"That's ambitious! But you'd better be careful. You've probably seen Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit ability; it's very effective against other Devil Fruit abilities. But now that you've mastered both Ryuo and Conqueror's Coating, I'm not too worried. However, Blackbeard has another hidden ability that you must be careful of!"
"Hidden ability?"
"That's right! Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit can steal the Devil Fruit abilities of others. When Blackbeard and his crew last appeared at Marineford, it was to steal Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability!"
When I rushed to rescue Marco and the others, I found that Jozu was also covered by a cloth. They had done this to Whitebeard when they were on top of each other. It was a ritual for them to steal Devil Fruit powers, but they were scared away by me and failed to steal them.
That's not the most crucial point. The most crucial point is that Blackbeard can possess multiple Devil Fruit abilities simultaneously without exploding and dying. You need to be careful about this. He will definitely plunder very powerful Devil Fruit abilities to enhance himself. Don't be caught off guard by his sudden display of power!
As for how many abilities he can possess simultaneously, I don't know. Just assume he has three to be on the safe side. The Devil Fruit ability he chose for himself will definitely be powerful; remember that!
Vic has no reason to persuade Ace now; Ace wants revenge for his Pops, how can you bring it up? So Vic can only inform Ace in advance about Blackbeard's possible hidden methods. With Ace's current strength, being prepared will prevent him from getting into trouble so easily, which is another reason why Vic didn't stop him.
" Teach has such abilities! No wonder he's so ambitious. I won't go looking for him alone. We're all Pops's children, and none of us will miss such an important moment for revenge!"
Although Blackbeard's story is bizarre, Ace did not doubt Vic's words. This is the result of time revealing true character. Ever since Garp brought Vic to see him, Vic has never deceived him. He may not have understood it before, but looking back now, he can see that Vic has always been doing his best to help him and Luffy. This is the most touching thing!
"It's good that you think that way. Go ahead, Marco and the others have been waiting for your return. From now on, the Whitebeard Pirates will depend on you. Come find me if you need anything!"
Vic patted Ace on the shoulder with relief, saying that Ace was more mature than he was two years ago and would no longer act impulsively. In fact, impulsiveness was Ace's weakness, Blackbeard had used this to achieve many goals before. Now that Ace had changed, he would only become stronger, so Vic didn't need to worry about him anymore!
" Mr. Vic! Thank you so much for your help and care all this time. I am extremely grateful! Please don't hesitate to ask if I need your help in the future!"
"Okay! Go ahead!"
Ace, eager to reunite with Marco and the others, bowed deeply to Vic and spoke earnestly.
Vic responded, watching as flames shot from Ace's feet, propelling him skyward like a rocket. Vic's thoughts drifted away, muttering to himself, "I'll definitely be able to help him someday!"
Ace didn't fly directly away from the waters around Titan Island. Instead, he went to a nearby island where he planned to build a small boat powered by flames for travel. Even though Ace was very strong now, he couldn't keep flying in the sky indefinitely. If he ran out of energy and didn't reach an island, he would be doomed.
The ship Ace is building now is larger than the small boat he used two years ago when he was chasing Blackbeard. Now that he has developed the Flame-Flame Fruit more deeply and for a longer period of time, he can no longer stay in that small boat. Therefore, the structure and size of the boat also need to be changed.
Meanwhile, Vic had already gone to Ace's residence and put away the Pure Gold inside. Although Ace noticed something extraordinary about it, it was prepared for him by Vic, and he was too embarrassed to ask for it back!
Vic would naturally not leave such a treasure here. If the World Government found it, it would be a disaster. Imu is not immortal; at most, he is only at the God Realm for a little over two thousand years. At his level, the only thing he cares about is immortality. He would definitely do anything to achieve it. Vic has no need to take the risk!
" Bullet! Our bet is over, you're free! Challenge me whenever you want."
When Vic came out of Ace's residence, he saw Bullet waiting outside. He tried to send him away, but Vic didn't want to provoke a martial arts fanatic like Bullet. Most of these people are not very bright and are capable of doing anything. Now that Barrett had helped Ace, he couldn't just kill him directly, so he could only send him away.
"What? You want to challenge me now? Come on then, so you don't have to waste time looking for me later."
Seeing that Bullet neither left nor spoke, Vic assumed that Bullet wanted to challenge him now, and asked him to make a move.
"No! I don't want to challenge you. I know that even now I'm no match for you. I want to board your ship!"
Bullet, dressed in military uniform, remained expressionless. Military uniforms were his hobby; he collected many different kinds, a hobby he developed during his childhood military service.
Although Bullet said he wanted to board Vic's ship, his tone was not at all pleading; it remained as cold and hard as ever, though his eyes were somewhat intense.
"Have you forgotten the feud between us? There's no trust between us, and I will not let you onto the ship!"
Vic hadn't expected Bullet to pull this stunt; he was prepared to make a move. However, he wasn't entirely surprised either. Bullet admired the strong and had once been defeated by Roger before joining Roger's crew.
However, even after boarding the ship, he didn't stay still, frequently challenging everyone. Gaban, Rayleigh, and Roger were all challenged quite a few times, but he mainly challenged Roger, who was the strongest among them.
Vic didn't want someone who wanted to challenge him every now and then on his ship. It wasn't that he was afraid he couldn't beat him, but he found it troublesome. If he didn't get on his ship, he could ignore anyone who wanted to challenge him, but once he got on the ship, it would be a different story. He would have no way to avoid it!
"That Momousagi is in the New World now, right? I don't think she's alright. Not a single Marine died in that battle, so what kind of grudge is this? I didn't even care about you sending me to Impel Down, so why can't you let me on board?"
Bullet didn't give up. He had read the newspapers; Momousagi, whom he had hurt the most, was doing just fine. He had never bothered to lay a hand on the weak, and even the lowest-ranking Marines were unharmed. So, in Bullet's view, this wasn't really a grudge, since no one had actually died.
" Momousagi didn't die, but she endured the excruciating pain of broken bones and torn tendons—a pain worse than death. We may not have a blood feud, but we're not without other grudges. You and your men were imprisoned in Impel Down for over a decade. After such a long period of confinement, you can't possibly harbor any resentment?"
It's only because of Vic's extraordinary medical skills that Gion definitely wouldn't have survived. Her body was almost flattened, her internal organs were damaged, her bones were shattered, and she had intracranial hemorrhage. Vic pulled her back from the brink of death, so how could he easily let it go!
Moreover, the other party had more than ten years in prison. Vic had heard plenty of stories of people seeking revenge after being released from prison, the most serious being the case of Zephyr's wife and children, who were murdered by such people. Therefore, Vic would not easily believe them.
"I admire strength above all else in this life, and nothing else matters. As long as you fight me every now and then, I'll obey your every command until I defeat you. Let me board your ship, and I'll be a very obedient subordinate!"
Bullet persisted, saying that this was the reason he joined Roger Pirates in the first place. Roger was stronger than him, so he listened to Roger. Now that Koby him, he listens to Vic. This is a psychological problem that Bullet developed from serving in the military since childhood!
He needs a strong person to command him, give him direction, and this person must be stronger than him. So he will challenge the person he serves every now and then to see if the person he serves is still stronger than him!