Finally, the end of the month has arrived, Recruit Camp is about to embark on its sea trial and practical training.
It was time for Vic and Shakky to meet, and Vic prepared to go to the Sabaody Archipelago.
This time he'll be going alone, and he won't need to take a boat; he plans to use Geppo to fly there.
After morning exercises, Vic took the two women back to the seaside cabin.
After telling the two women that he was going to Sabaody, he took off his weights and left the sea using Geppo.
"I really envy Vic. I wish I could fly too!" Wendy sighed, watching Vic's departing figure.
Rebecca was also envious, but Vic had said that her current physical condition was a bit too much of a burden to train for that.
As long as she gets to the Elite Camp after this year, that's all that matters, that's what Vic promised her.
" Wendy, we can learn that at the Elite Camp! I want to learn Geppo as fast as I can!" Rebecca exclaimed dreamily.
Wendy also looked on with anticipation.
Vic used Geppo to arrive at the Sabaody Archipelago, landing at the Marine Base in Area 60.
He planned to rest and recover his strength first. After all, this was not a safe place, and who knew what might happen? He didn't want to gamble, and there wasn't much time to spare anyway.
After resting, Vic went to find Ban first to see if he had any clues.
Just like last time, Ban was not at his residence. Vic gave a servant some Beli and asked him to go and find Ban. The servant was happy and went to find him.
Vic didn't have to wait long before Ban followed the waiter to the tavern where Vic was.
Upon seeing Vic, Ben dismissed the servants and immediately approached Vic with a smile.
" Mr. Vic, you've come here. Is it about Nagayama Black Gold?" Ban asked with a smile.
Vic poured Ban a drink and then nodded:
"I'm going out to sea soon to see if I can find any clues. I'll take this opportunity to verify them."
"I have some leads, but the whereabouts of Nagayama Black Gold are still unknown," Ban said with some self-reproach, after all, he had taken so much money.
"It's alright, tell me what you think of, and I'll try to come up with something." Vic's eyes lit up; a clue was a good start.
"I heard that the most recent appearance of Nagayama Black Gold was a year ago, when there was a Pet Pirates."
They attacked a small country and plundered its treasure trove.
After the pirate crew left, it is said that a piece of Nagayama Black Gold from the treasure vault disappeared without a trace.
There's a high chance it was stolen by Pet Pirates, but it's also possible it disappeared before.
Ban shared what he knew, but it wasn't all confirmed information. However, Vic didn't expect to make any progress immediately.
"Have you found out where this Pet Pirates is?" Vic continued to ask.
No, that Pet Pirates disappeared without a trace after that.
Some say that their pirate ship's hull was damaged by soldiers from that small country, causing the entire ship to sink.
Some say they were double-crossed by another pirate crew, but these are all unconfirmed reports.
Ban still shared what he had heard, proving that he had indeed made an effort to investigate.
Vic knew that the ocean was far too complex, and anything could happen. Although he was mentally prepared, Vic was still somewhat disappointed.
"It's alright, keep investigating. Do you have enough money?" Vic asked.
He still wanted to establish more connections with people like Ban, even though Shakky had more accurate information, but his identity was a big problem, so he couldn't have too much contact with him.
"And don't worry, I'll continue investigating!" Ban recognized Vic's goodwill and said firmly.
Without any definite news, Vic told Ben to go ahead and attend to his own business, while he prepared to go find Shakky. They had agreed on a month; there should be results by then.
Vic quickly arrived at area 20 and headed towards Shakky's bar.
Upon arriving at the location, Vic went straight up the stairs to the bar entrance without stopping. He scanned the area with his Observation Haki only Shakky was there; there were no other customers, and Rayleigh was not present either. Vic then pushed open the door and went inside.
Hearing the door open, Shakky looked up and saw it was Vic. She immediately smiled, took the cigarette from her mouth with her right hand, and exhaled a wisp of smoke.
"You're here! I thought you wouldn't come until tomorrow."
