Two days later, three Marine warships departed from the docks of the new fortress.
On the lead warship, Kizaru and Wilder stood side-by-side at the bow, gazing at the distant sea horizon.
"My, my, Wilder-kun, you really don't like to be at a disadvantage, do you?" Kizaru said with a helpless expression.
Wilder's presence here was, of course, proof that he had agreed to Kizaru's proposal two days ago. They were now en route to their destination.
However, although Wilder had agreed, he wasn't working for free. He had put forth his own condition: the Marines had an obligation to protect the citizens of Morass from pirate attacks when they went out to sea.
Although this request was technically within the scope of the Marines' duties, and it was something they were indeed already doing, specifically protecting a single nation's interests was unprecedented.
The Marines' actions were generally random. Apart from pirates on their must-capture list, they patrolled specific sea areas and arrested any pirates they encountered. However, if they were on a specific mission, they might not even engage with other pirates they came across.
They lacked the manpower.
Wilder came to this conclusion with a sigh of internal reflection.
If the Marines had sufficient forces, the seas wouldn't be in their current state. In the end, it was the World Government's inaction, a consequence of their wariness of the Marines.
So, Wilder's request was actually quite demanding, but from a moral standpoint, it was something Kizaru couldn't refuse. After all, wasn't it the Marines' duty to protect civilians and maintain world stability?
Though he couldn't refuse, Kizaru had made it clear to Wilder that the Marines could only guarantee protection within the sea area controlled by the new fortress. Once outside that range, they were on their own.
Fortunately, that was enough.
Wilder didn't want to push his luck. The sea area controlled by the new fortress was already quite large. While it was inevitable that some pirates and Big Mom's forces were still active within this range, the situation was much better than it would be outside of it.
"At a disadvantage? No, no, no, this is what the Marines are supposed to do, isn't it?" Despite the compromise, Wilder still used this line to retort to Kizaru.
The warship cut through the waves. Wilder had to admit, the Marines' shipbuilding technology was impressive.
Leaving other factors aside, in terms of stability and speed alone, Marine ships were leagues ahead of others.
Of course, that was because the Marines were willing to spend the money and possessed unique technology to achieve such results.
Otherwise, in terms of shipbuilding alone, how could they compare to Water 7?
An idea had already formed in Wilder's mind. In the future, he had to make a trip to Water 7 and recruit some shipbuilding talent.
As for technology, Morass could handle that internally. In fact, Wilder had already started implementing this; tasking the Science Department with researching a propulsion system was a key step.
"Ah, by the way, Wilder-kun, the Marines are planning to purchase another batch of cannons from Morass. You'll have to give us a discount on the price, you know," Kizaru said, turning to glance at Wilder as if he had just remembered, his tone feigning a bit of dementia.
"How many?" Wilder's expression was neutral, as if he couldn't care less about the deal.
"Well now, this is a big order. I believe you'll make a hefty profit, Wilder-kun. This time, it's for all the branches, and Marine Headquarters needs some as well. This is no small number. Are you really going to discuss this with me with such a dismissive attitude?" The light glinted off Kizaru's glasses as he pursed his lips and spoke lightly.
"I think we need a bottle of wine, a table, and to sit down and discuss this properly," Wilder immediately changed his tune.
"I think tea would be better."
"Perhaps. In that case, you drink tea, I'll drink wine."
"Little San, bring a table and two chairs. Also, brew a pot of tea and bring two cups," Kizaru said, turning to a marine behind him.
"Hey, are you just going to ignore my suggestion? I said wine," Wilder said, looking at Kizaru, his displeasure unconcealed.
"Oh dear? Is that so? Wilder-kun wants to drink wine… Apologies, he's already gone to get it. Let's just forget it."
"…"
Wilder stared fixedly at the smarmy, yellow-suited old man for a long time before suddenly breaking into a grin.
"No problem."
With that, Wilder pulled a bottle of wine and a wineglass from his body. He raised the glass, gave a questioning eyebrow raise to the stunned Kizaru, and motioned with it.
"Young people these days are so…"
"Mischievous."
Wilder burst out laughing. "Mr. Kizaru, you're at most only ten or twenty years older than me. Ah… but I'm quite happy to be called a young person. So… cheers."
He poured himself a glass of wine and, before Little San could bring the tea, raised his glass to Kizaru in a toast, then downed it in one gulp.
"Do you think I'm very good-tempered, Wilder-kun?" Kizaru's glasses suddenly flashed. He finished his sentence with a deadpan expression as particles of light began to materialize around him.
A brilliant light suddenly erupted before him. Wilder narrowed his eyes. "Don't you know this thing is very blinding, Mr. Kizaru? It's not proper for a host to flash it in front of a guest."
Gurgle! Even as he spoke, swamp mud began to pour madly from Wilder's body, instantly gathering behind him to form a giant serpent with red eyes and sharp horns on its head that emanated a frightening, dark glint.
The scene felt familiar to Wilder. It was just like this that he had been beaten so badly back then.
Of course, things were different now. Back then, he didn't have Haki, so he couldn't do anything about this glowing, yellow-suited old man. Now, at least, he had the qualifications to fight back.
