Wilder exhaled a puff of smoke, his body motionless. But in the next instant, before the crowd could clearly see what had happened—Clang! Clang!—the axe and the large saber had already been sent flying into the air, and the two assailants were hurtling backward even faster than they had charged in.
Before they even hit the ground—Swish! Swish!—two black glints of deadly light had already sliced through their bodies.
Wilder lowered his foot, not even sparing a glance at the corpses on the ground, nor did he pay any mind to the utterly stunned onlookers. He took another drag from his cigarette and, as if nothing had happened, continued walking forward.
The surroundings were quiet for a moment. By the time people snapped back to their senses, Wilder was long gone. They glanced at the two bodies on the ground, neatly bisected at the waist, then involuntarily looked in the direction Wilder had departed, each swallowing hard and shivering.
Soon, news of what had transpired here was spread by those who had witnessed it firsthand.
Wilder was unaware of this, and even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared.
Right now, he just wanted to get to the coating area quickly, get his ship coated, and then… while waiting, enjoy a glass of exotic wine.
Though the distance was considerable, with Wilder deliberately increasing his speed, he soon arrived at Grove 50.
"Hello, where can I get a ship coated?" Wilder grabbed a young man, trying his best to put on a friendly smile as he spoke.
"Over there," the young man pointed, trembling.
"Thanks." Wilder released him and walked in the direction indicated.
The scenery along the way was quite beautiful. Wilder wasn't sure if "beautiful" was the right word, but… if one ignored the less savory sights, the landscape and atmosphere were genuinely pleasant, almost like strolling through an amusement park.
Before long, Wilder reached the coating area. The docks were already packed with ships, mostly merchant vessels and pirate ships. Wilder had actually always wondered why the Marines didn't just come here and destroy all these ships. Wouldn't that be far more effective than dealing with pirates directly? It could also cut off the new blood flowing into the New World right here.
"Coating?" On a small boat a few steps away, an old man looked up at Wilder.
Thump! Wilder, unconcerned, waved his hand, obscuring most angles as he released his small boat from his swamp storage. Only then did he say, "Yes."
The old man blinked, staring blankly at the suddenly materialized boat beside him before nodding. "O… Okay."
"Come back in three days to pick it up," the old man said, having recovered his wits.
"Two days at most," Wilder stated, his tone leaving no room for argument, as he slapped a thick wad of Beli into the old man's hand.
"No problem!" the old man replied crisply, tossing aside the ship he had just begun coating.
Wilder turned and left. Since it was still early, he planned to wander around the island a bit and, while at it, grab a drink. Leisurely.
However, Wilder hadn't expected that while strolling, people around him would act as if he were the plague incarnate, all giving him a wide berth.
"Look, that's him! The one who brutally murdered two people in the small grove just now."
"Ah?! How terrifying!"
Sabaody Archipelago wasn't just home to numerous desperados; there were also many ordinary citizens and dignitaries, all of whom were terrified of death.
Hearing the whispers behind him, Wilder understood what was going on, but he didn't pay it much mind. In fact, it was better this way; it would save him the trouble of another incident like the one before.
If he wanted a drink, he'd have to go to the bar street, which meant crossing another large area. But Wilder wasn't in a hurry. He had intended to look around anyway, so a slow walk would be fine.
The journey was uneventful. Wilder mostly just observed, rarely interacting. Occasionally, if something caught his interest, he would look a bit more intently but still wouldn't linger or touch.
Unconsciously, he was nearing the bar street, but Wilder's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
He had felt something was off for a little while now, as if… a pair of eyes were watching him from behind.
The distance couldn't be too close, or his Observation Haki should have already sensed it.
Wilder's expression unknowingly turned cold as he continued walking forward.
Whoever it is, they'd better behave! The feeling of being watched from behind was intermittent, only disappearing when Wilder stepped into a bar.
However, upon entering, Wilder found the bar somewhat quiet. He paid it no mind, ordered a drink, and sat down in a corner. But just then, his eyes scanned the room, and he spotted someone. Simultaneously, that person happened to turn their head. The moment their gazes met, both showed a hint of surprise.
Then, their reactions diverged. Wilder calmly began to drink his alcohol, while the other person stood up and walked towards him, their smile growing more audacious with each step.
