The crowd partied until very late before dispersing. Smoker and his two companions left together, leaving only Vic and Rebecca in the cabin. Vic lay in bed, reminiscing about his battle with Shanks.
Vic also gained a lot from his battle with Red-Hair yesterday; at least he witnessed Conqueror's Haki's Haki.
Although Shanks' Conqueror's Haki hasn't been used in any substantial attacks yet, Vic still suffered a bit of a loss in their first encounter.
This also made Vic realize that Conqueror's Haki mainly affects the mental level, and Vic guessed that Conqueror's Haki is a kind of mental attack.
It's a talent that can only Awakening by those with exceptionally strong mental fortitude, so the threshold for it is very high.
Vic doesn't know if he can Awakening, but he can meditate more and train his mental strength in the future.
In terms of swordsmanship Vic and Shanks are comparable, and considering that Shanks and Hawk-Eye are equally skilled in swordsmanship, Vic and Hawk-Eye should also be equally skilled.
However, all three of them have a lot of room for improvement, and it's hard to say what the future holds.
At least those two will become the world's number one and number two in the future, while I am a variable, and either of them is possible.
My current weakness is in my Armament Haki, mainly because I only recently Awakening. Even though my foundation is strong, my accumulation of experience is insufficient!
I really need to work on my Armament Haki!
Vic touched the face that Shanks had punched.
It's not fun to fight if you can't break through their defenses. Vic has encountered several players whose defenses he can't break through, and it's frustrating to fight them every time.
Garp, Zephyr, Shanks, and all the monsters of the New World.
There are still many people standing above me; how many will there be a year from now? How many will there be in eighteen years?
A smile appeared on Vic's lips as he quickly fell asleep.
The next day, Vic went for his morning run as usual, and then Vic found Andrew.
"Instructor Andrew, the weights I'm wearing aren't providing much of a training effect anymore. Could you find me something heavier?"
"Vic said with a smile."
"Where am I supposed to find that for you? That's already the heaviest one!"
Andrew was helpless. He knew it was the trainees' demand, and the instructors had to meet it, but this wasn't a normal demand!
"Time is of the essence, Instructor Andrew! You've delayed my training! I'll have to spar with you to improve." Vic grinned broadly, revealing a set of bright white teeth.
Andrew knew this was a normal request, and going to Vice Admiral Garp wouldn't help; he would have to take matters into his own hands.
He nodded helplessly.
After training, Vic arrived at the Elite Camp. Zephyr was there too; after all, it was the first day of training after the break, so he was bound to be there.
Vic came in and threw the sherry he was holding at Zephyr.
Without even turning his head, Zephyr reached out and took the wine. He glanced at the glass in his hand and a smile appeared on his lips.
After finishing with the student, Zephyr walked over to Vic.
He didn't just open the bottle and drink it, since it was still during teaching hours and drinking in public would be inappropriate.
" Zephyr, I'm here to spar with Smoker. Is he here?"
Vic spoke loudly, and many students looked over when they heard him.
They glanced at Vic, then at Smoker, a strange glint in their eyes.
Smoker heard it too, and his face immediately darkened. He had seen Vic a while ago and thought he was there to spar with Professor Zephyr, but he didn't expect him to be there to see him.
" Smoker, come here. Sparring with Vic will be very beneficial for your development. Don't refuse!"
Zephyr said seriously that he had always wanted the students to know not to rely too much on the power of the Devil Fruit, that the body is the foundation of everything, otherwise they would suffer greatly when they went out into the world.
Vic just wanted to beat up Smoker, since he had just been beaten by Shanks and wanted to get revenge.
He came here to spar with Zephyr, of course; Smoker was just an appetizer.
With Zephyr's orders, Smoker had no choice but to obey, and the others made room for the two of them, clearing the battlefield.
All the students gathered around, ready to watch a good show.
Smoker is currently invincible in the Elite Camp, and they are eager to know how many moves Smoker can last against Vic.
Vic stood still, showing no intention of using his knife. It was just a friendly spar; using a knife would be going too far and could easily result in someone being cut.
Smoker knew that Vic possessed Armament Haki, and that he was now Viktor's nemesis!
Smoker didn't use his elemental powers; instead, he used Shave at maximum speed to attack Vic at close range.
Vic didn't retaliate but instead swayed his body left and right to dodge Smoker's attacks.
Vixmog, despite his keen senses, couldn't touch a trace of it, and his prolonged attacks yielded no results.
The trainees all admired Vic's powerful and effortless handling of the situation!
Smoker was also powerless, and finally used his Logia ability. He transformed into a large cloud of smoke to cover Vic, preparing to suffocate Vic in the smoke before attacking.
Vic was waiting for Smoker to turn into smoke; that would be truly educational!
With a quick scan using his Observation Haki, Vic knew exactly where Smoker was hiding in the smoke.
He vanished from his spot and instantly appeared next to Smoker, his fist covered in Armament Haki, sending Smoker flying with a single punch.
