Actually, compared to the original work, Ace is already very strong now. Both his Haki and Devil Fruit abilities are quite remarkable for his age!
Ace fought the entire Blackbeard Pirates single-handedly, and while fighting Blackbeard, he was able to defeat all the others who were attacking him, even severely injuring Blackbeard.
However, Blackbeard was ultimately a master strategist, saving his Dark Water attack for last. When he finally unleashed it, he caught Ace completely off guard. Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit ability was rendered useless, and he was also affected by the Dark-Dark Fruit's power, resulting in a significant decrease in mobility. Furthermore, Ace's Haki reserves were not as high as Blackbeard's, ultimately leading to a narrow defeat.
Blackbeard is no weakling. He left three scars on Shanks' left eye a long time ago. Shanks told Whitebeard that he wasn't careless at the time, so even though it was a chaotic battle, Blackbeard's strength should not be underestimated.
At that time, neither of them possessed Devil Fruit abilities, and they were about the same age. The difference lay in their subsequent growth; Red-Hair relied entirely on his own hard work and experienced countless battles.
Blackbeard, on the other hand, developed stealthily under Whitebeard's protection. Due to different external pressures, their growth would definitely differ greatly, so Blackbeard's current strength cannot be equated with Shanks'.
However, their talents are definitely similar; it's just that their efforts in the same amount of time are different. Therefore Ace's performance of almost wiping out the Blackbeard Pirates can be described as monstrous, and Vic's transformation of him has been quite successful.
But what can he do when he encounters Blackbeard? Just like Marco, who is also very powerful, but every time he fights, he either encounters Marine Admiral or Four Emperors. His battle record makes it difficult to prove his strength, but it doesn't mean he isn't powerful!
Vic's bad feeling was confirmed by Sengoku. After chatting about some trivial matters, he took his leave. He had originally wanted to sneak a peek at Gion and the children, but his Observation Haki couldn't detect their Gion, so he simply turned into Inazuma and disappeared from Marine Headquarters.
Vic's two children are already fourteen years old, but with the help of Vic's illusion, they already look like adults. The boy is handsome and the girl is beautiful and mature. With Pure Gold, Vic has no worries about forcing them to grow up too fast.
All their knowledge and understanding came from the teachings Vic and Gion gave them in the illusion. Their growth was completely uncorrupted by the Navy's brainwashing education, and they are now adventuring in the New World with Gion.
Just as Vic arrived at Marine Headquarters, the Five Elders were also holding a discussion Room of Authority the Holy Land Mary Geoise.
"Lord Imu sensed a faint fluctuation of the Laws yesterday, but it vanished in an instant and the source could not be detected. He suspects that someone has touched that realm again! This is absolutely not allowed. Roger was Cleansing because he touched that realm back then!"
We've all gathered here today to find this person. Each of us has sources of information, and through this information, we should be able to narrow down the possibilities, and finally eliminate those who are impossible to find.
The Five Elders were all deep in thought in their favorite spots when the standing blond Five Elders broke the silence.
"There aren't many people who can reach that level. They're either already strong or extremely talented. There aren't many such people in the entire ocean. Following this line of thought, we can already filter out many people. Everyone can analyze the remaining people," the bald, bespectacled Five Elders added.
"There are only so many strong individuals. On the pirate side, there are four Emperor of the Sea, two Shichibukai Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, is also one," the Shichibukai the big sword beard continued.
"The Navy has Three Admirals: Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr, Magellan from Impel Down, and Commander-in-Chief Kong!" said the Five Elders with the goatee.
"Many of those with exceptional talent have already become powerful figures, but Vegapunk is unique in that he doesn't rely on sheer strength. However, his talent is definitely not lacking, and his potential is quite significant!"
Saint Saturn had interacted with Vegapunk more and knew Vegapunk better, knowing how terrifying his wisdom was. If such a person came into contact with the Laws, his speed of comprehension would be unimaginable.
