Vic didn't let the pirate ship sail at full speed because he wanted Kizaru to find him sooner. Sure enough, three days later, Kizaru led more than a dozen warships to block their way. The warships lined up and formed a standoff with Vic's pirate ship. Neither side took the initiative to enter the other's cannon range. Wooden sailboats are vulnerable to this.
" Vic! I didn't expect to see you again so soon! And in this way, it's really a shame! Now everyone has their own stance, so we'll have to fight eventually. It'll satisfy your fighting spirit from before!"
Kizaru hung up the Den Den Mushi that had been dialed to an unknown destination and shouted to Vic from afar. Although he had been slacking off and procrastinating for a while, he knew in his heart that he would eventually have to fight Vic.
They couldn't explain themselves to the World Government if they didn't fight. After seeing the news about Vic, he knew that Vic's side had made adjustments and was ready to face external challenges at any time.
So after receiving the order, he didn't dawdle any longer and went straight to intercept Vic and his group in front of their route. This time, he wasn't the only vice admiral from Headquarters Vice Admiral; he brought several others with him. Their target was naturally Rebecca and her group. The Navy had a certain understanding of their strength; ordinary Navy soldiers couldn't possibly be a match for Rebecca and her group. If they were going to make a show of it, they might as well go all the way.
"Hahaha! It's a real shame, but as long as I don't regret it, that's enough. Now I just want to know just how fast light is. Let me see it, Borsalino!"
Although Vic didn't know the Navy's high command's attitude towards him, he wasn't afraid even if it was just Kizaru and a few Headquarters Vice Admiral who wanted to kill him immediately. His confidence came from his strength.
" Wendy! You can use your Devil Fruit ability now, so you don't need to hide it anymore. From now on, you're God Level sniper, make a name for yourself!"
After speaking to Kizaru, Vic whispered to Wendy beside him, "Vic has been keeping Wendy's More-More Fruit ability hidden, just in case it arouses the Navy's suspicion."
Now that they're all pirates, there's no need for them to hide anymore. As long as they don't steal Whitebeard's Devil Fruit ability in front of so many people like Blackbeard did, probably no one will suspect that Vic stole the ability from Impel Down.
After all, Vegapunk doesn't have that kind of technology yet, and more than a year has passed. It's quite normal for a person to die and have their Devil Fruit reborn. It's just that the Navy saw Wendy's ability and will probably go to Impel Down to see if World is still alive.
"Good!"
Wendy agreed, raised her sniper rifle, aimed at a warship, and fired a shot without saying a word.
Wendy's sniper bullet appeared normal when it left the chamber, but it suddenly enlarged as it approached the warship, transforming into a cannonball that struck the vessel.
This was the first step in the long-range attack of the naval battle. Although the distance between the two sides exceeded the range of the cannons, it was still within the range of Wendy's sniper rifle. This was without her using acceleration. If she had used acceleration, the shells would have been fired both faster and farther.
A large hole appeared on the side of the hit warship, and seawater poured in. It looked like it would sink soon. The sailors on board panicked, and the Headquarters Vice Admiral on board also frowned.
He initially thought it was just an ordinary bullet, and since it wasn't aimed at anyone, he ignored it, figuring he could retrieve the bullet embedded in the ship later—a lesson learned from centuries of naval warfare. But then the bullet suddenly turned into a cannonball, catching him completely off guard.
The warship could no longer remain there. He immediately ordered the marines to transfer to nearby warships and became even more vigilant. Losing a warship at the very beginning was not a good sign.
"What a terrifying little girl! She sank a warship with a single shot. Is that a Devil Fruit ability? I think I've heard of that ability before. What is it?"
Kizaru seemed completely unconcerned about the sinking of a warship, instead showing more interest in Wendy's abilities. He hadn't even realized what was happening before, otherwise, given his speed, he could have intercepted it. Even if he didn't personally intervene, he could have used his laser beam to block it.
"Enough with the nonsense, let's see who's better. I've been looking forward to our fight."
Vic didn't explain much. Both sides were on the ship, so they could only engage in long-range attacks first. Vic's side only had sniper rifles and cannons, and of course Vic also had throwing weapons like darts.
However, Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama is an indiscriminate machine gun barrage, which is a huge advantage in naval battles. Therefore, Vic has to face Kizaru. It would be too difficult to have a foothold at sea.
Vic was alright, but the others didn't have that much endurance. This is a limitation of naval warfare. However, the navy was in a similar situation. Apart from a few Vice Admiral also in the Six Powers, the other marines could only rely on warships.
Just as Vic had expected, after he finished speaking, Kizaru didn't hesitate and immediately unleashed the Yasakani no Magatama, countless points of light attacking Vic and his crew. If they were hit, the ship would sink instantly.
Each of these points of light is more powerful than a cannonball; one attack from Kizaru is equivalent to the scale of a Buster Call, which would be a fatal blow to ordinary pirates.
However, Vic and his crew are no ordinary pirates now. Seeing the countless points of light flying towards them at lightning speed, Vic immediately wrapped his Conqueror's Haki Coating his fist and threw a punch.
The countless points of light exploded in front of the pirate ship, and the huge aftershocks caused Vic and his crew's pirate ship to shake violently, but that was all; it did not cause any damage to the pirate ship or the people on board.
Vic stopped Kizaru from attacking the pirate ship and disappeared from the ship in Inazuma. He appeared next to Kizaru in an instant and kicked him in Kizaru chest with a whip kick covered in Haki.
Although Kizaru blocked the kick with his arms crossed, the immense force still sent him flying, crashing into the warship's hull and collapsing it.
This was the first time the two had fought at close range. Although Kizaru knew that Vic was strong, he did not expect Vic to be so powerful. He could not stop him at all. His arms were kicked directly into his chest, and his body almost pierced through the warship.
The marines who were just beginning to react were shocked, and their gazes towards Vic changed. They knew about Vic's achievements, but Kizaru was also a monster in the Navy, an invincible figure in their hearts.
But when the two actually clashed, they realized just how strong Vic was. However, they still believed in Kizaru. Success or failure couldn't be judged by a single blow. Vic's attack had the air of a surprise attack. They all looked toward the collapsed cabin, hoping that Kizaru could quickly overturn the debris, stand up, and continue fighting Vic.