The approaching figure was tall, similar in height to Wilder, perhaps even a bit larger, with a wide upper body tapering down to a narrower waist, cinched by a gold champion's belt. He had shoulder-length, curly purplish hair parted to frame his face, and wore a half-mask that covered his eyes and above.
As this man walked towards Wilder's table, the gazes of everyone drinking in the bar followed him. When people saw Wilder, their eyes widened; they had clearly recognized him.
The bar became even quieter than before. Countless eyes converged on the two men. People unknowingly gulped, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Thump! Finally, the tall man stood before Wilder, looking down at him with an excited and arrogant grin.
"Warlord of the Sea, Lucifer Wilder?" the tall man spoke in the silence, his mouth stretching into an exaggerated grin that reached the upper parts of his cheeks, revealing a set of neat teeth.
"Blackbeard Pirates, First Ship Captain, Jesus Burgess?" Wilder looked up at him and replied calmly.
"Heh… Looks like I wasn't mistaken." Burgess raised a thick arm and, without any warning, threw a punch at the seated Wilder.
Burgess was ecstatic! He hadn't expected to run into Wilder here. Blackbeard's position as one of the Four Emperors wasn't yet solidified. Burgess should have been in the New World at this time, but he had chased a remnant of the Whitebeard Pirates all the way here from the New World, only to lose their trail. This had annoyed him greatly, and in his frustration, he had thought of drowning his sorrows in alcohol, which was why he had come here. He had originally planned to head back to the New World today, but he hadn't expected…
He hadn't expected this! To meet this guy here! The one the Captain had issued orders to kill on sight! He hadn't forgotten their miserable state back in Impel Down! This bastard before him had played a part in that! Today, he would kill him!
His eyes were bloodshot with excitement. As the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates' First Ship, Burgess had this confidence.
Everyone in the bar was stunned by this scene! No one had expected Burgess to suddenly attack Wilder! Many more, however, became excited. One was the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates' First Ship, the other a Warlord of the Sea whose fame had skyrocketed recently. How could a showdown between these two not be thrilling? It was coming!
It was coming!
Everyone's eyes widened, staring at the massive fist about to smash into Wilder's face, their hearts pounding in anticipation.
BOOM! In the next second, the onlookers felt their vision blur, as if a hurricane had swept past them. Then, they saw Burgess transform into a black shadow, sent flying backward at extreme speed, crashing through a slew of tables and chairs.
Wilder stood there, expressionless, his fist entirely black. He had stood up at some unknown point.
The crowd held their breath, frozen in place. The scene before them was unbelievable; it wasn't what they had imagined at all! Shouldn't it have been an even match? How was Burgess sent flying right at the start? Were Warlords this savage?!
A barrage of questions collided in their minds, making their heads buzz. Everyone was stunned, as if their systems had crashed.
Tap… tap… tap…
The clear, heavy footsteps startled everyone back to reality. Wilder walked with deliberate, unhurried steps towards Burgess.
An icy killing intent emanated from him. The onlookers felt their bodies stiffen. Wilder's face was now completely devoid of expression, his eyes showing not a hint of emotion, as if he were looking at a dead man as he gazed at Burgess not far off.
"Gulp…" The crowd couldn't help but step back, not daring to block Wilder's path.
Amidst the clatter of broken wood, Burgess stood up from the pile of shattered tables and chairs, the audacious grin still on his face. Though there was a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, it clearly hadn't affected him much.
Burgess watched the approaching Wilder and suddenly laughed, his eyes bloodshot with excitement. "Bahahaha! Interesting! Interesting! This is how it should be! Killing a corpse that doesn't fight back is no fun at all! You're pretty good, not a weak Armament Haki. This means I'll have to use my full strength too! Otherwise, it's easy to get caught off guard… you bastard…!" Burgess lowered his voice on the last sentence, and the smile on his face changed slightly, taking on a more sinister and grim undertone.
Wilder didn't speak, shadows obscuring his eyes. He continued to advance.
Swamp began to ooze from around him.
"Bahahahaha!" Burgess laughed heartily, then stomped heavily on the ground, his body shooting forward like a cannonball! In his high-speed charge, he raised a brawny arm, aiming a punch at Wilder's head.
