Vic guessed that the Golden Den Den Mushi must have been given to the old man by Sengoku. It seems that only Marine Admiral has the authority to grant permission for others to use this thing. The Ohara Buster Call Den Den Mushi was given to Spandine Sengoku.
Sengoku's goal was probably to deal with Golden Lion, but Golden Lion became much more cautious after escaping from prison, and he even moved his base to the sky, so the Buster Call was ineffective. This could be considered a miscalculation.
The Golden Lion did indeed assemble a fleet on the high seas in the past, and the Buster Call was effective then. However, the Golden Lion is currently in a period of dormancy, with its main base in the sky, so the Buster Call is useless. This is probably why the old man hasn't used it.
Vic held the Den Den Mushi in his hand, wondering whether he should go to Big Mom's territory and press the button on the Den Den Mushi. He wondered if the Vice Admiral would dare to carry out the Buster Call; if they did, they would most likely be killed for nothing.
After thinking it over, Vic gave up on the idea. There was still a big gap between Vice Admiral and Emperor of the Sea; if he went, he'd probably just kill them all with one blow.
Vic's initial desire for a drink had completely vanished. He was holding a bomb switch in his hand, the kind of thing that makes you want to press it without thinking, whether out of curiosity or something else.
Anyway, Vic had a voice in his head saying "Press it, press it." Fortunately, Vic had strong self-control. If Luffy had it, he definitely would have pressed it. It's better not to know. If he knew, he would definitely want to try it. So Vic took the Den Den Mushi and left the bar.
"This thing is too hot to handle, I'll go return it to the old man, you guys continue!"
Vic's figure had long since disappeared, only his voice echoed in the tavern.
Vic found Garp near Dadan's bandit den. Garp was training Ace and had found a very agile big monkey to Ace with. Garp believed that training with wild beasts would help Ace adapt to real combat more quickly, and if they killed a wild beast, they could eat its meat, which was truly a win-win situation.
"Old man, you're too careless. How can you just leave something like this lying around like that?" Vic said helplessly to Garp, who was sitting on the ground watching Ace's fight. He had really been shocked when he saw Luffy playing with it.
"Where did you find this Den Den Mushi? I didn't see it this morning, I thought it had crawled away, hahaha!"
Garp turned to look at the Golden Den Den Mushi in Vic's hand and said nonchalantly, as if it were just an ordinary Den Den Mushi.
Hearing Vic's voice, Ace turned around curiously to take a look. In that instant of distraction, the monkey he was fighting punched him in the face, knocking Ace to the ground. Ace let out a groan of pain.
" Ace, you idiot! How many times have I told you? Who gave you the right to be distracted during the fight? If it were a real life-or-death battle, you'd be dead already. This is to teach you a lesson!"
When Garp saw Ace up to him, he scolded him and grabbed him, punching him hard. A big bump instantly rose on Ace's head, but although his eyes were filled with tears, he didn't cry. He just looked at Vic with some resentment, thinking that this guy was the one who had distracted him.
"Grandpa, you still have the nerve to lecture Ace? Luffy almost pressed the button on that Den Den Mushi! Such an important thing is missing, and you're not even going to look for it? I'm truly impressed! You have such a big heart! Like father, like son!"
Vic didn't think there was anything wrong with the old man hitting Ace. Distraction during a fight can be fatal, and hitting someone on the head with Haki punch is indeed unreliable and could easily leave them stunned. However, it was good that he could hurt Ace and teach him a lesson. The old man wouldn't care about other things, but he was very serious when it came to matters of life and death.
"Does it matter? That's just your opinion, you think the injury is healed?" Garp said with a half-smile, looking at the Den Den Mushi in Vic's hand, his eyes holding a deeper meaning.
Vic was a little confused by Garp's smile. What does that smile mean? Does he know your secret? Or does he know that I secretly ran away that day? You old rascal! Vic pretended not to see it and shoved the Golden Den Den Mushi into Garp's hand.
"My injuries are mostly healed and won't affect my operations. I can set off for the New World at any time. With Hero of the Marines like you on board, who can harm me?"
Vic said nonchalantly that it wouldn't take long to travel from the East Blue to the New World; by then, his injuries would have healed long ago. The combined attacks of Conqueror's Coating and Ryuo were indeed very damaging.
However, Vic's physical attributes and Haki are not to be underestimated, and his recovery ability is also ridiculously strong. It is incredible that he has recovered to his current level in just three days.
However, Garp was not surprised. The recovery and endurance of the strong are ridiculous. The battle between Vic and Golden Lion was a forced compression of the battle time. It was like they were fighting continuously by using their ultimate moves. However, it still took most of the day to end.
"Then let's set off tomorrow! We Tokikake meet up with Gion and the Gion. They've been waiting for you in the New World for ages! Hahahaha!" Garp said meaningfully, then gave Ace a nudge, urging him to go back to the arena and fight the monkey.
When Vic heard Gion's name, he was momentarily lost in thought, especially after the look she gave him Gion left. He realized he couldn't forget it. Knowing they were going to meet again, Vic really didn't know how to face her.
Vic was an orphan in his previous life and had never been in a relationship. He was at a loss when faced with Gion's hints, perhaps because some of his actions and words had already hurt her. He pondered for a long time without saying a word.
The warships were already resupplyed and ready to depart at any time, so Garp saw no need to go back and give any instructions. He also ignored Vic, who was standing there in a daze, and continued watching his grandson fight the monkey.
Vic suppressed his thoughts and came to his senses. He didn't leave, but sat down and watched. He wanted to see where Ace's fighting skills were lacking so he could train him specifically. After all, he was entrusted by the old man. The stronger Ace was, the better he could protect himself, and the less he would have to worry.
In the end, Ace was no match for the giant monkey. The monkey was too fast for a child, and Ace was left with a bruised and swollen face.
Vic gave Ace some guidance on combat, reducing some of his unnecessary movements. Then he sat there and practiced with Ace for a while with one hand, correcting his movements as he went, until Ace developed a basic instinct for it. Only then did he leave with Garp.
" Vic! You probably won't be staying with me for very long. Soon you'll be able to carry out missions on your own."
You've already accomplished enough by eliminating Shiki, this huge threat. You'll likely be promoted to Headquarters Vice Admiral upon your return from the New World.
However, it will be very difficult for you to become Marine Admiral alongside Aokiji and the other two. You've only been a Marine for a short time, and your growth has been unexpectedly rapid.
Unless you can capture a pirate of Kaido's caliber—which even Sakazuki and his crew would find difficult—you're unlikely to be promoted unless your combat strength is so outstanding that your seniority is disregarded.
Time is running out. If we miss this opportunity, who knows when we'll get another chance? But by then, something major will have happened that will affect the Navy, and it's hard to say what will happen then!