During his stay at the palace, Vic continued his daily practice during the day, and at night he used his Observation Haki to probe the entrance to the underground palace beneath the palace.
Although he had seen Robin and Cobra enter the underground palace in his previous life, he was not so sure of the exact location, as the surrounding buildings were very similar.
Vic found the entrance to the underground palace on the first night. The palace was just that big, completely within his Observation Haki range, but he didn't go to check it out in person.
Crocodile hasn't been found yet, but he's not in a hurry. The Poneglyphs only have Poneglyph Ancient Script on one side, and he can store them in his mind like a photograph with just a glance. He's not interested in the other things in the dungeon, so he can memorize them whenever he finds them.
Rebecca hasn't called back during this time, which most likely means she hasn't found Crocodile yet. In Vic's mind, Rebecca is currently inferior to Crocodile. The two can fight for a long time, but Crocodile will definitely win in the end.
Defeating Rebecca is possible, but killing her would be difficult. Rebecca's Float-Float Fruit is no joke, and Rebecca would definitely call for backup. He didn't believe Crocodile could stop her; it would require a one-hit kill, Crocodile Rebecca n't have. Vic, however, had confidence in Rebecca's strength.
Vic doesn't believe Crocodile doesn't Haki; otherwise, he wouldn't have survived in the New World. Bullet and Whitebeard could have killed him.
He definitely has Haki, but he relies too much on his Devil Fruit ability. With Observation Haki and Logia abilities working together, he can put up a fight in many situations. Vic guesses that this is why Crocodile can go toe-to-toe with everyone.
Fighting to a draw with Bullet and surviving under Whitebeard are all just rumors. How many people actually know what happened? There are countless stories of misinformation and exaggeration, and many of them have become increasingly outrageous.
If Crocodile relies on his Logia abilities and Observation Haki, employing a hit-and-run style of combat—if you attack, I'll use my elemental powers to evade—as long as you don't actively approach, wouldn't a prolonged stalemate result be a 50/50 fight?
Therefore, before actually meeting Crocodile, Vic still held back. However, Rebecca's Armament Haki wasn't very strong at the moment, and once her Haki was exhausted, she wouldn't be a match for Logia user.
Several days passed without any trace of Crocodile, so Vic decided not to wait any longer. On a dark and stormy night, he slipped into the dungeon. No one could detect Vic's whereabouts, not even with Chaka's excellent sense of smell.
Vic arrived before the Poneglyph recording Pluton, took out a piece of metal from the Dimensional Space, and held it in his hand. The metal quickly turned red, then redder and redder, until it emitted a bright light.
Illuminating the Ancient Script on the Poneglyph so clearly, Vic memorized everything on the stone the moment the metal was lit, even though he couldn't understand it yet.
Vic ignored everything else in the underground palace; nothing else mattered to him anymore. After returning to the surface and closing the mechanism, Vic quietly returned to his residence. He had achieved his purpose in coming to the palace.
If Vic knew that there was a letter left by the first queen of Alabasta, he would definitely try to read its contents. She was one of the Twenty Kings who withdrew from Mary Geoise, and he could definitely learn more about what happened 800 years ago. It's just that he traveled there too early and didn't know these things.
Another half month passed, Rebecca still hadn't called, not even to complain or say hello.
She seemed determined to find Crocodile and wouldn't come to meet up with Vic and the others until she found him. She seemed to be harboring a stubborn resentment, which made Vic secretly amused. He could imagine Rebecca's current predicament, but he didn't take the initiative to call her to encourage or comfort her. This was also part of a person's growth process.
In the past two weeks, the Sea Circle Calendar has moved forward another step, and the year has reached Sea Circle Calendar. Vic is now 18 years old, and there are still 14 years until the official start of the Pirate King story!
In just over two years at sea, Vic witnessed so much darkness and depravity. The darkness hidden beneath the veneer of rule and justice was shocking. How much darkness and suffering would he encounter in the next 14 years?
The Celestial Dragons hold a triennial tournament, and each time one is held, an island belonging to a non- Affiliated Nation or an enemy is chosen. All the people on the island, as well as the slaves abandoned by the Celestial Dragons, are the targets of their slaughter. One island is wiped out each time!
There were also the civilians who were constantly persecuting historians, the slaves continuously being sent to Mary Geoise, and the Affiliated Nation that couldn't pay their Heavenly Tribute...
Although Cobra hosted a New Year's Eve banquet at the palace, the desert country was too hot and lacked any festive atmosphere.
Moreover, Vic was thinking about many things, and his heart was heavy. He was in a bad mood and remained silent. He spent most of the banquet drinking. The others noticed that something was wrong with him and did not disturb him.
In the days following the New Year, Vic did not engage in any further spiritual practice. Every day, he would dress in casual clothes, leave the palace alone, and find a quiet tavern to drink.
He had previously appeared in front of the palace, and many people in Alubarna already knew that the Marine Headquarters ' Dark Dragon had arrived in Alabasta, so Vic didn't want to be recognized and disturbed.
He felt restless and couldn't calm down. This year was the quadrennial Reverie, and he had a feeling that something was going to happen, something that was closely related to him!
After a few days of depression, Vic slowly recovered and figured some things out. If something really happened to him, he would use his strength to break through everything. Instead of wasting time being depressed, he should seize the time to improve himself.
Vic adjusted his mindset in time. Perhaps he couldn't change too much right now, so he would preserve his usefulness to fight for the future.
The man in black robe is so powerful that he has to hide himself, so how strong will the king of the world Im? As long as Im exists for a day, it will be difficult to change the pattern of this world. The Tianlong people will still lie in the whole world sucking blood, treating human life as nothing, torturing and killing at will.
Vic resumed his rigorous training, and Chaka and Pell would come to check on him when they had free time. After all, they had never seen such strong individuals as Vic before, and learning even a move or two would be a tremendous opportunity. Vivi had become good friends with Ain, and she followed Ain around like a little shadow every day.
"Hmm? Did you finally find it?"
Two weeks later, while Vic was undergoing Barnett's Haki training, a powerful aura suddenly emanated from him. This was the aftershock of a battle between powerful individuals, and Vic instinctively thought of Rebecca and Crocodile.
Because the aftershocks of a battle between powerhouses of their caliber are imperceptible to ordinary people, Chaka and Pell were completely unaware of it. If it were a clash between Whitebeard and Roger, ordinary people would be able to sense it. Clearly, Rebecca and Crocodile are not that level of powerhouses. Furthermore, the battle took place not close to Alubarna.
Vic deflected Barnett's fist that was aimed at his chest and vanished in a Inazuma. Now that the two had clashed, he had to protect Rebecca!