"Hmph! I'll let you be smug for now, but wait until I take down Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat Boy, then you'll regret it!"
While everyone else was watching Vic beat up the Blackbeard Pirates, Akainu secretly slipped into the fissure in the ground created by Whitebeard's attack. He then used his Magma-Magma Fruit powers to create a hole underground and was now stealthily making his way towards the warships docked at the port.
Although Akainu witnessed Vic's immense strength and knew that Vic valued Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat Boy Luffy highly, he still wanted to eliminate these two when Vic was at his most triumphant!
He wasn't afraid of Vic retaliating against him afterward. This was Marine Headquarters, and all his own people were here. As long as they joined forces, they weren't afraid of Vic going crazy. They were all from the Marine camp. Apart from Garp, who was a little uncertain, Aokiji, Kizaru, Sengoku, and Tsuru would definitely not stand by and watch him get killed. So he felt that he should be fine.
"Oh no! That bastard!"
"You two brats! Prepare to die!"
Just as Vic was preparing to eliminate the threat of Blackbeard ahead of time, he suddenly felt a jolt in his heart. He turned around and saw a red light rising from the edge of the harbor!
Then Future Sight Observation Haki, which allows him to foresee the future, was triggered. Seeing the future scene, Vic's face was filled with rage. He instantly released his Speed Domain, which enveloped the entire square, and then transformed into lightning, rushing over at top speed!
While Vic was beating up the Blackbeard Pirates, Akainu, thinking he had everything under control, melted a hole in the harbor wall and leaped towards Luffy and Ace, who were watching the show from the warship, without hesitation!
As Akainu leaped into the air, even his arms transformed into magma. He was determined to kill both of them in one fell swoop. "You, Vic, want to protect them? Well, I'll kill them right in front of you and make you regret your arrogance and hubris!"
Just as Akainu jumped onto the warship's railing, preparing to deliver a punch, a flash of lightning appeared before his eyes, followed by a figure. Akainu had a bad feeling, but his fist, now transformed into magma, wouldn't be pulled back. He wouldn't lose out no matter who he hit; it would be even better if he could injure Vic, as he had just been badly beaten by this guy. So, Akainu added a few more points of force to his punch.
"Boom!"
Vic is not Ace. Even in a hasty rescue, he would not be unprotected. Moreover, Vic's Observation Haki has already foreseen the future, and he can dodge attacks by transforming into his elemental form in advance. He would not sacrifice his life to save people. However, that is only a choice made in the worst-case scenario!
At this moment, Vic didn't need to do that. With the speed of lightning and the enhancement from the Speed Domain, he was close to reaching the speed of light, so he had plenty of time to react.
Vic's Haki -infused fist collided directly with Akainu's Magma Fist, creating a massive explosion. A significant amount of magma was blasted off Akainu's arm, and the powerful shockwave shook the warship.
"As expected, there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names; they actually crawled through a dog hole to launch a sneak attack!"
Vic's Haki fist and Akainu's Magma Fist remained locked in a stalemate. No matter how turbulent the magma on Akainu's fist was, Vic's fist remained completely unharmed.
Looking at the large hole where lava was still flowing not far behind Akainu, Vic scoffed. As long as Akainu's sneak attack was stopped, Akainu wouldn't be a threat anymore. So Vic felt relieved and had the leisure to talk.
Vic's heart was truly in his throat. He'd gone through so much trouble to save Ace, only to have him taken away by Akainu again? Was this truly Ace's fate?
An accident happened without warning? Does the will of the world truly exist? Ace, unchanged, was captured? The Paramount War, unchanged? And then, Ace, unchanged, died?
Fortunately, Vic was strong enough to stop Akainu at the last minute and ultimately save Ace. Fate is not fixed; as long as you are strong enough, you can still change your destiny!
However, Vic was also secretly wary. The Marine Admiral was still very strong. He could stop him, but others could not. As long as the Marine Admiral used his brain, he would be very difficult to deal with!
He had only left for a short while to try and take down Blackbeard ahead of time, and Akainu almost managed to raid their base. So Vic has decided that even if he doesn't kill Blackbeard, he can't stray too far from Ace and Luffy. As for raiding their base, there's also Kizaru, who's even faster, so they have to be on guard.
Vic even suspected that Blackbeard's fate influenced Ace's fate, as if God was forcing him to make a choice: either die or live!
Luffy! What's wrong with you? Wake up!
While Vic was deep in thought, he was suddenly drawn to Ace's voice. He used his Observation Haki to sense Luffy's condition and found that Luffy's aura was much weaker; he had simply fainted, so he stopped paying attention to him.
