"Boom!"
Suddenly, a clap of thunder rang out, and the scene before Vic's eyes vanished instantly. The Void Lightning continued to strike him. He was now standing on the edge of the Red Line, surrounded by many buildings. Vic recognized the tallest one.
"What's going on? Those images just now? Were they a hallucination?"
"Let's get out of here quickly, anyway, the fruit has already been developed, and the altitude is sufficient!"
Vic didn't immediately investigate what he had just witnessed. This was Celestial Dragons territory, not a safe place. Fortunately, thunder could still be heard from the clouds below.
He quickly stepped on the air and plummeted downwards. He landed very fast, occasionally stepping on the air to slow down.
Just as Vic left the top of the Red Line, in the Pangaea Castle in Mary Geoise, a bald man in the Room of Authority seemed to sense something. His eyes narrowed for a moment but quickly returned to normal. He grabbed a longsword with a wooden sheath lying beside him and looked out the window.
The Cipher Pol in Mary Geoise also noticed the anomaly. They were not weaklings either. When they arrived at the spot Vic Mary Geoise just stood, they only found traces of lightning strikes on the ground, nothing else.
Vic landed on the ground quickly. He didn't leave immediately, but sat cross-legged on the ground to endure the baptism of the Void Lightning.
He was still replaying the scene in his mind; it was incredible! It was like entering another dimension!
"The vanished Mary Geoise? Unheard-of figures? And those people in spacesuits? And that red stone? Everything points to something incredible happening here, but there's just too little information to analyze!"
"It's like a kind of record. There seems to be a legend from a past life that certain scenes are recorded on Raiu nights, and when that kind of weather occurs again, those scenes will reappear. I wonder if it's a hoax?"
"The scene we just saw can't be from the present, or even from the last eight hundred years. Could it have happened eight hundred years ago? Could it be related to the Void Century of history? Why did they choose this place? There are too many mysteries!"
"But those spacesuits are so similar to the Celestial Dragons ' attire, is there any connection between them?"
Vic thought a lot, but the original text provided too few clues, and he couldn't analyze anything useful.
When Vic traveled through time, the Wano Country arc had just ended, and he was unaware of the events that followed.
When Vic's body could no longer hold on, he put away his Divine Staff and quickly returned to the cabin to wash up.
The Raiu lasted for three days. During these three days, Vic endured being struck by lightning repeatedly, effectively compressing his domineering Haki. His body also shrank by five centimeters due to the lightning strikes. However, he used his Life Return and release some of the compressed height. Apart from becoming more wiry, his appearance remained largely unchanged.
Unbeknownst to Vic, before the Raiu ended, two people returned to headquarters and were talking in Sengoku's office.
" Sakazuki, didn't I tell you to guard your G-1 Base properly? What are you doing back now, and with Onigumo no less?" Sengoku's eyes were stern.
" Admiral Sengoku, the New World is becoming increasingly chaotic, and I'm short-handed! The Elite Camp's new recruits are about to graduate, and I want to select a few capable ones to take back with me. This is a normal strategic need, so I must come back personally to choose."
Akainu is also very tough; his current strength has reached the level of Admiral.
Onigumo remained silent after that.
"That's for the best. Don't do anything unnecessary. That guy was brought by Garp. You guys should leave!"
Akainu left Sengoku's office with Onigumo in his arms.
As Sengoku watched the two figures walk away, he felt somewhat annoyed.
He knew perfectly well why Akainu and Onigumo had returned: to get revenge on Vic for beating Onigumo last time. He had already discussed it with Garp, and Garp would just beat him up in front of everyone else and that would be the end of it.
Unexpectedly, Sakazuki still hadn't given up. He disregarded the stability of the New World and secretly ran back to headquarters.
"How could Vic possibly be a match for Sakazuki now? The Magma-Magma Fruit is too terrifying in its destructive power. Vic will definitely be seriously injured. He's supposed to be a leading figure of the new generation, with enormous potential, but he just hasn't fully matured yet. Oh well! Let Vic suffer a setback; he's still too young!"
Sengoku was somewhat helpless. Akainu was very strong, and he knew he couldn't persuade him otherwise. He would need to rely on Akainu's strength after he became Fleet Admiral.
However, Vic might be a key asset for the next Fleet Admiral, so it doesn't really concern him much. He understands the pros and cons, and Akainu understands this too, which is why he dares to be so audacious. Sengoku doesn't want the Navy to unite against the pirates, but there are factional struggles within the Navy.
Akainu and Onigumo, who had left Sengoku's office, were also talking.
" Sakazuki, I think we should just let it go. That kid Vic has already been publicly reprimanded by Vice Admiral Garp!"
Onigumo had already given up on seeking revenge, but then Vice Admiral Garp Vice Admiral Garp intervened, and he had to give him face.
Another reason is that he really can't beat Vic anymore, especially after seeing the news about Vic. He knows that the gap between him and Vic is widening, and if they make enemies again, things might not be easy for him in the future.
However, he was dragged back by Akainu, just to save face for the hawks. He's just a new recruit, yet he dares to act so arrogantly in front of the hawks!
"What, chickening out! You need to show the same determination we have when dealing with pirates. He's just a recruit, are you afraid of him?"
"No... no, I'm afraid it will embarrass Vice Admiral Garp. Vice Admiral Garp too strong. What if he takes his own side and causes trouble!" Onigumo didn't dare admit his fear and brought up Garp instead.
" Vice Admiral Garp is getting old, and I now have the strength of Admiral. Who is stronger and who is weaker is still unknown! We'll only know after we fight!" Akainu was very confident; he had become somewhat arrogant after gaining the strength of Admiral.
He treated Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr equally. He had always requested to act alone and had never witnessed Garp's full strength. If Aokiji were here, he would never say such a thing.
Kizaru was on Sengoku's ship, Aokiji was on Garp's ship, and Akainu was guarding a base on his own; this was all assigned over the years.
The two walked away talking, but their conversation was overheard by Aokiji happened to be passing by.
Aokiji scoffed, thinking that Aokiji's attempt to fight Mr. Garp was simply overestimating himself.
However, he was somewhat worried about Vic. Akainu couldn't beat Garp, but Vic wouldn't be his match. Thinking of the scorching magma, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Ever since Sakazuki ordered the bombardment of the refugee ship during the Ohara Incident, Aokiji has disliked him and is disgusted by absolute justice.
Vic felt unusually relaxed and stronger these past few days, and his control over his Haki and Sword Qi had become more refined.
"This is really a good thing. When I become stronger, I can use it to help Rebecca and the others!" Vic thought to himself as he looked at the stone box in his hand.
The weather had cleared up, so he couldn't use it openly anymore. Vic put the stone box back into his waistband.
" Wendy, your Observation Haki hasn't kicked in yet?" Vic asked, watching the two women locked in combat.
"Yeah, I always feel like something's blocking my way, I just can't seem to get any deeper in!"
The two women stopped what they were doing, removed the blindfolds from their eyes, and sat down next to Vic.
"I felt the same way back then. I Awakening during a life-or-death battle. Rebecca also Awakening during her last life-or-death battle. Since you've reached the critical point, put down your training in Observation Haki. What you need now is a life-or-death battle!" Vic analyzed.
"But I'm a sniper, how am I supposed to fight to the death?" Wendy asked, somewhat troubled.
"That's true. There are very few top-tier snipers among pirates. It's rare to encounter a life-or-death battle between snipers!" Vic replied, stroking his chin.