Vic naturally knew what Ace was thinking. He had suddenly gained a powerful Devil Fruit ability and was now floating up, wanting to vent his previous frustrations.
It was precisely because of this change that Vic wanted to wake him up, to make him realize that there are always people more capable than him, and that he should never be arrogant in the face of any battle, or he would become the villain himself.
After saying that, Vic ignored Ace and his companions and sat cross-legged on the deck of the pirate ship with his eyes closed.
When the pirate crew was having their meal, they didn't know whether they should wake Vic. They didn't know the relationship between their captain Ace and Vic, and they were wary of Vic's status Shichibukai.
Although they were all from the East Blue, news on the Grand Line wasn't as isolated as one might imagine. Zoro had always known that the World's Greatest Swordsman Mihawk, was one of the Shichibukai. Ace really wanted to invite Vic over for dinner, but looking at Vic's back, he hesitated for a long time and ultimately didn't do so.
A day later, an island finally came into view of the pirate ship. When they were still far from the island, Vic opened his eyes. Without greeting anyone on the ship, Vic walked step by step toward the island to the astonishment of all the crew members.
Vic moved quickly through the air, but without any sense of haste. He moved very naturally, taking one step at a time, and soon entered the island ahead, disappearing into the lush forest.
Ace could also fly using the Flame-Flame Fruit, but it was still very different from Vic's method. Vic flew in a way that was difficult for them to understand.
Ace watched Vic's departing figure. Although he had known Vic for many years, he had never seen Vic truly make a move. Every time Vic appeared beside him and Luffy, he would suddenly burst into their sight!
Either the two of them are playfully fighting and suddenly look up ahead, and that person is standing there with their back to them, as if they've always been there.
Either the two were tracking their prey when the person's back came into their field of vision, and they tried to run away, but before they could even take a step, the scene in front of them had already changed, and they had entered another world!
Either the man's back was always blocking their way in all directions as they fled in panic, and they could never shake him off, so in the end they could only let Vic do as he pleased.
Ace didn't know how Vic did it, but he had never seen Vic make a move. However, he was no longer afraid of any attack, and even if Vic appeared and disappeared unpredictably, he couldn't do anything to him.
That's why Ace dared to defy Vic, but now Vic's methods are things he doesn't understand, which seems to have cracked his previously invincible confidence.
When Ace and the others arrived on the island and found Vic, Ace saw that familiar figure with his cloak fluttering in the wind again. This was always what made Ace unhappy with Vic; it was as if everyone else could only look up to him.
This is the mentality of those greenhorns who have just set sail, because they haven't been beaten up yet. In the original work, Ace's state of mind continued until he met Whitebeard.
He tried everything but couldn't get past Whitebeard, and was on the verge of a breakdown. In the end, he joined Whitebeard's pirate crew, and the man who had driven him to the brink of collapse became his biggest backer. However, the effects of that beating couldn't last, and Ace eventually fell into Blackbeard's hands.
"Make your move!"
Vic turned around, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and said calmly, the expectation in his eyes fading. Vic wouldn't let Ace follow the same path as in the original story. Even if Ace really joined the Whitebeard Pirates, Vic would still defeat his idol, Whitebeard, right in front of him.
Ace's starting point at sea is much higher than in the original story; now it remains to be seen how high Ace can bounce back after being hit hard.
" Fire Fist!"
Ace didn't say much, but punched Vic from a great distance. His fist transformed into a ball of crimson flame and flew rapidly toward Vic.
Vic didn't even flinch; the flames passed right through his chest, leaving not a single spark on him. Instead, they burned the bushes behind Vic to ashes, leaving the ground glistening with a crystalline sheen—the sand and gravel crystallized by the intense heat.
"Huh? How is that possible?"
" Fire Pistol!"
Seeing that Vic was completely unharmed, Ace's expression turned grim; his usually invincible flames had had absolutely no effect.
Ace has lived mostly in the remote mountains since he was born, and he doesn't care about the outside world at all. He hasn't been at sea for long now, and there hasn't been any news about Vic in the newspapers for a long time.
Therefore, Ace never took the initiative to learn about Vic, and thus did not know that Vic was a Logia user. Just like the battle between Ace and Smoker in Alabasta, neither of them could gain the upper hand.
Ace's attack on Vic will be fruitless. He just hasn't realized that Vic is also Logia Fruit user. Vic used his Observation Haki the Future Sight and transformed into his element to dodge the flames the moment they got close. With Ace's current strength, he can't see the problem with just one move.
Ace made a firing motion with both hands, aimed at Vic, and then flicked his fingers. Rapidly shooting flames erupted from the two fingers pointing at Vic, even faster than the flames from his Fire Fist, shooting towards various parts of Vic's body.
He hadn't seen clearly how Vic dodged the Fire Fist, so he used the continuous attack method with the Fire Pistol as a probe.
The continuous attacks failed to make Vic even slightly move, and the balls of flame seemed to turn a corner and fly past Vic to his rear.
The flames were incredibly powerful, burning everything they touched to ashes, but Vic remained completely untouched, his black cloak billowing in the blast of air from the flames.
Ace was sweating profusely as he used many of his newly developed techniques to attack Vic, but to no avail, and he couldn't figure out why.
Ace's crew were all watching, their jaws practically dropping to the floor. Their once invincible captain couldn't even get that Shichibukai to dodge, and the opponent hadn't even moved an inch the entire time!
Vic stood there with a faint smile on his lips, a smile that seemed like a silent mockery of their captain. Ace was putting on a powerful attack, but his opponent remained unmoved. The contrast between the two, one active and the other still, was striking.
"You're also a Logia Fruit user?"
Vic stopped using his Future Sight to dodge the incoming flames, and the collision of flames and lightning finally made Ace realize something.
Although the elemental properties of the Flame-Flame Fruit and the Rumble-Rumble Fruit are somewhat different, their elemental attributes are still interconnected. Considering his own invincibility and Vic's invincibility just now, he's definitely a Logia-type Logia user!
No wonder all the attacks were ineffective; if that's the case, it makes sense, and my earlier shock has eased considerably.
" Mr. Vic! If you're so capable, then don't use elementalization!"
Ace knew that Logia users were invincible. If Vic continued to use his elemental powers, what was the point of fighting? There would be no clear winner.
Little did he know that he was the only one helpless; if Vic were to make a move, he wouldn't be able to withstand a single strike. But he still wanted to fight Vic.