Seeing that Barrow had introduced himself, Vic had nothing to say and attacked at once. He wanted to see whether his Cutting Steel could cut through Barrow's body.
Barrow didn't choose to take the blows with his body. He drew the sword at his waist to defend himself, though he could barely hold Vic off. Vic was too fast for him to react, and he had to use his other hand to help block, occasionally even using his chest, neck, waist, and hips to stop the incoming slashes.
Barrow was flustered and in a sorry state. If Vic couldn't break through his defenses, the fight could only end in a draw, because Barrow couldn't mount an effective counterattack.
After all, one could only defend passively without striking back, while the other could only attack without breaking through his opponent's defenses. There was no way for the fight to continue.
Or one of them could wear the other down. Of course, on this battlefield, probably only Vic could do that. Barrow wasn't fast enough to outrun Vic, and he certainly couldn't outlast him either. As long as no reinforcements arrived, Barrow was bound to lose.
But Vic didn't want a drawn-out fight. He hadn't even tried cutting Barrow in earnest yet, so who could say he couldn't cut him?
Seeing Barrow constantly blocking him with his sword, Vic found it troublesome. It kept him from attacking with his full attention. He wanted to put all his strength into cutting through Barrow's body, but with his attacks constantly being blocked, he couldn't give it his all.
Vic flashed to Barrow's side and used Cutting Steel to sever the sword in his hand with one stroke. Barrow's sword was no Famous Sword; it was only a little better than an ordinary one.
Barrow looked at the broken sword in his hand and smiled, the corners of his mouth lifting. Then he stuffed the sword into his mouth and chewed it like chocolate.
In his mouth, the blade really was like chocolate. He ate the whole thing without any effort. That was his fruit ability.
Vic had already rushed in and was slashing at him, but Barrow was still chewing slowly, using only his hands to block Vic's blade.
After chewing for a while, Barrow suddenly grinned and spat out a series of inch-long iron spikes, sending them flying at Vic.
With his Observation Haki active, Vic naturally wouldn't be hit, but the spikes would still interfere with his attack.
Vic swayed slightly to dodge the incoming spikes. He stopped attacking and stood in place, evading them as he watched to see how many Barrow had. How many iron spikes could half a sword's worth of iron make?
Sure enough, the barrage stopped before long. It wasn't clear whether Barrow had run out or had stopped because it wasn't working.
Seeing that the spikes were gone, Vic attacked at once. With Observation Haki to predict Barrow's movements, Vic left him able to do nothing but take the blows. Vic slashed him all over, reducing his clothes to tatters, but still failed to cut him. His defenses really were strong, far stronger than those of Daz Bones's Dice-Dice Fruit.
"Haha, kid, you can't break through my defenses. My Metal-Metal Fruit can evolve with the strength of the metals I eat. I've already eaten plenty of rare metals. My body isn't something you can cut open." Seeing that his defenses hadn't been breached, Barrow grew confident again.
"Hahaha, kid, hurry up and surrender. You can't beat our boss."
"That's right, surrender already..."
"You're pretty good yourself. Surrender and become one of the boss's underlings. It'll be an honor for you..."
"Treasure this chance, kid!"
Vic ignored the lackeys' jeers and sent several waves of Sword Gang flying into Barrow. Aside from sending a few scraps of cloth fluttering down, they had no effect. The suit on Rod's body was already in tatters, reduced to strips of cloth.
Barrow felt somewhat helpless. He couldn't keep up with Vic's speed and couldn't land a hit.
Vic wasn't just fast; he also had Observation Haki. Barrow couldn't touch him at all and was now waiting for Vic to give up and retreat. But how could Vic pass up such a good whetstone? Once he broke through Barrow's defenses, wouldn't his Cutting Steel improve again?
Vic began attacking at close range and stopped releasing Sword Gang. He wanted to concentrate more of the power of his conviction and gather a great deal of Sword Qi. Only then could he break through stronger defenses. Concentrating, Vic shouted inwardly and swung his sword at Barrow.
Once... twice... over a hundred times. The sounds of their clashes carried far into the distance, like a smith hammering iron. Barrow was terrified. Vic's slashes were causing his body pain, and it was growing worse.
Vic's mind grew ever clearer, all his attention focused on the sword in his hand. Small wounds had appeared on Barrow's body. Terrified, he wanted to flee, but how could he match Vic's speed? Every time he tried to run, Vic cut him off before he could get away.
"This can't be real! The boss is hurt again?"
