"Threatening me? How do you think I got here? Believe me, I could wipe you all out and no one would even know it was me!"
Vic smirked, a hint of amusement in his eyes. The Katakuri before him was not the Yonko's vice commander of a decade or so later. Katakuri's strength was still on the rise and hadn't reached its peak yet, so he couldn't possibly be Vic's match right now.
Even the later first mate of the Emperor was no match for the current Vic. Vic can now fight Zephyr to a draw; he's not someone a first mate of the Emperor can defeat.
Although the First Commander can spar with Marine Admiral, it's only a sparring match. The Three Sweet Commanders Three Sweet Commanders working together might be able to put up a fight, but they are still too inexperienced. Of course, in terms of age, Vic is the most inexperienced, as all three are considerably older Vic.
Katakuri fell silent for a moment. He had seen the Vice Admiral making phone calls to call for reinforcements, but he had been too confident and hadn't taken it seriously, which led to the dangerous situation he was in now!
But how could he know that there were people in the Navy who could make long-distance rescues in a short time? Even if he had Observation Haki that could foresee the Future Sight, it would be useless. The time was too long to foresee that far ahead, not to mention that Katakuri couldn't foresee the Future Sight at the moment.
If Vic were to kill them all here now, very few people would know that the entire navy on the warship side was down, and that Vic had sunk their people to the bottom of the sea. The navy personnel might not even wake up.
Only through Vic's rapid exposure might their mother discover the culprit behind the loss of their son.
Kill him!
Katakuri looked at Vic calmly. Although he knew Vic was very strong and troublesome, he couldn't just surrender. The possessor of Conqueror's Haki still had a lot of spirit.
Vic wasn't surprised to hear this. Given Katakuri's personality, it would be strange if he just ran away. To outsiders, Katakuri was a perfect man.
Aside from lying down right after birth, he has never had his back touch the ground. He Awakening his Conqueror's Haki early on, and such a man will not easily admit defeat.
Despite her refusal to admit defeat, Smoothie still had to consider the gains and losses after the battle. So, she drew her sword and plunged it into Mora's lower back. As Mora rapidly shrank, Smoothie's body grew even larger!
When Mora heard Katakuri's words, he assumed that the others were calling for an attack on Vic, so he was completely unprepared. However, even if he had been prepared, it would have been useless, as he was no match for Katakuri's strength.
Moreover, weakened by the Seastone Handcuffs, Mora could only look back at Smoothie with resentment, unable to utter a single word as she shriveled and collapsed to the ground.
Smoothie didn't stop after absorbing Mora's energy. Instead, she stabbed Mora's emaciated body directly in the heart, leaving him no chance of survival and determined to kill him!
This was a strategy they had discussed beforehand: if things couldn't be done, they would do their best to kill Mora. Smoothie understood and executed Katakuri's intentions perfectly, something Vic hadn't anticipated. She was too decisive; even if the power of this Devil Fruit were to be lost elsewhere, it absolutely could not be allowed to end up in Impel Down.
Vic was somewhat emotional upon seeing this, but he wasn't surprised. He knew from the outcome that this was bound to happen sooner or later, and he didn't regret not intervening to snatch the person away earlier.
The rebirth of Devil Fruit users after death is unpredictable, and it's hard to say when they will reappear. Vic just needs time to develop. One Devil Fruit is not enough in the face of absolute power. The people in front of him are the pillars of Big Mom Pirates. Killing them would also weaken Charlotte Linlin's overall strength.
Vic withdrew his hand and stood up. The branch Vice Admiral's injuries had stabilized and he was no longer in mortal danger, but he had not yet woken up.
But he couldn't tolerate the person on the other side killing him right in front of him. Today, he was going to change the course of history, kill the future Sweet Commanders here, weaken Big Mom's strength, and prepare to settle accounts with her later.
Seeing Vic stand up, Katakuri's expression turned serious. Although Vic's expression didn't change much, Katakuri could sense that Vic was somewhat angry.
Now, only he and Smoothie are left to fight. Cracker is still smoking and hasn't woken up yet. With just one powerful attack, they've already lost one of their Admiral. Logia abilities are truly formidable.
Although many pirates in the New World look down on Logia because Logia Fruit users are countered by Armament Haki, that's only at the beginner level. They're too inexperienced and think Logia Devil Fruit users are invincible, which is why they suffer losses against Armament Haki.
But once Logia users truly develop their abilities, no one will call them weak. Are Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru weak? They're the future Three Admirals of the Marines! Is Blackbeard weak? He's the future Shichibukai! Is Ace weak? He refused the Shichibukai invitation! Is Smoker weak? He's the future Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral!
Vic approached the warship, drew his Blood Wither Drain, and swung it with a flourish. Smoothie was on high alert. Although she couldn't discern Vic's technique, as a swordswoman, she sensed it and knew that Vic had made his move. This attack was invisible and terrifying.
Although Katakuri wasn't a swordsman, his Observation Haki was frantically warning of danger! Danger! Danger! Katakuri summoned his Mogura to shield himself, and Smoothie also held her enlarged longsword upright in front of her.
Having just grasped the Artistic Conception of Wind, Vic naturally wanted to put it into practice. Don't be fooled by his casual swing; its power was no less than the previous Dragon Slayer Sword Gang, and this move was even more unpredictable and difficult to anticipate.
Although Katakuri and Smoothie were on guard, they were still hit. The main slashes were blocked by their weapons, but the residual force still grazed their bodies and the pirate ship, leaving them with many bleeding wounds, though the wounds were small.
Even the pirate ship screamed in pain, and the Homies's hull was also scratched. Vic's Artistic Conception of Wind slash was not a single strike, but rather composed of countless wind blades. When gathered, its power was astonishing, and when dispersed, it was overwhelming.
"Take the initiative!"
Katakuri realized that Vic's swordsmanship was extremely high, far surpassing that of his sister Smoothie, who would be at a disadvantage fighting on the ship. Since they were both Devil Fruit users, the ship's destruction would be disastrous. Therefore, the only option was for the two of them to join forces and launch a coordinated attack.
After Katakuri finished speaking, several circles made of mochi appeared around him, and then a huge arm extended from each circle. After Armament Haki Hardening, it attacked Vic.
The two ships weren't far apart. Even if he missed Vic, he could still sink the warship. It wouldn't be good for an ability user who had nowhere to land.
Moreover, there were many injured and unconscious sailors on the warship. Vic could only take his punches head-on and could not dodge them. This was the tactic Katakuri came up with in a short time.