"That's pretty much it, but there are definitely some hidden ones. We'll fill in the gaps when they slip up. Right now, we need to find the one who crossed the line among these people!"
The Five Elders concluded that those who could break through to the God Realm were not ordinary people, but rather very outstanding individuals, so it was not difficult to find a suspect.
"Let's start by eliminating possibilities from the Navy's side. Kong is already quite old; if he could have broken through, he would have done so long ago. The chances of it being him are very small."
"As the Fleet Admiral Sengoku has too many things to worry about every day. He probably wouldn't have time for cultivation, so he can be ruled out."
" Zephyr is similar. Although he was once Marine Admiral, his talent is still somewhat lacking. It's difficult for him to reach that level with his limited talent! Plus, he's not a Devil Fruit user, which only makes it more difficult!"
"Among the three of them, Garp has the highest talent and no injuries. Apart from some emergency missions, he is the most leisurely!"
He seems to be training two young punks lately. If anyone in the Navy could reach that level, it would definitely be Garp, who could rival Roger in his youth. Therefore, Garp must be a key target!
" Garp is talented, but he's not a Devil Fruit user, so it will be very difficult for him to succeed on this path, but it's not impossible."
"That's not necessarily true. Roger wasn't a power user back then, and he almost broke through to a higher level!"
"Besides the older generation, the Navy only has the current Three Admirals left, and there's still a long way to go before they can become Admiral."
"Whether it's one of the Three Admirals or not is really hard to say. Given their current status and strength, they've all been dispatched to carry out important missions and guard key locations. Unless they engage in a battle that pushes them to their limits, it's difficult to judge how far they've progressed."
"Then let's leave those three aside and figure out a solution after we've ruled out the others."
" Magellan hasn't even resolved the side effects of his Devil Fruit ability, and his control over his own power is lacking. He's definitely not the person from last night. To reach that level, one's ability must already be perfectly refined, just lacking the final transformation. Magellan clearly doesn't fit that description."
" Vegapunk possesses the world's most brilliant mind, and he's also Devil Fruit User. Furthermore, he works in research related to mental abilities. Even without focusing on martial arts, developing his intellect alone could bring him to that level."
Once he breaks through to that level, even if he doesn't cultivate martial arts, his combat power will skyrocket. Therefore, Vegapunk must die!
" Vegapunk is indeed going to die. We coerced him into coming here to do research, so he's definitely not on our side. Once he has the power, he'll definitely leave, and he'll harbor resentment towards our past actions. He'll definitely seek revenge if he gets the chance!"
"But now is not the time to kill him. The androids have already been created, Seraphim Project is on the agenda. It's better to wait until he completes Seraphim before eliminating him. I'll have someone keep an eye on him, and if there's any sign of trouble, he'll be executed immediately!"
"We can arrange things this way with Vegapunk. The Shichibukai are too independent; it's time to replace them. The androids are more obedient."
"We've pretty much finished analyzing our side. Now let's look at the others."
Whitebeard was once a powerful figure who rivaled Roger without ever being defeated, and he is now the strongest man. I'm not surprised that he could reach that level!
However, Whitebeard's body was plagued by injuries and illnesses, requiring medication to prolong his life. Even if he had reached that level, his physical condition wouldn't allow him to break through, so Whitebeard could be ruled out.
"I don't think so. Garp and Sengoku are a few years older than Whitebeard, and they don't have any injuries or illnesses. They've both been through countless battles. So why is Whitebeard riddled with injuries and illnesses, while Garp and Sengoku are completely unharmed?"
Is it possible that Whitebeard was faking it? He and Roger had a complex relationship of both rivalry and friendship in their youth. Is it possible that he knew something and was deliberately feigning weakness? Regardless of what you think, I have reservations about Whitebeard!
"What you're saying makes sense. It's simple to verify: just have Whitebeard fight a battle and see how he performs. Even Garp isn't sure, right? Let's arrange a fight between them and see if last night's person was one of them."
"That's a good idea. We can put the plan on the agenda and work out the details later. Then we can talk about the others."