Ace was forced into retreat, and his arrogance, which he thought he would never lose again, was shattered in an instant by the five monsters!
However, Ace has grown over the years. After realizing he was no match for the monster, he started to use his brain in battle. He no longer confronted it head-on and tried different moves to deal with it. Finally, Ace discovered the secret of the five-headed monster's immortality!
It turns out that Luffy told him that high-level Conqueror's Haki could counter this ability, and with the addition of white flames, he was able to defeat the five monsters, who had little thought or intelligence, one by one at the right moment!
"Good!"
Vic called for a halt, then with a wave of his hand, the five charred monsters that Ace had burned back to their original state and returned to behind Vic.
Ace was panting heavily and drenched in sweat. Seeing this scene, his brows furrowed into a deep frown. He had spent a great deal of effort and time defeating that opponent, and it had been so easily restored? Even though he knew this was an illusion, Ace still felt a chill run down his spine!
Do you know who these five are? Want to guess? You know them too!
Vic gave a thumbs-up, pointed over his shoulder to his back, and there stood five enormous monsters, motionless and still, showing no trace of their previous ferocity and power!
"I know them? Are they that powerful? And there are five of them?"
"Could it be...?"
Ace lowered his head in thought, muttering to himself. After a long while, a sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he looked up abruptly at Vic, his eyes filled with shock!
"That's right, just what you think!"
As Vic finished speaking, the five monsters behind him began to transform, changing from beast form to human form!
The giant spider became Saturn with curly hair, the giant boar became Wochuri with a big sword Warcury, the giant strange bird became Mars with a long beard, the giant insect became Ju Peter with blond hair, and the giant skeletal horse became Nusjuro with a bald head—each one of them became the familiar faces to Ace!
Although the Five Elders are the five most powerful people in the World Government, their photos are only occasionally published in newspapers. They are the five most powerful people in the world who are out in the open, so people who read newspapers regularly recognize them!
" The Five Elders..."
It's one thing to guess in your mind, and quite another to see it with your own eyes. Although this is an illusion, it's no different from seeing it in real life.
Ace believed Mr. Vic wouldn't lie to him. Since it was shown in the illusion, Mr. Vic must have seen it before, and their Devil Fruit abilities and immortality must also be...
"That's right! Now you know why Luffy taught you how to use Conqueror's Haki at a high level, right? It's because he's already fought the Five Elders, and he's afraid that one day you'll encounter these troublesome guys too, and if you don't have a way to counter them, that would be terrible!"
Vic had never seen the God's Knights or their Devil Fruit abilities, so he didn't simulate them. Anyway, Ace would know what to do when he encountered other invincible beings!
"Is this what Mr. Vic came to tell me?"
Ace was indeed astonished by the Five Elders ' strength and their immortality, but he knew that Vic didn't need to make the trip himself; a simple phone call would have sufficed to explain everything!
Why would anyone need to go to such lengths as Vic, personally explaining, simulating the scenario in the illusion, and even having them fight? It's clearly not that simple!
"Smart! The Five Elders Five Elders just an appetizer. After seeing their abilities, where do you think their immortality comes from? Is it from their bloodline? Or their Devil Fruit powers? Or something else?"
The Five Elders are indeed powerful and immortal, which may surprise those who see them for the first time, but they are not that awe-inspiring. They are not worth Vic's personal trip. The five old guys are just a pretext for him to bring up the topic of the God Realm!
" The Five Elders are all Celestial Dragons, right? I've never heard of them having any special bloodline. The idea of a creator is utter nonsense. Celestial Dragons have been killed before. Wasn't it Mr. Vic who left the Navy because he killed Celestial Dragons?"
"It's unlikely that their immortality is a result of their Devil Fruit abilities. Each Devil Fruit is unique, and there are very few that have overlapping abilities, let alone such a rare and special ability as immortality."
Moreover, all five of them possess this ability simultaneously, and these five individuals are the Five Elders, who hold the highest authority in the World Government. Even if they are all Zoan users, it would be very difficult for them to achieve this!
"As for the others, I can't think of any, but the ability of immortality should be related to Devil Fruit powers. Their immortality seems to have been bestowed upon them by someone else. Could it be that one of the five of them possesses this ability? And can it be given to others?"
If that's the case, then this person's status should be higher than the other four, which is somewhat unreasonable among the Five Elders!
But if this ability wasn't granted to them by one of the Five Elders, then who was it? Are there such special individuals within the World Government? Their status couldn't possibly be lower than that of the Five Elders, could it?
Although there are some special races and bloodlines in this world, Ace has seen Celestial Dragons before, and there are news reports of Celestial Dragons being killed. He doesn't believe that Celestial Dragons have such abnormal bloodline abilities!
If it's not the power of bloodline, then it's most likely related to Devil Fruit abilities. Ace's conjecture is very logical, and his speculation is also very reasonable. It's just that his thinking is bound by the World Government and this era, preventing him from going any further!
"Not bad! You've guessed pretty much right, but your guesses aren't bold enough. How can you be so sure that the Five Elders are the most powerful people in the World Government? You believe everything they say? And regarding Devil Fruit abilities, how can you think that the Devil Fruit Awakening is the end?"
Vic talking for so long, including arranging a fight between Ace and the Five Elders, we're finally getting to the point!
" Mr. Vic! You mean there's a powerful individual, stronger than those who have awakened Devil Fruit Awakening, standing behind the Five Elders? And this person is the one who granted the Five Elders their immortality?"
Ace was finally shocked, utterly stunned. Vic's words were quite straightforward, and it was probably only such a groundbreaking secret that was worth Vic's personal trip!
Even the Five Elders are puppets? What are the people behind this hiding so deeply up to? If this news were to get out, it would surely cause a huge uproar!
"That's right! I came here to talk to you about this. I don't want you to continue to be complacent and lazy. Do you think you're strong enough to roam freely on the Grand Line?"
Little did you know that you couldn't even withstand one of that man's moves? Your father was tricked by this man and contracted a terminal illness. Otherwise, your family of three would probably be very happy!
"This person is destined to become our enemy. Whoever wants to become the Pirate King, whoever wants to break through to the level after Awakening, is his enemy. This is the fundamental reason why that person plotted against your father!"
Although your father was executed, the real culprit was him. You could say that person is your father's killer. How can you stop striving to become stronger? Won't he come to eliminate you completely?"
"Beyond the Devil Fruit Awakening lies a realm, commonly known as the God Realm. It's a realm hidden by the World Government, and you should be able to sense its power just from the name!"