"No need! Defeat is defeat. I don't want to become Fleet Admiral this way. We just have different ideologies, it's not a matter of life and death. What are you trying to do here?"
Aokiji is currently a lazy person. He doesn't want to become the Fleet Admiral. It's too tiring. He wants to be a relatively free person like Garp. He doesn't want to take over the position of Fleet Admiral as a loser by having an outsider kill his colleagues. He can't get over that mental hurdle. So he refused without hesitation, which can be considered as protecting Akainu in a roundabout way!
Vic had intended to give Aokiji one last chance. If Aokiji was willing to become Fleet Admiral, he could change his previous plans. However, Aokiji refused, so there was nothing more to say. They should proceed according to the original plan.
If Vic hadn't met Red Count, Vic wouldn't have cared whether Aokiji wanted to be the Fleet Admiral or not. As long as Akainu defeated Aokiji, the Fleet Admiral would definitely be his. The Five Elders couldn't possibly hold a World Military Draft Fleet Admiral, could they? Sengoku would be the first to disagree.
"Since you're unwilling, then forget it. I came here to watch a battle between Marine Admiral, and incidentally, to lend a hand when you're about to be killed."
After finishing speaking, Vic ignored Aokiji and turned to walk towards Akainu. His target here was Akainu like Akainu were the most trusted by the Five Elders, a fact proven time and again in missions!
In the eyes of the Five Elders, Akainu would never betray them; he had already sided with the Celestial Dragons. If Vic were to develop such a person into a spy, the Celestial Dragons would suffer a great loss at the crucial moment!
Planting a spy like Akainu would not only keep him hidden, but would also serve a greater purpose; Vic had no reason not to act.
"What do you want? If you want to kill me, then do it! I'll admit defeat if you even frown!"
Seeing Vic approach, Akainu's expression remained unchanged, showing no fear. He still didn't trust Vic and Aokiji, no matter how eloquent their words were. This was the professionalism expected of a high-ranking Marine officer. Vic's presence here at this moment was very suspicious. He wasn't afraid of death, but rather of some conspiracy.
"Go to sleep! Just pretend I was never here."
Vic didn't answer Akainu's question. He used Conqueror's Haki to control the area and knocked the two unconscious. If they were at their peak, it would be very difficult for him to do this with his Conqueror's Haki. However, they were both exhausted to the limit and naturally couldn't withstand his mental impact. They instantly lost consciousness.
Vic quickly took two steps forward, caught Akainu who was falling, and gently placed him on the ground. He couldn't let him fall; parts of his body were still covered in solid ice. If he fell, those parts would shatter. Vic didn't want a broken nail to be useful at a crucial moment, lest the nail break too.
"I see! No wonder you hate pirates so much. Oh well! Let me give you some pleasant memories!"
Vic examined Akainu's memories and learned why he hated pirates. There is no hatred or love without a reason in this world; everything has a cause, and Akainu is no exception.
Vic didn't delete that part of the memory, but added a memory of Akainu accidentally discovering that the World Government was involved behind the incident, and another memory of Akainu vowing to endure humiliation and overthrow the Celestial Dragons.
After doing all this, he deleted all his memories of being here, including Aokiji's memories, making sure that all traces of his presence here were completely erased.
Vic works very quickly; this was all part of his plan, and the plot had probably been edited long ago, so he wouldn't waste any time. By the time he finished dealing with the beginning and end and was hovering high in the sky again, the navy, who hadn't heard any commotion on the island, had only traveled halfway.
To avoid interfering with Akainu and Aokiji's battle and to avoid being affected by its aftermath, the marines remained on their warships. Naturally, they couldn't come from the shore as quickly as Vic.
When Sengoku arrived with several Vice Admiral and a large group of navy personnel, he only saw two Marine Admiral lying unconscious on the ground. One had a broken leg and some burns on other parts of his body, while the other had parts of his body frozen and many other frostbite injuries.
In Sengoku's eyes, the two were evenly matched, and there was no clear winner. He quickly ordered people to heal Aokiji and thaw Akainu, otherwise, if this continued, the two would really be crippled.
Vic saw this and left quietly. As for the true outcome of this battle, the Navy would only know after the two woke up. Aokiji and Akainu already knew the result, and neither of them were the type to distort the truth.
The result? Vic already knew perfectly well that there was no need for him to stay here. A dangerous and hidden nail had already been planted under the Five Elders ' seats, or even under Imu's Empty Throne. All that was left was to wait for the right moment to strike!
