Vic's Observation Haki had already been released and spread throughout the entire battlefield, ready to be used at any time, and much faster than sound travels through the air.
Rebecca heard Vic's warning in her mind, but it was too late for her to turn around and dodge. She directly controlled the flying swords that were moving around her and gathered them behind her.
The tips of all the flying swords came together and began to spin rapidly around the center. Several of the swords, imbued with an aura of Haki, formed a cone-shaped umbrella that sheltered Rebecca.
However, the intense sense of crisis did not make her relax. She quickly mobilized her Armament Haki to Hardening her back into armor for defense.
After Rebecca finished doing all that, Burns ' fist was already behind her. Seeing the cone-shaped sword formation like a canopy, Burns didn't hesitate to smash it down. His fist, carrying the force of Ryuo, was as heavy as a thousand pounds.
The flying swords wrapped in Haki were sent flying. Some of the flying swords that were not wrapped in Haki broke off and flew into the distance, while many more were completely deformed into scrap metal of various shapes.
Despite the canopy formed by the broken flying swords blocking his path, Burns ' fist was not stopped and continued to blast towards Rebecca's back after scattering the flying swords.
However, with the sword array blocking the way, the power of this punch was not as strong as it was at the beginning. The fist slammed solidly into Rebecca's back, and even though she used Armament Haki Hardening to harden her body, it was to no avail.
After spitting out a mouthful of blood, Rebecca crashed into a warship like a cannonball, causing a violent explosion that kicked up a cloud of smoke and debris that completely blocked everyone's view.
Just as Rebecca was struck and coughed up blood, Ralph seized Vic and, as Rebecca vomited blood and swayed in shock, pierced Vic's body with his sword.
The sword was originally aimed at his heart, but although Vic was worried about Rebecca, he did not let his guard down about the threats around him. At the critical moment, he moved his body to avoid a fatal blow, but the sword still pierced his shoulder. Fortunately, it did not damage his bones and had little impact on Vic's combat ability.
Ignoring his second sword wound, Vic forcibly moved the instant Ralph pierced his shoulder, freeing himself from the hidden danger left by the sword, and then vanished in the next instant like Inazuma.
When they reappeared, they were far away from Ralph and the other man, standing not far from Burns, wary of this man who might attack Rebecca again at any moment. Burns knocked Rebecca away and then ignored her, sensing Vic not far away and immediately teleporting to attack.
Ralph and Abraham exchanged a knowing smile as they watched the trail of blood trail that Vic was leaving behind. Did they really care about the lives of their agents?
Of course not. Burns's attack on Rebecca in a fit of rage after seeing the high-ranking agents dead or wounded was just a plausible excuse they came up with. Their goal was simply to distract and entice Vic without arousing his suspicion.
This move was very effective. Although it didn't hit Vic organs, it was already a great achievement to pierce his shoulder. Previously, it could only leave small wounds on the surface of Vic's body, and these wounds were repaired in a short time.
This victory was already a significant achievement. They firmly believed that Vic's rapid healing methods would consume a lot of his stamina and energy, and he couldn't sustain it for long. After a few more rounds, they would be able to take down Vic.
Vic wasn't stupid. When he saw Burns charging towards him without hesitation, he knew he'd been tricked and that Burns was still targeting him.
However, this is an open conspiracy, so it's normal to fall for it. If you ignore it, Burns will really kill Rebecca, and with Rebecca's current Haki, she simply can't stop him.
Moreover, in that kind of sneak attack, without Vic's warning, Rebecca might not have been able to unleash not only the sword array formed by the flying swords, but also the Armament Haki defense behind her.
Burns ' advanced Six Powers Shave was practically indistinguishable from true teleportation. Coupled with the surprise attack, Rebecca's Observation Haki had little chance of reacting. The fact that she was able to set up a double defense with Vic's reminder already showed her considerable combat talent.
While dealing with Burns ' attacks, Vic also kept an eye on Rebecca's presence. He was relieved when he sensed that although Rebecca's aura was weak, she was not actually exhausted.
Although Rebecca was injured, she was not seriously hurt thanks to the double defense. Rebecca sat up amidst the smoke and dust, trying to ease the pain from the attack.
" Rebecca! I'll hold off these three for a bit. You use your Float-Float Fruit powers to get everyone away from here first. You'll be my weakness here. I'll come find you as soon as I get rid of them!"
Wendy, Frodeku, Barnett! Get back to the ship right now, and leave the rest to Rebecca!
After exchanging a few more blows with Burns, Vic transmitted his voice to Rebecca, who was in the smoke and dust. Although the other party had a scheme, he was prepared to strike at the root of the problem. He told Rebecca to take everyone away and see how the other party could use any more schemes. He could leave him alone and act without restraint.
Rebecca heard Vic's telepathic message and realized that they had become a burden to Vic. She gripped Aizen. She was filled with regret and resentment.
She felt that her own rate of improvement could never keep up with the enemies that appeared, and she had held Vic back several times. When Vic was surrounded, she couldn't help him, which was unforgivable, and her heart was burning with anger.
Next time! Next time I will definitely help Vic! Rebecca roared in her heart.
Upon hearing Vic's telepathic message, Barnett and his group stopped in their tracks, abandoning Rebecca on the warship, and immediately flew towards the pirate ship. The high-ranking agents around them had already been mostly dealt with by the group, and the remaining few did not dare to linger, nor did they stop them from leaving.
They dared not go near the pirate ship; either they turned into children and were spanked by a girl, or they disappeared one by one into dolls lying flat on a table—it was too bizarre.
After easing her physical pain and inner resentment, Rebecca emerged from the warship's cabin. She glanced at Vic, who was battling Burns, and her eyes were immediately drawn to the penetrating wound in Vic's shoulder.
This wound wasn't there before. Rebecca instantly realized something, her eyes welling up with tears, and she glared hatefully at the three Celestial Dragons.
Burns was engaged in combat with Vic and didn't notice Rebecca's gaze, but Abraham and Ralph, who were watching from the sidelines, did. However, they only glanced at Rebecca with mocking eyes before continuing to watch Vic, looking for an opportunity to attack.
"What are you waiting for? Get them out of here! I'll be fine!"
When Vic saw Rebecca appear and stand there in a daze, he transmitted his voice again. Vic didn't know what Rebecca was thinking; if he did, he would definitely comfort her.
Rebecca's growth has been rapid enough; she's only eighteen. At this age, even Rob Lucci, hailed as the most talented person in World Government for the past eight hundred years, might only have mastered the Six Powers and hadn't even Awakening Haki yet. The gap between him and Rebecca is still huge, and it will only widen in the future.
The reason they were in such a passive position this time was simply because they had angered the World Government, the world's largest organization, so it's understandable that they faced such intense wrath.
But once they get through this ordeal, they will have plenty of time to recuperate and improve themselves. In a few years, the situation will be completely different.