A week has passed since the Sabaody incident, Vic is in the newspapers again. Last time, Vic and the behemoth disappeared from everyone's sight, and many people didn't know what happened afterward. This time, as soon as the news came out, everyone knew that Vic was unharmed.
Furthermore, many observant people noticed that Vic is now using a different knife, which looks very similar to the giant beast from that day, leading to speculation that Vic might have killed that beast.
Only those in the know understand that it's a miracle Vic survived Kaido's attack.
Kaido, who was on Onigashima, was also a little annoyed. "So what if I broke your sword? You think you can control me like this? That blow from that day wasn't enough!"
Vic has never paid much attention to these things because he has big goals in mind and will not be complacent about his strength.
In the past few days, Vic has also treated Aokiji was free at headquarters, to several meals. The two now share similar views on justice, so they have a lot in common and their relationship has become closer.
Given their relationship with Garp, they naturally became friends.
That day, Vic sat cross-legged on the open ground in front of the wooden house, looking at the gloomy sky with a sense of anticipation. It should be Raiu again tonight, which would be a good time for his cultivation.
We also need to consider his future plans and whether any further preparations are needed. If problems arise, there will still be time to make adjustments.
" Rebecca, I'll be going out tonight. Don't worry about me, just do your own thing," Vic said to Rebecca beside him.
"Where are we going? Take me with you!" Rebecca looked at Vic expectantly.
"I'm just looking for a place to cultivate myself, nothing special."
Vic has important business to attend to tonight, so there's no need for him to bring Rebecca along.
"Oh, okay then!"
Rebecca wasn't worried about Vic's safety at headquarters. Nothing interesting happened, and she needed her beauty sleep that night anyway.
Gradually, the wind picked up, and arcs of electricity appeared in the dark clouds. Vic knew it was coming soon.
After saying goodbye to Rebecca, Vic headed into the forest.
Vic bypassed the recruit area through the seaside forest and arrived at the foot of the Red Line.
Vic reached out and patted the red wall. It looked like soil, but it was exceptionally solid, no less so than stone.
Vic highly doubted that the earthen wall encircling the entire planet was a natural formation; it looked more like a man-made structure. But could there really be such powerful beings? Could there truly be gods?
Vic stopped thinking about it when he couldn't figure it out. There would be other opportunities tonight, and he would eventually find out when he was strong enough.
He sat cross-legged on the ground, waiting for the storm to arrive.
Soon, the moment he had been waiting for arrived. The sky turned completely dark, and a torrential downpour began, making it impossible to see anything except for a brief moment when Inazuma flashed.
"Who knows how long this Raiu will last? Opportunities for rapid cultivation like this are rare. Let's just keep climbing while enduring the lightning strikes!"
Vic looked at the sky, then stood up, pulled out a stone box from his back, and covered his entire body with Armament Haki.
Then he took out the Divine Staff and held it in his hand. As if sensing something in the void, lightning instantly struck down from the void.
The lightning in the sky also became violent. Vic put the stone box back into his waistband, then tucked the Divine Staff into his waistband, and used Geppo to ascend along the Red Line.
Since the highest point on the Red Line is 10,000 meters, and the Celestial Dragons' residence is naturally the highest point in the world, symbolizing their superiority, it is the most accurate place for Vic to conduct his experiments.
Vic stepped upwards, enveloped in lightning, as if undergoing a tribulation of lightning; the scene was truly awe-inspiring.
If anyone saw this scene, they would surely cry out that it was a divine punishment!
As Vic ascended higher and higher, the Marine Headquarters appeared smaller and smaller, and the air above became increasingly thinner, causing Vic's ascent to slow down.
Soon, Vic came to a standstill; the air at this altitude could no longer support his upward thrust.
"The thin air really does affect Geppo; it's impossible to ascend indefinitely. It seems the only way to continue is to accelerate!"
Vic didn't give up immediately because he still had a trump card: the Speed-Speed Fruit could increase his speed and compensate for the weakening of the reaction force!
A faster, more frequent kick will generate greater thrust, and as expected, Vic was able to ascend again after using the Speed-Speed Fruit.
Vic thus had to increase his speed every time he ascended a certain distance, continuing upwards.
Soon, the edges of the Red Line appeared blurry in Vic's field of vision!
"Can I already see the top? But my Speed-Speed Fruit ability is almost at its limit. I wonder if I can make it up?"
Vic passed through the thick clouds and arrived above them. He could finally see the top of the Red Line clearly, which was even higher than the clouds!
He continued upwards against the lightning, but his speed became slower and slower.
" The Speed-Speed Fruit has already reached its maximum speed, but it still hasn't reached the top; it's still about a hundred meters short!"
