Vic arrived at Rebecca's house but found neither of them there. Only an unfamiliar young woman was cleaning the house. When she saw a towering man enter, she jumped in fright and dropped her broom. Vic awkwardly rubbed his nose. He had been eating food rich in Primal Spirit for the past two months, and his body had grown another big stretch. He was now 2.2 meters tall and had even had to duck as he came through the door. He guessed the mayor had arranged for this woman to look after the old lady.
"You're Vic, right? I'm Tuya. I've seen you before. I'm glad you're back. They've both missed you terribly." Once Tuya got over her fright, she recognized Vic's face.
"Hello, Tuya! Thanks for taking care of the old lady," Vic greeted her. "Do you know where she and Rebecca went?"
"You're too kind. The mayor is paying me to look after her. Besides, you and Rebecca are both heroes of the island. It's an honor to help care for a hero's family," Tuya said with a beaming smile.
"Rebecca is practicing swordsmanship over by the forest, and the old lady is watering the vegetables in the garden."
"Got it. I'll leave you to it, then. I'll go see them." Vic waved and headed out.
Vic knew where the vegetable garden was. The old lady usually had little else to do and loved tending her vegetables. When Vic and Rebecca had trained in the forest before, she would busy herself in the garden.
When Vic reached the garden, he saw a small bucket by the old lady's feet. She was scooping water from it with a wooden dipper.
Ah, the old lady's back is even more hunched, and she looks older too. I don't know how much longer she can hold on. If she passes away, how heartbroken will Rebecca be? Looks like I should leave more meat behind when I go. Meat rich in Primal Spirit should help somewhat, right? Vic thought as he watched her from behind.
"Whose grandma is this? At your age, shouldn't you be resting instead of coming out here to water the vegetables? Aren't you worried your grandchildren will be concerned?" Vic joked in a muffled voice.
Maria heard someone speaking and looked back. She froze on the spot when she saw a familiar figure walking toward him with a smile.
"Vic, you're back! You little rascal, you went so long without coming back to see Grandma!" A tear rolled from the corner of the old lady's eye, but she was smiling. When Vic came closer, she gave him a couple of playful punches.
"Hehe, Grandma, I'm back now, aren't I? I even brought you both something good to eat."
"I'm just glad you're back. Rebecca has missed you terribly all this time. I know she's always wanted to go looking for you, but this old woman is a burden. She can't bear to leave me behind. She's a good child. I'll leave her in your care from now on!"
"Don't worry, Grandma. Even if you didn't ask, I'd do it anyway. I'm her brother, after all! Haha!"
Vic helped the old lady water all the vegetable beds, then carried her home on his back. Rebecca still hadn't returned; only Tuya was there, preparing lunch.
"Grandma, will Rebecca come back for lunch?" Vic asked the old lady softly.
"Usually she doesn't, but she comes back if it rains," the old lady said with a kindly smile.
"Then I'll go call him back for lunch."
"All right, go on. You two haven't seen each other in a long time. We can all get together."
Vic went outside and headed straight for the forest using Geppo. He was so fast now that it didn't take him long to reach the forest's edge.
Vic didn't see Rebecca and guessed she might have gone hunting deeper in the forest. He searched with Observation Haki but couldn't sense her; its range still wasn't far enough.
Vic used Geppo to rise into the air and flew toward the center of the forest, searching with Observation Haki as he went. Before long, Rebecca appeared at the edge of its range, and he flew straight toward her.
When Vic arrived, Rebecca was locked in a fight with a giant elephant. Hearing a sonic boom, she withdrew and looked toward the sound. She saw a tall, slender figure striding through the air, dressed in black with a cloak over his shoulders and a sword at his waist. One look at his face told her it was Vic.
Seeing Vic approaching through the air, Rebecca thought she was hallucinating. She raised a hand and rubbed her eyes, but when she looked again, he was still there.
"Watch out!"
Rebecca was a little dazed to see Vic before her and forgot she was fighting a beast. As a result, the giant elephant charged up to her and thrust its two great tusks upward.
Seeing this, Vic used an aerial Soru and vanished. When he reappeared, he was in front of Rebecca. Yubashiri flashed from its sheath and sliced through both tusks, then continued on without slowing and cut off the elephant's head.
Vic returned his sword to its sheath with a soft click, and the giant elephant's body fell to the ground with a thud. Only then did Rebecca react. Vic had been so fast that the warning was still echoing in her ears when the elephant fell.
"Vic, you're back! You came back to see me! I missed you so much!" Rebecca immediately wrapped her arms around Vic's waist from behind, her face full of excitement.
Vic had never been away from her for so long. Training alone during that time, she had felt very lonely. Although Grandma was by her side, she couldn't put that feeling into words; she just felt lonely.
Vic patted her hands away, turned around, and reached out to stroke Rebecca's head. Smiling, he said, "Rebecca-chan, you've grown a lot taller. Have you been listening to Grandma?"
Rebecca was still not quite fourteen and was considered a child, but she had trained with Vic for four years and meditated all the while. Her mind was no longer like that of an ordinary fourteen-year-old.
"Vic, don't touch my head. I'm not a child anymore." Rebecca ground her little canine teeth, looking adorably fierce. She was now 1.7 meters tall, and from behind she looked like a newly grown adult. From the front, though, all that could be said was that her little hills wouldn't challenge a bicycle, and there was hardly any curve to her waist or hips. Yet she kept pretending to be an adult, which Vic found a little funny.
"All right, all right, Rebecca's an adult!"
"Vic, you've grown taller too! Were you flying just now? I want to learn too. Teach me!" Rebecca sheathed her longsword and clung to Vic's arm, acting coquettishly.
"I still have a lot to teach you, but there's no rush. Let's go back and eat first. Grandma and Tuya are waiting," Vic said with a smile.
With that, he walked over to the giant elephant and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
"Vic, let's just go back. What do we need that for?" Rebecca was a little displeased that he was bringing it along on their way home.
"Don't waste food. We killed it, so let's take it back. We can keep some and share the rest with the neighbors. Master Ba is coming over tonight, so this can be one of the dishes," Vic replied with a smile.
"Rebecca, let's race and see who gets home first. I'll carry this elephant through the air, and you run below. Let's see who's faster."
"Sure! Who's afraid of you? Hmph!" Though Rebecca really wanted Vic to carry her flying, she still had a childish streak when she was with him.
Vic said nothing more. Carrying his prize, he took a few steps into the air. Not to be outdone, Rebecca raced toward home at full speed.
Although Vic was carrying a heavy load, he was still much faster than Rebecca. Even so, he didn't use his full speed, so he wouldn't discourage her.
Rebecca watched Vic stepping through the air with envy. Humanity's yearning for the sky was hard to understand. Vic hadn't told Rebecca about the Six Powers before, because she would naturally encounter them once she reached Marine Headquarters.
Rebecca was still too young, and her body wasn't yet strong enough to train in the Six Powers. Her physical talent couldn't compare with Vic's; she only had some talent for swordsmanship. Vic wanted her to focus on the sword and use everything else as support. Forcing herself to train in them now would only damage the foundation of her body.
So Vic would explain the pros and cons to her. He would mainly teach her the Realm of Cutting Steel and Observation Haki. It would be enough for her to learn about the Six Powers for now; she could train in them later.