" Vice Admiral Dark Dragon! We've been attacked by pirates! They're too strong, we need your support! They seem to be here to hijack our ship and rescue people. We request your assistance!"
Barnett had barely picked up the receiver when the Den Den Mushi started talking, its voice trembling with panic, and it mimicked the branch's Vice Admiral 'Den Den Mushi expression, looking utterly terrified!
The branch Vice Admiral naturally recognized the Big Mom Pirates ' symbol, but he didn't reveal this information because he was afraid that Vic would be intimidated by Big Mom and wouldn't come to his aid.
Moreover, he deliberately said that the pirates were there to kidnap people. The two ships are still in the shelling phase, so what could he possibly know? It's just that the prisoners on the warship were captured by Vic, and the military credit also belongs to Vic. He said this to make Vic pay more attention and try to rescue him.
In short, he was terrified. The person on the opposite pirate ship was the second-in-command of the Big Mom Pirates. You could tell how strong he was just by looking at the newspapers. He was no match for him. Now that they were attacking his warship, they were clearly up to no good. So he had to trap Vic, who was the closest strongman to him, otherwise he would most likely sink to the bottom of the sea and be cut off from all hope.
Katakuri made his move two days after tracking the branch Vice Admiral. By this time, the pirate ship and Vic's warship were already quite far apart, having traveled in the opposite direction for two days.
At this point, the branch Vice Admiral was practically isolated and helpless. He was not close to Vic's warship, the Marine Headquarters, or Enies Lobby. Once he finished his business, he could easily leave and return to the New World.
Katakuri's decision was perfectly reasonable; anyone with a brain would have thought the same way. It's just that they didn't fully understand Vic.
"You guys do your best to stall for time, I'm coming right now, hold on!"
Vic flashed in front of Barnett, said something, put away the Den Den Mushi, and then vanished in Inazuma.
Vic wasn't after the military credit he'd gain from capturing Mora; Mora was currently an unknown figure with negligible military achievements, something Vic didn't care about at all.
The main reason is that he doesn't want the Big Mom Pirates to continue growing stronger. How could he stand idly by while his enemy gets stronger, knowing they are destined to fight each other in the future? He certainly doesn't want the Mirror-Mirror Fruit to fall into Big Mom's hands.
Although the identity of the attacking pirates is unknown, Mora could potentially appear in Big Mom's territory if she doesn't stay in Impel Down, which is something Vic doesn't want to see.
A secondary reason was that Vic didn't want to see his comrades killed by pirates. Although many marines died every day, he would still try to save those who were nearby if he could, especially since there were other reasons as well.
Vic's disappearance didn't cause a stir for Rebecca and the others, but it was the first time the new marines had ever seen such a thing, and it surprised them greatly!
They had seen Rebecca and the others practice using the Six Powers of Shave and Geppo, so they were even more astonished by Vic's ability to simply disappear. This made them admire Vic, the Headquarters Vice Admiral, even more. Vice Admiral Dark Dragon's strength was beyond their imagination.
Rebecca and the others weren't worried about Vic's safety; there were very few who could harm him in the first half of the journey. What worried them more was the branch Vice Admiral. Even though Vic's speed was abnormally fast, it was still a voyage that took several days. They were afraid that by the time Vic arrived, the battle would already be over!
Vic travels very fast, using his lightning elemental form to weave through the clouds in the sky, following a clear path, as the branch Vice Admiral had explained to them before.
Even without being told, it was obvious that there were only a few routes to Impel Down, and he also had Den Den Mushi to ask for directions, so it didn't take Vic long to find it. Most of the time was spent using Observation Haki to locate the specific place.
However, by the time Vic appeared above the battle between the warships and the pirate ships, the battle was already coming to an end. Given the distance, Vic couldn't teleport there instantly; it would still take some time.
With Katakuri's strength, this time should have been enough for him to take over the warship. Many of the marines on the warship had been drained dry, and the middle of the ship was lying at Cracker's feet, their blood staining the deck!
Katakuri stood on the deck of the pirate ship, expressionless as he watched the battlefield before him. He appeared to have not participated in the fighting. Mora stood beside him, looking as if he had just survived the ordeal, her mouth moving as if she were saying something.
"Find the key to the Seastone Handcuffs, then sink the warship and we'll go back to the New World!"
Katakuri, seeing that the matter was almost resolved, instructed his younger siblings and Homies that he had also seen the Marine Branch Vice Admiral use Den Den Mushi to call for help, but he didn't care. Who could come to their aid at this distance? If the matter was resolved and the warship was sunk, the rescuers wouldn't even be able to find the location of the incident, let alone pursue them.
"Knew!"
Cracker said dismissively, then thrust his broadsword at the Vice Admiral lying on the ground. If Katakuri weren't his strongest brother, he wouldn't have paid any attention to him. Smoothie didn't answer; she was searching for a delicious meal.
Just as Cracker's broadsword was about to pierce the back of the marine in front of him, he felt a numbness all over his body, followed by convulsions, and the broadsword in his hand was flung away by his trembling arm.
The man collapsed to his knees on the deck, his mouth twisted, eyes slanted, and face charred. Of course, no one could see his face because his true form was hidden inside the biscuit armor. This was something Cracker couldn't understand before he fainted—how could he be struck by lightning while inside the biscuit armor?
How could he be sure he'd been struck by lightning? It was because the thunder only reached his ears after the electric shock. He cursed inwardly, wondering why he was so unlucky to be struck by lightning. Wasn't it clear and sunny just a moment ago? When did the weather in Paradise change so drastically?
Katakuri stared gravely at the spot where Cracker had fallen. There was a figure there, a figure he least wanted to see right now. Although the figure had its back to him, its shape and clothing were almost identical to the one he had seen in the newspaper!
But the cloak on his back was different; the flowing sleeves were black. Vice Admiral Dark Dragon of the Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral had arrived, and so quickly at that. He had rendered his younger brother Cracker incapacitated with a single blow, and his heart was in his throat!
Mora, standing next to Katakuri, was even more terrified when he saw Vic's back. He would probably never forget that back for the rest of his life. He had finally managed to escape into the Mirror World using a trick, only intending to come out from another mirror to check the situation, but this person found him instantly and knocked him unconscious!
That speed was terrifying! He had just been rescued and that person was back again. How could he not be terrified? Mora tried his best to hide behind Katakuri, not daring to look at Vic. If it weren't for the Seastone Handcuffs that prevented him from using his powers, he would definitely have entered the Mirror World and wouldn't have come out for a while.