Ch. 543Another Great Merit

Vic let Jinbe and the other Fish-Men escape after Fisher Tiger was presumed dead, then received public credit for the battle. The Marines and Five Elders debated how to handle Vic’s latest merit and his possible promotion to Marine Admiral.

  • Vic drove Jinbe onto a reporters’ warship, where Jinbe ordered the Fish-Men to retreat with Fisher Tiger’s body and escaped into the sea.
  • Vic announced the operation’s success, carried the injured Rebecca back to his warship, and left Onigumo behind without taking any Fish-Men prisoner.
  • Onigumo realized Vic had saved him despite their grudge, while reporters praised Vic for his apparent lack of interest in fame or credit.
  • A newspaper reported that Vic had helped Onigumo kill Fisher Tiger, and Marine leaders treated the incident at Mary Geoise as a major merit that could secure Vic’s promotion.
  • The Five Elders rejected proposals to send Vic to the Holy Knights or take Aokiji’s Admiral position, while keeping a possible CP0 assignment under consideration.

Ch. 544Exploiting a Haki Bug

Kong and Sengoku secured the Five Elders’ agreement to promote Vic to Marine Admiral, though the Elders insisted on testing his loyalty to the World Government first. Unaware of the debate, Vic sailed toward the Florian Triangle and used controlled Ryuo to accelerate his companions’ Haki training, leaving them much stronger after a month at sea.

  • Kong brought Sengoku to the Room of Authority, where they argued that denying Vic a Marine Admiral promotion would undermine the Marines’ standing as an organization of justice.
  • The Five Elders agreed to the promotion but insisted on testing Vic’s loyalty with a mission like the Ohara Incident, despite Sengoku and Kong’s objections.
  • Vic sailed toward the Florian Triangle to find Moria without knowing about the promotion debate or the planned loyalty test.
  • Vic used Ryuo to create controlled danger inside Rebecca and the others, forcing their Haki to grow faster while Frodeku caught Sea Kings to feed them.
  • After a month-long voyage, Rebecca and the others had made substantial progress, and Wendy’s Little Yellow squad had grown larger and stronger.

Ch. 545Sabaody Archipelago

Vic forced Gecko Moria to accept limits on his Shichibukai activities, then traveled to the Sabaody Archipelago after Saturn summoned him without explaining why. At Sabaody, Vic let his companions explore while Rebecca and Ain chose to accompany him as he searched for Saturn’s purpose.

  • Vic defeated Gecko Moria after Rebecca fought him, then held Blood Wither to Moria’s neck and ordered him to remain in the Florian Triangle and avoid targeting civilians.
  • Moria agreed to Vic’s demands, and Vic left Perona with him before returning to his warship with Rebecca and the others.
  • Vic reached the Marine Base in the Sabaody Archipelago, asked the stationed Vice Admiral to arrange supplies, and headed toward central Sabaody with Rebecca and the others.
  • Vic told his companions to explore freely but warned them to stay out of the lawless zone, and Barnett and the others went their own way.
  • Rebecca and Ain insisted on accompanying Vic, so he told Rebecca to carry Ain and warned them about human traffickers.

Ch. 546Giving CP0 a Beating

Vic refused Saturn’s direct order to protect Vegapunk and beat the CP0 agent who delivered it, insisting that orders go through Marine Headquarters. Saturn accepted the incident, while the Five Elders canceled Vic’s Shichibukai mission and planned to keep him stationed with Vegapunk so he could not earn more merit before their final test.

  • A masked CP0 agent gave Vic half of Vegapunk’s Vivre Card and ordered him to protect Vegapunk in Kizaru’s place.
  • Vic challenged Saturn’s authority to order him directly without notifying Marine Headquarters, and the agent insisted that the Marines had to obey the Five Elders.
  • Vic struck the agent with one punch, broke his ribs, and threatened him until he called Saturn.
  • The agent reported the confrontation to Saturn, who ended the call without defending him.
  • The Five Elders canceled Vic’s Shichibukai test mission and decided to station him with Vegapunk to prevent him from earning further merit before their ultimate test.

Ch. 547Ambushed Under the Sea

Vic accepted a mission to protect Vegapunk, arranged for Ban to find and return Koala to Foolshout Island, and sailed through the deep sea toward Fish-Man Island. There, Fish-Men seeking revenge for Fisher Tiger surrounded his warship and prepared to attack, leaving Vic facing a confrontation.

