Just as the slash was halfway through its flight, Shiryu finally drew his sword from his waist, and a brilliant blue slash flew out of its sheath.
This was one of Shiryu's signature moves— the Sword-Drawing Slash. After that, Shiryu was completely defeated, his spirits were low, and he even staggered as he retreated. It was clear that Shiryu all his strength in this move. He knew that he had no choice but to fight with all his might, otherwise he would definitely not be able to withstand it!
Shiryu was still confident. Although his Sword-Drawing Slash was very strong, he encountered Kuina, who had found her own swordsmanship. So Shiryu's slash shattered instantly, without even a slight resistance, and was split in two and then exploded.
Seeing this, Shiryu's spirits sank even lower. If that slash had been delivered by Vic, he wouldn't be so dejected. But he clearly saw that the one who drew the sword was a young woman in her early twenties. This was completely unacceptable to him. Had he wasted his life?
He was filled with hatred! This world was so unfair! We're all human, so why is talent ranked? Shouldn't the final result be determined by effort? Why can others easily surpass him with just a little practice? Why? The scream in Shiryu almost made him faint!
In fact, Kuina's training time was no less than Shiryu's. Vic's illusion was a time cheat. Moreover, Kuina was simple-minded and hardworking enough. It just goes to show that those who are more talented than you work harder than you. So it was only natural that she surpassed Shiryu, rather than the injustice that Shiryu complained about!
How can someone whose soul has been corrupted by a demonic sword possibly achieve mastery of swordsmanship? They're dreaming. The path they chose, even if it's paved entirely with excrement, they have to endure the disgust and keep walking!
" Black Hole!"
Blackbeard knew he couldn't rely on anyone else and had to take the lead himself. He used the old method: he wanted to absorb and destroy the slash with his Devil Fruit ability to ensure the safety of his pirate ship. This slash was much stronger than the previous giant cannonball, since Shiryu had no way to deal with it, and Blackbeard dared not be careless.
"Boom!"
Although Blackbeard was full of confidence and covered the entire ship with black matter, he still underestimated the power of this slash. Although the slash was also affected by the black matter, its power was only weakened and it was not swallowed by the dark matter. This is the effect of being entangled with Conqueror's Haki. Even the ability of the Dark-Dark Fruit would be hampered.
By the time the dark substance dissipated and blood trickled from Blackbeard's mouth, his makeshift pirate ship, constructed from a few large logs, had already been cleaved in two by the attack. Blackbeard hadn't stubbornly tried to block the blow head-on; instead, he dodged it at the last second. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so lightly injured. Knowing that even his Devil Fruit powers and Armament Haki couldn't stop it, it would have been foolish to stubbornly try. But Blackbeard wasn't stupid; in the end, the attack merely separated the pirate ship before disappearing into the distance.
" Thunder God! You're here for Marco and the others, aren't you? Stop wasting our time arguing with us. They were critically injured and on the verge of death when we left!"
Is this your true thought? You think you can take over your Pops's territory smoothly once they're dead? What a clever scheme!
Thunder God! To die at the hands of an ambitious man like you would not dishonor us, but if even one of us leaves this world alive, your despicable deeds will be known throughout the land!
"Row the boat quickly! Get out of here!"
Blackbeard knew that if a few more slashes like that came, they would really be drowned and fed to the fish. He could only cup his hands to his mouth and shout as if he were too slow to shout, lest he be met with the next slash.
He can only gamble now. He can either bet that Vic won't stand by and watch Gunko die, or he can bet that a gentleman will deceive him in the right way. After all, Vic came from the Navy, so maybe he still has some sense of justice. He has to gamble on that, and that's all he can gamble on. He'll leave the rest to fate.
Blackbeard glanced at his cunning underlings, all of whom were still there, and sighed inwardly. He quickly ordered everyone to row with all their might.
" Vic! He's trying to smear your reputation. I'm going to kill him!"
Rebecca couldn't stand anyone speaking ill of Vic, and when she heard Blackbeard's shout, she immediately exploded and wanted to fly out and kill Blackbeard and his crew, but Vic stopped her.
"No need! He's just Joker after all. In the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are futile. He'll understand that in the future. Let's go check on Marco and the others first, lest we really delay them!"
Vic held Rebecca back, preventing her from taking off. The most important thing now was to treat Marco and the others. The reason Vic had ordered a pursuit earlier was because, in the original story, although Marco and the others were defeated by Blackbeard, their lives were not in danger.
Vic was unaware that his appearance as a butterfly had changed many things. He had saved Ace's life and become Marco's ultimate support, which is why Blackbeard provoked him.
If Ace dies too, no matter how much Blackbeard tries to provoke Marco, he won't fall for it. As long as Marco escapes, he will become someone Blackbeard fears, and the others will have a chance to live!
Marco certainly possesses formidable strength. Whenever someone attacks Blackbeard, he'll come to their aid. When you let your guard down, he'll kill off one or two of your subordinates, and then he'll haunt you for the rest of your life. I ask you, can you withstand that?
Blackbeard could also see this. In order to realize his ambitions, he would let Jozu and the others go. Being constantly watched by a powerful figure like Marco was really unbearable for him, since he only needed territory to develop his power.
Even knowing all this, Vic wouldn't gamble on whether Blackbeard's words were true or false; it wasn't worth the risk for a few Joker.
Moreover, Blackbeard's shouts were really loud; not only could they hear them, but the people on the beach on the island could also hear them. If Marco and the others really died from their serious injuries, they would have no way to explain themselves.
After all, Vic isn't a great villain; he wouldn't bury everyone on the island like Blackbeard did because of this. That's not Vic's style.
Another thing is that Vic used his Observation Haki to check, Marco and the others' auras were indeed very weak, especially Jozu, who was already breathing more than he was exhaling. Jesus Burgess was eager for power and didn't hesitate to take action. Blackbeard wasn't lying.
"I'm going first, you guys find a place to dock!"
Vic gave his instructions and then vanished from the ship like Inazuma. Rebecca was extremely unwilling; she really wanted to take Frodeku with her to wipe out Blackbeard and his gang.
Frodeku isn't a Devil Fruit user, yet she can foresee the future, making her an absolute nemesis to Blackbeard. She herself can indiscriminately slaughter others; who can withstand her barrage of a thousand swords?
Rebecca was still quite clear-headed. She knew that Blackbeard was effective against Devil Fruit users, so she didn't plan to go alone. However, since Vic had already given his instructions, she had no choice but to let those guys go!
Vic transformed into Inazuma and instantly arrived at the battlefield where the Blackbeard Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates were fighting. He lifted a black cloth on the ground and saw Jozu lying lifeless. Vic knew that if he had arrived any later, Jozu would not only have lost his life but also his Devil Fruit power. His arrival interrupted Blackbeard's evil ritual.
Although Jozu had no heartbeat or vital signs, he had only just stopped breathing. Even Chopper, with his Blue Nose, could be brought back to life, let alone Vic. He shot a Inazuma of Inazuma that enveloped Jozu's entire body, and his heartbeat immediately returned.
Next came the comprehensive and meticulous treatment. Following the principle of treating the most serious injuries first, Vic treated each of the Whitebeard Pirates's wounded. Vic did not immediately heal them to full health; he stopped treating fatal wounds and internal injuries once they were healed, as he had no need to reveal his God Level medical skills.
By the time Rebecca and the others arrived, Vic had already finished treating them. Although Marco and the others still looked badly injured, they were breathing steadily and were mostly recovered. They were just still exhausted from the battle and hadn't woken up yet. Vic told everyone to get some wood to start a campfire, and they would set up camp there for the day.