Shakky smiled slightly. After hearing Rayleigh's words, she was no longer so resistant to Vic.
"Yes, I had something to do tomorrow and couldn't come, so I came today. Coming a day earlier would have prevented us from missing each other, wouldn't it?" Vic smiled.
Shakky didn't say anything, but poured Vic a glass of wine.
"Of course I have news. You can come anytime. Let's have a drink first, and then I'll tell you the details."
"Is this going to be another 20 million Beli drink?" Vic said with a grin.
"No, this is absolutely genuine fine wine. It's on me, no charge. What, are you scared?" Shakky said with a mocking expression.
Vic didn't speak. He simply picked up his glass, took a sip, and waited for Shakky's report. Shakky also stopped joking around.
"I already have the information. There's a Pet Pirates, and they have the Nagayama Black Gold in their hands," Shakky said calmly.
"I've also heard that Nagayama Black Gold is related to this pirate crew, but it's all just speculation. Is your information accurate?"
Vic asked, though he already knew it was probably true; Ban and Shakky had both identified this pirate crew, so there shouldn't be any surprises.
"Of course, I have people here who witnessed it firsthand, it's absolutely reliable!" Shakky said earnestly.
Vic speculated that Shakky might have a Mirror-Mirror Devil Fruit User like Charlotte Brulee, capable of gathering intelligence everywhere—that intelligence-gathering ability was indeed formidable!
"Knowing it's them is useless. I heard this pirate crew disappeared. Where am I supposed to look for them?"
Seeing that Shakky didn't give him the address directly, Vic sighed.
"I know the address too. After robbing a royal treasury, this pirate crew went into hiding in a country."
They're acting in secret, preparing to seize the country again, just like last time.
Shakky didn't give the address directly. She explained it first and then handed Vic a slip of paper.
Vic opened it and glanced at it; it was the name of an island.
Vic didn't say much. He put away the note, finished his drink in one gulp, stood up, bowed slightly to Shakky, and then opened the door and left the bar.
Instead of returning directly to the Marine Base, Vic crossed Area 30 and arrived at the beach in Area 40.
No one dared to cause Vic any trouble along the way. In the Sabaody Archipelago, Vic had a great reputation and was active in Sabaody. Everyone on the island remembered him.
Vic found a secluded spot and used Geppo to leave; Area 40 was the closest area to Marine Headquarters.
The matter is settled; he can go straight home now.
When Vic returned to the seaside cabin, the sun had already set halfway below the horizon.
Vic turned to look at the beautiful sunset and couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.
Beneath this beautiful scene, countless uglinesses unfold, but all will be swallowed up by the ocean of time.
A strange light flashed in Vic's eyes, and he only came back to his senses when Rebecca and Wendy's voices startled him.
It's already very late, and there's no time to keep track of the address Shakky gave us. We'll check it out on the ship tomorrow; there should be a map on board.
That night, Vic didn't try to catch Sea Kings in the ocean so he could get back quickly.
Having reflected on his earlier thoughts, he no longer wants to go to sea.
Dinner was just something simple and casual; it was bison that Rebecca hunted in the forest. Bison meat is the only thing that tastes good in the forest.
" Vic, how's it going? Any news?" Rebecca asked Vic while they were eating meat. She could tell that Vic was in a low mood after returning.
"Yes, I know where it is now. I'll go there when I have time to retrieve it, and then we can all upgrade our weapons."
Thinking about this, Vic smiled; he was happy that things had come to a conclusion so quickly.
"Oh, that's good. But you seem a bit down. Was it hard to retrieve the item? Is it in the hands of a very strong enemy?" Rebecca asked, puzzled.
"I'm not sure about their strength yet, but they probably won't surpass me. I just remembered my parents!" Vic explained.
When Vic mentioned his parents, Rebecca stopped talking and just looked at Vic with concern in her eyes.
Wendy had already finished eating and left; after all, she wasn't sleeping here.