From then on, Vic devoted most of his energy to developing his Devil Fruit. It was an ability he had only just acquired, after all, and currently the weakest part of his skill set. He had always wanted to balance out his strength. Who didn't aspire to be an all-rounder?
Whenever Vic worked on his Devil Fruit ability, he went deep into the forest rather than staying near its edge, and he had to keep his Observation Haki active at all times. If someone happened to catch him, anyone with an interest could investigate and find out. His strength was only decent for now, not enough for him to do as he pleased. He would need to reach emperor-level strength for that.
A month passed quietly, and Vic's fruit ability had more or less stabilized. He could now increase his speed by up to eight times, which was already terrifying.
With that boost to his swordsmanship, Vic felt he could cut down anyone who didn't have Armament Haki to protect them. Well, except Kaido and Big Mom.
Vic was training in the forest again today when his Observation Haki suddenly sensed two powerful presences arriving on the island. His expression hardened, and he frowned.
Have pirates come ashore? Their presence is so strong. Just how powerful are they? Can I beat them? Vic thought, a fierce fighting spirit rising in him.
Then he said to Rebecca, "Rebecca, let's hurry to the docks and take a look. Some powerful people have landed on the island."
"Okay, let's go," Rebecca replied. She hadn't sensed anything herself, but she trusted Vic's words unconditionally.
Vic used Geppo to get a head start, while Rebecca raced along the ground. He was so fast that he saw what was happening at the docks before he reached them. A warship had arrived, and his expression grew excited.
"You damned old man, I've finally waited long enough for you to show up. I won't let you get away with it!"
It was a little earlier than he had planned.
The warship's ram was shaped like a dog's head holding a bone. Vic knew it well. Old Garp, whom he had been longing to meet, had finally arrived.
Vic stopped using Geppo. He hadn't even joined the Marines yet, but he had already learned one of their signature techniques. Who had taught him? Where had he come from? It would be easy for people to suspect something was amiss.
Although Vic's background was clean, the fact remained that he had disappeared for a year and a half, and many people on the island knew it. If anyone investigated, it would be a lot of trouble.
I wonder if old Garp and the other powerful person have their Observation Haki active all the time. It wouldn't be a big deal if Garp noticed, but anyone else wouldn't be so easy to deal with, Vic thought. He stopped using Marine techniques altogether and simply ran along the ground, without going too fast.
When he reached the shore, he heard a hearty laugh that sounded free and uninhibited. Though it was loud, it wasn't unpleasant.
"Hahaha, Tsuru, I'm finally going to see my grandson! That bastard Dragon told me a month ago that I had a grandson! Hahaha!" Garp laughed as he ate rice crackers. He wasn't wearing his dog-head hat this time.
"Old man, you're acting as if nobody else has a grandchild. I'm here to see mine. Swallow your rice crackers before you talk to me. You're spraying crumbs all over my face. If my warship weren't being repaired, I'd never have taken yours to East Blue," Tsuru said, somewhat annoyed.
So it's Garp and Tsuru. No wonder their presences are so strong. According to the timeline, King Luffy was born this May, so he's only a few months old now! But Vice Admiral Tsuru has a grandchild on this island? I've never heard of that. Could it be that they're hidden here to keep pirates from taking revenge on them? That's possible! Vic thought as he listened to their conversation.
While he was thinking, Vic reached the docks. A large crowd had gathered, perhaps because they had never seen such a large warship before. Garp's ship was indeed magnificent, much larger than an ordinary warship. And since both of them were high-ranking Marines and famous figures, everyone had gathered to see what was going on.
Garp and Tsuru also spotted Vic as he arrived.
"Hahaha, that kid's pretty fast, and he's got a good presence too. Tsuru, that kid couldn't be your grandson, could he? Hahaha!" Garp teased her with a laugh.
Tsuru was a little surprised too. Was there already such a strong young man on an ordinary little island in East Blue? Judging by his clothes, he was a swordsman, and his presence was sharp. She just didn't know how he would fare in a real fight.
"No, I'm here to see my granddaughter," Tsuru explained calmly.
Vic parted the crowd and walked up to them.
Looking at them, he saw that neither looked as old as when they had appeared in the original story. Both were still under sixty. Only the hair at Garp's temples had gone a little gray. Granny Tsuru's hair was completely white, but she didn't have as many wrinkles on her face.
"So it's the Marine hero Vice Admiral Garp and Vice Admiral Tsuru. No wonder it's so lively here. Welcome to Laipe Island. My name is Vic," he said to them with a smile.
"Hahaha, kid, I'm heading straight home to see my grandson. I'm not going ashore, so you only need to welcome her, hahaha!" Still eating his rice crackers, Garp pointed at Tsuru as he spoke to Vic.
