Wilder landed on the mast of the ship docked at the shore, quietly observing the women on land who were watching him, on high alert. A thick smile couldn't help but spread across his face.
Separated by the length of a ship, with one group on the shore and one man standing on the mast, they faced each other in a silent standoff.
"Warlord of the Sea—Lucifer Wilder!" Sandersonia spoke first, her eyes fixed on Wilder. Apart from gravity and vigilance, there was no fear in her gaze.
"I didn't realize I was so famous that even the warrior women of Kuja know of me. It's truly an honor," Wilder said from the mast, looking at the crowd on the shore with a broad smile.
His tall figure stood ramrod straight on the mast, his black greatcoat billowing behind him. The arrows aimed at him seemed like celebratory tributes, his presence overwhelmingly powerful.
"What is your purpose here?!" Marigold, beside her sister, interjected, her gaze wary as she addressed Wilder. Clearly, his smile wasn't about to win any goodwill from the Kuja warriors.
Purpose?
If it was about purpose…
Wilder tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to make his smile appear more sincere. "You must be the renowned warriors Sandersonia and Marigold, yes? Don't misunderstand, I come with no ill intent. The Pirate Empress and I have some acquaintance. My ship sank, and I was hoping you two could lend me a hand and give me a ride."
A string of utter nonsense, but the undisguised praise in his words made Sandersonia and Marigold feel as if they'd just downed a barrel of iced cola—thoroughly refreshed.
Still, they remained vigilant. Unlike the other, less worldly Kuja warriors, these two were not ignorant or fearless when it came to this man. The Pirate Empress, upon her return from the Summit War, had spoken to them about him. At the time, the Empress had only said two words.
Dangerous.
Though merely two simple words, the sisters knew the weight they carried. They understood their elder sister very well; there was hardly anyone she deemed worthy of her notice. So, for a man to elicit those two words from her, his level of danger was evident.
Therefore, caution was still essential, but the pointedness of their expressions softened somewhat. After all, if the visitor wasn't an enemy, there was no need to offend him needlessly, especially this man.
"Apologies, we've just returned from sea and have no plans to set out again for the time being," Sandersonia and Marigold said in unison, their eyes, however, constantly monitoring Wilder's every move, prepared for him to attack without a word.
"Well, that's truly unfortunate." Wilder spread his hands, a helpless look on his face. Seeing this, the two sisters felt a sense of relief, thinking he was rather easy to talk to.
But just then, Wilder spoke again. "In that case, please take me with you next time you set sail." With that, before anyone could react, he leaped from the mast onto the shore, his actions clearly indicating his intention to stay on the island.
The two sisters were stunned for a moment but quickly recovered, spinning around and shouting in unison, "Stop right there!"
Accompanying their shout was the clash of weapons. The sisters blocked Wilder's path, and the other Kuja warriors also raised their weapons, surrounding him.
The atmosphere instantly became tense and heavy.
A deadly silence permeated the air, swords and arrows aimed at Wilder in the center.
However, amidst this heavy, murderous encirclement, Wilder, the man at the center of it all, appeared unhurried. His eyes swept over the crowd surrounding him, his smile unchanging.
"Is the Pirate Empress not here?" Wilder asked, without even turning his head, his words seeming to stray from the topic.
"Ah… that's right. So, we must still ask Mr. Wilder to leave. Kuja does not welcome any men," Marigold said, frowning, the intent to drive him away couldn't be more obvious in her tone.
In reality, both sisters understood perfectly: they absolutely could not let those two meet. Otherwise, given their sister's personality… this matter would definitely not end well.
But, as ill luck would have it… it seemed their sister was about to return.
Speak of the devil. On the sea, a pirate ship pulled by two serpent-shaped Sea Kings was slowly sailing towards them. Because Sandersonia and Marigold were facing Wilder, they were the first to spot the approaching ship. Both sisters' eyes twitched, and they exchanged a glance, secretly gritting their teeth.
What they feared had come to pass.
Wilder, at this point, also noticed their reaction. His eyes flickered, and he gave the two sisters a meaningful look before turning with a full smile to face the sea.
