After chatting with Smoker for a while, Vic and Aokiji said their goodbyes and left. Smoker had to stay and guard the scene. What happened on Punk Hazard was no small matter. It involved the World Government's original experimental base, experiments that the World Government openly prohibited, Doflamingo and Law, two of the Shichibukai, and the Straw Hat Pirates.
As for the undercover agent Vergo, he was the least noticeable, so it wasn't appropriate for Vic and Aokiji, these two "outsiders," to stay any longer. Vic even deleted all memories related to his existence from the minds of the G5 members.
As for Aokiji, there's no need to delete him. Aokiji is still a vagrant right now. He left the Navy through proper channels. Whether he will become a pirate in the future is a matter for the future and has no impact on Smoker's future.
" Kuzan! Did you come here to investigate the Straw Hat Pirates on my advice?"
On an ice path far from Punk Hazard, Aokiji rode his bicycle ahead, Vic walked behind, and a large penguin swam in pursuit in the sea. Vic finally asked the question that he couldn't ask when Smoker was present.
"Yes! In the past two years, I've come to know this world anew. You're right. I want to try and see if I can end this Great Pirate Era. If I have the chance, I'll try to go even further! I never imagined that the sliver of kindness I showed in Ohara would become the secret medicine for my redemption!"
In the past two years, Aokiji has finally seen the true face of the World Government. Although he already had a general idea when Vic mentioned it, seeing it with his own eyes was still too shocking to his mind. It was more like a tearing apart than an shock. The feeling was indescribable. In any case, Aokiji couldn't help but take action; he couldn't suppress it at all!
Fortunately, he acted discreetly and was not noticed by the World Government. He then waited for the Straw Hat Pirates to appear. If they passed his test, he would find an opportunity to join them. If not, he would settle for Vic Vick's Thunder God Pirates. After all, Vic had never said that he wanted to become the Pirate King, so Vic was only a second choice!
"Alright! The Straw Hat crew's next stop is Dressrosa. Their goal is to take down the Shichibukai Doflamingo. You'll definitely get the answer there!"
This is the Eternal Pose of Dressrosa. They have one too. Go see that "passionate and childlike" country before they do! I have some things to do now, but I'll go there with you to witness it when I'm done!
The Straw Hat Pirates has set sail again, Vic has already seen it all. Smoker's crisis has been resolved, and Ace's two-year promise has come to an end. It's time for Vic to return Titan Island. He wants to return Whitebeard's territory to Ace; this is a decision he made long ago.
As for whether he can catch up with Fujitora's famous kneeling scene in Dressrosa? Needless to say, when it comes to speed, Vic is second to none, and even Kizaru wouldn't dare to claim first place.
"No wonder you let that turkey leave; it turns out it had its own destiny!"
Aokiji took the Eternal Pose from Vic and sighed. He thought Vic's temper had improved, or that he had become indifferent to pirates after being a pirate for so long and had lost the passion he had when he was a Marine. He never expected that Doflamingo had already been completely taken care of!
"Let the Joker King of the Underworld have a glorious end, but their ultimate target is not Doflamingo!"
If you approve of them in Dressrosa, don't rush to join them. They'll face even greater dangers later, because their ultimate goal is Kaido of the Beasts! You should know what to do, right?
Offering help in times of need is far more touching than adding flowers to brocade. While it might seem somewhat self-serving, sincerity is what matters! Remember! Don't confront Kaido personally; hand him over to Luffy. He's the whetstone for the future Pirate King!
Before arriving at Onigashima from Punk Hazard, there was no good opportunity to join the Straw Hat Pirates. Judging from Luffy's past habits of inviting crew members, the crew members he invites are all those who have fought alongside him.
Zoro attacked Morgan in Morgan Shells Town!
Usopp, the hypnotist Jango captain of the Black Cat Pirates, was attacked by Syrup Village!
Nami attacks Buggy in Orange Town!
