Zero was sent flying, lying on the ground with a crooked mouth, slanted eyes, and trembling body. Vic ignored Zero and turned to run towards Rebecca.
Konan wanted to rush over to check on Rebecca's injuries, but Ain held her back. It was a battlefield and very dangerous there. Even Rebecca was injured; an ordinary person could easily be seriously injured if they went there.
" Rebecca! Are you alright? I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have played tricks on the enemy because I wanted to know who the mastermind was. Now you're seriously injured too. If anything happens to you, my peace of mind will never be complete! My heart..." Vic was filled with self-reproach, and in an instant, many memories of the past flashed through his mind.
Vic knelt down and hugged Rebecca, wiping the blood from the corners of Rebecca mouth with his other hand.
Rebecca had already opened her eyes, but that punch was indeed too heavy, and it was an attack with Haki. She was still lying on the ground, not yet recovered, but her eyes were fixed on Vic's rapidly approaching figure, a faint smile on her pale face.
" Vic! I'm alright, this isn't your fault. I wanted to help Konan, the old lady, and the other victims on this island. I was the one who asked you for help."
"If we don't find out who's behind this, this island will continue to decline. You're right; these people are tough nuts to crack and hard to talk to!"
Rebecca didn't blame Vic. She felt very happy at that moment. Vic's embrace was really warm, and she was somewhat attached to this feeling, which was something she rarely felt at other times.
The girl's reserve and Vic's straight-laced nature prevented her from appreciating these things all the time; only occasionally, during playful banter, would she instinctively snuggle into Vic's arms for a brief moment.
"It's good that you're alright. Barnett will give you a proper treatment later. I'll go take care of that guy now!"
Vic had already wiped the blood off Rebecca's face. Rebecca's physical recovery was not as good as Vic's, but it was not bad either. She had been eating the same food and doing the same exercises as Vic, so she was not far behind. At this moment, her face was no longer pale.
Rebecca looked a little disappointed at the thought of leaving Vic's embrace soon, but she didn't stop him; Zero waking up would be too much of a threat to the others.
However, Vic noticed the slight disappointment on Rebecca's face and didn't leave immediately. Zero was lying on the ground recovering. When Rebecca saw that Vic hadn't left right away, a smile returned to her face, this time with a touch of rosy blush.
After Zero had recovered considerably and stood up, Vic then put his arm around Rebecca and stood up. Looking at Rebecca, who had recovered somewhat, Vic smiled, patted her head, and turned to walk towards Zero.
Rebecca looked quite pleased, her cheeks flushed and beautiful. After Vic walked away, Rebecca went back to Lao Jiu's side.
Lao Jiu had already woken up, but he showed no intention of getting up. His injuries were still quite severe, but Rebecca still needed to be on guard, so she watched over Lao Jiu from the side.
"I'm so glad Rebecca's alright! I was so worried! Ain, what's the relationship between Rebecca and Vic? They look so perfect together, a handsome man and a beautiful woman. Rebecca's smile is so sweet, I'm so envious of her!"
Konan was pleased to see Rebecca walk to Lao Jiu's side as if nothing had happened.
"Brother and sister relationship! Brother and sister relationship! They grew up together, they can't be together. Where did you get the idea that they're a good match? Not at all! Sister Konan, what are you envious of? Wait until the scar on your butt heals before you're envious, hmph!" Ain got a little angry when she heard Konan's words.
Ain was furious when she saw Vic hugging Rebecca. "I was so worried about Rebecca just now, and now she's laughing so shamelessly."
Already in a fit of anger, Ain was dealt a second blow by Konan's words. Before she spoke, it was as if she had swallowed gunpowder, leaving Konan somewhat bewildered. Why was she suddenly so angry, even bringing up the scar on her butt?
"You guys are definitely no good. I originally thought you were just working for the people behind the scenes, and that you had no choice but to do what they wanted because they were so powerful."
But now I've discovered that you guys are all desperate criminals, willing to do anything to achieve your goals. Aren't you proud of defeating a little girl? Should I award you a "Honest and Upright Award"?
Vic had regained his composure by the time he reached Zero, but he still scoffed at her. He knew that Zero had attacked Rebecca to avenge Lao Jiu.
"Say what you will. I don't need to explain my actions to anyone. You can talk after you've defeated me."
Zero glanced at Lao Jiu and Rebecca as he spoke, and then launched an attack on Vic immediately after he finished speaking.
A massive black fist, bubbling with translucent bubbles, slammed towards Vic's chest.
Vic was also somewhat surprised to see Zero's Ryuo (Advanced Sakura) skill; he hadn't expected that a small island in the Paradise stage would be assigned a master of Ryuo.
Although the Ryuo on Zero's fist looked very thin, only flowing a very small distance away from his body, in this Paradise sea area where there is no concept of Haki, he was already considered an invincible master.
"The person behind this has indeed taken the protection of this island's secrets to the extreme; such combat power, surpassing even that of Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, is rare indeed!"
Vic guessed that Zero might have learned the Ryuo technique on this island. As for the secret of Ryuo, it was most likely provided by the person behind them, possibly as a reward and to reinforce and solidify the island's secrets.
Although surprised, Vic reacted calmly. He did not use Ryuo to defend himself, but instead used his palm covered in Armament Haki to block the huge fist.
Zero's power increased significantly after transforming, but it was nothing compared to Vic's. Vic caught Zero's enormous fist; his palm was smaller than a single finger on Zero's fist.
Aside from a slight stinging pain in his palm, Vic didn't move an inch. When Zero pushed him across the plow earlier, Vic hadn't used any of his strength to compete.
As long as Vic exerts force, Zero cannot budge him even slightly. Vic is now trying to tell Zero that he can completely suppress him, that even Ryuo will be useless against him, and that he will utterly break down Zero's mental defenses.
"You really know how to hide your strength! Only now are you using the flow of Haki? It's a pity your Haki flow is too weak, barely enough to break through my Haki defense. If this is your last resort, you still have no hope of defeating me!"
Vic looked at Zero's shocked, bull-like face and chuckled. The two were still in a standoff, arms outstretched, fists clashing.
Zero's expression was quite unpleasant. He hadn't thought that 17-year-old Vic would know Ryuo, but he hadn't expected that the opponent could still withstand his Ryuo attacks without using Ryuo.
At least he didn't see any signs of injury on Vic. The attack was aimed at Vic's chest, intending to rupture Vic's heart and chest cavity from the inside.
He overestimated his Ryuo and underestimated Vic's Haki defense. Now he was truly in despair, as Vic had instilled in him the feeling that he was invincible.