At The Peak of One Piece

 Victor vanished from the public eye for a week before resuming his usual training runs. 

He was still the same absurdly fast, devilishly handsome Victor—even with weighted gear, he outpaced everyone effortlessly. 

The only difference? 

Andrew kept smirking at him. 

Victor knew exactly why. 'This bastard's laughing at me for getting pummeled by Garp.' 

He itched to punch that grin off Andrew's face, but the sly bastard always dodged his provocations. 

"Andrew. Walk by the river enough, and you 'will' get wet. Just you wait." 

Victor filed away that smug face for future retribution. He held grudges like a dragon hoarded gold. 

--- 

During his downtime, Victor analyzed his progress: 

- Martial Arts: Mastered. 

- Rokushiki: Only Soru, Geppo, and Life Return remained useful—the rest were either obsolete (thanks to Haki) or redundant with his swordsmanship. 

- Haki: Both types awakened. Now, it was just a matter of steady growth—no bottlenecks. 

Problem? His swords couldn't keep up anymore. 

While Armament Haki could compensate, it was inefficient. Time to forge new blades. 

"I've got Kast Blue Gold and other rare metals. Garp even brought two more. Only one thing's missing—'Eternal Black Gold.'" 

This legendary material, discovered by master smith Nagayama Shinsuke, was the key to crafting Supreme Grade blades. Its unique property? 

It nullified incompatibility between metals. 

Normally, blending rare ores caused unpredictable weaknesses. But Eternal Black Gold harmonized them, preserving each metal's strengths flawlessly. 

The smithing world revered it—and its discoverer—hence the name. 

"Either scour Sabaody for leads… or ask Garp to tap Marine intelligence." 

--- 

Operation: Bribe the Fist 

Victor couldn't show up empty-handed. 

He dove into the sea—now nearly 'depleted' of Sea Kings thanks to his Haki training. 

To maximize growth, he kept Armament active 24/7, draining it completely before gorging on Sea King meat to refuel. 

Result? 

1. Faster Haki recovery. 

2. Expanded cellular capacity for "Haki Particles." 

The downside? He looked like a walking shadow, perpetually coated in black. 

Smoker sneered. "Showing off, huh? Haki ain't special. I'll awaken mine soon!" 

Victor shrugged. "You refuse to learn Tekkai. Good luck." 

With coastal Sea Kings scarce, Victor settled for a few choice cuts plus a giant forest boar. Garp wasn't picky—just hungry. 

--- 

Haki Grind Never Stops 

As Victor trekked through the forest, his body stayed pitch-black—Armament constantly active. 

Most Marines hoarded Haki like misers, fearing depletion mid-battle. 

Not Victor. 

He'd seen how Onigumo crumbled once his Haki ran dry. 'Stupid.' 

True growth came from pushing limits. 

New World elites proved it—frequent combat accelerated Haki mastery. 

- Luffy barely scraped by against Doflamingo (Haki exhaustion). 

- Mirror World forced him to evolve against Katakuri. 

- Kaido's prison brutalized him into Ryuo. 

Even Crocodile—likely a former Haki user—grew complacent in Alabasta. By Marineford, his skills had 'regressed.' 

Victor wouldn't make that mistake. 

--- 

After prepping the feast, Victor left portions for Rebecca and Wendy before launching skyward via Geppo, hauling: 

- A whole roasted boar (house-sized). 

- Two Sea King drumsticks (each taller than a man). 

Guards gawked as he landed at the officers' quarters. A mini-Den Den Mushi call later, he was ushered inside. 

Garp's voice boomed from within: 

"BRING THE MEAT, NOT THE SMALL TALK!" 

Victor grinned. Negotiations would be… 'direct.'