As the ashes moved, if other powerful individuals were watching from the sidelines, they would see a gigantic fist made of tiny ashes and air hurtling towards Ace.
Like constellations in the sky, the invisible fist struck Ace without him noticing, and then his companions saw Ace spit out a mouthful of blood and be sent flying.
Ace lost consciousness with his eyes rolled back while he was in the air. His previously invincible elemental transformation had no effect whatsoever. They didn't know what Vic had done, but they knew that Vic hadn't even made a move!
Ace was seriously injured and fell into a coma. He was eventually revived by Vic. Ace's Spade Pirates had not been established for long and had not yet found a reliable ship doctor.
When Ace woke up, he was unharmed. He looked at Vic in front of him with a complicated expression. He thought that the invincible elemental transformation couldn't even withstand a single move.
This uncle who had been forcing him and Luffy was incredibly strong, with unfathomable power. He had always thought he was invincible in the East Blue, but the person in front of him woke him up with a single move!
Do you know why you couldn't withstand one of my moves?
After Vic healed Ace, his crew distanced themselves from the two. They knew that this Shichibukai had something to say to their captain. Although they didn't know what their relationship was, they were relieved that this Shichibukai could easily kill Ace if he wanted to. Since he hadn't killed him before and had even healed him, he definitely wouldn't make a move again.
"Because Logia Fruit users are not invincible, binding them with Armament Haki can capture the fluid form that Logia users have after they have transformed into their elemental form."
The East Blue is still too small a stage. It's true that you have no rivals in the East Blue, and you can even be arrogant for a while in the Grand Line.
But if things continue like this, you'll face the worst beating when you get to the New World. If I can wake you up now, then my trip won't have been in vain!
Ace didn't say anything, and Vic didn't expect him to say anything either. His visit to Ace was now over, and Ace should be able to avoid many detours in the future!
Even if Ace were to follow the same path and join Whitebeard's pirate crew, his mentality would likely change. Then, Vic could simply step in and defeat the seemingly invincible Whitebeard right in front of him.
Why didn't you mention this when you were talking to me about Haki?
Ace did learn his lesson, but he was still furious to learn that Armament Haki could counter Logia users. He felt that if he had known this earlier, he would never have suffered such a crushing defeat. So he still harbored some resentment towards Vic, who was not only injured but also humiliated. The more invincible and glorious he was before, the more ashamed and indignant he felt now.
"So you're blaming me? Do you know that if it weren't for me, you wouldn't even know what Haki is, at least not in the first half of the Grand Line, let alone Awakening Observation Haki now!"
Another thing is, how was I supposed to know you'd become a Logia Fruit user? And once you Awakening Armament Haki, even if you encounter a Logia enemy, they'll quickly discover the special effects of Armament Haki.
So I didn't specifically remind you that a man should be more magnanimous, not complain or blame others, and not shift all his unhappiness and mistakes onto others. He should learn to see things from other people's perspectives so that he can see things clearly and understand things better!
Vic really didn't expect Ace to encounter the Flame-Flame Fruit again. After all, their strengths were different now, and their experiences had changed a lot. He never expected that Ace would still be able to eat the Flame-Flame Fruit!
As expected, Devil Fruit possess willpower, but this wasn't surprising to Vic. When a person's strength reaches a certain level, they can change many things, if they so choose.
" Mr. Vic! I'm sorry! I know I was wrong!"
Makino's guidance to Ace had an effect. In the past, because of Vic and Garp's relationship, Ace was somewhat resistant to Vic, or rather, somewhat rebellious.
But now he's grown up and can think independently. Vic's words quickly enlightened him, and upon reflection, Vic had never harmed him. He had never opposed his desire to become a pirate, and Vic had trained him and Luffy so that they could survive better in the world. It can be said that Vic had put a lot of thought into it.
During his adventures in the East Blue, he realized just how much confidence Vic had given him. Not to mention the Flame-Flame Fruit, his Observation Haki alone was enough to make him invincible. This was an immense favor to him.
"I'm glad you recognized the problem; that made my trip worthwhile. Back then, the old man entrusted me with taking care of you. I was still in the Navy then. If you wanted to become a pirate, I really couldn't openly take care of you."
So I thought about it, and whether you want to become a Marine or a pirate, as long as you're strong enough, you don't need me to take care of you. It's like the saying, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."
So whenever I have time, I go to Foosha Village to help you become stronger. Before coming to see you this time, I went to Foosha Village to see Luffy, because I was afraid that your mentality would change after you set sail and you would lose your original intentions and become arrogant.
This is detrimental to your growth and future, which is why I intervened to make you understand that there are always people stronger than you, and that there are many people in the New World who are stronger than you. You still have a lot of room for improvement!
Vic sensed that Ace's resistance towards him had completely disappeared, and only then did he reveal his purpose. It is the most difficult thing to instill your ideas in someone else, and it is even more difficult if that person is resistant to you. Therefore, improving the relationship is the first step.
" Mr. Vic! Luffy and I will definitely repay your kindness in the future!"
Ace looked at Vic with a determined expression and said that he was now completely in awe of Vic, and would probably continue to do so until he met Whitebeard, because no one else could give him this feeling of powerlessness!
Moreover, Vic not only subdued him, but he also came to understand some of the things Vic did. This was the effect achieved under the double impact.
In the original work, Whitebeard defeated Ace in roughly the same way. Whitebeard did this after defeating Ace multiple times, at any time and in any place, whether through direct attack or sneak attack, while Vic only needed to do it once.
"Now that you've eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit, let's talk about how to develop the fruit."
The abilities of Devil Fruit are not static, and their directions are diverse, depending on which direction you want to develop them. What do you think is the development direction of the Flame-Flame Fruit? What kind of effect do you want to achieve?
With Ace's heart knocked down from the sky, Vic's second purpose for coming here should also begin. In the original work, Ace's development of the Flame-Flame Fruit was not bad, but it was a bit flashy and had not yet touched the essence of the Flame-Flame Fruit.
Another issue is that his training in Haki was inadequate, preventing the ability from reaching its full potential. Additionally, he relied too heavily on the Devil Fruit's power, failing to consider special situations where he couldn't use it.
These were all factors that ultimately led to Ace's death. Vic planned to gradually eliminate Ace's weaknesses so that he would be a powerful ally when Ace repaid his debt of gratitude in the future.
"The development direction of the Flame-Flame Fruit should be combustion, right? I've been using it that way lately. The attack methods may be different, but the final result is always combustion!"