In any case, everything was finally starting to get on the right track, and Wilder had a rare moment to relax.
Of course, Wilder wouldn't waste this time on leisure; instead, he intensified his training.
He had made a new breakthrough in his swamp gas training. Wilder could now release and simply manipulate the gas. Moreover, the generation time had been reduced to thirty seconds, and the volume of gas he could contain at once had expanded to a visible range of ten meters in diameter.
BOOM!
On a wide training ground behind the Royal Palace, swamp gas erupted from Wilder's body, eventually forming an inverted, semi-circular dome of gas that enveloped the area, with Wilder at its center.
Then, the swamp gas slowly shrank, eventually being completely controlled and retracted back into the swamp within Wilder's body.
"It will still take some time to master its application. For now, I need to focus on increasing the speed of gas generation and developing my control over it."
Wilder picked up his clothes from the ground and walked into the palace, his bare, chiseled body on full display.
After taking a bath, Wilder was about to sit down and approve official documents when Claire walked in. Seeing Wilder's bare torso, her face instantly flushed red. She turned her head away shyly, yet her eyes couldn't help but steal glances.
Wilder paid it no mind. He took a sip of warm tea and looked up at her. "Claire, is something wrong?"
"Ah? Oh!"
Claire snapped back to reality, slightly flustered as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She forcefully suppressed the pounding in her chest and calmed herself down. "Boss, a call just came in from the Marine fortress. They said the construction is complete."
"Oh? Is that so?" Only then did Wilder remember that, yes, that was a thing. Part of his deal with the Marines had been to assist them in building a new fortress. Thinking about it, the timing was about right.
"Which means it's time to bring back the personnel who went to help with the construction." Wilder pondered for a moment and decided to go himself to pick them up.
His reasons were threefold. First, the kingdom was now developing at a steady pace, and he finally had some free time. Second, Wilder wanted to see the new Marine base for himself—a preliminary look at his "neighbor," wouldn't you say? Third, it was a chance to get away for a bit and gather some information. At the very least, he wanted to see if he could find out any inside news about Big Mom. If the opportunity arose, he wouldn't rule out making the first move.
In any case, his relationship with Big Mom was already one of life and death. When the war would start was just a matter of confidence.
This was one of the reasons why Wilder was pushing his senior cadres to get stronger. In their current state, they were still no match for the Big Mom Pirates.
"By the way, Boss, all four shipments of munitions for Doflamingo have been delivered. The payment for each shipment has been collected in full. It seems Doflamingo wants to strengthen our partnership. The weapons are probably selling very well, and he wants to increase the stock."
"Good news." Wilder smiled. "Tell the Munitions Department not to stop producing cannons. Give Doflamingo as many as he wants. But we need to change the rules. At least half of their payment must be in gold. The other half can be in Beri or goods of equivalent value."
"Remember, do not back down on this rule. I believe Doflamingo will agree. Besides, he has his ways of digging up gold from his downstream connections."
"Understood, Boss," Claire replied obediently.
Wilder smiled at her, which made her blush again. She looked away, her head bowed, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her clothes, not knowing what to do.
Wilder thoroughly enjoyed teasing Claire like this. He stood up, moved closer to her, and just as Claire's palms began to sweat with nervousness, he grinned and whispered in her ear, "Claire, come to my room tonight."
With that, Wilder left her side and walked out of the office.
"Hmph!" Only after Wilder had been gone for a long time did Claire lift her head. Her little face was still red as she glared in the direction he had left and stomped her foot resentfully.
...
That night, Claire, filled with nervousness and unease, came to his room after all.
Wilder pulled her into his arms, dragged her under the covers, and then…
Nothing happened. He just wanted her as a cuddle pillow.
Claire had another sleepless night, grinding her teeth in frustration.
The next day, at dawn, Wilder set off on his black-and-red warship. Apart from a dozen ordinary crew members to operate the ship, no one else accompanied him.
Vice and the other cadres were all immersed in their hellish training. Wilder wasn't joking. If anyone had truly made no progress or stagnated by the deadline, he would strip them of their position. They would probably get a beating as well, and their importance in Wilder's eyes would be greatly diminished. No one wanted that.
