Vic was also quick, drawing his Great Grade Sword Allen and wielding it in his hand. He swung the two swords continuously, and a gentle breeze blew by. Katakuri's large fist, imbued with Armament Haki, encountered an invisible obstacle halfway through its path. Clang clang clang clang, and the fist was knocked back.
Katakuri's fist, jolted back by the impact, didn't stop. He immediately retracted it, gathered his strength, and swung it out again. His arms moved back and forth rapidly, much like King Luffy's random Gum-Gum Gatling.
But Vic's speed was no joke either; every punch was met with a slash of wind. Vic's movements were graceful and agile, showing that he was in complete control.
At this moment, Smoothie also moved, raising her greatsword and slashing directly at Vic. She and her sword had grown considerably larger, now nearly twenty meters tall, and the broadsword was also about ten meters long. The distance between the two ships was enough for her to attack. This time, Vic did not use wind blades to defend, but directly used Blood Wither Slash to return the attack.
In the close-quarters combat, the immense force caused Smoothie's expression to change, and she staggered, almost falling, only managing to regain her balance by grabbing the mast of the pirate ship.
It's true that it's harder for people to maintain their balance on a ship when they get bigger, and a big impact could easily capsize the ship. Fortunately, this pirate ship is Homies product and has its own ideas, so it only rocked back and forth a few times before stopping.
Vic's twin swords kept moving faster and faster. Katakuri's fists were blocked as they got closer and closer to him, and in the end, the fists were blocked back before they could even leave the side of the pirate ship. They couldn't even build up any power. Vic stepped out of the warship, used Geppo to take off, and swung his swords at the warship with a flick of his wrist.
However, the warship was not split in two or broken apart by this strike. Instead, it was propelled away by an invisible force and drifted into the distance, far from the battlefield.
Vic's Artistic Conception of Wind is not entirely an offensive tactic, but rather an ability to utilize the power of wind, making him versatile in both offense and support.
Although it is somewhat similar to the power of Devil Fruit, it is not entirely the same. The power of Devil Fruit is to forcefully drive and utilize it, rather than the affinity and application that Vic uses. One is to use it forcibly, while the other is to act in accordance with deep-seated habits. There are still some differences.
With the warships far from the battlefield, Vic was able to act freely. He used Geppo to head towards the pirate ship. Instead of using Artistic Conception of Wind to wield his sword, he dodged Katakuri's flurry of punches and quickly moved forward to approach Katakuri.
With Vic's speed, it was easy for him to dodge the punches. He quickly arrived at the center of the flurry of blows, Katakuri, and kicked him in the side. That was the very spot where Vic had injured himself during his fight with King Luffy. Katakuri's tall body was kicked into the cabin Katakuri, smashing up a pile of things.
Katakuri saw the kick with his Observation Haki, but it was too late to dodge or cover it with Armament Haki. He could only take the kick head-on. He felt like his kidneys were about to break, and he couldn't help but vomit blood while flying in the air. Vic was less than half the height of Katakuri, but his strength was extraordinary, as if he had been hit by a mountain.
Seeing that Vic had kicked his brother away and then stood there without pressing his advantage, Smoothie raised her sword above her head and slashed it down at Vic's head again. The huge sword, accompanied by a whistling sound, quickly approached Vic's head.
Vic stood there, neither dodging nor avoiding the greatsword's blows, his gaze fixed indifferently on Smoothie, the large woman.
The longsword arrived at Vic's head at lightning speed, but could not fall any further. It was not that Vic blocked the sword with his blade, but rather that the longsword was held up by an invisible force and frozen in place.
No matter how hard Smoothie tried, she couldn't budge the sword. All she could hear was the increasingly howling wind, and she could see Vic's black hair being blown about by the wind.
This is also a way for Vic to utilize the Wind Conception (short for the Artistic Conception of Wind ). The longsword is surrounded by a tornado-like wind, and the swift wind speed makes it impossible for Smoothie's sword to break through, so the sword is as if it is fixed in place.
Vic has grasped the Wind Conception, which doesn't necessarily require a knife to wield; it can be used even with empty hands.
Katakuri also got up from the ground and looked at the scene in surprise. He knew his sister's strength very well. She Devil Fruit User Awakening dual-color Haki.
Although her swordsmanship wasn't top-notch, it was still among the best in the entire Big Mom Pirates, much better than Cracker lying on the ground. But now, she was holding the sword but couldn't move!
He also heard the howling wind, but he didn't know how Vic had done it; the navy man's methods were somewhat extraordinary.
Vic sensed Katakuri standing up and glancing at him, which made Katakuri, who was about to help his sister, feel a sense of unease.
The next second, he saw his sister's long sword slash down at him from the top of Dark Dragon, its speed as fast as a startled bird.
Katakuri glanced hastily at his sister, then gripped the Mogura sword tightly in front of him. After being cleaved back several meters by the sword, the image of Smoothie's incredulous and disbelieving face flashed through his mind. Katakuri realized that this sword strike was not his sister's intention.
"Careful!"
Smoothie's voice was slower than the movement of her sword, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that her brother was unharmed. She was also somewhat panicked by the fact that the sword in her hand was out of her control.
She didn't know whether she should use her sword in the upcoming battle. The man in front of her gave her a feeling of helplessness. He was too fast, was Logia Fruit user, and could control her shuriken to restrain her brother. The only weakness, the warship, was already some distance away. Her Devil Fruit ability was completely useless against the man in front of her, and she couldn't get close at all.
Katakuri knew this couldn't go on; if they fought any longer, the Homies ' ship would fall apart. So he activated his ability, his legs dripping with mochi, and swept towards Vic.
His hands didn't stop moving either, transforming into two large hands covered in Armament Haki and grabbing at Vic's body. He wanted to immobilize Vic and then suffocate him inside the rice ball.
Smoothie also swung her controllable longsword, aiming for Vic's back to cut off his retreat. The two attacked Vic from three directions. Although she didn't know if it would be effective, she had to help her brother, otherwise there would be no chance at all.
Vic watched as a pair of enormous black claws rapidly reached towards him, but he simply swung Allen in his hand and deflected the hands back without making any contact with them.
Seeing his hands being flung away, Katakuri immediately controlled the puddle of glutinous rice paste that hadn't yet reached Vic's feet, causing it to rapidly extend into several thick, sharp spikes that aimed at Vic's body. As the spikes pierced Vic's body, Vic coated them with Armament Haki; without Armament Haki, the spikes would be useless.