"Your underlings are pretty good, not a waste of their talent. They're really capable when things get tough, but they're not exactly bright. They just charge in regardless of whether they can win or not. Can they drink?" Vic said as he walked into the house, handing a bottle of rum to Mantis's bedside.
Mantis didn't reply. He struggled to sit up, but there was no pain on his face. His underlings tried to help him up, but he chased them away. After sitting up, Mantis took the wine from Vic's hand, bit off the cork, and gulped down a big mouthful.
"Good wine!"
Vic smiled but didn't say anything. He found a chair, sat down on the edge of the bed, and took a sip of wine after biting open the cork. Vic usually only drank when he was having a gathering with a few people; otherwise, he almost never drank.
"You didn't go all out in the afternoon's fight, did you?" After taking a sip of his drink, Vic said something that excited his underlings. Their boss had held back and hadn't gone all out.
But Vic knew that even if Mantis fought with all his might, he wouldn't be a match for him, and he would ultimately win, it would just take more time.
"Is it meaningful to talk about this now?" Mantis said calmly.
"Are you testing me and the islanders too?" Vic continued his probing question. Mantis's eyes narrowed for a moment, but he quickly recovered. His underlings behind him looked on incredulously.
"I already have the answer, and aren't you cooperating with me?" Mantis's words were a tacit admission.
"I was thanking you for helping me hone my swordsmanship, and I also greatly benefited from that chilling aura afterwards!"
Vic only realized this after the battle: Mantis had intentionally helped Vic improve his cultivation level.
When Vic couldn't break through his defenses, Mantis could have chosen to transform into his Human-Beast Form or use Ryuo, but he didn't, and instead remained in his full beast form to fight Vic.
The Underworld Cold Qi was also used intentionally. He knew that level of cold Qi was not enough to deal with a powerhouse like Vic, and using it would mostly benefit Vic. However, he still used it, and gradually increased its intensity to help Vic adapt and strengthen Vic will.
The henchmen behind them were bewildered by the two men's words. "We were there the whole time! You guys did all that? How come we didn't see it at all? Are you really brainless?"
"My Observation Haki tells me that you're not as ferocious as you claim. What do you mean by 'the stronger the enemy, the more you kill'? That's just kidding! So I want to take a gamble!" Mantis said, taking another sip of his drink.
"Boss! We're not kids. We genuinely believed he meant what he said. That aggressive attitude doesn't seem like it comes from someone innocent. Would someone like that lie?" the henchmen thought to themselves.
"Ha! Your Observation Haki might be deceiving you. I really am the more ferocious the stronger I am, the less likely I am to leave any survivors. Those who are weaker might have a chance to live!" Vic said, taking a sip of his drink.
"So you're saying I'm not fierce enough or strong enough to catch your eye? Then I guess only my former colleagues would be worthy of your attention!" Mantis retorted to Vic.
"No, that's not it. You're strong enough but not fierce enough. I'll take down the fierce ones, and I'll also take down those who are both strong and fierce, but I have no interest in killing those who aren't fierce enough."
"It seems like there aren't many good people on your ship. How come you and Whitebeard are such oddballs? I'm a little curious!" Vic showed an interested expression, showing some interest in the secrets of the strongest pirate crew of that era.
"Our goals are different. We're not going to the seas to dominate the world. Brother Newgate is someone I admire."
He longed for family, not the tense atmosphere of the Rocks Pirates. "I set sail only to gain great power and then return to my homeland to protect it. I left Rocks because I felt my strength was sufficient." Mantis's eyes narrowed slightly, as if lost in memories.
" Rocks D. Xebec will let you leave unscathed? I don't believe he's that easy to talk to!"
"Of course not. I left just before the God Valley Incident. At that time, Rocks didn't have time to worry about me."
We had already split into different ships. Rocks planned to attack God Valley and kill all the Celestial Dragons there, so he summoned all his subordinates to meet at God Valley.
I didn't go; I left the New World and returned here. Later, I heard that the Rocks Pirates were destroyed by Garp, who became Hero of the Marines, and that Captain Rocks was dead. So I've lived safely here for over ten years!
"Yeah, your Rocks Pirates are just a hodgepodge of characters. It sounds impressive, but it falls apart as soon as something happens."
In that battle, aside from Rocks and a few henchmen who died, the other powerful figures all escaped. Now, they are all top-tier warriors on the high seas.
Your captain, Rocks, must have been very unpopular. No one came to his aid during the battle; he was brutally killed by Roger and the Hero of the Marines!
Vic sighed. So many powerful figures—if they had fought together, none of the Celestial Dragons from God Valley would have survived. Roger and Garp wouldn't have been able to turn the tide either; their escape was pure luck.
" The Rocks Pirates were indeed a mixed bag. The strong members were all forcibly invited by Rocks after they had become famous; those who refused to join would be killed, so they joined."
That's how I got recruited. That's why there are so many ulterior motives within the pirate crew. We're completely held together by Rocks ' immense power. Without his intervention, we would have fallen apart immediately.
And that was indeed the case. Rocks was in dire straits, and everyone else had taken the opportunity to escape. Someone might even turn around and ambush him, ensuring he didn't leave alive!
Mantis sighed deeply. His former pirate crew didn't give him any good memories, and Rocks had even made him do many heinous things. If you didn't do them, he would destroy you, so no one truly cared for Rocks.
The only person Mantis had a good impression of was Whitebeard Newgate, the Whitebeard Pirates. Not only was he incredibly strong, but he also had no ambition. He only wanted to find some like-minded family members to go on adventures and have a party on the high seas. If he didn't have the ties to his hometown, he would definitely have joined the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Heh, that's normal. They're all ambitious people. Who wants to have another father? I heard Big Mom likes having kids, it started on the Rocks ship. Did he ask you for sperm?"
Vic asked with a smile, while his underlings behind him were extremely surprised. Could it be that their Yamato and that legendary female pirate had a romantic relationship?
"Ahem, no!" Even the usually calm Mantis seemed a little uneasy; it was hard to believe his denial.