"I must forge two swords immediately. I have enough materials. Great Grade Sword is definitely achievable, Supreme Great Grade Sword depends on luck. I can't wait any longer. I'll ask Andrew for leave tomorrow and go into seclusion to forge the swords first!"
Vic stared at the broken knife in his hand, lost in thought.
Just then, Vic sensed three people approaching the cabin using his Observation Haki. After carefully sensing them, he realized it was Gion Hina and Smoker, all of whom were carrying something in their hands.
Gion met Smoker and his companion at the Elite Camp. Since they were both acquaintances of Vic, and had gotten to know each other during her visits to Vic over the past few days, they came together.
" Vic! You're finally awake, that's great!"
Gion saw Vic sitting there from afar and immediately ran over and hugged Vic.
Because one was sitting and the other was standing with his back bent, Vic's head was completely enveloped by the two mountains. He could smell the aroma of milk in the mountains, but the vegetation had been eaten up by the cows, and the air in the mountains, where no grass or trees grew, was thin, making it difficult for him to breathe!
Vic was stunned for a moment, he nudged his head between the two mountains and looked up at Gion's face with a blank expression.
Gion blushed slightly, realizing she had been a bit out of line. She glanced at Rebecca, who looked at her incredulously, and awkwardly released her embrace, a sheepish grin on her face.
Vic was also a little disappointed; it was so big and smelled so good, and he had a look of lingering enjoyment on his face.
" Vic, I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm leaving headquarters to go on a mission!"
Gion's eyes held a hint of reluctance, and her voice trembled slightly.
"Really? Then be careful out there. Come back and have the banquet here when you get back!" Vic snapped out of his reverie, paused for a moment, and then replied calmly.
"Is that all you wanted to tell me?" Gion's expression changed slightly as she stared intently into Vic's eyes!
"Oh, I won't be seeing you off tomorrow. I need to report to Instructor Andrew!"
Vic's voice was calm, but only he knew whether he was truly at peace inside.
Gion looked dejected and was about to say something more when Smoker and Hina walked over.
" Vic, you're a monster! You fight monsters and recover just as quickly as they do!" Hina teased.
"Hahaha, I was just the one who got beaten up. I was defeated in one move. Don't be fooled by how the newspapers portrayed me as so formidable; I'm actually far from that level."
"I'm still not strong enough! There are too many powerful beings on the high seas!" Vic sighed, mainly speaking to Smoker.
He would definitely lose in a direct confrontation with Kaido, but Vic would use his strengths, combining speed with powerful, Mind Power charged strikes, to make things difficult for Kaido. He could stall for time and wait for a strong Marine to arrive, which was possible. If he wanted to escape alone, that was even simpler; with his speed and Geppo, he could take Kaido to Marine Headquarters.
But he couldn't do that. The warship was still there. What if Kaido didn't engage him in battle, or Kaido attack the warship? Putting aside the other trainees, there were people he cherished on board. He couldn't gamble with that opportunity. He believed in his own strength and physique.
As for whether Kaido would break the bet, cripple him, and then kill everyone, Vic believes Kaido isn't that kind of person; given Kaido's magnanimity, he wouldn't do something so low.
In the original story, Kozuki Oden was distracted by Kurozumi Higurashi's transformation into Momonosuke, resulting in him being seriously injured by Kaido's blow. Afterwards, Kaido killed Kurozumi Higurashi and even showed regret from time to time, which shows that Kaido is a rather upright person.
" Smoker, I haven't seen you in a few days and you've even started smoking! You've gone astray, Hina, don't follow his example!"
Vic teased Smoker, who was smoking a cigar.
"I'm not going astray, I'm trying to understand the power of Devil Fruit!" Smoker said seriously.
"Ha, you've really come up with a good excuse!"
The group chatted about some interesting things that had happened to them, and Vic also told them how powerful Kaido.
The story of Smoker and Hina is a bit simpler and more straightforward. Smoker says he knows Vice Admiral Kuzan, Kuzan greatly admires Smoker's sense of justice.
Vic suggested that he be introduced to Vice Admiral Kuzan sometime, as he was also very curious about Kuzan.
Smoker and Hina were amazed by Vic's story; it was so thrilling, exciting, and wonderful that they were deeply moved.
Gion remained silent after that, occasionally staring blankly at Vic, Vic pretended not to notice.
Finally, seeing that the sky was getting a bit off, Vic looked back several times, Gion if she wanted to say something but hesitated. Finally, as if she had thought of something, she left with a smile.
Vic looked at Gion's smile with some confusion.
