The Sword Qi within Vic was growing stronger drastically with his unwavering belief. It was visible to the naked eye; shallow marks had already appeared on the spot where Mantis's dark body had been slashed, and they were deepening. It was estimated that it wouldn't be long before Vic would be able to cut through that exceptionally sturdy armor.
Vic believes that there is nothing that cannot be severed. There is nothing in the world that cannot be severed. If you cannot sever it, it only means that your level of understanding has not been reached, not that the level of understanding does not exist. This world is a rather mystical world, with all sorts of incredible powers existing.
Suddenly, the sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out; it was no longer the sound of metal being struck. Vic had successfully breached Mantis's armor, and blood trickled from the wound on Mantis's chest.
However, he didn't care at all. Zoan have exceptional vitality and regenerative abilities, so he didn't care about this minor injury. He was just surprised by Vic's speed of progress. In such a short time, Vic had already been able to break through his defenses.
This can't be considered as Vic's rapid progress. Vic has always been meditating and practicing his swordsmanship. It can only be said that he has accumulated a lot of experience and is now making a breakthrough by verifying his swordsmanship step by step through actual combat.
"The boss is injured! Is that navy guy that strong? He couldn't have done that just now!"
"That kind of minor injury is nothing to worry about. If that's all he's got, he can't beat the boss!"
"I heard that there's another transformation for Zoan, but Boss hasn't used it yet. He probably hasn't used his full power yet!"
"I just think their fighting is too fast; my eyes can't keep up at all!"
Just as Mantis was speaking, Vic made several more cuts. His knife strikes were now very steady, each one drawing blood, and the wounds even seemed to be widening.
Finally, even Mantis couldn't ignore the wounds anymore. Taking advantage of the moment when he used the back of his hand to knock Vic away, he instantly retreated and moved away from the battlefield. Seeing that he had been pushed away, Vic did not continue to attack. His knife was almost worn out, and now it was time to defeat his opponent.
"Boy, you really are a sword genius. You broke through my invincible defense in such a short time. It's definitely worth me using my full strength!" The wound on Mantis's chest had stopped bleeding and had healed. Insects have amazing regenerative abilities.
"Is that so? Then let me see your Human-Beast Form. That should be your strongest form!"
Both of them had held back. Mantis didn't use his strongest Human-Beast Form or Armament Haki, while Vic did use Armament Haki to wrap around his twin swords. Actually, it wouldn't have been a problem if he hadn't wrapped the swords, but Vic wanted to test which effect of nurturing the swords during battle was better: Armament Haki wrapping or regular wrapping.
Vic had other methods that were useless, all in order to break through the realm of swordsmanship. Once he missed the whetstone prepared for swordsmen, it would be hard to find one. At that time, he could only challenge those powerful swordsmen. Currently, he only knew of Red-Hair and Hawk-Eye. Shiryu of the Rain was not an option.
After Mantis finished speaking, he began his transformation into Human-Beast Form. The Nether Mantis gradually stood up and stopped lying on the ground. Its last two legs transformed into even thicker arthropods.
The other legs retracted, the body grew to about five meters tall, and the wings were tucked behind it, somewhat resembling Cell's appearance from Dragon Ball. The face also became more human-like, although the eyes remained compound eyes.
The hand blade had also shortened to less than two meters and become thinner, but it still looked very slender. Its body was still dark, but its aura was even more powerful. An aura from the underworld swept over people, making their spines tingle.
"Your Zoan also has ice attributes, huh? It feels a bit like a Mythical Zoan, but yours isn't a beast, it's more like an insect! This fruit is really powerful, how did you get it? I'm very curious!"
Vic looked at Mantis's Human-Beast Form with some surprise. This style was not like a pirate at all, but more like a character from a science fiction work. It was full of artistic beauty, as if it were created by nature.
"Is this the time to talk about this? We're in the middle of a battle, you're still too young!"
After Mantis finished speaking, he flapped his wings and disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already in front of Vic. He slashed down with his two hands, about to cut Vic into three pieces in an instant. Vic was no pushover either, and he instantly raised his twin swords to block.
Suddenly, a tremendous force struck, Vic's feet stomped into the ground, creating two deep craters that later became a large hole, but Vic's back remained ramrod straight.
The two stared at each other, neither willing to back down. Their faces were less than half a meter apart, and Vic could clearly see the metallic reflection in each other's faces.
A large amount of cold air rushed towards him, and the cold air spread from the point where the blades touched to the twin swords. This cold air was much colder than ordinary ice, penetrating deep into one's soul and freezing one from the inside out.
Vic's soul trembled from the cold, and even his control over his body became sluggish. If this continued, Vic would surely be killed.
"Professor Zephyr, why aren't they moving? Is Vic in danger?" Rebecca asked with some concern.
"It is somewhat dangerous, but if Vic can persevere, he will reap huge rewards. Mantis's Nether Mantis Fruit ability carries the aura of the Underworld and can freeze a person's soul, but those with exceptionally strong willpower are an exception. I believe in Vic's will!"
Zephyr knew a bit about the Nether Mantis; the members of the Rocks Pirates had all been analyzed, and the Nether Mantis was no exception.
Zephyr trusted Vic's will, but caution was still necessary. It was unclear what Rocks Pirates's attitude towards the Navy was, and he was prepared to act at any moment.
Although Zephyr said that, Rebecca was still a little worried. After all, the Underworld sounded terrifying, and the soul was such an ethereal thing. How could she feel at ease? These were all things she didn't understand.
"We must trust Vic; he has never let us down!"
Barnett remained calm. Judging from their exchange just now, Vic had the upper hand. Although his opponent possessed some peculiar abilities, Vic was no ordinary person.
He didn't believe that Vic would fall to such a move. He thought it was possible to defeat him head-on, after all, he was a contemporary of Kaido, but he didn't believe that he could win by relying on special abilities. This was the self-cultivation of a fanboy.
Ain, however, was not worried at all. In her heart, Vic was the strongest person, and she was a blind admirer. Wendy and Frodeku were watching the situation on the battlefield nervously and did not say anything.
Vic in the arena now had a layer of white frost on his hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes, clearly indicating that the chilling aura from the Underworld was not to be underestimated and could already cause a substantial attack.
Bringing reality from another dimension, Vic's body didn't feel anything; the chill was nothing. What truly chilled him was his soul, as if he were about to lose consciousness.
This reminded him of his experience training underwater, where the water temperature was very low and he had to endure the tests of oxygen deprivation and high pressure. The training at that time was extremely painful for him, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered in order to become stronger.