power.
Imu could apparently grant immortality to others, and their control over those immortals might be even more complete than Dæmon’s.
Could Imu also be a demon?
The possibility took root in Dæmon’s mind.
Unfortunately, One Piece had still been ongoing when he transmigrated.
He had never learned Imu’s true identity, appearance, or abilities.
Just then, the elderly man in black robes returned to the basement.
This time, a young and beautiful girl followed him.
“Lord Dæmon, we have prepared a sacrifice for you!” The old man dropped to his knees the moment he entered.
“This young lady is a pure maiden and the princess of our fallen kingdom.
Please accept her as your bride!
In return, we beg you to avenge our people!” The girl behind him also knelt.
Although fear was evident on her face, her eyes were filled with determination.
She appeared to have already prepared herself to be devoured by the demon.
Dæmon stared at them in silence.
“…” For a moment, he did not even know where to begin.
He examined the princess briefly.
She looked as though she had only recently come of age.
Although she was pretty, her beauty was not breathtaking.
She was simply pleasant to look at.
“What is your name?” Dæmon asked.
“G-Great Lord Satan, my name is Alfie Orseya.
I am fourteen years old.” The young princess’s voice trembled.
She kept her head lowered, not daring to meet his gaze.
Fourteen?
I thought she was seventeen or eighteen.
Dæmon could not help but marvel at how mature the people of this world looked.
“I am not Satan.
My name is Dæmon,” he corrected her calmly.
“Calling a demon by the wrong name invites misfortune.
Remember that.” “Yes, Lord Dæmon!” Alfie nodded nervously.
“Lord Dæmon, I am willing to offer my life.
All I ask is that you avenge my father and the one hundred thousand citizens of our kingdom!” “How many of you survived?” Dæmon asked curiously.
The Celestial Dragons held their human-hunting competition once every three years.
Whenever the event took place, the Marines surrounded the chosen island and prevented anyone from escaping.
How had this group managed to survive?
The old man clenched his fists.
“Only thirteen of us remain!” His voice shook with anger and grief.
“My name is Cocke.
I was the commander of the royal guard of the Kingdom of Tidal Echoes.
My men and I fought with everything we had to protect Her Highness.
Only through their sacrifice did we barely manage to escape.” Cocke lowered his head, his shoulders trembling.
“The others…
They are all dead.” “Even after we escaped the island, the Marines continued hunting us.
We fled across the seas until we finally reached Hachinosu.” A bitter smile appeared on his face.
“How ironic.
Hachinosu, a paradise for pirates, became our only sanctuary.
Because this island belongs to the Rocks Pirates, even the Marines do not dare approach it recklessly.” Cocke bowed until his forehead touched the floor.
“Lord Dæmon, we will grant you anything you desire!
We ask only that you avenge our people!” Dæmon had little interest in listening to their tragic story.
If he possessed invincible strength, he would not mind helping them obtain revenge.
However, he had only just arrived in this world, and these people were ultimately strangers to him.
He possessed some compassion—but not enough to risk his life for them.
“There is no need for a sacrifice,” Dæmon said.
“What kind of strange ideas do you have about demons?
Demons do not eat humans.
At the very least, I do not.” Cocke and Alfie looked up in surprise.
Dæmon waved his hand.
“I need a tavern.
It does not have to be large.
Prepare one for me.” Alfie quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter how determined she appeared, she did not truly wish to die.
Cocke, on the other hand, was overjoyed.
He was not afraid of the demon making demands.
What frightened him was the possibility that the demon might ask for nothing at all.
As long as they served Dæmon well, there was still hope for revenge.
“Understood, Lord Dæmon!
I will begin the preparations immediately!” Cocke rose and turned toward Alfie.
“Your Highness, please remain here and attend to Lord Dæmon.” …
One week later, a new tavern opened in a secluded corner of Hachinosu.
It was not that Cocke had been unwilling to purchase a larger building.
He simply did not have enough money.
The survivors had spent an entire year fleeing from the Marines.
By now, they had already sold most of the gold and jewelry they had brought from the royal palace.
With their remaining funds, they could afford only a small, rundown house, which they hastily converted into a tavern.
As a paradise for pirates, Hachinosu had no shortage of drinking establishments.
Most of the tavern owners were descendants of pirates themselves.
In fact, there were very few ordinary people on the island.
Many residents came from pirate families that had accumulated considerable wealth over several generations.
Aside from taverns, Hachinosu was filled with casinos, brothels, fighting arenas, and every other form of entertainment that pirates enjoyed.
Compared to those extravagant establishments, Dæmon’s little tavern was completely unremarkable.
At noon on the seventh day, it welcomed its first customer.
The newcomer was extraordinarily tall, towering over any ordinary person.
Two white horns protruded from his forehead, and he wore a sleeveless leather vest that exposed his muscular arms.