Luffy's body has serious problems, and with Ivankov constantly using hormones to overdraw his life force, his body has long been exhausted to its limit. He was fine before only because he wanted to rescue Ace and relied on his strong will to hold on until now. Now that Ace has been rescued, Luffy could faint at any moment without the support of his will. It's already incredible that he's managed to hold on this long.
" Luffy isn't in any life-threatening danger. He's just reached his physical limit and needs to stop to recover. He'll wake up in a couple of days!"
Ivankov was also on the warship. He wasn't at ease until Luffy was completely safe, so when Ace exclaimed in surprise, he immediately ran over to check on Luffy.
After the check, the two breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Vic's reliable back and Akainu's ferocious face, they were still a little shaken. They had almost been in serious trouble just now. Mr. Vic was the most reliable!
"Get out of here!"
Vic didn't want to remain in this stalemate with Akainu, so he unleashed his powerful Conqueror's Haki, instantly suppressing Akainu's magma arm back into a normal arm.
This is also one of the effects of Conqueror's Haki; it has a suppressive effect on Devil Fruit abilities. As long as Conqueror's Haki is strong enough, it can even suppress the elemental transformation of Marine Admiral!
With the current strength of Vic's Conqueror's Haki, suppressing Akainu's elemental transformation shouldn't be a problem. Even Red-Hair, who is naturally trained, can suppress Ryokugyu, so Vic, who is on drugs, will only be stronger.
"How is this possible!..."
Akainu's incredible voice faded into the distance, because the moment he spoke, he was kicked away by Vic. At this point, Vic didn't even need to use Armament Haki, and Akainu couldn't even use his elemental form.
"How could this be! Although there have been such rumors, I have never seen Conqueror's Haki that can truly suppress Devil Fruit abilities. I never expected to see it on that guy today!"
Is this the talent of that little monster? Thank goodness he's no longer in the Navy, otherwise I would have no chance to rise to prominence!
Akainu was kicked away, was secretly shocked. Even as an enemy, he had to acknowledge Vic's strength and talent!
If Vic had used Conqueror's Haki to suppress him just now, he would have become a sitting duck, unable to dodge, defend, or withstand it for long. Vic was able to kill him alive only because they were both from the Navy and Vic gave him some face. Yet he didn't know what was good for him and tried to steal his home. Thinking about it now, it's quite laughable!
"Oh! You want to stop me?"
Just as Vic leaped over, ready to teach Akainu a lesson for lying on the ground, Kizaru and Aokiji blocked Akainu's way. Vic didn't launch an attack immediately, but stopped and asked calmly.
It's not that Vic is afraid of the Three Admirals joining forces, but he still has other concerns. If Headliners out, he can't prevent them from capturing Ace and Luffy to threaten him. Don't think that just because they are marines they wouldn't do such a thing. As long as it benefits them, there's nothing they won't do. Justice is written by the victors, and there's a saying in military strategy that all's fair in war.
" Vic! Let's stop here. No more unnecessary casualties; we'll only bring trouble if we keep fighting!"
Aokiji's face was already covered in frost, indicating that he was prepared to take action at any moment. He was now Marine Admiral, and even though he had a good relationship with Vic in private, he had to stand on the side of the Marines at this time. Even though Akainu's behavior was very dishonorable, he still represented the Marines. Of course, he didn't want to fight Vic, so he still had to persuade him.
" Vic! The war is over, and Sakazuki is seriously wounded. There's no need to hold a grudge. Do you really want to sink this Marine Base where we once lived?"
Kizaru had been defeated by Vic before, but he still had to step up at this crucial moment. This was the dignity of Marine Admiral. He could lose, he could die, but he could not retreat. This was the bottom line. So many people were watching what was happening here!
"Oh! What if I don't want to?"
Vic wasn't going to let Akainu off easily. If he didn't learn his lesson, he would definitely do it again next time. Akainu had to pay the price.
Moreover, regardless of what Aokiji said, Kizaru's words were full of moral blackmail, which really annoyed Vic. Vic hates moral blackmail the most, which is one of the reasons why he can't become a Marine. Deep down, he doesn't want to be bound by anything.
The Navy is a profession bound by various ideologies. Vic joined the Navy to become stronger. If he was happy, he could stay a Navyman forever. But how could the Navy, which is controlled by the World Government, keep him happy forever? So he was destined to be a pirate!
Stumbling and falling, they will eventually become pirates. The existence of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons has distorted this world. Only the pirates who are suppressed by them are truly free!
"What a disaster! Even rushing, we were still too late!"