Aerial combat was Katakuri's true objective. They had been somewhat restrained in their battles on the pirate ship, which was why they were constantly countered by the unbridled Vic. As for how to fight outside the ship, they knew how to use Geppo. The techniques they had weren't big secrets; their pirate crew already possessed them, and with their physical abilities, learning them was easy.
Vic's Geppo is different from theirs; he doesn't need to stomp on the air to gain upward lift, and can walk quickly in the air just like taking a normal stroll.
Now that he has grasped the Wind Conception, he can fly through the air even more freely. He no longer needs to use any leverage; the air itself will support him. Although his speed may not be as fast as when he uses leverage on the ground, it is definitely among the top speeds of all flight abilities.
"Bang..."
"Bang..."
A series of loud explosions rang out as Katakuri and Smoothie also used Geppo to enter the air and attack Vic. Their Geppo was at the most basic level; they were already satisfied with being able to briefly step in the air after learning it.
Therefore, they did not have in-depth training, but with their physique and speed, they would still be quite good. It's like an adult and a child competing in the long jump; even if a child knows the techniques of the long jump, they still can't beat an adult who doesn't know the techniques.
Katakuri struggled to push himself up by stepping on the air, but in Vic's eyes Katakuri was like a fish wriggling in the mud, while Vic himself was truly in his element.
Instead of dodging Katakuri thrust, Vic used Blood Wither Drain to block the blade tip, using the attack to propel himself higher into the sky.
Smoothie's speed was clearly not enough to keep up with Vic's upward flight, so she used her power on the broadsword in her hand. Enveloped in the power, the broadsword extended and thrust directly at Vic. This was the effect of the power; the speed was incredible, and she arrived in front of Vic in an instant.
Vic performed a front flip in mid-air, landing on the blade of the Vic with great force, and also applied Armament Haki.
The longsword slashed directly down into the sea, creating high waves. Smoothie's sword instantly returned to its original shape after touching the seawater, but she did not give up the pursuit of Vic.
Katakuri was faster; he was almost upon Vic, his trident poised to strike. But before he could thrust it out, Vic delivered a Golden Hook kick, sending him flying.
Katakuri's body plunged directly into the sea, but fortunately, at the last moment, he used his excellent physical skills to turn around and forcefully stomp his feet into the air to stop his downward fall.
Katakuri was kicked away by Vic, and Smoothie rushed over again. The two took turns attacking Vic.
Both are seasoned veterans, possessing Haki. Neither can defeat the other in the short term, but Vic has greater agility in the air, giving him a more obvious advantage.
After hundreds of moves, Vic had figured out the two's fighting styles. Although they mainly relied on physical skills, they would occasionally use their abilities to assist in the battle.
Katakuri possesses Conqueror's Haki, but he only used it once at the most crucial moment, intending to interfere with Vic and severely injure him. However, Vic showed no reaction to his Conqueror's Haki, so Katakuri didn't use it again!
The fight has become pointless, so Vic has decided to end it.
After feinting to dodge Katakuri's trident, Vic swung his Great Grade Sword, imbued with Haki, at Smoothie.
Smoothie had just finished her attack and was preparing for her next move when she couldn't have predicted that Vic would act unpredictably this time, ignoring her brother's attack and choosing to dodge instead.
Moreover, with the intention of delivering a fatal blow, he swung his knife at her, leaving her helpless and unable to dodge!
"Bite"
Smoothie, who had closed her eyes and awaited her death sentence, did not hear the sound of blood splattering, but instead heard the sound of metal clashing.
Vic's knife didn't land on her body. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the deadly Black Blade was less than five centimeters away from her neck, but its path was blocked by a similarly black trident.
She was very familiar with the trident; it was her brother's weapon, the Mogura. At a glance, she saw her brother stretching out his arm on the other side to rescue her; he had saved her life at the last minute.
The moment Katakuri saw Vic dodge his attack, he knew something was wrong. In his extreme emotional turmoil, he seemed to see a vision of the future!
He saw Dark Dragon wielding Black Blade, and after dodging his attack, he turned around and beheaded his sister, who had no time to resist. Seeing this, he almost bit his fangs to pieces!
After regaining his senses, he saw Vic preparing to dodge his trident, so he subconsciously used the power of the Mochi-Mochi Fruit to stretch out his arm and block the path of the Black Blade. He wanted to try his best to save his sister, even if it was a desperate measure!
Judging from the outcome, it seems he wasn't mistaken; that was indeed the vision of the future. He really was there, blocking Dark Dragon's blade and saving his sister.
Katakuri exhaled, releasing the shock, anger, and lingering fear that had gripped him. He wondered how he would feel if he hadn't witnessed those scenes, seeing his sister's head severed right before his eyes!
"Um?"
Vic let out a soft exclamation. He was determined to land this blow. The two had already exchanged blows over a hundred times, and he had long since figured out Katakuri style.
In that situation, Katakuri wouldn't have had time to come to the rescue. His Observation Haki reaction time is slower than Vic's, and without any unexpected circumstances, he would have been doomed.
But this time Katakuri's Observation Haki was clearly different. It was as if he had foreseen all of Katakuri's next moves from the moment he decided to kill, which enabled him to block the Mogura in front of Smoothie's neck in advance. This shows that his Observation Haki has made a breakthrough!
Vic was somewhat lost in thought. His former opponents had been his experience points, teaching him various skills and providing him with valuable lessons, which helped him grow rapidly.
Did I become the background character for this experience boost? I actually let someone else learn Observation Haki, the ability to Future Sight, under my own pressure?
He didn't even know how to do it himself! Vic's feelings were complicated, as if the main character had been replaced. This was probably how Zephyr felt about Vic and Garp!
Katakuri had already realized that this was the effect of Observation Haki. His mother had told him that advanced Observation Haki could Future Sight.
Although her mother herself couldn't Future Sight with Observation Haki, she had been on the same boat with so many monsters when she was young, so she still had some experience.
It was because Katakuri displayed calmness and composure during his growth that his mother mentioned it to him, probably thinking he had a chance to learn it, and now it just makes up for his lack of experience.