Wilder's movement put the surrounding Kuja warriors on alert, but at this moment, Sandersonia and Marigold seemed to adopt a "might as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb" attitude. Since their sister had already arrived, if a fight was to happen, they naturally wouldn't shy away. The women of Kuja were born for battle! The sisters waved at the numerous warriors surrounding Wilder, signaling them to look towards the sea.
Everyone immediately spotted the ship on the water. A genuine excitement arose in each of them, and many warriors even began waving their arms at the distant ship, shouting excitedly, "Ah! Lady Snake Princess!"
"Lady Snake Princess!"
"Welcome home, Lady Snake Princess!"
"Lady Snake Princess, I love you!"
The term "a bevy of beauties" probably couldn't describe the scene these warriors presented at this moment; "a pack of tigresses" seemed far more fitting.
Wilder let the smile fade from his face, reverting to his usual composed demeanor as he watched the approaching ship.
"Lady Snake Princess!"
Amidst the cheers of the warriors, the ship slowly docked. A woman of breathtaking beauty stepped off, exuding such nobility and innate dominance that the surroundings instantly fell silent.
"Hmm?" Boa Hancock let out a questioning nasal sound, her brow already furrowed. Her beautiful eyes, carrying a murderous glint, swept through the crowd and finally settled on the only man present—Wilder.
*"This fellow…" *Boa Hancock's pupils twitched slightly. She had recognized Wilder.
Simultaneously, Wilder also looked at her. Their gazes clashed in mid-air. One man's face broke into a bold grin again, while the other woman's perfect eyebrows knitted slightly. Their eyes met, the surroundings silent; for a moment, the air itself seemed to freeze.
After a long pause, Wilder decided to break the atmosphere.
"Long time no see, Snake Princess. Is Mr. Luffy doing well?" Wilder said with a beaming smile, adopting the same form of address the other warriors used. And… he added a little ploy, asking after Luffy, this woman's beloved. This way… it would be easier to talk things over.
Sure enough, upon hearing Wilder mention Luffy, the Pirate Empress's face instantly turned beet red. She did her tactical backward lean, pointing a finger. "How thoughtful of you! Thanks to my devoted, round-the-clock care, and the lovingly handmade bentos I prepare, Luffy is recovering very well!"
"That's good to hear. Please trouble the Pirate Empress to convey my regards to Mr. Luffy; after all, this is your responsibility as his wife," Wilder said, his smile turning a little peculiar.
"Ah!! Ah!! Wife! Wife, ah, indeed…! Indeed… only I… I understand! I will certainly fulfill the duties of a wife!" Upon hearing Wilder's words, the Pirate Empress plunged into a state of bliss, the mere word "wife" sending her into a fantasy of living with Luffy.
The subsequent conversation became much easier. Wilder occasionally interjected phrases supporting her and Luffy's status as a couple or their marriage, such as, "You and Mr. Luffy are truly a match made in heaven," "Please be sure to invite me to the wedding," and "I truly wish to see your children soon." One after another, these lines bombarded the Pirate Empress, leaving her dizzy and lost in blissful fantasies, unable to extricate herself.
Although he still couldn't enter Kuja Island for a tour, which Wilder found rather regrettable, at least the Pirate Empress didn't resort to harsh words. Whenever she snapped back to reality, Wilder's verbal "bliss bombs" would send her back into a daze. She couldn't help but agree to Wilder's request, consenting to have someone escort him to the Sabaody Archipelago.
During this time, Wilder suggested visiting Luffy, but the Pirate Empress instantly became vigilant again. Wilder, helpless, had to drop the subject. After this encounter, he concluded that this woman was truly sharp when she needed to be, and foolish when it suited her.
There was no question of him staying. Wilder was sent off from Amazon Lily that very day.
Fortunately, aside from initially wanting to tour Kuja Island, Wilder had no other ulterior motives. Being escorted away now meant his objective was more or less achieved. After all, if Wilder had to navigate from Kuja Island to the Sabaody Archipelago by himself, there was no telling if he'd take a wrong turn.
