The island simply vanished completely, leaving everyone on the warship staring at Vic in disbelief, including Rebecca and the others.
This was the first time Vic had publicly used the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's attack power. Previously, it was only the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's ability to travel, which had already made the old man envious. Now, this attack power that silently annihilated an island shocked them all, except for the old man who remained the most composed.
"Hehehehe! Garp! I didn't expect you to have stayed all this time, and even entered the Calm Belt. And that kid who got struck by lightning, it was a mistake not to kill you last time!"
"I thought you were just a skilled swordsman and a bounty hunter, but I didn't expect you to be a Marine and Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit Devil Fruit User. No wonder those lightning bolts didn't kill you last time. It's because of this kid that you've been relentlessly pursuing me, isn't it, Garp?"
After Vic eliminated the threat from the island, several more islands appeared in the sky. However, the islands did not fall rapidly to attack the warships; instead, they stopped moving after falling a certain distance and floated there.
Several figures appeared on the edge of the island. The words just now were indeed spoken by the man in the middle. He had long golden hair, half a ship's wheel on his head, and a cigar in his mouth with an arrogant expression. Although his two lower legs had been replaced by two greatswords, making him look like a cripple, everyone who had heard of his name was serious and ready to fight.
He is Golden Lion Shiki, captain of the Flying Pirates. He was a ruthless man who almost destroyed the Roger Pirates. Later, when he heard that Roger had been captured, he Marineford Marine Headquarters try to rescue Roger. In the end, he was suppressed by Garp and Sengoku and imprisoned in Impel Down.
After escaping from Impel Down, he dedicated himself to destroying the entire East Blue. He appeared here because he discovered powerful ferocious beasts on the Mystery Island. He happened to have experts in this field, and he wanted to cultivate a batch of powerful ferocious beasts to release into the East Blue.
He just didn't know how his whereabouts had been exposed, attracting his old rival Garp. Originally, he wanted to lie low and not confront Garp head-on, but Garp's warships were approaching the Mystery Island, and he had no choice but to take action to protect that place.
He suspected that the island held a great secret that could greatly help him dominate the world. Destroying the East Blue was not his goal; his goal was to rule the entire world!
I originally planned to investigate after forcing Garp to retreat. Although Garp is very strong, I wouldn't have an advantage against him in the Calm Belt.
After all, not everyone has the strength of Garp. A single Lion's Roar: Sea Roll could capsize a warship. Add an island to the mix, and Garp might not be able to handle both attacks simultaneously. There's also the possibility of alerting the Sea Kings in the Calm Belt to come out and help. Garp had no choice but to retreat!
However, Vic's appearance disrupted his plans. This was a Marine who could use lightning and swordsmanship to break through the island's threat. Garp had brought help this time, making things a bit tricky for him.
Vic's strength should not be underestimated. He regretted not going all out to kill Vic when they met last time, because he didn't know his identity and just played around with him. Now that Vic had become his enemy, he was very annoyed.
" Shiki! It wouldn't have been a big deal if you hadn't escaped from Impel Down, but you're practically a cripple now. If you just stay out of trouble and retire peacefully, the Navy won't bother with you."
However, I have received intelligence that you are recruiting and preparing to rebuild the Flying Pirates, this time with the goal of destroying the East Blue. Of course, I cannot stand idly by.
The peaceful East Blue will not tolerate extremists like you. In the past, with your Float-Float Fruit abilities, it was difficult to stop you from escaping. But this time is different. Your flying speed is no match for Vic's. This time, I'm confident I can capture you again and send you to Impel Down retire!
The old man was somewhat sentimental at the beginning of his speech, perhaps because there were fewer and fewer strong people of their generation, which made him sigh. But when he came to the end, he patted Vic on the shoulder with an air of Haki and said, " The East Blue must not be destroyed. Shiki should go to Impel Down retire."
When the old man patted him, Vic's shoulder went numb, and his face contorted in pain. But after listening to their conversation, he understood why the old man had brought him back to the East Blue.
On the surface, he came to see his grandson, but in reality, he was there to deal with the Golden Lion. There was no prior warning, and the ability he demonstrated was the key. Only then did Vic realize that his overall strategic vision was still far behind that of the old man.
The old man is really good at doing big things quietly, and he's even scheming against a great pirate like Golden Lion. Vic now feels that you can't judge the big shots in the Navy by appearances alone; they're all like the sixth brother.
Even someone as seemingly honest as the old man is like this. And look at the titles and positions of Sengoku and Tsuru—one is called the Resourceful General, and the other is the Chief of Staff of the Marine Headquarters?
Even if you told Vic now that the old man has Conqueror's Haki and Conqueror's Coating, he would probably believe you. Vic feels that being a Marine is hard, being a high-ranking Marine is even harder, and becoming Fleet Admiral is the hardest of all.
"You old scoundrel! Were you the one causing trouble last time? I thought Kaido was just playing me. If there hadn't been a sick person on the ship, I would have already taken you down. You wouldn't have had the chance to babble here like this now."
Grandpa! I'll take care of Golden Lion, and Rebecca and the others will handle his men. You just need to stay behind and oversee things!
Vic channeled the pain in his shoulder into his anger towards Golden Lion. He genuinely believed Kaido was behind it all, since Shiki couldn't possibly unleash Golden Lion.
So after all that happened, when the island crashed down, he didn't suspect Golden Lion, since Kaido could use the Flame Clouds to transport the island, and Kaido was the one who took the blame then.
He now realized it was a coincidence; the earlier ones were all natural disasters, and only the last few islands were destroyed by the Golden Lion.
But that won't do either. There's a grudge between us. King Luffy can beat Golden Lion with Gear Third, so there's no reason why I can't beat him now, right? So now Vic is preparing to clash with a strong opponent like Golden Lion. Both of them are swordsmen, making them suitable opponents.
" Vic! You ran into the Golden Lion when I was sick last time?"
Wendy's voice trembled slightly. The name of Golden Lion was on par with that of the Pirate King Roger, and even more famous than Big Mom. He never expected that he would be targeted by such a powerful person while he was unconscious!
It's incredible that she's still alive, or rather, it's amazing how powerful Vic is that he managed to keep her alive. She witnessed the entire scene of the island crashing down on her, and the oppressive feeling was truly intense. Wendy has made up her mind that she wouldn't even flinch if Vic sent her to her death.
"He admitted it himself. I thought it was Kaido last time, and I was even planning to get revenge on Kaido sometime. Now that the real culprit has surfaced, the few of us can take care of it in a bit, and let the old man rest!"
Vic said casually, as if he didn't take the Golden Lion seriously.
" Wendy! You're so pitiful! You survived your illness, but you almost got crushed to death by this old man with an island! We'll avenge you!"
Rebecca hugged Wendy to comfort her, but what she said sounded a bit thoughtless. Vic was speechless. Was she even speaking human language? Luckily, they were acquaintances and knew each other well, otherwise, Rebecca would have gotten into trouble for talking like that outside.