Two hours later, Vic felt the ship rock. He knew Buck had finished everything and they were getting underway.
Vic left his room and returned to the deck. Generally, he disliked staying inside. He felt that different places and their varying weather conditions were all ways to understand heaven and earth and the natural world, and that they helped him gain insight into the way of the sword.
No matter how one trained, the various forms of sword intent and saber intent from the novels of his previous life were useless in that world. But this world was different. Vista the Flower Sword could produce roses with his slashes, Luffy could set things on fire with a punch, Sanji's legs turned red, and Zoro had his Asura swordsmanship. Vic believed these were all tangible manifestations of "intent." Of course, there were other forms of intent he needed to learn about, study, and comprehend.
"Vic, we owe you again this time. Otherwise, who knows how badly things would have gone?" Buck said, still shaken, as he walked over to Vic.
"It was no big deal. I'm riding on your ship, aren't I? I couldn't put out to sea without it, so I had to do my part to protect the ship and crew," Vic said with a smile.
"You did more than your part. You wiped out an entire pirate crew single-handedly. You're so strong I can't even put it into words," Buck said in an awed tone.
"I'm nothing special. This sea is a wondrous place. People stronger than me are as numerous as the islands scattered across it. Only by seeing the road ahead can you keep moving forward and grow stronger. If you only look at the road behind you, you'll stagnate, just like that man who loves playing with sand."
"A man who loves playing with sand?" Buck asked, puzzled.
"You don't need to know him. He's in the Grand Line right now," Vic said dismissively.
With that, Vic returned to his usual spot and sat cross-legged on the deck with his eyes closed. Watching him made Buck's teeth ache. He really was a cultivation maniac.
The ship had already left the waters around Loguetown and was sailing deeper into the East Blue.
Just then, the lookout shouted.
"Something's out there!"
Everyone else turned their attention toward him. Although Vic didn't open his eyes, he was paying attention too.
"A ship flying a pirate flag is approaching us at three o'clock. It looks like they're going to attack!" the lookout cried in alarm.
Vic opened his eyes and said with some feeling, "Loguetown certainly lives up to its name. There really are plenty of pirates. There are even robbers waiting after you leave. They're probably lying in wait here specifically for cargo ships coming out of Loguetown."
Vic felt a little helpless. He had to attack from a distance again.
Vic went to the side of the ship and took a look, then turned to the worried-looking Buck beside him. "Captain Buck, hurry and have someone bring up the cannonballs. I'll try a round of long-range attacks first and see what they're made of."
Vic could now throw cannonballs farther by hand than a cannon could fire them. He could be called a human cannon. He wanted to use this skill to become old man Garp's disciple, so he had trained exceptionally hard. Combined with his physical talent, his cannonballs were fast, accurate, and powerful, striking straight at vital points.
Buck immediately ordered his men to bring them up. Vic was in no hurry; the enemy wasn't in his range yet.
The pirate ship had the wind at its back and men rowing, so it was faster than their ship. If they didn't fight back, it would definitely catch them.
Once the cannonballs were in place, Vic flexed his fingers, making them crackle. He raised both arms, and his greatcoat slid off his back and onto the deck.
The pirate ship had entered his range, though to Buck and the others it looked like a model ship. It was far too small.
Vic picked up a cannonball and tossed it in his hand to test its weight. He spread his feet, one forward and one back, and drew the hand holding the cannonball behind him. Sighting the pirate ship with one eye, he threw the first cannonball. It flew out with a powerful blast of wind, followed by a resounding boom. By the time it sounded, the cannonball had already traveled a great distance.
The pirate ship was too far away for them to hear the sound. They saw only a flash of fire, and the ship's mainmast toppled. After some study, Vic had determined this was the fastest way to disable a sailing ship with cannon fire.
The pirate ship paused, and everyone aboard was dumbfounded. What kind of cannon could fire that far and that accurately? Had cannons been upgraded without anyone telling them?
The pirate captain was full of resentment. His ship was ruined before he'd even had a chance to put his expansion plan into action. Heaven did not give birth to me, ***, so the kingly way is doomed to an eternal night. His heart ached.
"Regroup and row with everything you've got! Seize that ship for me!!!" the pirate captain roared at the top of his lungs.
But the ship had only moved a dozen meters or so when two more cannonballs came flying over. One landed on the deck, blasting a large hole in it.
