Vic only appeared after their battle ended, much to the astonishment of Ace and Bullet. They considered themselves quite strong, yet Vic was still able to approach them silently without being detected—such strength was truly awe-inspiring!
They hadn't made any progress for a while, and they thought they had reached the limits of human potential. But Vic's appearance woke them up; they hadn't even touched the edge of human limits!
In fact, both of them are already very strong. They are only one step away from becoming top-tier powerhouses like Kaido by being able to Future Sight. After learning Ryuo, Bullet is not much different from Kaido. After all, he is older and has never stopped training in Haki in Impel Down. His Haki reserves are considerable, and he is not afraid of Kaido at all.
With the help of Vic's Pure Gold spirit-gathering array, Ace's Haki grew incomparably, achieving in two years what others gained in twenty. Even Bullet noticed something was wrong with Ace!
Ace understood this deeply. Otherwise, how could Ace, with his level of Armament Haki at his age, possibly fight Bullet to a standstill? He could only hold out for a while before exhausting himself. But the current Ace can calmly face Akainu!
" Mr. Vic! You've arrived!"
"Two years have passed so quickly! I'm still too slow; I just can't Awakening the Flame-Flame Fruit!"
Ace was still excited to see Vic, as if he were showing off his achievements to his parents, but then he felt a little melancholy Flame-Flame Fruit had not yet Awakening!
He initially didn't care, since not many people can Awakening their Devil Fruit abilities, but Bullet just Awakening his right in front of him, which was unacceptable. What was wrong with Fire Fist Ace? But thinking about it was one thing, doing it was another!
Meanwhile, Bullet, upon hearing Ace's words, curled his lip. "You call this stupid? What about me? I'm a genius certified by the Pirate King Roger! Am I arrogant?"
"I only managed a draw with a greenhorn like you. Saying that makes the Pirate King's words sound worthless. Doesn't the Pirate King have any pride?"
If Vic knew what Bullet was thinking, he would definitely tell him that the Pirate King Roger was Ace's biological father, and that his son was just an ordinary person. Are you satisfied now?
" Awakening Logia abilities is inherently more difficult. The fact that you haven't Awakening yet simply means your time hasn't come. Don't worry too much about it. Maintain a calm mind and contemplate the natural world. When you see a different world, that's when your time will come!"
Among Devil Fruit abilities, Paramecia are the easiest to Awakening, and the most people Awakening. Next are Zoan, which are a battle between humanity and bestiality. If you win, you Awakening; if you lose, you become a monster like Jailer Beasts!
Logia are the hardest to Awakening, and the fewest to Awakening. This may be because Logia abilities are rarer, but the greater difficulty in Awakening is a fact. This is not because Ace lacks talent, which is why Vic told Ace not to be impatient. Haste makes waste, and the more you try to achieve something, the easier it is to go astray!
" Bullet! You've been fighting for so long, go and rest. I need to talk to Ace about something."
"Good!"
Given Bullet's usual temper, he should have rushed up and started a fight the moment he saw Vic. He had been fighting, growing, and getting stronger here for two years, and he had been holding back for a long time. He was really looking forward to the challenge that Vic had agreed to, but Vic's previous entrance had completely intimidated him, so he was being very well-behaved now. He would save the challenge for another time!
So some people aren't really bad-tempered; it's just that you haven't used the right approach. Bullet is a perfect example. Who wants to test his good temper? If you released Bullet now to carry out a Stampede, it would be incredibly exciting! Many people would have witnessed Bullet's good temper!
" Ace! You should know that when we left this island, not long after, Blackbeard led his men to attack Marco and the others!"
This must have been Blackbeard's plan all along, one link after another, and you were part of it, perhaps even the first link! By the time I received the intelligence and arrived, the battle was already over..."
Vic looked regretful, as if he had missed it, which made Ace turn pale and feel extremely guilty. If Blackbeard's plan was indeed a series of interconnected events, then he must be the one who triggered the chain reaction!
It can be said that everything started because of him, so how could Ace's heart be at peace? If the entire Whitebeard Pirates were wiped out because of him, how would he face himself afterward? All he could do was seek revenge on Blackbeard, and he had no other thoughts!
"How are they...?"
Although he had already accepted the outcome, Ace still held onto a sliver of hope, wishing for a miracle to happen!
"When I arrived, Jozu was already dead, and the others were all seriously injured and unconscious. Luckily, Blackbeard saw that I was there and ran away in advance, otherwise they would all be in danger! Tsk tsk! What good luck!"
You know a thing or two about my medical skills; I even brought Jozu back to life after he had just died, so you don't need to look at me like that your brother has died.
" Mr. Vic! Could you please finish your sentence next time? You almost scared me to death!"
Ace clutched his chest and let out a long sigh. His chest had felt really tight, constricted, and panicked just now. The key issue was that Vic's expression was too suggestive, directly misleading his thinking. He really couldn't stand Vic's twisted sense of humor. That meant his whole family was dead! To joke about that was just too much!
"Hahaha! I just wanted to tease you, but I haven't finished yet. Blackbeard attacked Marco and his crew because he had his eye on your Pops's territory. He's never one to give up easily!"
Someone who can endure for decades for a Dark-Dark Fruit would never refrain from attacking Marco and his group just because of me, and I can't possibly arrive in time every time!
So Marco flew my pirate flag on all the islands in your territory without my permission. You should understand what that means.
Your unilateral decision caught me completely off guard, and now I've been burdened with the title of one of the Four Emperors. Now that you've achieved your goals, it's time to return the territory to you. From now on, you'll be responsible for protecting it!
In the past two years, Vic's only contribution has been keeping Blackbeard from Thunder Pool. As for the pirates causing trouble on his territory, Marco have been the ones to deal with them.
The Four Emperors coexisted peacefully with him. Big Mom was too scared to fight back, Kaido recognized Vic's strength and didn't want to, and as for Red-Hair, they were just good friends and didn't want to. So Vic never contributed anything. He essentially got the title of Four Emperors for free. He felt unworthy of this territory and didn't want to participate in the later battle for the One Piece.
" Mr. Vic! Now that your pirate flag has been flown over that territory, you can continue to protect it. Marco and the others probably think the same way!"
If I want territory, I'll fight for it myself. Before that, I want Teach, and that's something I won't change!
After thinking for a moment, Ace rejected Vic's suggestion. He had his own ambitions; if he wanted territory, he would fight for it himself. Blackbeard was what he couldn't let go of. Wasn't that what he had been training so hard for the past two years? Revenge was the top priority; everything else could be discussed later.