" Dog Biting Crimson Lotus!"
Akainu didn't engage in close combat with Vic; instead, he released magma from a great distance, which transformed into a giant dog head and charged towards Vic.
The dog's head was incredibly fast, unlike the anime Vic had watched in his previous life, where the speed of characters and moves was reduced by several levels to allow viewers to clearly see the techniques and abilities. The magma dog head released by Akainu arrived in front of Vic in an instant, and the ferocious magma dog opened its blood-red maw to bite at Vic's upper body, as if it wanted to devour Vic whole.
However, this dog, though it looked ferocious and bloodthirsty, suddenly exploded when it was still a foot away from Vic, as if it had been hit by a cannonball. Lava splattered everywhere, but never touched anything within a foot of Vic.
It was as if there was an invisible spherical barrier around Vic, blocking all attacks and damage outside the barrier.
" Armament Haki Emission!"
Such powerful Armament Haki Emission!
"As expected of Mr. Garp's unofficial disciple!"
"His Haki is even stronger than before! Sakazuki is going to suffer!"
Akainu's expression was very serious. Armament Haki Emission is not a difficult technique; many people know it. However, the difficulty of this technique lies in its sheer power, requiring the control of a massive amount of Haki leaving the body.
While most people release their Armament Haki and then it's gone, unable to maintain long-term control outside their body, it's essentially like letting go. But Vic's Armament Haki Emission is concentrated within a foot of his body, which is equivalent to Armament Haki Hardening to a thickness of a foot. How amazing is that!
With such defensive power, it's estimated that it can withstand any attack. Of course, this is in theory; the power of the God Realm expert using the Laws is not included. However, how many of you here have witnessed the power of heaven and earth unleashed by the Power of Law? That is truly earth-shattering, capable of destroying an island in an instant, even stronger than Whitebeard's strongest attack from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. And this is just a normal attack from the God Realm expert!
Getting back to the point, the newly Awakening Conqueror's Haki only has the effect of intimidating people, but at a higher level, Conqueror's Haki can be used as a physical attack method, which can counter whatever ability the opponent uses!
With Armament Haki Emission the level of Vic, Akainu's Logia abilities become essentially ineffective, as magma cannot even get close to Vic. This reduces Akainu's fighting power by more than half, which is a significant weakening of Akainu.
Sengoku, Aokiji, and Kizaru were also surprised by Vic's Haki. Although they didn't come over, their attention was focused on Vic and Akainu. They had to take Akainu's attack seriously, but Vic just stood there and neutralized it without moving. This showed the difference in their abilities.
"Is that all you've got? Isn't magma supposed to be the most lethal substance?"
Vic walked step by step toward Akainu, the lava along the way automatically separating or extinguishing, as if being squeezed by an unknown force.
" Great Eruption!"
Akainu continued to unleash large amounts of magma towards Vic, but Vic did not stop. Each ball of magma engulfed in flames exploded automatically a foot away from him, as if he had hit an impenetrable wall. Vic had many techniques at his disposal, but the Armament Haki Emission was the most straightforward and unpretentious.
Is that all?
Vic unleashed his ultimate attack, instantly releasing the Armament Haki surrounding him, blasting all the magma clumps away with his Haki.
When Akainu looked over, Vic had already disappeared. By the time the others were looking for Vic, they saw Akainu spitting blood as he flew away.
Then, they saw Vic standing where Akainu had just been standing, his fist still outstretched. However, the Vic they saw quickly faded and disappeared, as if melting into the air.
Sengoku and the other powerful figures then realized that what they had seen was merely an afterimage left by Vic. They hurriedly looked at Akainu, Akainu was still in the air, but suddenly his body swayed and he flew off in another direction, this time with blood flowing from his nose.
Vic's figure appeared there for a moment before fading and disappearing. When Vic reappeared, he was truly there; it was no longer an afterimage, but had never disappeared!
But he happened to be standing where Akainu was about to fall. Vic's fist was wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, and he caught Akainu's flying punch. Akainu felt like he had crashed into a real mountain, and warm liquid sprayed out of his mouth and nose. His consciousness was blurred!
" Sakazuki! You're nothing special. You can only bully Whitebeard because he's sick and can't move easily. You can't even dodge me. Why don't you call Borsalino to gang up on me?"
"What kind of speed is that! There's no way to dodge it at all, not even Observation Haki can react? How did he become so powerful!"
Vic flashed to a meter away from Akainu, looking down at Akainu lying on the ground groaning in pain. Vic had watched the entire battle between Akainu and Whitebeard, and even though Whitebeard was moving with difficulty, Akainu alone could not defeat him.
With his abilities and Haki combined, Whitebeard could stand there and use only his hands to suppress Akainu. Without Kizaru's help, Kizaru couldn't unleash the powerful destructive force of his Magma-Magma Fruit.
Similar to Vic, Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor ability also effectively countered Akainu's magma. His attacks were repelled before they even got close. So, Whitebeard was really frustrated in this battle. He watched his sons charge ahead and fight, but he dared not make any rash moves. He had to unleash his power at the most crucial moment, otherwise his old and ailing body would reach its end prematurely!