The other struck the keel at the bow, blasting it clean through.
After blowing apart the pirates' mast, Vic had thought they would know better and retreat. He hadn't planned to bother with them anymore. He wanted them to see how dangerous the sea was and stop being pirates after they escaped. He hadn't expected them to be so stubborn, so he sent two more cannonballs flying. They could fend for themselves.
After the three shots, Vic picked up his greatcoat, put it back on, and returned to sit in his usual spot.
The people on the ship now looked at him as though he were a god, their eyes full of awe. He was the ship's guardian deity. They had to make sure he was well fed and well looked after.
They were easily impressed. What Vic had done could only be called a light drizzle. There was a terrifying old man who was a torrential downpour; even the Pirate King couldn't withstand him and had to flee.
The ship continued its voyage. Once they left the area around Loguetown, things became much quieter. There were fewer ships, and pirate ships were an even rarer sight.
Vic resumed his previous training routine. Nothing special happened; they continued docking to unload and load cargo and replenish supplies.
Vic didn't ask Buck to head straight for Shimotsuki Village. He was content to let things take their course. The ship was bound to pass through there anyway, or Vic wouldn't have boarded it.
Half a month later, the ship finally arrived at Shimotsuki Village. Most of its cargo this time was grain, which Vic guessed Koshiro had ordered.
He asked Buck, who didn't know the man's name. Every time, he went to a swordsmanship school called the Isshin Dojo and found someone to unload the cargo.
Vic was certain the grain was for Koshiro, who had prepared it for the Revolutionary Army.
Vic said goodbye to Buck, saying they would meet again if fate allowed, then headed to the Isshin Dojo with the sailor who had gone ashore to notify the dojo.
When they reached the dojo, Vic didn't go straight in. The dojo had grain to move that day and was probably a little busy. Besides, they were surely very wary of strangers at the moment. Now that he knew where the dojo was, Vic turned and headed for the forest, planning to hunt a large beast and eat his fill.
Although he had eaten well aboard the ship, there hadn't been enough. He couldn't eat as much as he wanted, or the ship would have faced a food shortage every few days.
Now that he was on the island, he could finally let loose. Vic was going to learn swordsmanship here, and he didn't know how long he would stay on this little island. The animals in this forest were in for it.
Vic kept heading deeper into the forest. After walking for half an hour, he stopped.
Vic saw black smoke rising above the forest to his right. The sound of metal striking metal came from that direction now and then, and fire occasionally flickered beneath the smoke. It was too far away to see clearly.
Vic stood there for a while without going over to investigate. He thought he would fill his stomach first, then go take a look.
He continued onward. All the animals he encountered along the way were small, and Vic didn't kill them. They were too little; even several of them together wouldn't fill his stomach. They contained too little vital essence to be worth the effort.
After walking for another half hour or more, he finally spotted a giant wild boar over three meters tall in a place where several trees lay toppled at odd angles. The boar was rubbing back and forth against a tree so thick a person could just barely wrap their arms around it, making a piercing scraping sound as wood chips rained down around its base.
The boar wore a pleased expression, but its two tusks, each as long as a forearm, made it look especially ferocious.
The boar rubbed against the tree faster and faster, its expression growing more blissful. Just then, there was a crack, and the beast rubbed the tree until it broke.
One could imagine how strong this boar king was. Presumably, the fallen trees beside it were its handiwork as well.
When the tree fell, the boar king flew into a rage. It was always like this. The trees fell after barely any rubbing, leaving it unsatisfied every time. The boar king suddenly opened its eyes and let out a "Wooo!" intending to vent its frustration. It abruptly saw a two-legged creature standing before it and charged in a fury, intent on tearing him apart.
A smile on his face, Vic cursed it as an idiot in his heart. Didn't it know to find a thicker tree to rub against?
Vic didn't need to look any further. Dinner was secured.
The boar king drew closer and closer, but Vic didn't move. He merely placed his hand on Yubashiri's hilt. The boar king picked up speed, and when it was only a meter away, Vic finally moved. He leaped, and a blade rang out as he flipped forward and landed on his feet.
Behind him, the boar king ran another dozen meters or so before falling with a crash, kicking up dust and dead leaves.
The boar had no wounds on its body, only a bloody gash two fingers wide between its eyes, from which red-and-white fluid was seeping.