A massive, spiked kanabo—a traditional iron club—rested across his shoulder.
“There’s actually a tavern in a place like this?” Kaido ducked through the entrance and looked around.
The cramped establishment contained only three tables and a short wooden counter.
As soon as he entered, a young girl approached him.
“Welcome, sir—” Alfie was forced to crane her neck upward.
At only a little over one and a half meters tall, she looked tiny in front of the towering pirate.
Recognition dawned on her face, immediately followed by fear.
“Y-You’re Kaido!
One of the Rocks Pirates!” Hachinosu was ruled by the infamous Rocks D.
Xebec.
Everyone living on the island knew about him and the most prominent members of the crew.
Naturally, Alfie recognized Kaido as well.
Wanted posters bearing the faces of these notorious pirates could be found throughout the world.
It was nearly impossible not to know them.
Upon hearing Kaido’s name, Dæmon folded the newspaper he had been reading behind the counter and raised his head.
He examined the future Emperor of the Sea with great interest.
“You may leave us, Alfie.” “Yes, Lord Dæmon.” Alfie obediently withdrew to the back room.
Kaido raised an eyebrow at how she addressed him.
Then he sniffed the air, and a wide grin spread across his face.
“You’re the owner?” He approached the counter.
“I smelled some incredible liquor from outside.
Bring me the best drink you have.” Kaido sat heavily on one of the stools, causing it to creak beneath his weight.
Dæmon chuckled.
“I serve only one kind of wine.
You may drink it if you wish, but you will have to pay the appropriate price.” “How much do you want?” Kaido curled his lip dismissively.
Money was not a problem for him.
As long as the wine was good enough, he did not mind paying an outrageous price.
“One glass costs one Devil Fruit.” “What?” Kaido stared at him as though he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
“A Devil Fruit for one glass of wine?
Are you joking?” Even the most ordinary Devil Fruit was worth at least one hundred million Berries.
Although Kaido was already one of the Rocks Pirates’ prominent members, his current bounty was only five hundred million Berries.
His expression darkened.
As a pirate, Kaido was already being unusually generous by offering to pay instead of simply taking what he wanted.
However, that did not mean he was an idiot—or someone who enjoyed being cheated.
What kind of wine could possibly be worth one hundred million Berries per glass?
“That is the price of my wine,” Dæmon replied without the slightest change in expression.
He rested one hand on the counter.
“It is called the Elixir of Immortality.
Anyone who drinks a glass will obtain an immortal body.” “What kind of nonsense are you spouting?” Kaido narrowed his eyes dangerously.
“It is understandable that you do not believe me,” Dæmon said.
“Since you are my first customer, I will allow you to purchase it on credit.” A faint smile appeared on his face.
“You may drink first and pay after you have confirmed its effects.” Dæmon reached beneath the counter and retrieved the bottle of Elixir of Immortality.
The moment he removed the cork, a rich fragrance filled the tavern.
“!!” Kaido’s eyes lit up, and he instinctively swallowed.
The aroma alone was enough to tell him that the bottle contained exceptional wine.
A single bottle of the Elixir of Immortality could produce only four effective servings.
Even if Dæmon used smaller cups, any wine remaining after the fourth serving would lose its supernatural properties.
Therefore, he poured Kaido a full glass before sliding it across the counter.
“Before you drink, there is something I must warn you about.” Kaido’s hand paused above the glass.
“Once you drink this wine, your appearance will be permanently frozen at its current age.
Your body will never grow old.
Even if your head is severed, you will not die.
Your body will eventually restore itself to its original condition.” Dæmon spoke with such calm confidence that Kaido began to wonder whether his outrageous claim might actually be true.
Could such miraculous wine truly exist?
“So it’s similar to the elemental transformation of a Logia-type Devil Fruit?” Kaido asked.
“Does it make the drinker immune to physical attacks?” “Something like that,” Dæmon replied.
“The difference is that you will still feel pain and suffer injuries.
You simply will not die from them.” Kaido grinned.
“You’d better be telling the truth.
If you’re lying, I’ll smash this little tavern to pieces!” He lifted the glass and drained it in a single gulp.
His eyes widened.
“Excellent sake!” Kaido slammed the empty glass onto the counter.
“This is the best sake I’ve ever tasted!
Boss, pour me another!” “Drinking more will not strengthen the effect,” Dæmon explained with a faint smile.
“More importantly, you will not receive a second glass until you have paid for the first.” The moment Kaido heard that there would be no second serving, his expression stiffened.
The craving made him feel as though countless ants were crawling beneath his skin.
For a young alcoholic, being denied another cup of excellent sake was practically a death sentence.
Dæmon chuckled at his reaction.
“Now then, Kaido…” His eyes shifted toward the massive spiked club resting against the counter.
“Shall we put your immortality to the test?”