Although the Navy didn't know that Vic was behind it, they still had to investigate Ryokugyu's sudden collapse thoroughly!
The result was incredibly bizarre. Ryokugyu is a Logia Fruit user, not only difficult to kill, but also extremely adept at surviving!
Moreover, this happened on land where Ryokugyu thrives, yet he died silently without a trace, without even a scratch on his body. The strength of the person who attacked him is terrifying!
To others, Logia Fruit users are indeed difficult to kill, but in the eyes of Vic, who is about to master the Law of Space, there is no difference between Logia and Logia.
It's simply a matter of whether or not to use Armament Haki when attacking. That's how Saturn was killed by Vic, who was practically immortal. What else does Ryokugyu have?
Caught completely off guard, Vic took his heart from afar. Whether you're Logia or not, without a heart, you can forget about surviving!
Moreover, when Vic killed Ryokugyu, he sealed off the space around him. At this moment, the Woods-Woods Fruit is in some other dimension, waiting for Vic to retrieve it!
The Navy doesn't know how Ryokugyu died, but the Five Elders and the God's Knights, who saw Vic with an extra heart in his hand, guessed that he was responsible!
This method shocked and horrified them, but they had no idea how Vic had done it.
You can't fully understand the abilities of Devil Fruit unless you eat one yourself, but they know that this is definitely a Devil Fruit ability!
Luffy, Ace, and the others were also surprised to see the heart in Vic's hand, especially Luffy, who didn't know Vic's background.
He was just about to attack Ryokugyu, who dared to make his navigator cry—it was simply unforgivable—but Vic beat him to it!
Luffy knew that even if he took action, he couldn't kill Ryokugyu in a short time. Besides, he wasn't a bloodthirsty person. At most, he would beat up Nami to vent his anger. Unlike Vic, who was so decisive and ruthless, he didn't give Green Bull any chance!
Dragon stared intently at the heart in Vic's hand. He finally understood how Saturn had died. It turned out that Vic had secretly helped the Kuma kill him. What a familiar formula!
" Nami! Did I destroy it for you, or...?"
"Destroy it!"
Vic handed the heart in his hand towards Nami and asked.
Nami's answer did not surprise him. Nami and Ryokugyu had no fundamental hatred, so there was no need to use Ryokugyu's heart as a sacrifice. With a flash of lightning in Vic's palm, the bright red heart turned to ash and disappeared with the wind!
"My word still stands. Those who want to leave the Navy, make your decision now. As for where you want to go after you leave, that's entirely up to you!"
Vic's voice, like a thunderclap, pulled the Navy, who were still reeling from Ryokugyu's death, back to reality.
Although they still didn't know who killed Ryokugyu, based on their previous conversations and their consideration of strength, they suspected it was Vic!
At this moment, Vic continued to urge them on, and those who had decided to leave the Navy finally started to move. However, they only made up one-tenth of the entire Navy force. Of these, seventy percent left towards the outside of the valley, while only thirty percent resolutely walked behind the Five Elders and the God's Knights!
The Five Elders were very dissatisfied with this number and harbored a great deal of resentment towards Ryokugyu. Although Ryokugyu had pleased them, the loss was too great!
If Ryokugyu hadn't been so arrogant and got killed by Vic in one move, there probably wouldn't have been so few people who came with him. Besides, Ryokugyu Ryokugyu's combat strength wasn't bad either.
However, Ryokugyu's death had a significant deterrent effect on the Navy. Those who were used to opportunistically bullying civilians would likely take this opportunity to leave the Navy, choosing to remain neutral and protect themselves. These people dared not stay in the Navy, fearing they would eventually be purged!
In truth, these people are nothing in the eyes of the Five Elders, not even comparable to Ryokugyu. But now it's not a matter of strength, but rather which side the world favors!
This outcome shows that their World Government has lost power and is almost completely isolated. Even the Navy, which they trained themselves, has almost all turned against them!
Which side would the unrelated other people and forces take? It's obvious, and that's the main reason why the Five Elders looked so grim!
This was the first time in 800 years that such a difficult situation had arisen, and the Five Elders were all sweating profusely!
Of the three, Saint Mars has been one of the Five Elders for over two hundred years, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter has been Five Elders for over three hundred years, while the newest member Saint Garling, has only been one for ten years.
Since the establishment of the World Government, the Five Elders have changed more than twenty times, but never before has such a terrible situation occurred, with the entire world out of control. The three knew they were probably doomed, regardless of the final outcome of this war!
But they have no choice but to fight to the end; fleeing means certain death. Fighting to the death might offer them a chance of leniency, but of course, the probability is very small. Imu is not one to be sentimental!
" Thunder God! What do you gain from doing this? You can ask for anything you want, even becoming Celestial Dragons is negotiable. Why risk your lives fighting for those ants?"
Knowing that things couldn't end peacefully, Ju Peter still offered a final piece of advice: if it could work out, great; if not, so be it. He was already mentally prepared for a fight to the death!
"In your eyes, they are ants, but in our eyes, they are all human beings, people who also have the right to live. Our values are incompatible, there's no point in talking, let's just start fighting!"
Even at this point, they're still calling you ants and ants. They're clearly used to being high and mighty; they can't understand why others want to overthrow them. Do they really think it's for power and money?
From the Five Elders ' thoughts and understanding, Vic could tell what kind of people they were. Only by killing them all could he cleanse the world of its filth!
With no room for negotiation, the next step was naturally to start a fight. But just then, a powerful Conqueror's Haki suddenly appeared, enveloping the entire Lodestar Island!
Thick, blood-red Inazuma bolts spread across the entire island. Even though this Conqueror's Haki was dispersed throughout the island, its powerful mental impact still made most people lose their footing!
Even Headquarters Vice Admiral needs to kneel on one knee to barely hold on; those with weaker strength are basically unconscious!
This wasn't just the case on the Navy's side; the same was true on the pirate side. There weren't many people in the entire New World whose strength surpassed that of Marine Vice Admiral. As a result, the entire valley was filled with fallen people, resembling a mass grave!
Vic and Luffy were completely unaffected by this powerful Conqueror's Haki. They all looked in one direction, where another cluster of black flames rose!
Moreover, the black flames that appeared this time were exceptionally large in both range and height, clearly indicating that the people who came were not ordinary, or that there were quite a few of them!
"Everyone be careful, they're coming again!"
Vic gave a solemn reminder, sensing a familiar and powerful aura—it was Imu he had briefly clashed with in Pangaea Castle!
Imu made no attempt to conceal his powerful aura, like an ancient beast unleashing its full power, as if he had come here to intimidate any villains!