The punch seemed to carry the weight of ten thousand jun, the wind from it stinging the faces of nearby onlookers. In an instant, it was upon Wilder's head, less than a fist's distance away from caving it in.
"Gurgle!" The surging swamp suddenly stilled. In the next second, all the swamp instantaneously appeared before Wilder, coalescing into a wall! Voom~! An invisible shockwave spread from the point of impact. Wilder stood expressionlessly behind the wall, separated by only its thin breadth. Burgess's fist landed on the wall, and his previously gleeful expression froze.
"How is this possible!"
Burgess's eyes were filled with disbelief!
Under his fist, the section of the wall rippled minutely. Burgess only felt a force transmit from that spot to his body. His fist felt as if it had struck diamond; intense pain surged from it. In an instant, Burgess's face visibly paled.
It all happened in a flash, though it seemed slow. The force of Burgess's punch dissipated, and his body, which had been in a mid-air dive, landed calmly on the ground, his face ugly as he stared at the bizarre wall before him! "You… are still not enough." The wall suddenly churned, and in an instant, it reverted to viscous swamp, clinging to Wilder's body. Wilder stood before Burgess, his low words causing Burgess to stiffen and the others to be taken aback.
Thump! Wilder spoke, but it didn't stop him from suddenly striking. Armament Haki instantly coated his right hand as he swung his fist down! "Waugh!" Burgess didn't have time to dodge. He directly vomited a mouthful of blood, his eyes bulging as his body was sent flying again, this time crashing straight through the bar's wall.
"Get Blackbeard or Shiryu of the Rain here!" Wilder suddenly roared, his dominance absolute!
Saying this, Wilder didn't stop. His figure flashed and disappeared, reappearing above Burgess, and he stomped down hard! BOOM! The floor instantly shattered! "Waugh!" Burgess coughed up another mouthful of blood, staring at Wilder in utter terror! "I'll give you a chance." Wilder suddenly crouched down, grabbing Burgess by the collar and pulling him face-to-face, his eyes icily fixed on him.
"I won't use Haki."
The moment Wilder's words fell, the ground where he stood suddenly began to ripple and shift. In an instant, a fifty-meter radius around him transformed entirely into a swamp! "Ah! What is this?! No! Don't!"
"Help me!"
"Ah! Help! Someone pull me out!"
"Please! Give me a hand! Don't go!"
A group of people who had been watching with great interest moments before were caught completely off guard and dragged in, their bodies sinking rapidly. For a time, cries of agony filled the air.
Wilder didn't even glance at them. If you wanted to watch a good show, you had to bear the consequences.
Burgess's body, of course, was no exception, sinking into this swamp. At this moment, the wide grin could no longer be maintained on his face; instead, it became incredibly ugly.
"This… this is his ability?!" Although Burgess had long known about Wilder's powers, seeing the sea of swamp around him now, he couldn't help but feel horrified!
Yes, Wilder had said he wouldn't use Haki! So what? This situation was far worse than a Haki-fueled brawl! Don't mind that he had seemed to take a beating from Wilder just now; he hadn't been seriously injured. Burgess believed that as long as it was a physical fight, he would eventually have a chance! But now…! Wilder didn't care about Burgess's thoughts. He watched him sink bit by bit into the swamp, his eyes devoid of any emotion from beginning to end.
He had rarely used the Swamp Assimilation characteristic in battle before, but that didn't mean its terror as one of his most formidable traits could be ignored! He didn't use it because his opponents weren't worthy!
Now, on the condition of not using Haki, Burgess barely qualified!
Instantly assimilating the surrounding fifty-meter environment into a swamp, Burgess, at the epicenter, could only watch helplessly as his body sank bit by bit. It wasn't that he didn't want to escape, but the more he struggled, the faster he sank! There was nothing around to grab onto for leverage; he was completely trapped in a desperate situation.
The cries gradually diminished, with only an occasional bubble or two rising from the swamp. Those people, after all, weren't as tall as Burgess, so they naturally sank faster.
On the scene, only Wilder could stand steadily on the swamp.
"I lose!" Burgess, seeing no way to struggle free, shouted loudly towards Wilder! He knew it was impossible for him to escape on his own. This ability was too terrifying.
The power to instantly turn the surrounding environment into a swamp shook him to the core. His heart couldn't find peace, and his gaze towards Wilder became filled with profound dread.