  • Vic agreed to Sengoku's request to relieve Kizaru and protect Vegapunk, then left Sabaody with Rebecca and Ain.
  • Vic secretly met Ban, provided funds for his intelligence network, and instructed him to find Koala and send her back to Foolshout Island.
  • Vic had the warship coated and sailed through the deep sea, using Observation Haki and lightning to keep sea creatures away.
  • Fish-Man Island learned that the Marine warship was approaching, and Fish-Men riding sea beasts surrounded Vic's ship beneath the island's bubble.
  • A spotted Fish-Man accused Vic of killing Fisher Tiger, sent someone to notify Jinbe, and ordered the others to tear open the ship's coating.
  • Vic warned the Fish-Men that attacking the Marines would bring disaster upon Fish-Man Island, but the spotted Fish-Man urged them to attack anyway.

Ch. 548Meeting Fisher Tiger Again

Vic killed the Fish-Men attacking his warship, then accompanied Jinbe to meet the supposedly dead Fisher Tiger at the Sea Forest. Fisher Tiger explained how he was hiding and offered to risk his life to repay Vic, who memorized the Poneglyph nearby.

  • Vic used Allen to electrocute the Fish-Men and sea beasts attacking the warship, killing them in seconds.
  • Jinbe arrived, told Vic to come with him, and ordered his underlings to keep the survivors from attacking the warship again.
  • Jinbe brought Vic to the Sea Forest, where Fisher Tiger was hiding near a Poneglyph.
  • Fisher Tiger explained that King Neptune and Queen Otohime had made him a gravekeeper to conceal his identity.
  • Vic memorized the Poneglyph's writing, and Fisher Tiger promised to risk his life for Vic if needed.

Ch. 549Giving Fisher Tiger a New Face

Vic demonstrated Observation Haki and Armament Haki to Fisher Tiger and Jinbe, then changed Fisher Tiger’s face, body, and voice so he could travel openly under a new identity. Vic asked how Fisher Tiger had escaped from Mary Geoise, leaving the details of his escape unexplained.

  • Vic dodged Fisher Tiger’s attacks with Observation Haki and invited Jinbe to join in.
  • Vic used Armament Haki to withstand their attacks and learned that Jinbe had awakened Observation Haki while fighting Onigumo.
  • Vic urged Fisher Tiger and Jinbe to venture into the New World to learn Haki, then offered to help them travel openly.
  • Vic altered Fisher Tiger’s appearance and voice, and told him to take a new name and travel separately from Jinbe.
  • Vic asked Fisher Tiger how he had escaped Mary Geoise despite its guards.

Ch. 550The Mysterious Guard Squad

Fisher Tiger told Vic and Jinbe about the powerful guard squad he encountered while freeing slaves in Mary Geoise, and Vic realized the guards were protecting Imu. Vic left Fish-Man Island and sailed into the New World, where he gave Rebecca Vegapunk’s Vivre Card and urged her to improve her navigation.

  • Fisher Tiger revealed that he had once been a slave and described climbing to Mary Geoise to rescue other slaves.
  • Tiger said a squad of powerful guards stood watch outside a plant-filled building and ignored the chaos, allowing many slaves to escape.
  • Vic concluded that the guards were protecting Imu and decided he would need to tell Dragon about them.
  • Vic left Jinbe and the Fish-Men, then sailed past Fish-Man Island while Neptune and his party waited in vain to thank him.
  • Vic’s warship surfaced in the New World, and he gave Rebecca Vegapunk’s Vivre Card to help her navigate the dangerous waters.

Ch. 551Kizaru

Vic arrived at Punk Hazard to take over the duty of protecting Vegapunk, and met Borsalino, who was preparing to leave the island. Vic challenged him to a spar to compare their speed, but Borsalino refused and urged him to save his strength for pirates.

  • Vic reached Punk Hazard three days after setting out and found the island green and springlike, with Marines and hidden Surveillance Den Den Mushi guarding the research institute.
  • A Marine colonel welcomed Vic and explained that he would be responsible for protecting Vegapunk, then led him to Borsalino for the handover.
  • The colonel told Vic that Caesar Clown also worked at the institute, and Vic recalled Caesar later taking over the facility after a poison gas accident.
  • Borsalino greeted Vic warmly, introduced himself, and offered to take him to meet Vegapunk.
  • Vic invited Borsalino to spar so he could test the limits of the Light-Light Fruit against his own speed, but Borsalino declined, wary of Vic's fighting methods.

Ch. 552Vegapunk

Vic met Vegapunk at the research institute and learned that the scientist’s enormous head resulted from the Brain-Brain Fruit. After Vegapunk tasked Kizaru with showing Vic around, Vic met Caesar and Sentomaru.