With natives escorting him, such problems naturally didn't exist. His interactions with the Kuja warriors were also reasonably pleasant. Mostly, many warriors who had never seen a man before kept crowding around him, whispering amongst themselves about whether he had a "big mushroom" on his body.
Wilder really wanted to say: No big mushroom, but I do have a big banana. Want some?!
But considering this would most likely be like casting pearls before swine, he decided against it.
Of course, the most important thing was that none of these warriors could even compare to Claire. Teasing them? Wilder would rather find happiness and peace by banging his head against a wall. Teasing Claire could be chalked up to an occasional wicked whim, but teasing these warriors wasn't a wicked whim; it was perverted, a taste for the extreme!
Each of them was three meters wide and two meters tall, with faces bigger than dustpans. Who knew if they had all contributed their beauty to Boa Hancock.
A day later, the ship reached the Sabaody Archipelago. Wilder jumped off, smiling and bidding farewell to the Kuja warriors.
The Sabaody Archipelago was an island chain themed around trees and bubbles. Of course, being an archipelago, it wasn't just one island. It consisted of 79 colossal mangrove trees, thus 79 "islands," each tree or island marked with a number from 1 to 79, divided into several distinct main areas according to these numbers.
This was a chaotic region, a land both of law and lawlessness, with crime rampant everywhere. It was somewhat better before the Summit War, but since Marine Headquarters relocated from nearby to the New World, it had become even more chaotic, devolving into a completely ungoverned area.
Wilder's destination was the New World. Before that, he needed to pass through the Red Line passage beneath the sea, which meant his ship had to be coated.
The coating services were in the area of Groves 50-59. Wilder was currently at Grove 1, within the lawless zone.
The lawless zone was so named because even within the current chaos of Sabaody Archipelago, it was the most disorderly area. "Lawlessness" was its defining characteristic.
Human trafficking and all sorts of other things happened here.
"Looks like I have a ways to go."
Wilder bought a map and, after checking his direction, headed towards the coating area.
Wilder wasn't very familiar with the original story's details. Therefore, he didn't clearly remember the specific locations of some events that had unfolded here in the canon. He did want to have a drink at that bar famously known for ripping people off—Shakky's—and if he was lucky, perhaps even meet the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh, right hand of the Pirate King. But alas, he had no clear memory of where it was.
"What a pity," Wilder muttered to himself, his pace unceasing.
As he was walking, Wilder's steps suddenly faltered for a moment. An almost imperceptible curve touched his lips, then his expression returned to nonchalance as he continued on.
Whether by coincidence or for some other reason, Wilder found himself walking into a relatively secluded area. "Secluded" wasn't entirely accurate; there were still many people coming and going. However, compared to the blatant chaos of the places he had just passed, this area was noticeably quieter.
"Seems to be an area specifically for the circulation of slightly weaker 'ordinary people'?" Wilder found it interesting. It seemed that no matter how chaotic a place was, over time, it would develop its own set of rules. Even in chaos, tranquility could be found.
The "ordinary people" Wilder referred to were, of course, not all truly ordinary. To put it plainly, this was likely an area inhabited by the weakest tier of criminals, probably committing mostly petty, stealthy crimes.
After walking a bit further, Wilder stopped.
Two figures appeared, one in front and one behind, surrounding him. They wielded a large saber and a steel axe respectively, standing a few meters away, their eyes greedily fixed on Wilder in the middle.
Wilder stood quietly in place, lit a cigarette, and looked calmly at the man in front. "Followed me for so long, have you finally lost patience? Or is this the most suitable place to take care of things?"
As for the one behind him, Wilder didn't even have the desire to turn around and look, completely exposing his back to the attacker.
The surrounding people, seeing this, couldn't help but give them a wider berth, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
"Heh." The man in front grinned, revealing a set of blackened teeth. He didn't speak, his face contorting menacingly as he charged at Wilder with his saber.
The man behind also moved at this moment, swinging his large axe towards Wilder. He had already quietly closed the distance, so he could strike Wilder without needing to move forward any further.
"Die, haha!"
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