What's even more frustrating is that he has difficulty controlling his body perfectly. He could easily dodge Akainu and Kizaru's attacks with just a few slight movements, but his legs just don't obey him!
Did they really think that he, the strongest of the Four Emperors, could just stand there and fight? There's really no other way. Most of the time, he can only be a target, watching helplessly as the two attacks land on him. This is the greatest tragedy; it's like a tiger fallen into the plains being bullied by dogs.
"Uncle Vic is so handsome! He's really strong!"
" Luffy! I knew Mr. Vic was strong all along, you didn't just find out now, did you? I challenged him when I first set sail, and I was utterly defeated in one move!"
"I never expected Thunder God Vic to suddenly betray us. Captain Ace is now completely saved!"
" Pops! You and Vic must have made some kind of agreement before, otherwise you would have been fine if he had acted sooner!"
"Captain Marco! They've seized several warships! Let's get on board quickly!"
"Has he betrayed us again? After this, the seas will have another powerful force! Crocodile! Should we form an alliance? We can't stop those people by fighting alone!"
" Doflamingo! You're not worthy to be my ally!"
" Crocodile! You..."
" Whitebeard has fallen, will you succeed him? I wonder when I'll be able to challenge you! Where does a swordsman's journey end?"
"Lord Vic! You are truly amazing, always thinking of me in every way. I really want to..."
" Vic is only in his early thirties, and his talent is terrifying. I joined the Navy before him and have Logia abilities, but I can only suppress Straw Hat Boy Luffy right now. Looks like I have to go to the New World!"
"Even Sakazuki is no match for me, so it seems I'm no match either, Mr. Garp! Are you holding back any secrets? We were taught by the same master, how can there be such a big difference?"
" Koby! Who do you think is stronger Thunder God or Whitebeard? Hey! Koby? What's wrong with you? Wake up!"
" Vic! I know you just wanted to save that kid, but now that Fire Fist Ace has been rescued, there's no need for you to keep going against us. Stop it!"
Sengoku, now back in human form, walked ten meters away from Vic, pointed at Ace, and said to Vic, "This time, the Five Elders didn't tell Sengoku the truth, so Sengoku thought the strategic objective was largely achieved. Didn't you see Whitebeard over there barely breathing?"
So he didn't want to go too far with Vic. The originally cloudy sky was now covered by thunderclouds. Sengoku was very familiar with this abnormal weather. Wasn't it the same celestial phenomenon that appeared when Vic was awarded his rank?
This is clearly a thundercloud created by Vic using his abilities at some unknown time. If Vic is angered, the Navy will suffer heavy casualties this time!
Lightning is just as destructive as magma. One affects the body, while the other affects both the body and the soul. The double blow is even more terrifying. Therefore, Sengoku did not want to completely break with Vic and planned to turn a blind eye to Vic's rescue of Ace.
" Mr. Sengoku! I have always respected you. To be honest, Ace is also Vice Admiral Garp's grandson. Vice Admiral Garp kind to me, and I cannot stand by and watch Ace be executed by you!"
Vice Admiral Garp has his own stance and his own sense of justice. Seeing his grandson executed, he felt extremely conflicted and pained. But now he is a pirate, and he only wants to repay a debt of gratitude. Anyone who tries to stop him from doing so will face consequences they may not be able to bear. The World Government is a prime example of this!
I know that after this action, my Shichibukai will be over, but I don't care. Send men to arrest me all you want, but I'm going to save Ace today!
Vic did indeed use his ability to summon thunderclouds, a thundercloud capable of unleashing powerful attacks like the Raigo. If anything unexpected happens, he'll let Sengoku see his ultimate move.
However, he won't actually bring Raigo down; at most, it'll be a show to intimidate people, like a nuclear bomb. Now that Sengoku's attitude has softened, as long as Vic sticks to his guns, Ace will truly change his fate of death!
" Hell Hound!"
Just as Vic and Sengoku were talking, Akainu, who had recovered on the ground, suddenly attacked Vic, transforming into a giant Akainu dog and charging towards Vic's chest.
As if caught off guard, Vic failed to dodge the attack and was pierced through the chest by Akainu, who had turned into lava, flying out from his back.
" Fleet Admiral! We are the Navy, representing justice! How can we compromise with pirates!"
Akainu had already reverted to human form behind Vic. Although blood was still flowing down his face, one could still see smugness on his face. No matter how strong Vic was, he didn't think he could survive having his chest pierced by lava.
Although he launched a sneak attack when Vic wasn't paying attention, the Navy and pirates are inherently adversaries, so any kind of trickery or scheme is acceptable as long as they can eliminate their pirate enemy.
" Sakazuki! You..."
Sengoku was speechless. Akainu really did mistake ruthlessness for justice. This was a complete madness. No matter who you were, as long as you were marked as a pirate, I would capture and kill you even if you hadn't done anything wrong.
Isn't the identity of a pirate defined by the World Government and the Navy? Does that mean that anyone the World Government wants to kill can simply be labeled a pirate? Or that if you want to kill someone, you represent the Navy by labeling them a pirate before carrying out the killing? And then it's all touted as the Navy's justice?