Vic's Observation Haki had already foreseen this scene, and he instantly covered several parts that were about to be stabbed with Armament Haki. With a clang, the Armament Haki collided, and Vic blocked the spikes.
However, the immense force acted on Vic, sending him sliding several meters across the deck. Smoothie's sword, which was aimed at his back, was redirected, slicing upwards over Vic's head before striking Katakuri.
Katakuri's waist was cut in half, but there was no bleeding. Katakuri Observation Haki alerted him in advance and turned his waist into a paste. However, Smoothie could still see the beads of sweat on her brother's forehead. Clearly, the sword strike was very dangerous. Her brother, who had never been defeated, almost fell victim to it. Smoothie felt deeply guilty for her mistake.
"Puff"
Just then, a soft sound rang out. Vic looked down at the broken blade sticking out of his chest and realized that he had been stabbed through the chest!
After being hit by the spikes, he lost his Armament Haki. Katakuri and Smoothie were both within his sight. The other pirate minions and Homies were not even capable of participating in this level of combat and had long since retreated to the side.
The only one who could have stabbed him was Cracker, who had been rescued by Katakuri earlier. Coincidentally, the place where Vic retreated was right where Cracker was lying on the deck. Vic was pierced through the chest by Cracker's sword. Looking at the exposed blade in his chest, he realized that Cracker had woken up at some point and had been lying in wait for the right moment to deliver a fatal blow!
"Hahaha! I've finally got my chance! Let's see if you'll live or die this time!"
Cracker has returned to his original form. His previous biscuit armor fell apart after he was stunned by Vic's electric shock. Now, he is standing up from the deck, holding the hilt of his sword, with a smug smile on his face.
He didn't dare move when he first regained consciousness. He was stunned by electricity before he could even see the enemy, which shows how strong the enemy was. He chose to continue pretending to be unconscious and use his Observation Haki to sense the situation around him. When he sensed that Katakuri and Smoothie were being beaten, he dared not wake up even more. Just now, when the person retreated to his side, he sensed a sliver of an opportunity and mustered up the courage to stab the figure in front of him.
Cracker looked smugly at his brother and sister, hoping to see adoration on their faces, but he didn't get his wish. He only saw them looking at him like he was an idiot.
What's going on? I even pierced this navy guy with my sword barrel, why are you all giving me this kind of reaction? This shouldn't be happening.
Cracker was unaware that the person he stabbed was Vic, and thought it was some powerful figure from Marine Headquarters. He had been unconscious for a while, and when he woke up, he used his Observation Haki to sense his surroundings. At that time, Vic had not used the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's abilities in the battle.
Cracker's Observation Haki wasn't as good as Vic's to see the specific scene clearly; he could only sense the aura. So he didn't know that he had stabbed Logia user. He was still smugly showing off to his family. He hadn't used Armament Haki at all. The blade protruding from Vic's chest was still as bright as silver, without a trace of blood.
Is it numb?
Seeing this, Smoothie couldn't help but ask, since she hadn't touched Vic with her sword at all and was curious about what it would feel like to pierce the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's elemental form.
"Mom? Where is she?"
Cracker was a little confused, thinking that his mother had come from the New World to save them. He turned around and looked around but saw nothing.
"Oh my god! It's so numb! It's so hot!..."
Just as Cracker was looking around, he felt a tingling sensation in his hand holding the sword, and then he felt the temperature of the sword hilt rising rapidly.
Looking down, he noticed the entire blade was turning red, growing redder and redder. Just as he was wondering if he should let go of this Famous Sword, the aroma of roasted meat wafted to his nose, and red liquid was already dripping from the blade.
"Idiot! Let go, Cracker!"
Katakuri saw that the tip of the sword sticking out from Vic's chest had completely melted into liquid and dripped onto the deck, but his foolish younger brother was still holding onto the hilt and wouldn't let go. He had no choice but to speak up and remind him!
Can't you smell the aroma of the barbecue? Aren't your hands hot? Or are they numb and you can't feel them?
"Ah! It's so hot! Whew!"
Hearing Katakuri's reminder, Cracker finally let go, but his palm was already burned and still smoking. He quickly pulled his hand back and blew on it.
Actually, this wasn't the first time he'd been burned. His older brother, Oven, was a user of the Heat-Heat Fruit, and he'd suffered at his brother's hands before. Now he was somewhat immune to heat, and although his palm was burned, he hadn't completely lost his fighting ability.
Vic didn't give Cracker a second chance to launch a sneak attack. He didn't turn around either, but instead, several winding arcs of electricity shot out from various parts of his back, enveloping Cracker in them.
Cracker collapsed again less than a moment after waking up, his body charred and smoking, with a lightning bolt mark on his neck. Cracker would probably be with this lightning bolt mark for the rest of his life, though it was uncertain whether Vic would give him a chance to go back alive.
Katakuri felt conflicted watching his younger brother, who had just stood up and then lay down again. He had thought that the three of them working together might have a chance against Dark Dragon, but his brother seemed like a joke, and his sister's sword kept coming at him. How could they possibly fight like this?
He felt incredibly frustrated; how had this mission ended up involving such a powerful being? Everything seemed to be heading in the worst possible direction.
Katakuri launched another attack on Vic, but he didn't use the Mochi-Mochi Fruit's power again. He knew that against an opponent of this level, the fruit's power was basically useless. He wrapped Armament Haki around his Mogura and charged towards Vic, preparing for close combat.
After Smoothie restored her enlarged body to its original size, she followed closely behind with her sword. Her enlarged body had not been very useful on the ship, and she was even more passive in front of Dark Dragon. She dared not move or exert any force easily, for fear of capsizing the ship. So when she saw Katakuri choose to get close, she prepared to do the same.
The two attacked Vic, one wielding a sword and the other a trident, both imbued with Armament Haki. Although Vic's body could transform into an element, he couldn't withstand the attack head-on. Since both of them were destined to become Sweet Commander, their physical Haki would not be weak, and Vic would not be careless.
Katakuri's charge was powerful; Vic blocked it with his sword and was forced back several meters. Smoothie then followed up with another Vic strike, Vic through the ship's side and flying off the pirate ship.