Vic didn't help Rebecca and the others withstand the impact of Conqueror's Haki. They might experience these things firsthand in the future, and for them, this was a form of training.
However, the residents of the surrounding islands are in a worse state. A prolonged shock to the soul is not a good thing; it can leave lasting effects. Milder symptoms may include dizziness, blurred vision, difficulty concentrating, lethargy, and a generally confused appearance. More severe symptoms may even turn someone into an idiot!
Therefore, Vic unleashed a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki, completely enveloping the area where the two were fighting, resembling an inverted, blood-red bowl crackling with black and red Inazuma.
Of course, the large bowl contained Rebecca and the others as well, and the aftershocks of their clash of Conqueror's Haki were locked inside the bowl.
The aftershocks wouldn't spread out and slowly dissipate; instead, they would continuously collide within the large bowl until they were completely absorbed by the bowl's walls. However, this only made things worse for Rebecca and the others, as the soul impact was compounded upon compounded.
Several more hours passed, and Kaido's Conqueror's Haki Conqueror's Haki depleted, no longer entwined in his attacks. Vic was the same, though Vic was still faking it.
Kaido's Conqueror's Haki is impressive enough to last for several hours of fighting. There's no orthodox method for cultivating Conqueror's Haki; it grows imperceptibly as one's state of mind, mentality, beliefs, and ideology undergo positive changes. Kaido's talent for Conqueror's Haki is already quite strong; he doesn't have the luck of Vic, who was able to eat the Soul Fruit to enhance it.
Kaido has used almost all his available techniques, but none of them have done much damage to Vic. He's at his Vic and has no choice but to use his final trump card: his Human-Beast Form!
Kaido's Human-Beast Form, the Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon, greatly enhances his strength and speed, maximizes his recovery and stamina, and provides stronger defense than his humanoid form. This can be considered Kaido's strongest form, and he only transforms into it when faced with a truly formidable opponent.
Kaido, now in his Human-Beast Form, swung his club at Vic. Vic seemed to be caught off guard, hastily raising his sword to parry but was still sent flying.
Kaido finally managed a smile. The two had been evenly matched in the previous battles, but now that his speed and strength had increased, Vic couldn't keep up.
Kaido thought this was normal. A Logia user who could fight him to a draw was already very strong. It was impossible for him to raise his attributes any further. Otherwise, why didn't he do that earlier? It could only mean that Vic had already used his full strength.
"Has it reached its limit?"
When Vic stood up, a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, but his expression remained unchanged. He ignored Kaido's words and stood there, his chest and abdomen heaving violently, as if he had reached his limit.
Rebecca and the others who had been to Whole Cake Island with Vic were all very puzzled. They had witnessed Vic's speed on Whole Cake Island, which was simply beyond human capabilities.
However, today Vic's speed was Kaido's, and he couldn't even dodge such a move. Although Kaido's move was extremely fast, leaving only a blur in the air, it was still far inferior to Vic's speed on Whole Cake Island.
Vic's teleportation was truly instantaneous; he didn't even have a fraction of a second to become elemental. So they were genuinely puzzled when they saw Vic injured, wondering what Vic was up to.
Fisher Tiger, Olga, and Uta were very worried about Vic's safety. This was the first time Vic had bled in the fight so far. Although it didn't mean anything, it affected their emotions.
Although Kuina and Yamato arrived later, they didn't show any worry. Getting injured in battle is normal, and being the first to get injured doesn't mean you'll definitely lose. They still had faith in Vic, and the determination in their eyes remained unchanged!
Kaido continued his attack, swinging his spiked club with ferocious force. However, Vic did not engage in a direct confrontation with him anymore, relying instead on his elemental transformation to evade attacks, as if he was somewhat afraid of going head-to-head with Kaido, a tactic somewhat similar to Crocodile's strategy when facing someone he couldn't defeat.
Both of them have top-tier Observation Haki, making it difficult for Kaido to hit Vic, who has already elementalized. Even if you move fast, you can't outrun someone who disintegrates on the spot. This is the advantage of Logia Fruit users. With top-tier Observation Haki, they can be invincible.
"All you do is hide, huh? You might as well just admit defeat. I'm not here to kill you!"
Unable to hit Vic, Kaido increasingly impatient. He was someone who enjoyed battle and preferred direct confrontations, but being constantly stalled was incredibly frustrating. Even though he admired Vic, he couldn't help but scoff.
"If it's a life-or-death battle, can you really restrict how others fight? They won't care whether you like the way you fight or not; pirates aren't children's games!"
Vic wasn't provoked, but he still transformed into human form and appeared. The battle between the two had been going on for almost a day, a moderate amount of time, and the show was nearing its end.
"How do you know I'm not using reverse psychology? It's better if it succeeds, but it doesn't matter if it fails. Piracy isn't child's play; there's strategy in battle!"
Kaido didn't take Vic's words seriously. In the past, he was the one who said other pirates were playing house, but today someone else said it to him. He felt that Vic was indeed one of his kind. He was right to let Vic go once before. He just didn't know who was Joy Boy between the two of them!
"I won't hide anymore. I'll use my strongest trump card. If I still can't defeat you, I'll admit defeat."
Vic didn't care about Kaido's strategy. Faced with absolute power, no strategy matters. Otherwise, how could the Celestial Dragons have ruled the world for the past eight hundred years?
Vic, wielding two swords, stood with one in front of the other, gathering his Haki and Sword Qi. Kaido did not interrupt Vic; he wanted to see where Vic's limits were, how powerful his ultimate move was, and whether he could defeat him in this form. This concerned Joy Boy's conjecture and was more important than the outcome of this battle.
Vic's aura grew stronger and sharper, distorting the air around him as if he were about to shred anything that came near him.
The ground where he stood was covered with countless tiny sword marks. This was the ground of Titan Island, whose sturdiness was beyond question. Yet, it had been slashed into tangible damage by an invisible aura. One could imagine that if an ordinary person were to get close to Vic, they would be torn to pieces!
" Dragon Slayer!"
As soon as Vic shouted out the name of his attack, he vanished from his spot and reappeared behind Kaido!
Kaido hadn't reacted yet. It wasn't until a flower of blood burst from his chest that he felt the pain. He couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes. Vic, this swordsman, really had that kind of sword technique that could instantly increase speed!
And isn't that move the same one that injured him back then? I didn't expect it to have become so powerful!
Looking down at the long, narrow, bleeding wound on his chest, Kaido thought to himself in alarm, "Another swordsman has left a wound on me. Swordsmen really are my nemesis!"
This was the first time Vic had shouted out the name of his attack during this battle, so its power was naturally extraordinary. What's the point of shouting it if it can't even hurt Kaido?
However, Vic didn't unleash his full power in this move; otherwise, defeating Kaido in one strike would have been absurd, and all his previous acting would have been for nothing.