The fishermen stopped what they were doing and stared at Vic. No one spoke, and the atmosphere fell silent. The children playing by the sailboat seemed frightened by Vic and ran back to their parents or into the house.
Then Rebecca came and stood beside Vic. She didn't ask Vic anything or inquire about the fishermen. She just stood quietly beside Vic, looking at the fishermen with a scrutinizing gaze.
Even innocent people feel pressured in front of two high-ranking naval officers, let alone a group of people with guilty consciences. Although they were still busy with their tasks, their movements had become stiff and unnatural.
However, they dared not even entertain the idea of killing the two men. Vic had now come into the public eye, and anyone who regularly reads the newspapers knew his identity and deeds.
Knowing Vic's power, they dared not run away. They acted very secretly, and the two marines showed no signs of seeing through their scheme. Therefore, they assumed that they were waiting there for the other marines to return. If they ran away now, they would be truly exposed. So they could only pray that their actions were flawless. After the marines found nothing amiss, they left the island.
Vic remained silent, but he had already done what he needed to do quietly. His Observation Haki covered the entire island, and there was no one left on the island except for this small fishing village. The people on the island were constantly moving to avoid Rebecca's search. All the other animals were normal; the abnormal thing was this fishing village.
Half an hour later, Barnett and the others returned to the fishing village. Seeing that Vic and Rebecca were both there, Barnett thought about many things. Vic had only told him to come back through telepathy without explaining anything, but that didn't prevent him from making a judgment.
" Vic! Have you found it? The problem lies here?"
Barnett and his group quickly approached Vic. He glanced at the people in the fishing village and asked, since he couldn't see anything wrong with the village.
He had cautiously walked around the fishing village beforehand. The houses were old, and the fishing boats and nets showed signs of long-term use. The village had a diverse population of men, women, and children, which seemed to fit the image of a village without any major upheavals. He couldn't imagine what kind of trouble might be going on in this simple fishing village.
Although Rebecca noticed something was off about the fishing village, she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Like Wendy, she was waiting for Vic to explain. Only Frodeku walked over to the model sailboat next to Vic and started looking around at it, as if searching for something.
The villagers grew increasingly nervous upon seeing the navy gathering in their village. They were especially tense as they watched Frodeku scrutinize the sailboat model, fearing that the bespectacled boy might have noticed something.
"Can't you guys use your Observation Haki more often? If you had used it to Observation Haki as soon as you came ashore, you would have discovered the problem long ago. Frodeku should have already found out what the problem is. Go investigate yourselves!"
Vic sighed. People in this world cherish their Haki aura so much that they don't use it unless it's absolutely necessary. This is a misconception. No wonder the more often someone fights, the faster their strength improves. Those who dare to fight and take risks rise to power quickly.
Vic hinted several times that they could use Haki in their spare time, but they only used it during sparring sessions and treasured it dearly at other times.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. They don't have much Haki to begin with, and who would want it to be used up after just a few uses? They definitely want to save it for battle.
This happened again today, Vic is considering whether to tell them about the quick way to increase his Haki, but the impact of this method being spread would be too great.
After listening to Vic's words, Barnett and the others released their Observation Haki to sense the small fishing village. At first, they didn't detect anything, which was related to their use of Observation Haki. Their Awakening time was short, their strength was insufficient, and their details were not detailed enough, which resulted in their Observation Haki only being able to perceive a general area.
Just like a computer's CPU, it can't process too much data. Their Observation Haki was like that, their perception was a bit blurry. It wasn't until they remembered that Vic said that Frodeku had made a discovery that they concentrated their Observation Haki on the surrounding area and began to perceive it carefully.
Upon sensing this, their expressions turned grim. Inside the sailboat model, there were countless human presences; without careful observation, they would have no idea that so many people were hidden inside the model.
The densely packed auras mingled with the scents of fishermen and sailors, making it impossible for them to distinguish without careful observation, given their level of Observation Haki. They only knew that many people were gathered here, but they had no idea exactly how many.
Another point is that, logically speaking, it's just a model; who could have imagined there would be so many people inside? Without careful observation using Observation Haki, anyone would overlook it, right?
Are Tontatta?
Barnett frowned and muttered to himself, "A two-meter-tall model holding so many people? Only those legendary Tontatta could fit in it, right?"
But how could there be so many of these rare Tontatta? Do Tontatta live on this island? But the buildings on the island don't seem to fit that description. Could they have been captured from somewhere else? Barnett pondered all sorts of possibilities.
"Are they really Tontatta? I've heard that Tontatta are a very popular race at auctions, and you might only see one every few years. How come there are so many here?"
Rebecca also noticed the tiny figures inside the sailboat model. She had stood there for a while without noticing anything, and now she was very annoyed, regretting not using her Observation Haki to investigate more closely. Little did she know that there might not have been any people in the model when she looked at it earlier.
"It wasn't necessarily the Tontatta; Tontatta are quite strong, and with so many together, it wouldn't be easy to take them down. But the Devil Fruit's power was enough to accomplish this. Fortunately, nothing too serious happened. Just remember this lesson!"
Vic said calmly. He knew that the Tontatta was in Dressrosa, and that they were incredibly fast and strong. Ordinary pirates would be no match for them. If there really were as many Tontatta as in the model, ordinary pirate crews would not be able to take them down. Considering the buildings on the island, Vic was more convinced that it was the power of Devil Fruit.
Although these people look like fishermen, who told you that only those who sail the seas possess Devil Fruit abilities?
Most people only think about going to sea to try their luck after they have acquired Devil Fruit powers and feel that they are strong enough, but that doesn't mean that everyone has this idea.
Some people stayed in their homeland or their country. Some lived a low-key life like Mantis, while others protected their country like the birds and dogs of Alabasta. Vic is now unsure whether these people are natives or outsiders.