Vic had always been tough on himself, for the sake of his physical and mental well-being.
Now that he was much stronger, there was no reason why he could hold on when he was weak but not now, so he persevered with his abnormally strong willpower.
Willpower is also linked to Haki, and he has never stopped training. When there is a gap in Haki between the two, sometimes a strong will can make up for that gap. A strong will can mobilize more Haki. The battle may not last long, but perhaps a few attacks that are performed exceptionally well can defeat the opponent.
Mantis was somewhat surprised to see that Vic had withstood his Underworld Chill, but he didn't hold back. This was a battle between the Navy and the pirates, so he continued to increase the output of the Underworld Chill. Frost appeared on Vic's clothes, and even Blood Wither and Allen were covered in white frost. The two remained in this stalemate.
Vic overcame the increasingly intense chill, greatly strengthening his willpower. However, he dared not relax for a moment, as he was constantly hovering on the verge of his soul freezing, and the slightest carelessness would mean eternal Underworld.
Half an hour Mantis's Underworld Chill had been pushed to its maximum potential, but Vic still managed to withstand it. He knew that he could no longer rely on the Underworld Chill to achieve anything. Vic could completely endure it, which was a great opportunity for Vic and greatly strengthened his willpower.
Mantis stopped wasting his time, lifted his feet off the ground, and kicked towards Vic's chest. The speed was too fast, and Vic was still resisting the cold air of the Underworld, so he couldn't react in time and was kicked far away by Mantis.
However, now that Vic was no longer suffering from the chilling aura, his consciousness instantly became active and clearer than before. He stopped his backward flight by tapping his feet in the air a few times.
Vic landed on the ground and rubbed his chest with the hand that held the knife. He had taken a solid hit just now, and he hadn't had time to use his Haki to defend himself, which had caused Vic some internal injuries.
After attacking Vic, Mantis retreated a distance. The spot where the two had just stood was now covered with a layer of white, more than five meters in diameter. Vic adjusted to his recovered body and felt much better, except for some internal injuries.
" Vic made it through! This was really dangerous. Why was he working so hard to catch pirates? He kept telling me to prioritize safety and do my best, but he was risking his life here!" Rebecca was relieved when the two separated, but then she grumbled in dissatisfaction.
"Isn't that what Vic does? He always puts danger at the forefront!" Barnett remarked.
"Yes, that's exactly Vic's charm. I feel very safe with him!" Wendy added.
" Vic has gained a lot this time, and his strength should have improved significantly. Mantis will no longer be a match for Vic!"
Zephyr was also pleased with Vic's growth; he was arguably his most satisfying disciple in every way, which explained why Garp valued Vic so much.
Vic no longer held back, covering his entire body with Armament Haki, while black and red Haki flowed around his twin swords, pulsating up and down the blades and reflecting a metallic light on Vic's dark face.
"You really do know how to Ryuo! I really don't know how you did it at such a young age!"
Mantis sighed. A person's energy is limited. It's already good enough if you can take care of one thing well, but Vic is good at both.
Compared to the others in the Elite Camp, it's clear that the Six Powers are only at the beginning. Vic's concept is from his previous life: it's never a bad thing to have more skills. Since his body has this advantage, why not make the most of it?
"What's so special about that? I heard that Charlotte Linlin on your ship was able to defeat Giant Race hero when she was only five years old. I'm nowhere near as good as her!"
Vic didn't think he was really that talented; there were plenty of weirdos in this world.
"She was born this way, you are different!" Mantis said without further ado, a deep purple Haki swirling around her hand blade as she flapped her wings and attacked Vic.
Seeing Mantis's attack, Vic focused intently on responding. Although Mantis's Human-Beast Form was not as strong as his full-fledged beast form, his speed had increased significantly, making him more agile and disciplined in combat. This gave him a semblance of a swordsman's appearance. Combined with the ability of his compound eyes to detect attacks, he was able to hold his own against Vic for a while.
The clash between the four swords was intense, and with each sword adorned with Ryuo, the battle was truly breathtaking. Most of the people around had never witnessed such a spectacular fight before; it was as if special effects had been applied.
White, misty air currents and colorful Ryuo mingled and collided in the air and on the ground, stirring up large amounts of earth and rocks.
Moreover, their destructive power had increased significantly. The onlookers retreated again and again, and their battlefield had become a large pit more than a meter deep and hundreds of meters in diameter. Their fighting spirit remained strong. Vic was aiming to break through his realm through actual combat, while Mantis had not encountered such an opponent in a long time and was also eager to fight.
But as time went on, Vic became familiar with Mantis's moves, and Mantis began to repeat them.
Having lived two lives, Vic has seen all kinds of moves, especially those from martial arts and anime. He has so many that he can find a way to counter them immediately.
After Vic's twin blades are covered in Ryuo, Mantis's problem is no longer just physical wounds, but also internal damage from Ryuo, which can be described as double damage.
Zoan have strong vitality and recovery ability, so Mantis is not in any major problems for the time being, but these injuries will cause him some pain.
The more the fight went on, the more adept Vic became, because there were only so many moves available. Mantis wasn't a pure swordsman either; his previous battles relied heavily on speed, strength, and long-term combat experience to adapt to changing situations. Therefore, he couldn't defeat other opponents of his level in a short time.
But Vic is different; he has combos. If one attack fails, the next one comes right away. While you're dealing with one move, there are many follow-up moves waiting for you. It's not like fighting one person, but like being surrounded, which makes you a bit flustered.
If Vic doesn't make a breakthrough in swordsmanship, defeating Mantis will really take some effort. He'll have to rely on Ryuo and Mind Power to win. Moreover, Mantis has a strange Underworld chill, so it won't be a matter of just a day or two to decide the outcome.
But now the initiative is entirely in Vic's hands. Vic doesn't even need to use his Mind Power; Mantis is already constantly being injured, and defeat is only a matter of time.
"The boss is really going to lose!"
"Yeah, I thought the boss's strongest form wouldn't lose!"
"Our leader is already very strong; he just ran into an even stronger navy. We were just unlucky today!"
"What will we do if our boss gets captured? What will happen to the island? Does the Navy really have to hold a grudge about something that happened so long ago?"
"But our boss is a notorious pirate with a bounty on his head. Any sane marine would capture him after defeating him, right? That would be a huge achievement!"
"Yes, who in the navy doesn't dream of a promotion? This young navy man's rank is probably low right now, he definitely won't miss this opportunity!"
"If the navy really tries to arrest our boss later, we'll go and fight them to the death. We can't survive without him anyway!"
"Yes, fight with all your might!"