Vic wasn't particularly worried about Frodeku's Armament Haki, since he had a way to help others cheat, and if all else failed, he could just lend a hand himself.
He hadn't yet found a way to cheat with Observation Haki, but he was confident that there must be one; it was impossible for one to be completely without it, they just hadn't found the method yet.
Vic is really eager to go to the island to test the functions of his spatial ring, but it's a bit inconvenient right now that everyone's on the boat and there are too many people around.
Moreover, there's a former Admiral like Zephyr around; it wouldn't be good if I suddenly activated Observation Haki and Zephyr discovered it.
Although Vic trusted Zephyr, the contents of the ring were a matter of life and death, and he couldn't risk it. There were too many strange abilities in this world, and it was easy for others to find out about them; the more people who knew, the greater the risk.
"Teacher, aren't we going to the island to take a look? I've heard that pirates visit this island from time to time," Vic said to Zephyr after the warship docked.
"I'm not going. Everyone has improved during this time. If there are pirates on the island, just catch them. It'll be a contribution for you."
What you said before was right. Everyone has to grow, and sacrifices are inevitable. I can only protect them for a while, not forever. Everyone has a certain ability to protect themselves now, so I'll just let it be and see!
Zephyr listened to Vic's words, but not entirely. This was probably an experiment to see what would happen without his presence.
"Alright then, I heard that the hot springs on the island have healing effects on old injuries. Teacher, if you have any old injuries, you should try soaking in them. I also heard that the hot springs are mixed-gender bathing, that sounds really exciting!" Vic chuckled, then quickly jumped off the boat.
"You brat! How dare you talk to your teacher like that?" Zephyr, somewhat amused and exasperated, withdrew his hand, realizing he was too slow and Vic had dodged it.
Barnett and his group disembarked, laughing and joking, and caught up with Vic ahead.
Although they came from a warship, Vic had already dressed them in civilian clothes so they could see the local customs and culture more authentically.
The navy's facade can conceal many things. Like what happened with Ain last time, if Vic and Rebecca hadn't been dressed in civilian clothes, they might have really missed those human traffickers, and who knows how many families would have been destroyed because of it.
A unique island is definitely different; it's much more lively. There was a five-story cruise ship docked at the pier, along with several merchant ships. The merchant ships were unloading cargo at the pier, which was very busy. The cruise ship had the word "Umit" printed on its side. I didn't see any tourists on board, so they've probably already arrived on the island.
"These idlers are really fearless! With so many desperados on the high seas, how dare they come out to play? Don't the pirates on the Grand Line have any dignity? Is this the business of Shipping King Umit? Does he have some powerful protectors on board?" Vic muttered to himself, looking at the scene unfolding on the dock.
" Vic, what are you muttering about?" Rebecca didn't hear what Vic said. She was excited as soon as she got off the warship, looking around excitedly.
"It's nothing, there might be powerful people on the island, everyone be careful!" Vic said loudly so that everyone could hear him.
" Vic, is it true that you can bathe together in the hot spring? Why don't we bathe together?" Rebecca blushed, but still boldly asked.
"What were you thinking?! I was just teasing Professor Zephyr, and you believed me?" Vic smacked Rebecca on the head, somewhat exasperated.
"How was I supposed to know you were lying to Teacher Zephyr? Regardless of whether mixed bathing is allowed there or not, we can bathe together! We used to bathe together when we were kids, and we even slept together!"
Rebecca said somewhat resentfully because Vic patted her head again. Although she enjoyed it, she felt like she was being treated like a child.
"Hahaha!" Several adults around them burst into laughter, thinking that Rebecca could be really silly at times, but adorably silly.
Actually, the girls in the One Piece world are really bold. Not only do they dress provocatively, but sometimes they'll take off their clothes or change in front of others without warning. Rebecca, under Vic's tutelage, is quite conservative. At most, she wears a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, and she doesn't wear clothes with particularly low necklines.
" Vic, you've got to take responsibility for that. You saw everything and slept with him, it wouldn't be right not to take responsibility!" Wendy was Rebecca's best friend, so of course she had to help Rebecca.
"Yeah, Vic, just give in, dragging this out won't solve anything! Haha!" Barnett chimed in, and while Frodeku didn't say anything, he also laughed.
"Stop making a scene! We're still so young, our bodies haven't even fully developed yet and you're already thinking about all sorts of things. You guys are hopeless!"
Vic said, somewhat speechlessly, "What kind of crew are these? They're so unprofessional. They need a serious ideological education."
As they talked, the group followed the small trucks into the town.
" Vic, I'm a little tired, can you hold me?"
Just as Vic was leading the way forward, Ain grabbed Vic's cloak, tilted her head back, and said...
Yes, Ain came along too. She loves to join in the fun and follows Vic wherever he goes, like a little shadow, completely unconcerned about her safety.
"Okay, I'll carry you!" Vic said, picking up Ain in his arms. Vic thought this was perfectly reasonable; Ain was a little kid, not very strong and with short legs, so she couldn't walk fast and had to jog, which was normal for her to get tired.
But others didn't see it that way. Ain refused to let any other man hug her and stayed close to Vic all the time.
Apart from Rebecca, everyone else thought that Ain treated Vic like a father. He's just a kid, why would she have so many thoughts about him?
But Rebecca didn't think so. The insidious threat surprised her. It was unbelievable that a five-year-old child would have such thoughts. Sometimes she wondered if she was being too sensitive, probably because she had been provoked by Rear Admiral Gion.
Vic had never considered that possibility. Children in the pirate world are precocious and sensible, but not to this extent. He's only five years old. Could it be that his Devil Fruit power has made him mature? Vic didn't believe it.
Vic and his companions had a unique air about them, and they were carrying a small child, which made them quite eye-catching. However, since they weren't wearing military uniforms, they didn't attract much attention. People would just glance at them curiously. After all, there were always tourists visiting this place, so it wasn't anything special. They all looked quite normal, not strangely shaped.
" Barnett!" Vic called out, gesturing with his chin towards Barnett.
Barnett nodded to Vic and walked over to the men hauling goods, quickly striking up a conversation with one of them.
" Vic, look at that mountain in the middle of the island, it looks so strange!"
Rebecca looked at the tallest mountain in her field of vision with curiosity. There were many other mountains around it, but the one in the middle was much taller, like it was surrounded by stars. Moreover, the top of the mountain was a bit strange. It was not completely conical. The lower part of the mountain was conical, but at the top, it was the same size from top to bottom, turning into a small cylinder, covered with green plants.
"There are all sorts of strange and wonderful islands in this world, so this is quite normal. I've heard that some islands are on the backs of giant animals, some are inside the bellies of giant fish, and some even exist in another dimension. If you can imagine it, it probably exists!"