The battle between Vic and Zephyr is over.
Vic lay on the ground, panting heavily; his Haki had been completely exhausted, and Zephyr was also flushed.
Vic's speed was too fast, and he had to use his full speed to keep up, which was a huge strain for someone his age and who also had asthma.
Zephyr did not use advanced applications of Armament Haki in actual combat with Vic. It was not the right time yet, as Vic had only recently Awakening his Haki and was currently focusing on accumulating power.
Vic wasn't seriously injured; he was just exhausted of his Haki and in excruciating pain all over his body. But with Vic's current strong will, these were nothing.
"Teacher Zephyr, is it really true that someone like me, who has just Awakening Armament Haki, is completely helpless against those with incredibly strong Armament Haki?"
"Isn't that leaving us completely vulnerable? It's so frustrating! Is there any way to bridge this gap?" Vic sat up and looked at Zephyr, asking.
Zephyr smiled and glanced at Vic, very satisfied. His willingness to immediately address any problems was commendable. Zephyr then sat down opposite Vic.
"There's a method that's difficult for most people to do, but you're different. You possess extreme speed, superb swordsmanship, and an aura of Haki."
As long as you don't try to launch a direct attack, you can outlast your enemy through hit-and-run tactics, just like when you fought Onigumo.
"A higher level of Haki defense inevitably requires gathering more Haki, which consumes a lot of energy. It all depends on who the enemy is," Zephyr analyzed for Vic.
"However, this isn't the safest approach. I've heard of people who have cultivated their domineering Haki to an inexhaustible level; that can't be depleted simply by expending it."
Such a person's Haki speed far exceeds their consumption speed, so you can't defeat them by simply wearing them down.
Your Armament Haki reserves are quite good; you don't seem like someone who has just Awakening Haki.
However, your Haki isn't concentrated enough when you attack, so it's difficult for you to break through Red-Hair ' Haki defense.
I have a method for condensing Haki. In the future, when fighting enemies with strong Haki, I can concentrate my Haki to unleash even stronger Haki attacks.
However, this method consumes a lot of Haki, and the battle time is limited; once you run out of Haki, you're in danger.
Therefore, you should start compressing your Haki Haki in your daily life, refining it, and continuously strengthening your attacks. This is the right path!
Zephyr offered a solution and concluded by advising him to pay attention to his daily practice.
Vic was overjoyed. As expected, Professor Zephyr was still the same Professor Zephyr. Asking Zephyr when you have questions was definitely the right thing to do.
Vic of the game, naturally knew this, but sometimes time is too precious to be wasted.
I won't be alone anymore. If someone is waiting for my rescue, they'll be desperately hoping for it, and their lives will be in danger.
As for the kind of Haki person that Teacher Zephyr mentioned, Vic could only think of that guy Bullet.
That enormous body, completely covered in Haki, could still beat everyone like dogs!
Vic also harbored ambitions; with his physical talent, reaching that level wouldn't be difficult.
"Professor Zephyr, please teach me quickly. I don't want to be helpless when facing enemies in the future," Vic pleaded.
"I still trust you. I know you won't rely on this skill and neglect your regular practice."
Vic, listen, to make our Haki attacks and defenses even stronger, we need to forcibly gather and accumulate Haki.
The layered coverage can negate the enemy's Haki defenses during an attack, allowing the attack to strike directly at the target and inflict damage.
"The same applies to defense; we need layers of armor to counter the enemy's Haki," Zephyr explained the trick directly to Vic.
He also explained how to forcibly gather Haki, and after listening, Vic immediately understood the key to it.
It's still related to willpower. He hadn't thought about this aspect before, and only wanted to wait until his Haki was stronger before learning Ryuo.
Now that we have this method, as long as you don't have a constitution like Kaido or Big Mom, Haki can finally be put to good use.
After bidding farewell to Zephyr, Vic went straight back to the seaside cabin to prepare a feast of Sea Kings.
If you want your Haki to recover faster, eating meat is the best way. Vic has plenty of reserves right now, so he can easily finish it off.
After finishing his meal and resting for a while, Vic began sparring with Rebecca, since she had just broken through to a higher realm and needed to consolidate her progress.
Vic then practiced moves on Rebecca, helping her develop skills to better suit the level of "Cutting Steel," so she could become a true swordsman.
"Alright, Rebecca, that's enough for today. You need to figure it out yourself!"
"Okay, I understand!"
"I'm going to train on my own now. You go and train your Observation Haki with Wendy; it's very important!"
"I want to Awakening soon, but I just Awakening n't, Vic! Am I really that stupid?"
Rebecca was somewhat disheartened. Vic had taught her the basics of Observation Haki when he was training in swordsmanship in Shimotsuki Village, and now almost two years had passed. Rebecca was indeed getting anxious!
