On the way back to Foosha Village, Garp told Vic about the situation at the top of the Navy. If Vic had any ambition to become Marine Admiral, he would need to do something big within the next year or two.
If the Golden Lion had been killed by Vic without being injured, it would have been a major event. However, the Golden Lion has now lost a significant amount of strength, so this doesn't prove Vic's power.
So if we miss this opportunity, we might have to wait for another 10 or 20 years. Aokiji and the other two are all in their prime now, and they won't be considered old even in 10 or 20 years. The Marine Admiral won't be replaced so easily unless something major happens, like the Paramount War.
Garp has a good understanding of the Navy, or rather the World Government. He prioritizes stability. Once the positions of Aokiji and the other two as Admiral are confirmed, even if Vic's strength surpasses that of Admiral, there's nothing he can do. After all, Vic is still young, and he'll be in his prime when Aokiji retire in a decade or so.
Therefore, after careful consideration, if they miss this opportunity, they can only wait until Aokiji retire before they can take their place. However, that time will be very long. By then, Vic might be a veteran vice admiral on Vice Admiral with Garp. Vice Admiral for more than ten years—you can imagine how long that will take.
Garp himself didn't want to be promoted to Marine Admiral; freedom was more important to him, and not being controlled by the Celestial Dragons was more important. But Vic isn't Garp; can he really wait that long?
Despite possessing abilities that were at or even exceeded those of the general, he was suppressed to the rank of Vice Admiral for over a decade due to systemic reasons?
That's why Garp told him all this after seeing Vic defeat Golden Lion. He heard Vic's words to Golden Lion about changing the world: how can you change the world without power and status?
Vic's strength has been steadily increasing, but his position in the Navy has already reached a fixed upward trajectory. He fears that Vic will leave the Navy like his son Dragon!
"I'll seize the opportunity, but I don't seem to have the aptitude for Conqueror's Haki. I didn't react at all when I was stimulated by Golden Lion's Conqueror's Haki."
That move of his must have been infused with Conqueror's Haki, right? It was incredibly powerful. If he hadn't gone crazy and was having an episode, I Headliners.
Kaido and the others should all have Conqueror's Haki. How can I fight them without it? Why don't you kill Sakazuki first, old man? That way I'll be safe!
At this time, Vic was unaware that Garp was also a user of Conqueror's Haki. After all, Garp's Vivre Card did not show Conqueror's Haki before his previous life, and Garp had never used Conqueror's Haki in the series.
Therefore, Vic believes that if Garp, who doesn't Conqueror's Haki, could become Roger's opponent, he must have a technique to counter Conqueror's Coating's Haki, and he wants to learn this technique from Garp.
Currently, Vic has no means of resisting the Conqueror's Coating Technique. It's possible that he was stunned at the time and didn't think of any moves to counter it. It's also normal that he didn't have the time or the mindset to counter Conqueror's Coating when he first encountered it.
If he frequently encountered situations involving the Conqueror's Coating, Vic should be able to devise countermeasures. But why did he assume this old man next to him had a way to deal with Conqueror's Coating? Wouldn't it have been better to just ask him for advice?
To figure it out on his own, he would need to fight more powerful figures like Kaido and his crew, which is a bit risky. They're not mentally unstable and might try to kill Vic while he's unconscious. Vic doesn't want to gamble on those uncertainties. Not everyone is the chosen one King Luffy, who doesn't finish off opponents even when they're knocked out.
"What are you thinking! Sakazuki can be taught a lesson, but you can't go too far. Also, Conqueror's Haki doesn't Awakening just by encountering other Conqueror's Haki. This exchange doesn't prove you lack the aptitude for Conqueror's Haki. The Awakening of Conqueror's Haki requires a trigger. I will train you on how to deal with Conqueror's Coating!"
Garp knew that Vic was joking when he said he would kill Akainu. Although the two had some minor grudges, they hadn't escalated to the point of being life-or-death.
As for Vic's claim that he lacks the aptitude for Conqueror's Haki, he simply doesn't believe it. Someone his age with such strength—how could he be unaptitudeed? Then tell him, who is qualified to Awakening?
Conqueror's Haki isn't necessarily stronger the earlier it 'Awakening; it's still linked to one's own strength and charisma. Garp believed that when Vic Awakening his Conqueror's Haki Conqueror's Haki, it would be stronger than many others who had already Awakening Conqueror's Haki. This was due to the bonus brought by his own strength and charisma. Furthermore, by mastering the method of Conqueror's Coating, his combat power would directly increase by a level.
Vic was excited by Garp's words, thinking that the old man was about to use his most powerful techniques. Little did he know that the old man was just going to use his Conqueror's Coating to beat him up and make him adapt.
The Conqueror's Coating isn't invincible. As long as you can endure the dizziness, you still have a chance. Moreover, Vic is very fast, and now he has the speed boost from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. No matter how powerful your Conqueror's Coating, you can't hit anyone.
As long as you're fast enough, you can still fight even if you're out of the range of the Conqueror's Coating's attack. Garp decided to see how it goes in actual combat. His own Conqueror's Coating's attack range is quite large, so he'll need to control it and gradually strengthen it after getting used to it.
Afterwards, Vic consulted Garp on some questions about Haki, because Garp might be the pinnacle of Armament Haki in this world, and since he himself hadn't Awakening Conqueror's Haki yet, the only thing he could improve was Armament Haki.
However, Garp's understanding of Armament Haki is similar to that of Vic himself. Although their expressions are different, they ultimately lead to the same goal: the origin of Haki.
It's no wonder that Garp was able to hone his Armament Haki to such a high level. His warlike nature led to significant progress in his Armament Haki Garp, and this progress made Garp even more warlike, creating a virtuous cycle: the more he fought, the stronger he became, and the stronger he became, the more he fought. This is how he stood at the pinnacle of the Navy!
However, after Roger's execution, there were not many who could fight him. But Garp has always been on the front lines of the Navy and has always been strict with himself. Even if he doesn't take it any further, his combat power is still at its peak and has not declined.
While Vic didn't have many life-or-death battles with powerful figures, his cultivation directly targeted the origin of Haki. He also had practical combat exchanges with Admiral, allowing him to improve at an even faster pace.
No matter how talented you are or how fast you improve, you can't catch up with someone who has accumulated decades of experience. However, Awakening Conqueror's Haki can quickly close the gap.
The entanglement of Conqueror's Haki and Conqueror's Haki is somewhat illogical, and it really has little to do with accumulation. This is also the most crucial factor for latecomers to make a comeback. It's just a pity that the current Vic has no clue about Awakening Conqueror's Haki and can only rely on his talent to force his dual-color Haki forward.
Not long after Vic returned to his lodgings, there was a knock on the door. It was Rebecca who came in. It was late at night, Vic was curious why this girl wanted to see him, especially since he was still injured.