  • Kizaru escorted Vic to Vegapunk’s laboratory and introduced him as the new security officer.
  • Vegapunk explained that eating the Brain-Brain Fruit had made his head grow and enhanced his thinking and research abilities.
  • Vic told Vegapunk he wanted to ask him questions later, and Vegapunk asked Kizaru to show Vic around the institute.
  • Kizaru said goodbye to Vegapunk and took Vic to meet Caesar, who had a separate laboratory.
  • Vic met Sentomaru, who was around his age, already large, and naturally strong.

Ch. 553Gravity Bracelet

Vic settled into his new post on Punk Hazard and asked Vegapunk to develop a wearable gravity bracelet to make his subordinates’ training more demanding. Vegapunk became interested in the project, and Vic left him to investigate it.

  • Kizaru showed Vic around the institute, introduced him to its researchers, and warned him to stay out of restricted areas.
  • After eating, Kizaru left Punk Hazard with several people and refused Vic’s challenge to fight.
  • Vic settled in with Rebecca and the others, set their routines and training, and spent three days considering how to build a gravity chamber.
  • Unable to solve the technical problems himself, Vic went to Vegapunk and proposed a compact, adjustable gravity bracelet for training.
  • Vegapunk recognized the bracelet’s potential and agreed to investigate whether he could make it, while Vic framed the request as a personal favor.

Ch. 554Vegapunk's Stance

Vegapunk tested Vic’s views on the Ohara Incident before deciding whether to build his gravity equipment. Vic condemned the World Government’s actions and recognized that Vegapunk was wary of strengthening its forces, while Dragon’s earlier words had given Vic a reason to trust him.

  • Vegapunk asked Vic what he thought of the Ohara Incident, and Vic checked for surveillance before answering.
  • Vic argued that the World Government had used the threat of Ancient Weapons to hide the truth about the Void Century and justify killing Ohara’s innocent people.
  • Vegapunk weighed whether gravity wristbands could shift the balance of power if the World Government or another major force obtained them in large numbers.
  • Vic inferred from Vegapunk’s question that he did not blindly support the World Government and gave his honest opinion.
  • Vic recalled that Dragon had identified Vegapunk as his good friend in the Marines, which was the real reason Vic trusted him.

Ch. 555Raijin Island's Hidden Wonders

Vic left Punk Hazard after speaking with Vegapunk and traveled to Raijin Island to test whether its constant lightning could strengthen his Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers and train Haki. He crossed into increasingly powerful lightning zones, continuing toward the island’s center as the bolts darkened and began to halt his movement.

  • Vic kept his connection to Dragon from Vegapunk, then said goodbye to Rebecca and the others and left Punk Hazard with Vegapunk’s Vivre Card and a Log Pose.
  • Vic followed the Log Pose to Raijin Island and endured its white lightning with his body and Armament Haki.
  • Vic decided the island’s lightning could train Haki and planned to have Rebecca and the others take turns training there.
  • Vic advanced nearly five kilometers and found a lightning-free strip separating the white lightning from a zone of pale-blue bolts.
  • Vic entered the pale-blue zone and pushed deeper as the lightning grew stronger and changed from pale blue to blue and then dark blue.

Ch. 556Exploring the Mystery

Vic explored Raijin Island and discovered that its increasingly powerful lightning storms rapidly strengthened his Armament Haki while also replenishing it unusually quickly. After enduring the purple lightning until his Haki ran out, he crossed the rest of the zone in his elemental form and reached a storm of even more intense red lightning.

  • Vic rested in a lightning-free ring, ate Sea King meat, and recovered his nearly depleted Haki while studying the purple storm ahead.
  • Vic realized that the island's lightning helped restore and strengthen his Haki, and he entered the purple lightning zone with his body covered in Armament Haki.
  • Vic endured the purple storm for more than a hundred meters and thought about bringing Rebecca or Barnett to train there in the future.
  • Vic exhausted his Armament Haki, turned into his element, and continued through the purple zone as the lightning avoided him.
  • Vic reached the next lightning-free area and saw a dense torrent of red lightning ahead.

Ch. 557A startling discovery

Vic crossed Raijin Island’s red lightning zone and discovered a core filled with black lightning that overwhelmed his Haki and struck him unconscious. He ended the chapter severely injured in the red zone.

  • Vic recovered his Armament Haki unusually quickly in the safe area between the purple and red lightning zones.
  • Vic entered the red zone, used his Logia transformation after exhausting his Haki, and crossed the lightning field.
  • Vic emerged at a zone of black lightning whose bolts shot upward from the ground, then recovered his Haki before entering it.
  • A black bolt shattered Vic’s Haki defense, and a second struck him directly, knocking him unconscious and hurling him into the red zone.
  • Vic lay badly burned and wounded, with his clothes torn and his hair smoking.

