New World Whole Cake Island
"Mom! Whitebeard died at Marine Headquarters. The Whitebeard Pirates are much weaker than before. Should we take this opportunity to absorb some of Whitebeard's forces?"
"Hey hey hey hey! Perospero! Did you see Vic's new bounty? His bounty is almost catching up to ours, especially Red-Hair, he's almost there! What does the World Government mean by this? Katakuri! What's your opinion?"
"On the surface, it seems they want Vic to inherit the Four Emperors title vacated after Whitebeard's death. But this requires Vic to actively fight for it, even to seize territory from the remaining Whitebeard Pirates. The deeper meaning, it seems, is that the World Government is still targeting Vic, which is probably related to the events of that year!"
"Well, well, well, well! That's right, Katakuri! Your mind is very clear. We can't go and Whitebeard right now. That kid Vic helped Whitebeard during the Paramount War, so it wouldn't be good for him to turn around and Whitebeard left behind. That would be embarrassing!"
But if we try to steal it, that kid will have an excuse to take it back, which will allow his power to grow extremely rapidly, and he could truly replace Whitebeard as one of the new Four Emperors. That's not what I want to see; we have a deep-seated hatred between us!
"Mom! I think you shouldn't go against Vic anymore. We can't stop someone like him. He's destined to rise to power, and might even become the Pirate King of this era!"
" Katakuri! Don't jump to conclusions. I'm not alone. If necessary, I'll find allies. I don't believe Vic can take on two at once. Once I find the right opportunity, that brat will be finished! Hmph!"
Wano Country of Onigashima in the New World
"After lying low for so long, are you finally going to show your fangs? Today is truly a good day! Men, bring me some wine, we must drink until we're completely drunk!"
"Boss Kaido! You really don't plan to take Yamato? He's your own son!"
" Jack! Why are you talking so much nonsense? If Kaido could beat Thunder God Vic, wouldn't Yamato have been taken back long ago? Do you need to persuade him?"
You have absolutely no tact! Don't say things like that that hurt the boss so much again. Didn't you see he's about to drink again? He's definitely thinking about that painful memory. You deserve to die! Jack! Be careful, Kaido get drunk and go berserk and kill you!
"I..."
"Idiot!"
"Idiot Jhin! Who are you calling an idiot? Why are you insulting yourself? You haven't been beaten by that kid. That kid is ruthless. He almost killed me when I was a teenager. If you had gone back then, you'd probably be dead. And instead of thanking me for taking the fall for you, you're heartless!"
"Shameless!"
"Hey! I said..."
A certain sea area in the New World
"Although Teach suffered a loss at your hands this time, he's no less dangerous! Will you replace Whitebeard as one of the new Four Emperors?"
On the Dressrosa, Shanks held Vic's bounty poster and muttered to himself. When he went to Marine Headquarters, he happened to see the Blackbeard Pirates fleeing in disarray. He later learned that it was Vic who had done that. Vic was very strong, and Shanks had to admire him.
However, Blackbeard's mind was too deep, and his cunning was unmatched. Every step he took was planned, and every step had its purpose. He didn't know the intention behind many of Blackbeard's actions, but that didn't stop him from being wary of Blackbeard. Ever since Blackbeard betrayed the Whitebeard Pirates, he had been keeping a close eye on Blackbeard's movements!
"You seem more confident that Blackbeard will become one of the new Four Emperors?"
Although Shanks whispered, Beckman, who was smoking nearby, still heard him. He wondered why Shanks had so much confidence in Blackbeard. Was it just because of the three scars around his left eye?
To be honest, Beckman didn't quite believe it. Of course, he didn't know Blackbeard very well, but he was quite familiar with Vic's strength. That freakish growth rate was even better than Shanks's, who had exceptional talent. Could someone like that really lose to Blackbeard?
"You don't understand the darkness in Teach's heart, but I can glimpse it, and even just a glimpse is terrifying. This man is the one I can never let go of!"
Vic doesn't care about titles, fame, or fortune; otherwise, with his abilities, his reputation would have spread throughout the world long ago, and I wouldn't be so worried. As for Vic, there are some things I don't quite understand about his actions, but he has no darkness in his heart, and that alone is enough to make me trust him! Let's find some time to talk to Vic!
After Shanks finished speaking, he released his grip, and the two wanted posters in his hand floated away with the wind. As the posters drifted further away, some of their contents could still be seen from the pirate ship. One was Vic's, and the other, which hadn't been visible before, featured Blackbeard's large face, grinning with gaping teeth and a sinister smile...
" Ace! Unleash your highest flame to date and let me see."
A few days later, Vic and Ace had crossed Fish-Man Island and entered the New World, without lingering on the somewhat chaotic Fish-Man Island.
Coating, navigation, steering, cooking, and odd jobs were all done by Ace to subdue a group of pirates who wanted to go to the New World.
In any case, they didn't have to worry about anything. Those bruised and battered pirates didn't dare to make any trouble. After learning about Vic and Ace's identities, they tried their best to please them. It was their first time in the New World, and they knew how dangerous New World. They wanted to find a powerful force to rely on.
Before even arriving, they encountered Fire Fist Ace and Thunder God Vic. Shouldn't they grab onto such powerful figures? However, the two ignored them and sent them away after arriving in the New World, leaving them to cry their hearts out without looking back. They then piloted their warship towards Titan Island.
"Yes, Mr. Vic!"
Ace knew that Vic was about to begin instructing him in his training, so he agreed and stretched out his palm, from which a red flame emerged and burned quietly.
As Ace's expression turned serious, the red flame slowly turned orange, and the surrounding temperature rose considerably. However, the two seemed oblivious, continuing to stare at the changing flame.
"It's almost 3000 degrees, keep going!"
Vic knew this wasn't Ace's limit; a flame of only 3,000 degrees Celsius could be defended against by most Haki, which was only at the level of those fire-wielding individuals in the New World, far from meeting Vic's requirements.
What Vic needs from Ace is a flame that can burn through Haki. The relationship between Haki and ability is mutual; neither can absolutely restrain the other, and neither can definitely stop the other. In the end, it still depends on whether ability or Haki is stronger!
Even with strong abilities, Haki defense is still ineffective. The best example is Law and Vergo. After Law's heart recovered, he used his ability and sliced through Vergo's entire body covered in Armament Haki with a single strike.
Ace didn't speak. The flame in his palm flickered, its color changing from orange to yellow. The surrounding temperature rose even higher, and the newspaper on the small table next to him spontaneously combusted. Vic released a Armament Haki Emission, extinguishing the burning newspaper instantly.
"Not bad! It's almost 4,000 degrees, can it continue?"
A temperature of 4,000 degrees Celsius is already quite high. Prometheus's temperature is only that high. Ordinary Haki cannot defend against it, and even a typical Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral cannot withstand this flame. Ace could simply scatter his ashes.
In the original work, Ace was probably at this level before he died. Even though the temperature had exceeded that of magma, his Haki was far inferior, and he still died at Akainu's hands in the end.
In fact, a temperature of 4,000 degrees Celsius would be an absolute catastrophe for any living organism. They would sizzle and ooze oil from a great distance. No race could withstand it. Even if the people in the pirate world were stronger, they were still just mortals. Carbon-based life forms simply couldn't withstand flames and high temperatures!
It's only because of the magical power of Haki that it can be resisted; otherwise, such flames would be invincible!
This is also why, in the original work, Ace started to focus on diversifying the techniques of the Flame-Flame Fruit after developing it to this point. Most people couldn't withstand the flames, and further development would be too time-consuming and energy-intensive, so Ace changed his path. As a result, he didn't succeed in either the Haki path!