All the smoke dissipated, and Smoker was lying on the ground with a large bump on his head.
Smoker didn't get up immediately; he remained on the ground, contemplating life and his ideals.
Vic ignored him and challenged Zephyr to a fight. The two started fighting, and the commotion was naturally much greater.
With a leap, the ground beneath Vic collapsed completely, shattering all the stone slabs.
After Vic arrived at Marine Headquarters, the training base of the Elite Camp had its floors changed the most frequently, and the engineering department was complaining to Zephyr.
Inside the headquarters building, Sengoku was reading a copy of the World Economy News.
On the table was a detailed intelligence report with Vic's photo on it, while Garp sat on the sofa next to him, munching on senbei (rice crackers).
" Garp, Vic fought that Red-Hair kid in Sabaody Archipelago the day before yesterday. What do you think about that?"
Sengoku said with a serious expression that he knew more detailed information.
Vic had been to Shakky's Rip-off Bar, and so had Red-Hair; then Vic was cornered by Red-Hair.
He couldn't quite figure out what the connection was.
He knew that the bar was Rayleigh and Shakky's hideout, but since both of them were retired from piracy and hadn't been openly committing any crimes, the Navy had always turned a blind eye.
"Haha, it's just a rivalry among young people, nothing to worry about."
Vic is very talented. His defeat this time is simply because his Haki has only Awakening for a short time. It's only a matter of time before he catches up. There's no need to make a fuss about it.
Everyone's back safe and sound, so there's no need to worry. I'm craving Vic's cooking now, slurp
Garp said nonchalantly, and then swallowed hard.
"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Vic's already world-famous."
The fact that he could fight Red-Hair for so long without being defeated speaks volumes; Red-Hair is a great pirate now.
What I find strange is that Red-Hair has always robbed other pirates and marines, but this time he robbed Vic. Does he know Vic's identity?
Sengoku thought for a moment and then spoke.
"Why think so much? Tsuru will be back at the Marine Base soon, and we old comrades-in-arms can get together again."
We'll have Vic cook us a delicious meal then, hahaha!
Garp laughed heartily, his conversation revolving around food. Sengoku was speechless. "You just want to eat something delicious, don't tell me about this old comrades' reunion!"
A certain sea area in the New World
"A newcomer I've never heard of? His swordsmanship is on par with Red-Hair'? Interesting. I definitely need to go and meet him!"
A man with sharp, Hawk-Eye- like eyes was sitting on a large ship that he had split in two, reading a newspaper.
People were lying all around. This pirate crew was blind and ran into him. He had originally gone to spar with a certain Marine with superb swordsmanship.
At Twin Cape, an old man with flowers blooming on his head was reading a newspaper, while Island Whale with crisscrossing scars on its head kept him company on the shore.
The old man's gaze fell on the photo of Red-Hair and Vic holding swords.
"A very talented young man. Is the sea about to be turbulent again, Roger? Is this what you want to see?" the old man remarked.
Sabaody Archipelago, Shakky's Rip-off Bar
" Rayleigh, this is the kid who bought the intelligence. He's a new recruit in the Navy. The Navy really struck gold this time; he'll be another Admiral- level fighter in the future!"
Shakky said with a solemn expression.
"Haha, this young man is not bad. So what if he's in the navy? The oceans will belong to the new era from now on."
I'm leaving tomorrow for the place I arranged to meet Shanks. You could help this guy named Vic with some things...
East Blue Shimotsuki Village, Tokai, Koshiro looked at the news about Vic in the newspaper with a faint smile on his face.
Lep Island in the East Sea, the hometown of Vic and Rebecca
Inside the mayor's office, Andre was also reading the World Economy News.
He was heartbroken when he saw the news of Vic's defeat, but breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Vic was safe and sound!
He knew Red-Hair well; his bounty was almost a billion, and he was an incredibly powerful pirate!
He couldn't help but marvel at how strong Vic was now, and he was proud of Vic's achievements!
After all, he's just a boy under 17 years old; with that kind of potential, he's a naval officer in the making.
The townspeople also saw today's newspaper and were all proud that a great person had emerged from their town.
The last one was Rebecca's mother. Today is a day of jubilation for the residents, but this joy is not something that can be shared with outsiders.
A newcomer named Vic is known throughout the world's oceans.
On his first appearance in the Sabaody Archipelago, he defeated Barrow, a senior member of the underground Rod Family.
The second time was also in the Sabaody Archipelago, where she fought Red-Haired Shanks and held her own in hand-to-hand combat, but ultimately lost Haki Shanks in terms of Red-Hair.
This is already quite remarkable, considering how young he is, how incredibly talented he is, and how he suddenly emerged as a rising star.
The outside world is currently unaware that Vic is a Marine; only Shakky, Rayleigh, and Ban know this.
Shakky Rayleigh wouldn't bring it up on her own initiative, and Ban wouldn't easily reveal information about his sugar daddy, so this boy became mysterious in everyone's eyes.