"Yeah, even with his fruit ability active. Is the boss going to lose?"
"The boss won't lose. Those little wounds are nothing..."
Vic could no longer hear the sounds around him. He had only one thought: to cut through Barrow's body of steel.
Vic continued attacking. Suddenly, a flash of light crossed his mind, and a faint smile appeared on his face. He stepped back two meters and sheathed his sword.
Vic smiled at Barrow, who was in a sorry state and gasping for breath. "Barrow, I can cut through your body of steel now. Thanks for your help!"
"One Sword Style: Army Breaker!"
Before the words had faded, Vic vanished. When he reappeared, he was behind Barrow, and Yubashiri was already more than halfway back in its sheath.
Barrow's eyes were somewhat vacant, his mouth slightly open, and a trickle of blood ran from its corner. He slowly turned to look at Vic's back, as though seeing a great mountain. With difficulty, he said, "Sir, may I know your name?"
"Orens Vic."
"You'll remember that name from now on." As Vic finished speaking, Yubashiri slid fully into its sheath with a soft click.
The instant Yubashiri was sheathed, a huge wound appeared across Barrow's chest, stretching from his right abdomen to his left shoulder. Blood spurted out in great quantities.
"I'll remember it!" After saying those words, Barrow fell to the ground, a relieved smile on his face.
A smile appeared on Vic's face as well. He walked up to the dumbstruck underlings, took the case containing the Cast Blue Gold, and turned to leave.
He had no interest in the lackeys. Rebecca followed behind him, and the two crossed the bridge and left. No one tried to stop them again, and the onlookers all speculated about their identities.
Ban was among the crowd as well, still somewhat dazed. "I didn't expect him to be so strong. I worried for nothing. If I see him again, I'll have to get to know him properly," he muttered.
"That's a fierce dragon crossing the river. The local snake's been taken down. I've never heard of that man before. If he were a pirate or a bounty hunter, he should have made a name for himself long ago. Could he be from the World Government?"
Ignoring the clamor behind them, Vic and Rebecca went straight back to the Marine Base in Area 60.
Vic hadn't managed to take Rebecca to the amusement park as promised. After defeating Barrow, the two of them had drawn a bit too much attention, and it wasn't suitable for them to show themselves again. Marine Headquarters wasn't far from here anyway, and there would be plenty of chances in the future.
After returning to the base, Vic checked in with old man Garp. Garp mentioned the disturbance on the island and told Vic to be more careful when he came here in the future, especially to steer clear of the Celestial Dragon scum so they wouldn't disgust him, and so on...
Vic had a few black lines on his forehead. Hey, you just said what you really think, didn't you?
Vic knew old man Garp hated the Celestial Dragons, and he was no exception. They were nothing but maggots sucking the blood of the entire world. Don't let me become the Marines' supreme ruler, or else...
Vic didn't explain that he had caused the disturbance on the island. He went straight back to his assigned quarters to reflect on that flash of insight from earlier. Rebecca went to find Granny Tsuru.
Vic sat in meditation all night. When he opened his eyes the next morning, he felt refreshed. The weather outside was fine too. Sunlight shone on the Sabaody Archipelago, making the islands seem even more dreamlike. But who could say how much darkness lay hidden beneath this fairy-tale world?
I'm almost sixteen. Ace and King Luffy both went to sea at seventeen. I'm going to the recruit training camp for special training now, and I don't know how long it'll take. By the time I actually go to sea, I'll be about that age too. Once I've mastered Armament Haki and developed the Speed-Speed Fruit properly, I'll be able to go anywhere on the seas.
The path Vic had planned was now on track. This world held many secrets, and he wasn't strong enough to act recklessly yet. He still needed to lie low and wait for his chance.
Today was the day to return to Marine Headquarters. After breakfast, Vic went up to the deck and sat down.
People gradually came aboard the warship, and they were no longer surprised to see Vic sitting on deck. Finally, Garp and Tsuru came aboard too, signaling that departure wasn't far off.
Garp told the clerk to take roll and make sure everyone was present. The clerk didn't call Vic's name. He knew Vic wouldn't answer him. It had happened many times, and the others were used to it too.
There were more people aboard this time, all elites selected from around the world to receive further training at Marine Headquarters. They had previously been housed at the base and would now travel together to Marineford aboard the Dog-Head Warship.
Everyone was present, and Garp shouted, "Set sail!"
The warship left the dock and headed for Marine Headquarters. Vic and Rebecca were about to begin their lives in the Marines.