Vic's words relieved Cobra and Igaram. The two had been ruler and subject for many years, Igaram naturally understood the meaning behind Cobra's words. Now that he heard they weren't there to freeload, he was at ease.
But after hearing that his country was hiding a pirate who was going to send out Headquarters Vice Admiral, his heart tightened again!
Although they governed the country well, they were not very effective against external forces. Although the country had a large number of soldiers, their reconnaissance capabilities were really poor, and they received no news of pirates at all.
"Convenient! Of course it's convenient! You can stay anywhere you like until we catch the pirates. Our royal family will cover all your food, clothing, and lodging needs. Consider this our modest contribution!"
Cobra snapped out of his daze and immediately said that the navy's food, drink, and toilet facilities were all public property while on missions, so there was no need for him to lie to take advantage of him.
Now he truly believed the rumors circulating outside. Before, when Igaram told him that the Navy's newly promoted Vice Admiral Dark Dragon was a Navy officer who cared deeply for civilians and was dedicated to his duties, Cobra was somewhat skeptical!
Now he believed it. A person's eyes can't lie. He didn't see a trace of greed in Vic's eyes. Moreover, Vic had already sent people to find the pirates before he even arrived at the palace. He was indeed a dutiful and responsible navy officer!
"Thank you very much. I'll have to trouble King Cobra and Captain Igaram for the rest of the time!"
After thanking Vic, Cobra asked about the pirates, but Vic didn't tell him the specifics.
There were still some uncertainties regarding Crocodile's situation, and it concerned the Shichibukai, so it wasn't convenient to disclose them at the moment. After chatting for a short while, Cobra had Igaram take Vic and the others to their resting place.
Not long after Vic and his group left, Pell flew back. After meeting with Cobra, he reported that Rebecca, the flying man, was looking for pirates, and also mentioned that Vic and his group had come to Alabasta.
Cobra already knew what had happened afterward, so he told Pell what had just occurred. Pell then left excitedly to find Igaram and meet Vic.
Pell searched for a long time but couldn't find Igaram and Vic's group. Finally, in a large open space behind the palace, he saw a man beating another man.
There were many people around, including the elderly, children, men, and women. One person was hitting another person hard, but the other person didn't move or fight back. This puzzled Pell, so he quickly stepped forward to stop it.
But Pell stopped interfering once he got closer. The person who was beating the other was a Navy officer, and he recognized him. The person who was being beaten was also a Navy officer, none other than Vice Admiral Dark Dragon, whom he wanted to get to know.
Among the onlookers were familiar faces: Captain Igaram, Chaka, and Princess Vivi; the others were all dressed in navy uniforms.
He now understood that this wasn't a fight; it was just the navy sparring and training. He and Chaka would spar sometimes too, but they wouldn't just stand there and get beaten up like this.
This wasn't just a simple beating for Vic; the skin beneath his clothes was already covered in Armament Haki. Although he could have covered his clothes and face with Armament Haki as well, Vic didn't do so.
Having already obtained the title of Dark Dragon, there was no need to do that again. He concealed all his Armament Haki under his clothes, and Barnett, who was attacking, didn't just throw punches. He covered his fists with Armament Haki and struck Vic's chest with both hands, producing a sound like metal being struck.
Ever since Vic was squeezed by the invisible force of the man in black robes last time, he has been thinking about ways to improve his Haki faster. Until a better method is found, this method of being beaten with Armament Haki is still effective.
A fist covered in Armament Haki striking the body is like a hammer striking iron; it can temper and refine the Armament Haki.
Although Barnett's Armament Haki wasn't strong enough, it was still much better than fighting bare-handed. Rebecca's Armament Haki was stronger, and her punches were more effective, but she had gone to find Crocodile, so Barnett was the only option for now.
Moreover, this training is bidirectional. With Vic's Armament Haki becoming stronger, Barnett also receives more training. Using it for a long time is also a way to quickly improve Haki. In a way, Vic is subtly helping Barnett train.
Barnett's current Haki is not lasting; he cannot help Vic's training for long. Pell watched as he quickly gave up.
However, Vic has alternatives. Although Wendy and Frodeku haven't Awakening Armament Haki yet, they still know Iron Tekkai. Without Armament Haki, they can use Iron Body Fist to replace Iron Body Fist. Although the effect is much worse, it's better than nothing.
This might also allow the two of them to experience the Haki Particles more, which could perhaps shorten the time it takes to Awakening Armament Haki.
Vic's ability to enhance his Armament Haki through natural consumption is not as effective as before, because his Armament Haki reserves are already quite high and cannot be depleted in a short time, so the efficiency is not as high as it used to be.
Conversely, his improvement also requires more time, meaning it becomes increasingly difficult to improve as he progresses. Only Vic has physical talent and no bottleneck in his Armament Haki reserves, allowing him to continuously improve over time. For others, it becomes even more difficult to improve in the later stages, requiring special circumstances.
Because it took too long, Igaram left halfway through; as the head steward, he had quite a few things to do.
Chaka, Pell, and Vivi didn't leave. With Vic and the others in the palace, their safety wasn't an issue, so they could observe with peace of mind. However, Vivi and Ain found the blacksmithing too boring and started playing other things on the side, but they didn't stray too far.
" Vice Admiral Dark Dragon! May we give it a try? We have some strength too, and should be able to help you with your cultivation!"
Since neither Chaka nor Pell knew anything about Haki and the Six Powers, seeing that Vic didn't back down no matter how the three fought, they thought that Barnett and the others were probably not very strong. They had the illusion that they could do it too.
"It's just hitting someone who can't move, right? Anyone can do that," they thought. So when all three of them were exhausted, they told Vic they wanted to give it a try.
Vic naturally granted their wish. Although the two had phrased it rather tactfully, he could tell that these two guardians were somewhat narrow-minded and might be underestimating Barnett and his companions.
How can this be? We don't even know how long we'll be staying in the palace. It's important to demonstrate our strength and not let others look down on us.
So, Chaka went first. He was Zoan Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Jackal, and was definitely stronger than Pell in every aspect on land. Chaka charged up for a long time before punching Vic in the chest, but Vic remained unmoved and his expression did not change at all.