The next morning, Vic, his clothes soaked with dew, slowly opened his eyes, went back to the cabin to wash up, and then woke Rebecca.
Vic had Rebecca wrap his body in gauze many times, then put on an open shirt, and the two walked together toward the Recruit Camp camp square.
When the two arrived at the square, the sky was still overcast. Some people had already gathered there, and they all came over to greet them. They were now classmates who had gone through thick and thin together.
They looked at Vic with admiration and gratitude, and seeing the bandages on Vic's body, they were so moved they almost cried.
Especially when I think of the resolute way Vic fought Kaido, he had already disregarded life and death. What kind of spirit is that? A noble spirit of selflessness, altruism, and dedication to others.
If Vic knew what they were thinking, he would definitely say: You're really overthinking it. You're just along the way, benefiting from what others are doing.
Soon all the students arrived, as did Andrew and the teaching assistant. Vic immediately blocked Andrew's way as he walked.
"Instructor Andrew, my injury hasn't healed yet, and it'll probably take another month to fully recover, so I can't come to training. Can you understand?"
Vic stared sharply at Andrew.
Andrew knew about Vic's injuries, and as an instructor, it was only natural for him to go and check on his seriously wounded soldier.
He knew the situation perfectly well; the injuries were severe, but the recovery was incredibly fast—he'd be fully healed in just a few days. He was absolutely a monster.
But seeing Vic covered in bandages and his fierce eyes, she knew that if she didn't agree today, she would definitely get beaten up, and it might really take a month to recover.
"Alright, but you still have to stay in the recruit area and can't run around!" Andrew added.
"Okay, here's the thing, I might have some free time while I'm recovering, and I'm also getting a bit interested in weapon forging."
"Instructor, could you introduce me to a master craftsman? I'd like to observe the art of knife forging and try it myself. Is that alright, Instructor?" Vic said with a smile.
Andrew also knew that Vic's knife was broken, and figured that Vic might be looking for someone to forge a good knife.
That broken sword died protecting the new recruits, so the Navy should have directly compensated for it or repaired it.
The plan to repair it had already been decided, but Rebecca wouldn't let anyone take the knife, and Vic hadn't woken up, so the matter was put on hold.
" Vic, your broken knife can be repaired for free. I'll introduce you to a master repairman; you can just go directly to him."
"He was the one who evaluated the knife for you back then. He said the broken knife was worth repairing, and that the craftsman who forged it was highly skilled, the knife's performance was excellent, and his forging skills were far superior to his own." Andrew stated his previous decision directly.
"That's good, thank you for your help, instructor!"
"Hey, this isn't my help, it's the compensation you deserve. That's all."
After Andrew finished speaking, he walked straight to the front of the line. Vic smiled as he watched Andrew's retreating figure and then left. The students began to murmur among themselves as Vic departed.
"Don't be curious, everyone. Vic's injury hasn't healed yet, so he can't do the morning exercises. Just do your own thing, and we'll start once everyone's here!" Andrew was very authoritative at this moment.
Vic returned to the beach, where he was now all alone. Vic lay down on the grass, recalling the feeling of Kaido's spiked club hitting him.
Of course, he wasn't the kind of pervert who enjoyed the pleasure derived from pain; he was reminiscing about Kaido's Ryuo.
Yes, Kaido used Ryuo Armament Vic to defeat Victor; he didn't use Conqueror's Haki Coating. As for the reason, it might be because he admires Victor's talent, or it might be out of guilt towards Kozuki Oden.
Kozuki Oden was someone who could have wounded him, but he was killed by a conspiracy. Perhaps he left behind some lingering thoughts, or maybe something else entirely.
When Vic was hit, he was covered in Armament Haki, but at that moment, the Haki on his body no longer had any blocking effect, Kaido's Haki surged into his body.
"At that moment, I sensed something different about Kaido's Haki. It quickly bypassed my Haki defense, entered my body through the gaps in the Haki Particles, and rushed into my body, dodging my Haki Particles along the way, while my own Haki Particles moved slowly and reacted sluggishly."
Garp and Zephyr used basic Haki when fighting Vic, without using Ryuo) to attack him, as he had never experienced Ryuo before.
" Kaido's Haki Particles are so flexible, this must be the key to Ryuo. The same Haki Particles, one is rigid, the other has its own thoughts, what's extra in this one?"
" Koshiro- sensei said that after finding Haki, you need to activate it? Activate it, but what do you use to activate it?"
Vic analyzed Kaido's Ryuo and, combined with Koshiro's reading comprehension questions, found a general direction.