Ch. 558Arrangements

After recovering from black lightning on Raijin Island, Vic trained there for half a month and found that the island helped improve his Haki. He returned to Punk Hazard, then set off with Rebecca to test whether the lightning could strengthen her too.

  • Vic healed his lightning wounds by accelerating cell division, then decided to postpone exploring the island until he became stronger.
  • Vic trained in the crimson lightning zone for half a month and noticed his Haki had improved before leaving Raijin Island.
  • Vic returned to Punk Hazard, found Vegapunk too busy to discuss the gravity bracelet, and arranged for a large supply of food.
  • Vic took Rebecca by flying boat to Raijin Island, explaining that its lightning might help strengthen Armament Haki.

Ch. 559Changes

Vic took Rebecca to Raijin Island to train their Haki in its dangerous lightning zones, then returned with her to Punk Hazard three months later. Rebecca demonstrated how much she had improved, while Vic went to check on Vegapunk’s progress with the gravity wristbands.

  • Rebecca and Vic arrived at Raijin Island, where Vic protected their boat with a lightning barrier and landed in a lightning-free zone.
  • Vic told Rebecca to train her Armament Haki in the blue lightning zone while he headed deeper into the island to train amid red lightning.
  • For three months, Rebecca and Vic repeatedly trained in the thunderstorms and recovered in lightning-free zones.
  • Vic and Rebecca returned to Punk Hazard, where Wendy, Barnett, and the others noticed Rebecca’s changed gaze.
  • Rebecca challenged Wendy, Barnett, and Frodeku together and defeated them with her improved body, Haki, swordsmanship, and Haki-coated flying swords.
  • Vic went to find Vegapunk and check on the gravity wristbands.

Ch. 560Fifty Times Gravity

Rebecca returned from Raijin Island much stronger and told the others that Barnett would be Vic’s next trainee. Vic visited Vegapunk’s laboratory, where Vegapunk showed him a gravity device capable of reaching fifty times normal gravity, and Vic presented him with a sealed bottle of heavy water.

  • Wendy asked Rebecca how she had grown so much stronger, and Rebecca said Vic had taken her to an island where demons lived and forced her to train.
  • Barnett eagerly asked to go next, and Rebecca confirmed that Vic would take him while the others stayed behind to guard the institute.
  • Vic arrived at Vegapunk’s laboratory, and Vegapunk sent Caesar away before leading Vic into a hidden room.
  • Vegapunk showed Vic a cylindrical gravity device that could reach fifty times normal gravity when combined with Vic’s Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability.
  • Vic gave Vegapunk a seamless metal bottle containing heavy water and explained that it broke down into ordinary water when removed from its island.

Ch. 561The Secret of Devil Fruit Awakening

Vic showed Vegapunk a bottle of heavy water and explained that matter was made from three fundamental particles, introducing him to the microscopic basis of the world. Vegapunk was stunned by the discovery and lamented that he lacked the ability to observe that world directly.

  • Vic warned Vegapunk that the small bottle contained over twenty tons of heavy water, but Vegapunk insisted on trying to lift it.
  • Vegapunk failed to move the bottle after Vic set it on the dented floor, and Vic explained what it contained.
  • Vic told Vegapunk that matter was composed of three fundamental particles whose different combinations formed different elements and substances.
  • Vic used three metal balls to illustrate the particles and explained how understanding them could help explain Devil Fruit Awakening.
  • Vegapunk praised Vic's thirst for knowledge and said the discovery would overturn the world's understanding, but he could not observe the particles himself.

Ch. 562Bringing Out Gravity

Vic explained his theory of gravitation to Vegapunk and persuaded him that changing the spacing between particles could lead to a gravity device. Vegapunk began planning the research, and Vic set out to retrieve samples from the island where he had found heavy water.

  • Vic demonstrated how compressing the distances between particles could increase matter’s weight and asked Vegapunk to develop a way to control those distances.
  • Vic connected particle density to gravity and claimed that observations on Titan Island had led him to conclude that all mass produces gravitation.
  • Vegapunk accepted Vic’s explanation and promised to develop a better gravity device.
  • Vegapunk asked about the heavy water’s origin, and Vic described an island with a lake, unusually hard trees, and ironlike soil.
  • Vegapunk suspected the trees or soil might contain a catalyst, so Vic offered to return to the island and bring back samples.
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Page 28 of 61