He had intended to press his advantage and finish off his opponent, but suddenly he couldn't run anymore. Feeling as if a mountain was pressing down on his back, Barnett realized that setting and lifting rules didn't need to be shouted out; everything before had been a pretense.
Desukurei is a true pirate, and a very cunning one at that. He then went on to change the rules of the Round Table. Although he couldn't defeat Barnett in terms of raw strength, he caught Barnett off guard and managed to slash him several times.
However, Desukurei was more seriously injured. Although Barnett did not use a weapon, he repeatedly struck Desukurei on the head or chest, causing internal injuries and concussions.
Desukurei is incredibly resilient; he coughed up a lot of blood but didn't give up. He has a ruthless streak, no wonder he burned down half a street at the drop of a hat.
But as time went on, Desukurei ' injuries worsened; Barnett's punches nearly shattered his internal organs.
Once again, the rule against running was established. Desukurei took a step back, looked up at the giants gathered around the table, and finally fixed his gaze on Ain in Rebecca's arms.
His eyes narrowed, a fierce glint appearing within them. The key to escaping this time lay with that child. By capturing him unexpectedly and taking him hostage, there was still a glimmer of hope for survival.
" Rebecca, watch out!" Frodeku's voice rang out urgently.
"Release"
As Barnett approached Desukurei, he instantly deactivated his powers, and the round table vanished.
As Desukurei ' figure grew larger, he charged towards Ain, his dagger poised to cleave Rebecca in two.
By the time Desukurei had fully recovered, he was already in front of Ain, and the dagger was about to touch Rebecca.
Everyone was taken aback. Although they had heard a warning, they still didn't expect Desukurei to suddenly deactivate the fruit's power.
Moreover, not only did they refuse to surrender, they also attempted to attack and injure people, but it was too late for them to react.
Desukurei didn't even glance at Vic beside Rebecca. Who was he? He didn't recognize him! Never seen him before, an insignificant figure. He reached out and grabbed Ain.
Vic remained calm; he had heard Frodeku's warning clearly. Just as Desukurei was about to touch Ain, he threw a punch, striking first despite being behind.
A punch landed squarely on Desukurei ' side chest. All anyone heard was the sound of bones breaking Desukurei Desukurei from the spot!
There was no sign of the person who had been knocked away, nor any shattered body parts. Everyone stared at Vic in shock.
Was he that powerful? One punch and he was reduced to nothing? The people who were just around the round table are now frantically searching for anything Desukurei might still have.
But after searching for a long time, they still couldn't find a single trace. They all felt that Vic was too ruthless, directly destroying the evidence!
Upon discovering that the round table was gone, Barnett stood up from the ground, looking at everyone staring at Vic with dumbfounded expressions, somewhat bewildered.
For a moment, he was in a dazed state from the sudden enlargement and didn't see Vic throw a punch, so he didn't know what had happened.
He immediately woke up and searched everywhere for Desukurei. That guy was a cunning character; he didn't want him to cause trouble again.
But after looking around, he still couldn't find his target, which gave him a bad feeling. Could it be that Desukurei had some hidden ability?
" Wendy, did you see that pirate just now? He must have grown up with me, right?" Barnett asked, patting Wendy on the shoulder.
"Dead, completely annihilated!" Wendy murmured, still somewhat dazed. She had never imagined that one person could beat another to the point of complete oblivion, leaving no trace of them!
Vic's actions somewhat overturned their understanding.
Vic touched his nose somewhat embarrassedly. Things weren't at all what they thought, but he couldn't talk about it, so he could only remain silent.
No one at the scene saw how Desukurei disappeared; they only saw Vic throw a punch, and then Desukurei vanished into thin air. It was clearly a Devil Fruit ability! However, they all knew that Vic "wasn't a Devil Fruit user."
The uninformed onlookers genuinely believed that Vic had used some kind of Devil Fruit power. They figured if it didn't make sense, they'd just use Devil Fruit to explain it; that would make it seem more plausible.
The guy who had just yelled at Rebecca was so terrified when he saw how Vic acted that he was kicking his legs and sweating profusely. He vowed never to say anything carelessly again—loose lips sink ships!
"Everyone, go home and get back to what you were doing. The pirates have been dealt with, and the house is burned down—don't you need to deal with that?"
Vic said something to the others watching, then led the group to continue soaking in the hot springs. The one they had soaked in before hadn't been affected by the fire and was still intact. Knowing that the hot springs were safe, he was ready to soak in them without worry, since soaking in hot springs is really comfortable.
"Mr. Kurosawa, have you gone home to check on things?" Vic saw Kurosawa as soon as he arrived at the bathhouse. Kurosawa was pacing back and forth anxiously in the shop.
"No, we've been preparing to put out fires, how could we have time to go home! Did you guys come back to soak in the hot springs?" Kurosawa completely failed to notice the deeper meaning in Vic's words; he truly dedicated his love to his work!
"Yeah, the pirates have been dealt with, so we paid for this, there's no reason not to go for it!"
"Then please come in quickly. We can operate normally without pirates, especially for those of you who have paid. Our shop's motto is to be honest and fair to everyone!" Kurosawa laughed.
Afterwards, the group split into two groups and went into the hot springs. It was still the colorful hot spring. This time, Vic didn't feel his energy being taken away. He guessed that the old man on the mountain recognized his aura and even tidied up his body properly, probably as a way of repaying them for killing the pirates.
"Wow! This feels so good! I haven't felt this relaxed in ages." Rebecca exclaimed on the way back to the warship. Soaking in the hot spring was so comfortable that she no longer cared about flying over to the men's bath to soak in the bath with Vic.
What she didn't know was that the hot spring they were soaking in this time was a version with enhanced effects, making it naturally more comfortable.
"Hehe, you can come once a year if you like!" Vic chuckled.
"Really? Vic!" Rebecca looked at Vic expectantly, ignoring even Ain in Vic's arms.
"Of course, but that's after we have an independent organization capable of carrying out missions. Only then will we have more freedom!"
Afterwards, Vic will go to Garp's ship for an internship for a period of time, which the old man had already arranged clearly.
When the group arrived at the dock, they saw the warship there. Vic's lips curled into a smile. He had sensed the warship's departure earlier using his Observation Haki. Now that the pirates had been dealt with, the warship had returned, and even the pirates who had come to the dock to collect their ships had been captured.
"You're back. How was the hot spring?" Zephyr asked the group.
"So comfortable, so comfortable! It's a pity the teacher didn't go!" Rebecca felt very comfortable and regretted that Zephyr hadn't gone.
"Yes, teacher, it really works! It treats injuries and chronic ailments. It's perfect for veterans like you!"
Vic chimed in, saying he understood the underlying principles; the abilities of Devil Fruit were no longer mere myths.
"Yeah, if we're not in a rush to leave, we can give it a try!" Barnett added. They all knew that Zephyr had asthma, and although it wasn't severe now, it was still an illness, and it would have a significant impact during prolonged battles.
"Haha, we're leaving soon, so if I want to go for a soak, I can go anytime!" Zephyr said this, but Vic knew that Zephyr wouldn't actually go for a soak. Zephyr was stubborn to the core, and once he made up his mind, it was hard to change it. It had to be done gradually and subtly.