"This guy!!!"
"Who is that man?!"
"Why would the Empress throw herself into his arms?!"
"He doesn't look like a pirate. I haven't seen that man on any wanted list!"
"No matter who he is, he has no right to hug Lady Hancock!"
"It… it seemed like Lady Hancock was the one who took the initiative..."
"Impossible! He must have some dirty, underhanded ability. There's no way the Empress would take the initiative!"
Because Hancock had thrown herself into Victor's arms, he instantly became the public enemy of every Marine and pirate within a hundred meters!
They even forgot their fight against each other, and for a moment it looked like they might join forces just to kill Victor.
But Victor was long prepared for this. After all, marrying Hancock meant being the most envied man alive.
Let them be jealous. I'm still the one holding the most beautiful woman in the world.
The reason Victor had fallen from the sky was simple—he had used Moonwalk to cover the distance quickly. He couldn't wait another second.
"Hancock, I'm here. You must have been waiting anxiously."
Victor smiled, gently pinching her flawless cheek. To them, this was perfectly normal as husband and wife.
But to everyone watching—it was a critical blow!
"Eh?! He called the Empress by her name?!"
"He dared to pinch her peerless beauty?! Ahhhh! Empress, please kill this shameless man!"
"Yes, turn him into stone!"
The pirates and Marines nearby, dazzled by Hancock's beauty, were no longer calm. In their eyes, Victor was the epitome of shamelessness.
What a joke!
How could the most beautiful woman in the world, the Pirate Empress, be his wife?!
Are you kidding me?!
"Shut up, all of you! How dare you speak rudely of my Husband. the man I love most in this world? I'll cut you into pieces and feed you to the beasts!"
Hancock's furious shout carried a wave of Conqueror's Haki. This was her moment of reunion—no one could ruin it.
"Husband...!?"
"H-husband...!?"
Everyone nearby froze, their hearts shattered into pieces. They couldn't believe their ears.
The Pirate Empress Boa Hancock had called that man… husband.
The sounds of heartbreak rang out one after another across the battlefield.
Victor ignored them. Right now, he couldn't care less.
He was too excited.
Just moments before seeing Hancock, the system had rewarded him.
The special Thunder Fruit was now waiting in his storage space, ready to be claimed.
"Hey, brat! With your scrawny body, you think you're worthy of the most beautiful woman in the world?!"
The pirates Hankan and Ness, who had originally targeted Hancock, now redirected their fury at Victor.
"Kill him, Captain Hankan!"
"Finish him, Captain Ness!"
The pirates roared, and even many Marines silently hoped the two would succeed.
"Go to hell!"
Hancock's fury surged. She wanted to unleash her power and petrify every fool around her, but Victor gently stopped her hand.
Then he moved.
Shave!
In the blink of an eye, Victor vanished.
When he reappeared, he was already standing before Hankan and Ness.
Victor's creed was simple—strike once, strike decisively. Exploit the enemy's carelessness. Never waste words.
Conqueror's Haki crackled in the air.
Armament Haki hardened around his body.
His stance sharpened like steel.
"Iron Body... Storm Kick: Whirlwind Slash!"
Victor unleashed one of his strongest techniques outside of swordsmanship.
Boom! Boom!
The two New World captains were blown away before they even had a chance to react—obliterated by Victor's overwhelming force.
The battlefield froze.
Two captains of the Whitebeard Grand Fleet… defeated instantly?!
The Marines especially were stunned. His moves… they looked eerily similar to the Navy's Six Styles!
"Husband..."
Hancock pressed her hand to her lips, her eyes shimmering. It had been so long since they last met, and now her husband seemed even stronger.
"Kill! Break through Marineford and rescue Ace!"
"Stop these pirates!"
Victor's overwhelming display snapped everyone else back into reality. The Marines and pirates resumed their brutal battle, leaving him the gap he needed.
That was exactly what Victor wanted. He needed space—space to eat the Thunder Fruit and prepare for what was coming.
The war was even more overwhelming than he had imagined. Through his Observation Haki, Victor could sense powerful existences everywhere.
"Husband… this is… a Devil Fruit?"
— — —
Victor's actions had caused a stir, but in the grand chaos of the battlefield, he was still a small ripple.
For this was a war of legends.
The Supernova Straw Hat Luffy, with a bounty of 300 million, had arrived at Marineford. His attempt to save Ace immediately drew the attention of another giant.
The world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords, descended upon him.
Ting!
Blades clashed.
Mihawk's Black Sword Yoru was intercepted—not by Luffy, but by twin Western blades.
"Whitebeard Pirates, Captain of the Fifth Division… Flower Sword Vista!"
Mihawk's hawk-like eyes gleamed with sharp curiosity. For someone to block his strike, he had to be formidable.
"Nice to meet you, Mihawk. Do you know who I am?"
"I don't."
"Then let me test the world's greatest swordsman myself!"
Vista's heart burned with a swordsman's obsession. Every true swordsman longed for one thing—to cross blades with Mihawk.
And so, he challenged him eagerly.
The clash of the two great swordsmen shook the ice, their slashes tearing the battlefield apart.
But one collision veered off course.
Their redirected slashes hurtled straight toward Hancock—
—and Victor, who had just consumed the Thunder Fruit!
"Husband, be careful!"
Hancock's face turned pale. Even she dared not be careless against such power. She dodged instantly.
But when she looked back—her world shattered.
Victor hadn't moved.
He let the slash cut through him, collapsing onto the ground, eyes closed, looking gravely injured.
"HUSBAND!"
Hancock fell to her knees, pulling him into her arms. Rage distorted her flawless face, veins bulging as she screamed. The world's most beautiful woman had never lost her composure like this.
"Mihawk! Vista! How dare you hurt my husband! I have never been this angry! Go to hell!"
Her fury erupted. It didn't matter who her enemies were. No one harmed her husband.
But Victor wasn't unconscious.
Inside, his body was transforming. The Thunder Fruit, specially made by the system, was reshaping him from within.
It should have finished already—but Mihawk and Vista's slash had disrupted the process.
Damn it… Mihawk… Vista…
If either of you hurt Hancock while I can't move… once I recover, I'll make you pay with your lives...
Victor roared in his heart as the transformation continued.