BOOM!
A deafening thunderclap shattered the vision. The surreal scene atop the Red Line vanished as abruptly as it appeared. Void lightning resumed its assault on Victor's body. Now, he stood at the edge of the summit—Mary Geoise's sprawling skyline sprawled before him, its tallest spire unmistakable.
"What was that? An illusion? A memory imprinted in the storm?"
No time to dwell. This was the Celestial Dragons' domain—'not' a place to linger. Thankfully, the storm still raged below, masking his presence.
Victor launched himself into a freefall, kicking off air sporadically to control his descent.
---
At That Moment, in Pangaea Castle…
A bald man in the Chamber of Authority tensed. His hand snapped to the wooden-sheathed sword at his side as he glanced out the window.
CP agents, alerted by the anomaly, swarmed Victor's former position. They found only scorch marks—'nothing else.'
---
Back at Ground Level
Victor landed silently, then sat cross-legged, enduring the storm's fury while piecing together the fragments of what he'd witnessed.
"A vanished Mary Geoise. Unknown figures in spacesuits. That red stone resembling a Poneglyph. None of this fits any recorded history."
The vision felt like an echo—'a recording of the past, triggered by the storm.' Was this tied to the Void Century? The implications were staggering, but clues were scarce.
"Those spacesuits… they mirrored the Celestial Dragons' aesthetic. Connection?"
Frustration gnawed at him. With the manga's timeline only reaching Wano pre-climax, he lacked critical context.
Three Days Later
The storm finally relented. Victor's body, tempered by lightning, had compacted—5 cm shorter, his physique now denser, honed like forged steel. Through 'Life Return', he adjusted his proportions subtly, leaving no visible trace beyond a sharper aura.
Unbeknownst to him, two figures had arrived at Marineford during the tempest—and were now in Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office.'
---
Sengoku's Office – A Clash of Wills
"Sakazuki," Sengoku's voice was ice. "Your post is G-1. Why are you here—with Onigumo?'"
The magma-man stood unbowed, his power now at Admiral-tier. "New World instability demands reinforcements. The Elite recruits are graduating. I'll select candidates personally."
Onigumo remained silent, his scarred face unreadable.
Sengoku's eyes narrowed. 'Liar.' This was about vengeance—Victor humiliating Onigumo months prior. He'd already brokered a deal: Garp would "punish" Victor publicly to save face. Yet Sakazuki, ever uncompromising, had returned to escalate things.
"Leave. And only recruit." A warning laced the order.
As they exited, Sengoku massaged his temples. "Victor's no match for Sakazuki's magma. That boy's potential is monumental, but raw talent burns against absolute destruction… Perhaps this lesson is necessary."
He sighed. The Navy's factions were a tangled web. As future Fleet Admiral, he needed Sakazuki's might—even at the cost of a promising rookie's suffering.
---
Outside – The Hawk's Resolve
Onigumo hesitated. "Sakazuki, perhaps we should relent. Garp already—"
"Coward," Sakazuki cut him off, magma simmering under his skin. "You'd let a rookie spit on our faction's pride? Garp's an old relic. My power rivals Admirals now. Let him try shielding his pet."
Onigumo swallowed his protest.
Unseen, Kuzan leaned against a corridor wall, eavesdropping. His lips curled in disdain.
"Fool. You've never seen the Monster's true strength."
Yet Kuzan couldn't help but worry for Victor. While Sakazuki stood no chance against Garp, Victor was another matter entirely. The mere thought of that searing magma made his eyes narrow.
Ever since the Ohara incident, when Sakazuki ordered the bombing of the refugee ship, Kuzan had held nothing but contempt for the man. His so-called "Absolute Justice" left a bitter taste.
---
Meanwhile, at the Cabin
Victor stretched, feeling an unprecedented lightness in his body. His strength had surged, and his control over Haki and sword aura had reached new heights of precision.
"This thing is truly remarkable," he mused, glancing at the stone case in his hand. "Once I grow stronger, I can use it to train Rebecca and the others properly."
With the skies clear now, he couldn't risk openly using it. He secured the case back at his waist.
"Wendy, still no progress with Observation Haki?" Victor called out, watching the two girls spar.
"Nope," Wendy sighed, dodging a strike from Rebecca. "It's like there's an invisible wall blocking me. I just can't break through."
The two paused, pulling off their blindfolds and joining Victor.
"I had the same feeling back then," Victor nodded. "I only awakened mine in a life-or-death battle. Same for Rebecca during our last fight. Since you're at the threshold, stop training Observation deliberately—what you need now is a real brush with death."
"But I'm a sniper," Wendy groaned. "How am I supposed to get into life-or-death fights?"
"True," Victor rubbed his chin. "The New World's top-tier snipers are rare. Sniper duels to the death don't exactly grow on trees."