Not long after Vic left Punk Hazard, the newspapers published news that Akainu had become the new Fleet Admiral, but the battle between Aokiji and Akainu was not reported.
However, the rumors had already spread from within the Navy, and the larger factions knew about them. They were also spreading gradually downwards. Vic suspected that this was deliberately spread by the Navy's high command, because the rumors claimed that the two fought fiercely for ten days and ten nights, which was different from what he had actually seen.
However, none of this mattered to Vic. He was more concerned about the Navy's upcoming World Military Draft, when many powerful individuals would join the Navy.
Fujitora and Ryokugyu are just the two strongest and highest-ranking individuals; it's not that the Navy only recruited them. As you can see from Fujitora and Ryokugyu, there are still many strong people in this world.
They originally belonged neither to the Navy nor to the pirates. Some traveled all over the world, while others stayed in one country and held certain positions. Still others lived their low-key and simple lives. Many pirates stumbled and disappeared without a trace when they met their match!
Some of these people may be very famous, while others may be unknown to the world. However, a World Military Draft by the Navy will bring many of them to the forefront. Vic is very interested in them all, as they are the future backbone of the Navy!
Instead of returning directly to Titan Island, Vic took Gion's Vivre Card and found her and her two children on a mission in the New World. The newspaper he was reading was the same one on Gion's desk, Gion was massaging Vic from behind.
Vic swaggered onto the warship as usual, and no one could detect his presence. Even if he was discovered while running away, it didn't matter anymore, since he could now erase his memories, making it even easier for him to come and go!
The joy of Vic and Gion's reunion goes without saying. The two spent the whole night together. The next day, Vic went to see his son and daughter. The two were thirteen or fourteen years old and had already reached 1.67 meters tall. Apart from their still childish faces, they no longer looked like children.
Although the two were young, they were already quite strong. With Vic strengthening their bodies and eliminating the risk of exceeding their limits before their bodies were fully developed, they had already begun their training.
"How are you? Are you comfortable?"
Gion Vic put down his newspaper, Gion leaned forward, put her arm around Vic's shoulder, and pressed her face against his. Their necks intertwined, Gion rubbed her face against Vic's chin, asking expectantly.
Now it's time for the two of them to be alone. The two children have already been expelled from Gion to train. Once the children grow up, they won't be as fun anymore. She also wants to have another one for Vic to play with.
Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?
Vic reached out and stroked Gion's other cheek, causing Gion's eyes to narrow and her breathing to become rapid.
Vic was really just stroking Gion's cheek, doing nothing else. Gion's body had developed a conditioned reflex; whenever Vic's palm touched her body, she felt an electric shock.
This is a physical memory ingrained from being controlled by the Devil Fruit's power for a long time. Gion is now an absolute gem, like a ripe peach that's bursting with juice at the slightest touch. Of course, this only applies to Vic; Vic is the key to unlocking this mode.
"Hmm! Let's hear the lie first!"
Gion probably knew that the truth would be unpleasant to hear, so she chose to lie. Her face was already rubbing against Vic's palm, and her arms were wrapped around him even tighter, as if some force was controlling her body!
If it weren't for the sense of justice emanating from the cloak behind her suppressing her last shred of reason, the office might have become a new battlefield. The two hadn't seen each other for so long, how could one night be enough? Plus, with this kind of body, her mind was already out of control.
The lie is that I haven't thought about you at all during this time; I almost forgot about you completely!
Vic didn't return to the original topic; his words were more like a heartfelt confession, reflecting Vic true feelings. After all, they had been apart for so long, it would be a lie to say he didn't miss her!
What makes humans human is that their emotions are truly difficult to control. Even the God of Law, though bearing the title of "god," is still essentially human, only possessing godlike power!
Although Vic could use his abilities to erase memories and block out these feelings, it really wasn't necessary, and Vic didn't want to. Is it really okay to be like a god, detached from the world and indifferent to everything?
"Um!..."
Gion let out a soft moan, her whole body going limp. Vic quickly turned around and pulled her into his arms. Vic had never said such affectionate words in all these years; usually, Gion was the one who took the initiative, and Vic was always the one who was passive.
The sun must have risen in the west today! For such words to come out of Vic's mouth was enough to make Gion incredibly happy. She wouldn't doubt that Vic was being impersonated, since no one else had those shady abilities.
Over the next few days, Vic let Gion and the two children enter the illusion, so that the four of them could spend more time together. Vic also enjoyed some family time before quietly leaving.