Baratie Sanji Gin the Baratie restaurant!
Chopper from the Drum Kingdom attacks Wapol!
Robin attacks Crocodile in Alabasta!
Franky, who attacked CP9 at Enies Lobby!
Brook, who attacked Ryuma's corpse during Thriller Bark, didn't win the fight; it was Zoro who intervened!
Jinbe, who helped Luffy on Fish-Man Island and Whole Cake Island, and fought alongside him at Marineford!
These are all Luffy's former comrades who fought alongside him and were invited by him to become his crewmates. Therefore, if Aokiji wants to better integrate into the Straw Hat Pirates, he still needs to be mindful of his approach.
Vic's advice to Aokiji can be considered a sign of his foresight. If Aokiji does as he says, he'll be almost certain to succeed.
After saying this, Vic transformed into lightning and disappeared onto the ice path, causing the penguins soaking in the sea nearby to shiver before completely relaxing.
"What a spineless coward! He's even afraid of lightning!"
Aokiji cursed and continued pedaling his bicycle, but his target was now in the direction the Eternal Pose on the handlebars was pointing. He really needed to hurry on his way; Straw Hat Boy had already been on the road for quite some time.
As for the giant penguin beside it, it completely ignored Aokiji's complaints. Being afraid of lightning is a biological instinct, and there's nothing it can do about it. "If you're so capable, why don't you two have a fight? You make it sound so easy. What kind of skill do I, a cricket, have?"
When Vic arrived at Titan Island, Ace was still fighting Bullet, and the battlefield had expanded deeper into the island.
Unlike other islands, Titan Island is not a place Morgans could easily fly over to sell newspapers, such as the Boin Archipelago where Usopp lived or the Bird Kingdom where Chopper lived. Morgans could go to these remote places to sell newspapers.
However, the airspace over Titan Island is controlled by gravity, so even Morgans couldn't come over to sell newspapers. Therefore Ace and Bullet didn't know exactly how much time had passed and could only make a rough estimate, without any accurate data.
In the first few months, Vic would come and teach Ace a lesson, and they still had some sense of time, only coming once a month. Later on, Vic had nothing left to teach, so he would just watch from a distance and then leave quietly. That's why they've been fighting until now, only the battlefield is deeper, and they're just waiting for Vic to give them a call.
Vic didn't interrupt their fight. The two used physical skills, Haki, Devil Fruit abilities, and Conqueror's Coating in turn, fighting fiercely and evenly matched. Neither could gain the upper hand. If one used physical skills, the other would use Devil Fruit abilities; if the other used Devil Fruit abilities, the other would use Armament Haki; if the other used Armament Haki Conqueror's Coating; if the other used Conqueror's Coating, the other would use Conqueror's Coating combined with physical skills. They used everything very flexibly, with the goal of restraining each other!
Vic didn't teach Bullet anything, but Bullet wasn't stupid either. He learned everything Vic taught Ace. For a period of time, Bullet learned Ryuo from Ace. With his already Awakening, larger capacity Armament Haki, Ace was beaten terribly during that time!
Fortunately, under immense pressure, Ace mastered the Conqueror's Coating, shifting the balance of power. The one taking the beating became Bullet, who was unfamiliar with Conqueror's Coating. During that period, Barrett was beaten terribly, with each punch potentially carrying Ace's revenge. It was also during that time that Bullet developed his Devil Fruit ability to its Awakening state. Devil Fruit Awakening Ryuo could he barely withstand Ace's attacks!
However, the two-year period has passed, Ace still hasn't been able to Devil Fruit Awakening. This makes Vic a little regretful. He knows that Ace probably won't Awakening through fighting alone, and he still wants Ace to experience some trials and tribulations to understand his true nature!
" Ace! Two years have passed. You've learned everything you were supposed to, but you still don't quite grasp the essence. Fighting here is useless; the opponents are too predictable. It's time for you to venture out to sea!"