"This isn't really a matter of being smart or not. Some people are born with the Awakening and Observation Haki; there's no comparison. Just calm down and practice!"
Vic offered words of comfort.
Rebecca nodded seriously, and then went to find Wendy.
After arranging things for Rebecca and Wendy, Vic began to ponder a method to forcibly gather Haki.
The method wasn't difficult; Vic mastered it that afternoon.
That evening, old man Garp came over for dinner, and Vic naturally treated him to another meal.
Grandpa Garp told Vic and Rebecca that Vice Admiral Tsuru would be returning soon, and that Vic should go to his house to cook a meal for him.
Let Rebecca come along too, since Vice Admiral Tsuru special feelings for Rebecca.
Vic nodded in agreement. He figured it was just some ordinary dishes, no need to make a large quantity, it would be very simple.
He knew that Zephyr and Sengoku would be there too, and it was necessary to maintain good relations with the Navy's high command.
Half a month passed in this way, and Vic continued his peaceful practice.
During this time, Andrew told Vic that the exam at the end of the month would be mainly practical, and that they would be going out to sea, and he hoped that Vic would also do well.
Vic is quite interested in going to sea; he's not comfortable staying cooped up at Marine Headquarters all the time.
Before setting sail, however, Vic had to make a trip to the Sabaody Archipelago to retrieve the intelligence he needed.
If possible, it would be even better if I could take advantage of this opportunity to obtain the Nagayama Black Gold directly.
" Rebecca, Andrew told me today that Granny Tsuru is coming back today. Why don't you go to the port to greet her?"
"Ouch! Hiss..."
Vic spoke to Rebecca, who was practicing her Observation Haki and dodging Wendy's attacks. As a result, Rebecca was distracted and was hit by Wendy's big stick, and immediately cried out in pain!
"Hehehe!" Wendy laughed out loud.
"Ahem, I didn't mean to, Rebecca!" Vic awkwardly touched his nose.
I know, it's not your fault!
Rebecca took Wendy away from the beach, while Vic stayed behind to cultivate on the beach, figuring he could see her that night anyway.
In the afternoon, Vic used his Observation Haki to sense a group of people arriving in the forest, but he wasn't sure who they were.
If the distance is too far, Vic's Observation Haki can only perceive an image that resembles an infrared thermal image, with only a general outline and no clear details.
The group was heading towards the wooden house by the sea, and it wasn't until they got closer that Vic realized who they were.
Rebecca arrived with Granny Tsuru, along with Hina and some other girls she didn't recognize.
One of them was a tall, beautiful female swordswoman, who would later become Admiral, Momousagi Gion.
"What's she doing here? Shouldn't she have been out on a mission by now?"
Vic thought to himself, but he didn't think too much about it; it didn't concern him much.
Vic did not get up to greet them, but continued his cultivation in place, waiting for everyone to arrive.
Vic didn't know was that the main reason this group had come was Gion wanted to see Vic for herself.
Gion calls Vice Admiral Vice Admiral Tsuru sister," but the exact nature of their relationship is unclear. As for why Gion is here, we need to go back a week.
Just a week ago, Gion was out on a mission alone.
After completing the mission, she contacted her sister, He, and learned that He was returning to headquarters, so she thought she could hitch a ride with her.
Tsuru, of course, wouldn't refuse her younger sister. Since she had nothing else to do, she took a detour to pick up Gion.
This is why Tsuru is only returning to headquarters now; she could have returned a week earlier, but the trip to Gion delayed her.
A week ago
After arriving in Gion, Tsuru changed course and headed towards headquarters.
on deck
"Sister, have you read the newspaper? Another young and powerful swordsman has appeared in the world, his swordsmanship is on par with Red-Hair! I really want to see him!"
Gion looked at the horizon with a longing expression and said.
"Hehe! You can make it happen when you return to headquarters this time, you mysterious swordsman!"
He looked at Gion with a smile on his face.
"Could he be at headquarters? I don't recall having such an officer at headquarters."
Gion asked, looking puzzled.
"Hehe, he's not an officer, he's a new recruit this year, he's only been at headquarters for less than three months, of course you don't know him!" Crane explained.
"What? This year's new recruit? He's the new recruit? Is he that monstrous?" Gion was shocked upon hearing this.
"You're a monster yourself, aren't you? It's really strange to hear you call someone else a monster!"
The crane said, somewhat speechless.
"He's a monster, he's a monster! I'm not a monster at all! No, I'm not a monster! I'm an elegant geisha!"
Gion finished speaking, she made a gesture of bowing as a geisha.
She was shy and demure, and combined with her figure and beauty, she was indeed very pretty and elegant!
Unfortunately, no man was able to witness this scene!
This is the whole story behind Crane leading a group of people to the forest. Vic, unaware that he was being watched, was still leisurely meditating with his eyes closed.