Vic has used up all of his Devil Fruit powers, but he still hasn't reached his limit; he's currently stuck in the same place.
But he didn't give up immediately; instead, he was thinking of other solutions.
Just then, Vic's Armament Haki ran out, and the black color slowly faded from his body.
"Is that not enough? It seems we should wait until the Devil Fruit ability is further developed before we can be on the safe side!" Vic with some regret, but the experiment was very meaningful; at least he now knew his own shortcomings!
After his Haki faded, Vic had to rely entirely on his body to withstand the lightning. Just as Vic was about to leave, his body suddenly froze.
Because after Vic sensed the Haki disappear, his Devil Fruit ability activated while his body was being subjected to the Void Lightning.
"Could it be because I have stronger control over my body now? And the Void Lightning's tempering of my body has accelerated the development of the fruit?" Vic quickly realized something.
After hearing about the Sharp Blade Pirates, Vic's original body let go of a deep-seated obsession, which resulted in stronger control over his body. Unexpectedly, this also had an effect on the development of his Vic Fruit!
"Then let's wait and see!" Vic felt there was still hope of reaching the summit this time.
Vic thus continued to experience the effects of lightning strikes while simultaneously gaining insights into his body.
With the Speed-Speed Fruit's power developed, Vic continued to advance while simultaneously comprehending its abilities.
Gradually, Vic got closer and closer to the top, and a smile appeared on Vic lips.
Just as they were about to reach the top, a Void Lightning did not strike Vic. Instead, it was drawn to the Red Line and struck the Red Line instead.
Suddenly! The scene before Vic's eyes changed completely. He seemed to have arrived at the top of the Red Line. He saw the undulating red land, and the Void Lightning above his head stopped striking down, as if the Divine Staff's function had failed!
Looking ahead, Vic was startled. He saw people, two groups of people, who looked like they were about to fight on the Red Line.
This wasn't what surprised Vic the most. What surprised him the most was that all of these people were floating in mid-air. Vic was dumbfounded.
There are indeed some methods to levitate in this world, but none of them are as effortless and graceful as the Vic is seeing now, like something out of a fairy tale!
One side consisted of only seven people, one in front and six behind. They wore different clothes and were of different sizes, but they still looked like people from this world.
Although the six people followed behind, they didn't look like servants at all. Each of them had a different temperament, as if they had blended into nature!
On the other side, there were twenty-one people, led by one person, but their attire was strange; they were all wearing spacesuits.
Vic was completely bewildered. What was going on? Shouldn't this be Mary Geoise? Why was there only a giant tree here, and all the buildings had disappeared?
Soon, the two groups of people, who were about 100 meters apart, landed on the ground and came together.
A man dressed in Wano Country attire stepped forward and snapped his fingers, but Vic didn't hear a sound.
Suddenly, a square red stone slowly rose from the red ground.
"Why does this stone look so much like the one with the signpost to Laugh Tale?" Vic looked at the red stone and found it somewhat familiar; it was the same size and color.
Vic didn't make any rash moves, and those people seemed not to see him at all. Vic was intimidated by these two groups and didn't care at all that the Void Lightning had disappeared and no longer struck him.
Soon, the square stone began to deform, gradually transforming into a stone table, and then the man in the kimono retreated back into the group.
Another beautiful woman stepped forward. With a wave of her hand, the huge tree extended two branches that quickly grew downwards, soon reaching both sides of the stone table.
The branches continued to grow and intertwine, and soon, the two branches became two chairs woven from branches.
Vic didn't know how to describe this woman; she was beautiful and otherworldly, and looking at her face could bring peace and tranquility.
The leaders on both sides sat down in chairs, seemingly engaged in conversation, without any tense atmosphere.
"Weren't they fighting in groups? Why are they sitting together talking about something? Who are they? Is that Devil Fruit ability?"
"One is Devil Fruit User? The other is a Logia user related to earth? But wasn't the Woods-Woods Fruit eaten by the future Admiral Ryokugyu Aramaki? Does that mean he hasn't obtained the fruit yet, and that woman will die in the future?"
"Or perhaps her fruit isn't Woods-Woods Fruit, but she still possesses the ability to control plants? The large tree in this place could only be the Sunlight Tree Eve!"
Vic was completely bewildered; what he was seeing was far beyond his comprehension, as if he were in another dimension!
The conversation between the two was silent; Vic, wearing a spacesuit hood, couldn't understand what the man was saying.
"We've agreed to your requests; as for what happens next, that's up to you to work on it yourselves!"
This was said by the leader on the other side, translated by Vic through lip reading, and it was the only sentence he could clearly see.
"Boom!"
A thunderous roar erupted!