Loyalty was one thing, but everyone had a bit of selfishness in their hearts. They had followed Wilder through life and death to achieve their current status, second only to one and above thousands. No one wanted to give that up; in fact, they wanted to go even further.
The Kingdom of Morass was not far from the Marine fortress, a distance of less than three thousand meters. It was faintly visible from the coast of Morass.
The journey took less than half an hour.
The black-and-red warship slowly docked at a pier made entirely of solid stone and concrete. Marines, having been notified in advance, were already waiting.
When Wilder disembarked, an officer immediately came forward to greet him.
It was a Vice Admiral stationed at the new fortress, and an old acquaintance of Wilder's: Momonga.
"Nyahahaha! Long time no see, Mr. Momonga," Wilder said with a loud laugh as he walked over.
Vice Admiral Momonga was the same as ever, with a very serious expression, a long sword at his waist, and a tall stature that was not inferior to Wilder's.
"Welcome," he said coldly, his two words serving as a greeting.
"So, Mr. Wilder, are you taking the architects back now, or would you like to stay for a meal?" This was clearly not a friendly question, but Wilder didn't mind. Instead, he wore a broad smile and acted overly familiar, walking up and slinging an arm over Momonga's shoulder as if they were two old brothers.
"Since Mr. Momonga has offered, it would be rude of me not to stay for a meal. In that case, I'll have to trouble you to make the arrangements."
"Then, please follow me." The corner of Momonga's mouth twitched imperceptibly. Without a word, he naturally removed Wilder's hand from his shoulder and walked ahead on his own.
"Heh…" Wilder chuckled at his back and followed with a jaunty stride.
"Moshi moshi!"
"Yes!"
"Mr. Kizaru, Wilder is here."
In a certain rustic backyard, Kizaru was sitting on the veranda, quietly sipping hot tea when a soldier ran up to report.
Hearing that Wilder had come, Kizaru let out an "oh," his expression a little puzzled. "Wilder-kun? He's here?"
"Yes, Mr. Kizaru. The architects from Morass who participated in the construction are returning today. Wilder came specifically to pick them up."
"Something like that… requires him to come personally?" Kizaru pursed his lips, a look of surprise on his face. He then put down his teacup and stood up.
"Well, if that's the case, it seems quite nice. I haven't seen Wilder-kun in a long time. It just so happens that I can have him do something with me this time."
With that, Kizaru walked out of the small courtyard.
Meanwhile, Wilder was following Momonga. Along the way, Wilder put on a display of curiosity and amazement, a look that made Momonga, who was walking in front, want to punch him.
"How magnificent, Mr. Momonga."
"So this is a Marine fortress? It's truly enviable. You are truly worthy of your reputation, Mr. Momonga."
What does this have to do with me?
Momonga desperately wanted to turn around and roar this, but in the end, he held it in.
"Is that the Marine fortress's office building? How grand. Mr. Momonga, you are so capable."
Wilder's voice once again reached Momonga's ears from behind, making a vein throb on his forehead.
He turned around and said coldly, "I did not build this, nor do I have the ability to do so. Besides, as you know, Mr. Wilder, this is currently Mr. Borsalino's main base of operations. If anyone is to be praised for their capability, it should be Mr. Borsalino."
"Tsk, you're no fun, Mr. Momonga. Why so serious? I was just joking," Wilder said, shaking his head and looking around.
That sentence nearly made Momonga draw his sword and cut down the man behind him. It was too much!
Before long, Wilder met with the construction personnel from Morass who had participated in the project. Wilder walked over and spoke warmly with their leader, then gave a few instructions to the Morass members who had followed him, telling them to lead the architects to the ship first before he left.
Just then, Kizaru walked over. Wilder was taken aback for a moment, then broke into a wide smile and greeted him, "Mr. Kizaru, you seem so carefree. It makes one quite envious."
Hearing this, Momonga, who was standing to the side, felt an urge to draw his sword. He held it in, then couldn't hold it in any longer.
