The banquet was over. Although Vic wasn't worried, he still needed to seize the time to train. Aokiji losing his leg was a real event in the future, which was enough to show Akainu Fruit ability. Even Aokiji, who was also Admiral, had to lose a leg, which showed how powerful Akainu was.
Vic immediately covered his entire body and dual swords with Armament Haki, and then continued to activate the Haki Particles deep within his cells.
Each time he was struck by Void Lightning, Vic could manipulate it more easily, and his cultivation progressed at breakneck speed.
Soon, the day of the Elite Camp's graduation assessment arrived, half a month earlier than the Recruit Camp's assessment.
Vic was seeing Smoker and Hina off in the plaza in front of headquarters.
Rebecca and Wendy had already hugged Hina. They both remembered their last trip to sea, which had been fraught with danger, and they were very worried about Hina.
Smoker was also somewhat eager to try, but when he saw Vic 'Vic sharp eyes, he stopped in his tracks. Vic really would cut him.
" Smoker, get some good grades, or you'll really be saluting me from now on!"
"Don't rush in recklessly when facing an enemy. Observe them more. The abilities of ability users are all kinds of strange and wonderful, and it's easy to fall into their trap. You should listen to what Teacher Zephyr says!" Vic said earnestly to Smoker.
"I understand. Everyone says I'm wrong, and I'm sure I'm wrong. I'll follow in your footsteps and become another rising star!" Smoker said firmly.
"Okay, let's get on the ship. Take good care of Hina!"
" Hina is also an ability user, she doesn't need me to take care of her, right?"
"Then you can at least take good care of Hina for me!" Vic said helplessly; Smoker was really a blockhead.
Gion knew what Vic was thinking, she would also want to grab Vic's ear and ask: You're such a blockhead, why do you always have to hide from me?
After saying their goodbyes, Smoker and Hina boarded the ship, but Vic didn't leave; the ship was still waiting for someone.
" Vic, I need to talk to you about something."
As Vic stood at the port, he heard a familiar voice calling him. He turned around and saw Zephyr, who hadn't boarded the ship yet.
"Teacher, what's wrong?"
"I might not be able to see your Recruit Camp graduation assessment. We don't know when we'll be back from this trip. After you graduate, some of you will come to my Elite Camp. I might not be at headquarters then, so you'll need to teach them first!"
"Me? I can't do it, can I? Aren't there other instructors?" Vic was surprised that Zephyr had asked him about this.
"Of course we have instructors, but how can they compare to you? Look how well you've taught Rebecca!" Zephyr said with a smile.
"Anyway, you'll be the top student in the next Elite Camp, and they should all respect you. It's perfect for you to teach. You know everything that needs to be taught, and you also have your own understanding of it, so you'll definitely be able to teach well!" Zephyr patted Vic on the shoulder.
"Alright then, I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll find another instructor!" Vic said helplessly.
Vic provided Rebecca with elite one-on-one training, and daily sparring was indispensable.
"Okay, I'm getting on the ship now. You can't let your cultivation fall behind!" Zephyr said as he walked towards the ship, waving goodbye to the others with his back turned.
The Elite Camp's assessment warship was also an ordinary warship, similar to the one Vic and his group had used. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary navy vessel. This was designed to attract those lawless pirates; after all, an assessment requires dealing with some pirates.
The warship left the port, Vic watched it depart. Smoker and Hina on board were still waving, as were Rebecca and Wendy.
"Let's go, the warship is already far away, let's go back!" Vic said to the two women.
At this moment, in a room on a certain floor of the headquarters building, two people were standing by the window looking at the harbor.
" Sakazuki, that guy in the black cloak is Vic. He's incredibly talented. He even captured a Mythical Zoan Fruit user a while back—a Admiral Sengoku! There's really no need for me to offend him!"
Onigumo had long since given up on revenge. As long as Vic continues to shine so brightly, his defeat isn't so devastating; it just shows how incredibly strong Vic truly is.
He won't be seen as a stepping stone, but rather as a good whetstone, which will make him feel better.
"He may have slapped your face, but that's like slapping my backside too. You can't touch a tiger's backside, let alone hit it!" Akainu remained assertive.
"You're a dog, not a tiger. If you can't speak, then don't speak. Nobody will think you're mute!" Onigumo thought to himself.
"I've already figured out how to teach him a lesson; he can't escape it! Humph!" Akainu said, then left through the window.
Onigumo really wanted to curse. You think you're strong? You can't beat him, but you can't beat me? You're so eager, he'll think I came looking for you, and he'll take revenge on me like crazy! Meeting you is the worst luck imaginable!
Onigumo's inner thoughts were quite complex; even though Akainu had left, he still didn't dare to voice his true feelings.
Vic was unaware of their conversation, but since he knew someone might be targeting him, he couldn't afford to be too optimistic. So he spent most of his time training in Haki, which was the most effective way to deal with Devil Fruit users.
Vic carved a hole in a cloud-covered area on the side of the Red Line. Inside the hole, Vic recklessly used the lightning from his Divine Staff to temper his Haki and body.
Vic never left this place, nor did he eat. He simply used the Divine Staff, consuming his Haki to temper his body, recovering his Haki, and then using the Divine Staff again, repeating this cycle day after day.
"Is the assessment finally approaching? It's time to emerge from seclusion!" Vic's body was now tattered and torn, his clothes ripped by lightning, but the aura emanating from him was even more ferocious, giving one the involuntary feeling of being stared at by a wild beast, penetrating straight to the soul.
Vic took the same detour through the forest back to the cabin. The animals in the forest were terrified. Vic didn't mean any harm, but just by standing there, the animals were too scared to move and all lay prostrate on the ground. Vic casually picked up two animals and took them back.
After all, he hadn't eaten for a while, and his body had used up a lot of its stored energy.
Before Vic could even reach the cabin, he was stopped by Rebecca, who had rushed over.
" Vic, is that you?" Rebecca asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Of course it's me, who else could it be?" Vic replied with a smile.
"I thought some powerful wild beast had come, so I rushed over to check!" Rebecca patted the small hill, clearly relieved.
The main problem was that Vic had been constantly struck by lightning and hadn't had time to conceal his aura; this requires meditation to achieve.
"A little meditation tonight will restore my original energy!"
"Hmm, recover quickly, your aura is terrifying!"
"Okay, let's go back!"
The two dragged the wild beast back to the cabin. Wendy was also there. She hadn't Awakening her Observation Haki yet, but she could still feel a strong sense of oppression.
" Vic, what beast did you hunt? It's back. Why does it feel so strong?" Wendy asked, puzzled, assuming the aura was coming from the beast.
"Hehe, these are the two. I don't know their names either!" Vic chuckled, offering no further explanation.
" Vic, tomorrow is the graduation assessment. Many students have already gone out to sea by boat. Those of us who are going to join the Elite Camp have stayed at headquarters and will take the assessment there!" Rebecca said.
"Aren't you a navigator? You should go to sea too, right?" Vic asked doubtfully.
"Navigator is just my second profession; my first profession is warrior! So I primarily focus on my first profession," Rebecca explained.
"Hmm, that's good. Let's prepare dinner!"
The three of them quickly finished their dinner, and Wendy said goodbye and left, but she kept staring at the meat bones with a puzzled look on her face.
Vic and Rebecca exchanged a glance, smiled, and remained silent.