Since it's not due to borrowing force, then they must be strong enough to ignore gravity and float in the air, just like the person in front of us!
Could the black-robed figure before him be one of those people from that scene? Vic had never seen anyone in reality who could levitate, not even Garp could do that. They must be incredibly rare, which made Vic suspicious.
However, Vic suspects that the scene was left from 800 years ago, because in the original scene, apart from the Sunlight Tree Eve, there was no Mary Geoise inhabited by the Celestial Dragons.
If this man in black robes is indeed one of those seven, then he has lived for at least 800 years. If this is the truth, it is terrifying. And that invisible force just now, which could block his slash even from such a distance, shows that this person's strength is unfathomable!
Who exactly are you?
Vic said with a serious expression, somewhat wary, as this man in black robes was clearly there to help Katakuri.
He simply didn't know when this person arrived, whether he had been watching from afar from the beginning, waiting for Katakuri to be in danger before making his move, or whether he had just arrived and encountered Katakuri's dangerous moment and immediately made his move!
If it's the former, then the man in black robes gave Katakuri a chance to experience a life-or-death battle, and taught him to use Observation Haki to foresee the Future Sight during this battle. This is clearly grooming him as a junior.
If it's the latter, it's hard to determine why this person came—was he just passing by and trying to right a wrong? But Vic is the one on the side of justice!
Just here for the spectacle? They think Vic's strength is enough to warrant a spar? But Vic's strength is clearly insufficient; what's the point of a spar if he can't even use his full power?
The man in black robes ignored Vic's question and said nothing to Katakuri or the other man, simply facing Vic.
Although Vic couldn't see the other person's face, he could feel the other person's gaze fixed on him. Since the other person didn't reply, Vic didn't make any rash moves, letting Smoothie help Katakuri fly back to the pirate ship using Geppo. It was clear that he couldn't force his way in at this moment, as the man in black robes was watching him closely, and angering him would be disastrous.
"Roll"
Katakuri and Smoothie returned to the ship, wanting to stay and see what would happen next, but were reprimanded by the black-robed man's emotionless, low, hoarse voice.
The man in black robes didn't want them to stay. Now, neither side could tell whether the man in black robes was friend or foe, but Katakuri still felt that he was mostly friendly to them; otherwise, he wouldn't have saved him earlier.
If they really came to spar with Dark Dragon, it wouldn't make much difference if Dark Dragon defeated them first. It wouldn't waste much of Dark Dragon's energy. So Katakuri listened to the advice and immediately ordered the pirate ship to set sail. His injuries were serious, and he really couldn't stay long. If the Marine Headquarters sent someone else, they would be taking advantage of the situation.
The man in black robes remained motionless, as did Vic. With Vic motionless, the man in black robes remained motionless as well, resulting in a stalemate. Vic could only watch helplessly as Katakuri's pirate ship departed.
The man in black robes didn't seem to be there to fight Vic; he was there to cover the retreat of the Big Mom Pirates. As long as Vic didn't make a move, the man in black robes ignored him.
Vic glanced back at the direction of the warship, then at the direction Katakuri had left, still feeling somewhat unwilling. This was a combination of old and new grudges!
Seeing that the man in black robes made no move, Vic felt a sliver of hope and raised his hand, shooting a bolt of Inazuma towards the pirate ship.
However, the lightning bolt was bounced back by an invisible barrier after flying ten meters away from Vic's body. And that wasn't all; the bounced lightning passed through Vic's body and flew backward, only to be bounced back again ten meters behind him.
So the lightning bolt bounced around within an invisible sphere with a radius of ten meters centered on Vic. Because the lightning was fast enough, it bounced rapidly within the sphere, and the invisible sphere was reflected by the electric light into a tangible sphere of light!
Vic realized that it wasn't that the man in black robes was ignoring him, but rather that he had already trapped him inside an invisible sphere and was not afraid of him causing trouble.
Once the lightning's energy was completely dissipated, the sphere returned to its formless state, becoming imperceptible even to those with Observation Haki, just like the man in the black robe.
Vic lightly stepped forward, wanting to touch the invisible yet substantial spherical boundary to see what kind of power it was. However, as he flew, he did not touch the unseen boundary, as if it had set him free.
Vic drew his Blood Wither and unleashed a burst of Sword Gang towards the pirate ship, but the Sword Gang was blocked by an invisible force ten meters away from Vic.
The Sword Gang and the invisible force engaged in a battle, but in the end, the Sword Gang was no match and vanished into nothingness. Clearly, this invisible sphere could move with Vic, and it was still centered on Vic, trapping him like a cage!
Vic was also a shrewd person. Since this invisible force was only meant to bind him and not affect his movement in the air, he could simply fly to the pirate ship and use this invisible force to sink it, thus achieving his goal of annihilating them all!
That's what Vic thought, and that's what he did, but he hadn't flown very far before the invisible force blocked his path. The sphere was still the same sphere, but it was no longer centered on him; instead, it was fixed in the air, blocking Vic's way.
It's obvious that the man in black robes is just quiet; he's not stupid. He knows Vic's purpose, and his invisible energy is adaptable. It will be difficult for Vic to kill Katakuri!
This spherical, invisible barrier reminded Vic of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit's power. Perhaps this man in black robes had developed the Barrier-Barrier Fruit to its Awakening state, allowing the barrier to become invisible and intangible.
Moreover, the area of the barrier has been greatly increased, allowing for greater control over the barrier from a greater distance!
However, Vic quickly dismissed the idea. The Devil Fruit User of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit was Kurozumi Semimaru from Wano Country. Vic wasn't even sure if Kozuki Oden died three years ago.
Even though Kurozumi Semimaru Zenmaru died immediately after that incident, he wasn't dead for very long. Barrier-Barrier Fruit to its Awakening state in such a short time? What kind of talent would that require?
Even a chosen one like King Luffy took twelve years to Awakening his Devil Fruit; most people would never Awakening in their entire lives.
Although I was somewhat lacking in intelligence, knowledge, and comprehension when I was young, and couldn't compare to adults in developing the fruit, even if the time is halved, it's still six years!
Doflamingo, Katakuri, Law, Kid— all of whom Awakening their Devil Fruit abilities later—hadn't eaten Devil Fruit as children?
Therefore, it's highly unlikely that the man in black robes ate the Barrier-Barrier Fruit. Furthermore, who would kill someone so powerful, possibly an ancient being from 800 years ago?
Otherwise, where did Bartolomeo's Barrier-Barrier Fruit come from? Did he die of natural causes? That's unlikely, though. This man in black robes doesn't look like he's on his deathbed at all; his body is as straight as a pine tree, just like a young man!