Fine, if I can't beat him, I can at least avoid him.
Momonga gave Kizaru a quick greeting and then left without another word.
"Hmm?" Kizaru looked strangely at Momonga's departing back before turning to Wilder. "Wilder-kun, you're wronging me. I've always been very diligent. In the Marines, if I claim to be the second most diligent, no one would dare to claim to be the first."
I believe you, my ass!
Wilder scorned him internally, but his smile didn't waver. "Is that so? But every time I see you, Mr. Kizaru, you always look so leisurely."
"You misunderstand me, Wilder-kun. I'm always working in places you can't see."
Wilder didn't want to continue this topic, but Kizaru had no intention of ending it. Following that line, Kizaru added, "It's normal that you wouldn't know, Wilder-kun. For example, right now, you probably think I have nothing to do, but I'm actually troubled by a certain matter."
Wilder didn't take the bait. He wasn't a fool. When Kizaru spoke like this, he was definitely up to something.
But Wilder's silence didn't stop Kizaru from continuing on his own. "Actually, this matter is somewhat related to you, Wilder-kun."
Hmm?
Wilder's smile slowly faded as he looked at Kizaru. Kizaru stared back at him quietly. After a long moment of staring, Wilder finally spoke grimly, "Mr. Kizaru, if you have something to say, why not just say it directly?"
"Alright." Kizaru flashed a smarmy grin. "Then I'll be direct."
"This matter is indeed related to you, Wilder-kun."
"The Big Mom Pirates?" Wilder's mind immediately raced with possibilities. He interrupted Kizaru before he could continue.
Kizaru looked surprised. "As expected of Mr. Wilder. The man reputed to be a schemer on par with Crocodile is truly extraordinary. Your brain works well."
Hmm?
Hearing this, Wilder frowned slightly, looking at Kizaru in confusion.
"I see. You probably don't know yet, do you, Wilder-kun?" Seeing Wilder's reaction, Kizaru instantly understood that he was likely unaware of the situation.
So he explained, "You see, the news of you establishing a cooperative relationship with the Marines, which even caused the Big Mom Pirates to suffer heavy losses, somehow got out. And then… you were scolded, Wilder-kun. The pirates on the seas are all calling you despicable and shameless. But you don't need to pay any mind to their words."
Hearing Kizaru's explanation, Wilder finally understood the whole story. He hadn't expected to be branded a schemer. If one were to talk about schemers, he and Crocodile didn't really count. Doflamingo was the true schemer.
As for being scolded, Wilder felt truly wronged. It's not that my brain works so well, it's that the brains of the people in this world are generally the size of almonds! There's nothing to be done about it. We're on different levels, and my strength doesn't allow for anything less.
"Hah. Just the whining of the incompetent," Wilder said with a cold sneer.
"It seems you are very wise, Wilder-kun."
Wilder glanced at him. "So, what exactly are you trying to say, Mr. Kizaru?"
"Oh, right, I almost forgot the main point." Kizaru wore the expression of someone with dementia. "It is indeed as you guessed, Wilder-kun. It's related to the Big Mom Pirates."
"After suffering a loss at your hands, Charlotte Linlin is very unwilling to accept it. She is also very unwilling to have lost this stretch of sea that is now under Marine control."
After saying this, Kizaru stared fixedly at Wilder. "Since you're already here, Wilder-kun, why don't you go on a trip with me?"
"A trip?" Wilder frowned at him.
"As I just said, the Big Mom Pirates are very resentful. Right now, the strongest Sweet Commander, Katakuri, has gathered a fleet and is attacking the territories of other powers. Many countries have already fallen, including some affiliated with the World Government. In other words, the Big Mom Pirates are expressing their dissatisfaction in this way. What they lost here, they will take back from elsewhere. This sort of thing cannot be allowed."
"Katakuri…" Wilder's expression turned slightly grim.
"Indeed. He's a monster, you know. And he's not alone. So this time, I want you to go with me, Wilder-kun. Consider it…"
"Time for you to fulfill your duties."