Tsuru looked at Garp with some displeasure. "Young man, I'm here to find two people, Maria and Rebecca. Do you know them?" Granny Tsuru asked Vic with a smile.
Vic froze. Was it really such a coincidence? Vice Admiral Tsuru actually knew the old lady and Rebecca. What was the connection?
One look at Vic's expression told Granny Tsuru that he definitely knew them. With that in mind, she was in no hurry to go ashore and waited for him to answer.
Just then, Vic's Observation Haki sensed that Rebecca had also reached the docks. Instead of answering Vice Admiral Tsuru, he called out, "Rebecca, come over here!"
Hearing Vic call Rebecca's name, Tsuru hurriedly looked around. She had only seen Rebecca when she was a baby, but the moment she saw her wine-red hair, she knew she had found the right person.
Tsuru looked kindly at Rebecca as she approached. Rebecca still didn't know what was going on. She only knew that a warship had arrived and there was a lot of commotion.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, this is Rebecca. I don't know if she's the person you're looking for," Vic said, pulling Rebecca over and introducing her to Tsuru.
"Rebecca, these two are both legends in the Marines: Vice Admiral Garp, the Marine hero, and Vice Admiral Tsuru. That legendary pirate who caused havoc at Marine Headquarters last year was captured by Vice Admiral Garp," Vic added, introducing the two to Rebecca.
Seeing nothing unusual in their expressions, Vic knew they hadn't noticed him using Geppo earlier. That was how people in the Pirate King world were: unless there were special circumstances, they didn't keep their Observation Haki active all the time.
Granny Tsuru was still gazing kindly at Rebecca, lost in thought, while old Garp burst out laughing. "Hahaha, I didn't fight him alone. That fellow Sengoku got involved too, but I would have been enough on my own. He just likes meddling! Hahaha."
"Garp, shut up. Headquarters would have suffered even greater losses if you'd fought him alone," Granny Tsuru immediately scolded him. The old man sheepishly scratched his head.
"Rebecca, come with me. I have something to tell you!" Granny Tsuru walked over with a smile and took Rebecca's hand.
Rebecca didn't know Granny Tsuru, only that she was an important figure in the Marines. She turned to look at Vic, and he nodded to her. Only then did Rebecca follow Granny Tsuru away.
After the two left, Garp turned to leave as well. He wanted to hurry home and see his grandson.
"Vice Admiral Garp, could I ask you for some pointers?" Vic called to him as he was about to leave.
Normally, if Garp saw a promising young man like Vic, he would immediately bring him into the Marines. But today he only wanted to go home and see his grandson, so he hadn't given it any thought. That was why Vic was going to make the first move.
Old Garp was a little surprised to hear the voice behind him. Did this young fellow not know how strong he was, or was he simply fearless because he didn't know any better? Garp turned to look at him. The young man's handsome, youthful face seemed full of fighting spirit.
Vic wanted to show what he could do and demonstrate his value, then test his current strength.
Meanwhile, Tsuru had led Rebecca away from the crowd. Holding her hand, she said, "Rebecca, you look so much like your mother! You're practically cast from the same mold. Your mother once served under me, and I even held you when you were little. Thirteen years have passed in the blink of an eye, and you've grown up. It's such a shame about your mother. She was so kind and brave, and so talented too. She was destined to become a Marine officer someday!"
"I always treated her like my own daughter, but I failed to protect her. I was careless that time. I shouldn't have told her your father had died. I didn't expect the battle to come so soon, and we were caught off guard. Your mother was distracted by thoughts of your father, and the pirates caught her off guard in the end. I was held up by the enemy at the time and couldn't get to her in time to save her!"
"All these years, I've blamed myself and regretted it. I couldn't quite bring myself to face you and your grandmother. It was only recently that I came to terms with it. I want to bring you into the Marines, fulfill your mother's dying wish, and carry on her will. Rebecca, are you willing to join the Marines?" Listening to Granny Tsuru, Rebecca learned some of what had happened back then, and her eyes reddened.
"Granny Tsuru, Vic and I agreed to join the Marines. I made up my mind five years ago. Vic told me not to rush and to build up my strength first, because only with strength could I protect myself."
"My grandmother passed away a month ago, and now I don't have anything holding me here, so I'll go with you. But... could you take Vic too? He's very strong. He's been teaching me swordsmanship these past few years," Rebecca said, recommending Vic.
"Your grandmother has passed away? Sigh, I really regret not seeing her one last time. I truly wanted to tell her I was sorry!" Tsuru said sadly.
"Granny Tsuru, please don't blame yourself. Grandma never blamed anyone. Vic told me that tragedies are caused by the times we live in. He said there's something wrong with our world," Rebecca said, trying to comfort her.
"All right, Rebecca. Take me to pay my respects at your grandmother's grave later..."