The two men's sudden actions stunned all the Marines on the ship.
"Wh-what's going on? Are they… are they going to fight?"
The Marines in the back immediately tensed up. Those closer to the confrontation between Kizaru and Wilder felt an icy chill run through them. Gritting their teeth to stay conscious, they drew their swords and assumed a state of high alert.
"This… this aura… damn it! Am I not even a match for their presence alone?"
As for the new recruits, their faces were deathly pale, their backs soaked with cold sweat. Their bodies were frozen in place, unable to even twitch.
Just as the tension reached its absolute peak, the two men simultaneously retracted their auras. The light vanished, and the swamp receded back into Wilder's body, disappearing without a trace.
"My, my, Wilder-kun can't even take a joke," Kizaru said, shaking his head with a helpless tone.
Of course, neither of them had been genuinely angry. It was a tacit understanding between them, just a way to liven up the atmosphere before talking business.
Wilder took a sip of the red wine and smiled. "You're the one to talk, Mr. Kizaru. I've never met anyone who starts glowing at the drop of a hat."
"Well, let's forget it. Let's talk business now. Little San."
"Ah… yes… yes, sir." Only then, hearing Kizaru's voice, did Little San timidly approach with the table and chairs.
Kizaru and Wilder sat opposite each other. Kizaru took a sip of tea, then looked at Wilder and stated a number directly: "Three thousand cannons."
"Last time, the price you gave, Wilder-kun, was fourteen million Beri per cannon, and nine hundred thousand for ten shells. We won't need the shells this time. The Marines' shells may not be as good, but they are usable."
"No, no, no, that was the price you proposed, Mr. Kizaru. I remember the price I initially proposed was fifteen million Beri per cannon. Which means fourteen million was already a generous discount. If it wasn't for you, Mr. Kizaru, the price I would have proposed would have been twenty million Beri," Wilder said, shaking his head and refusing to fall for Kizaru's ploy.
Kizaru leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and his smarmy expression returned. "Then you tell me, Wilder-kun. With such a large quantity this time, we can't go by the previous price."
"Three hundred ninety billion Beri," Wilder stated the total directly.
In other words, that was the price for three thousand cannons.
"Hmm…" Kizaru fell into thought.
Wilder quietly sipped his wine, not disturbing him.
After a long while, Kizaru finally looked up and said leisurely, "So… the per-unit price you're offering, Wilder-kun, is?"
Wilder: "…"
With a sigh, Wilder looked at Kizaru as if he were looking at an idiot. "That's one hundred thirty million Beri per cannon."
"This price is already very low. You should know that the fourteen million price last time was already the lowest I could offer. If you weren't ordering so many this time, allowing me to profit from volume, the price wouldn't be this low. So if you still intend to bargain, Mr. Kizaru, then our discussion might have to end on a regrettable note."
In reality, the price of cannons on the market ranged from one million to fifteen million, but who would use those that cost less than ten million? Apart from small-time pirates with bounties under ten million, probably no one would give them a second look.
Kizaru unhurriedly picked up his cup, took a sip of tea, and said faintly, "One hundred twenty million per unit."
"Deal." Wilder downed the wine in his cup in one go.
Kizaru: "…"
So in the end, the transaction was set at three hundred sixty billion Beri, to be delivered in ten batches, with one-third paid as a deposit.
After returning to the bedroom the Marines had arranged for him, Wilder immediately called the Munitions Department and Claire to explain the situation.
"Also, how is the progress on the various departments compiling textbooks for the Talent Development Department?"
Claire's voice came from the other side of the Den Den Mushi: "Currently, the basic textbooks for the Construction, Science, and Medical departments have all been completed."
"Excellent. Have the other departments speed up their textbook compilation as well. And transfer some personnel from the corresponding departments to serve as part-time teachers."
"Also, once the deposit is received, after deducting the manufacturing costs for the munitions, use the rest to build schools. In the capital, build a Cadre School, a Medical School, a Construction School, a Science School, and an Agricultural School."
"In addition, the basic schools can start enrolling students now. Once they have learned some basic knowledge, let them go to these specialized schools."
"Yes, sir."
After hanging up the phone, Wilder couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.
These hundreds of billions had come so suddenly. Happiness had come so suddenly. Thinking back, cooperating with the Marines was truly a wise decision.
Wilder spent the next two days on the warship. At noon on the second day, the warship finally entered the sea area of their destination.
"All hands, attention! Stay sharp and be vigilant! We have now entered enemy waters!"
All the Marines on the warship were ready, their expressions solemn, the atmosphere tense.
"Reporting to the Admiral! We have reached the sea area where Katakuri's forces are stationed! According to information from our spies, it has been preliminarily confirmed that Katakuri's main force is currently resting in the Viksbyn Kingdom. They will soon launch an attack on another World Government affiliated nation, the Pongipongy Kingdom!"
"How far are we from Viksbyn?" Kizaru asked, turning his head.
"Reporting! At our current speed, we will arrive in three hours!"
"Full speed ahead!" Kizaru became serious for once, his tone heavy as he gave the order.
"Yes, sir!"
"Full speed ahead!"
"Wilder-kun, the road ahead will not be peaceful. I hope you won't hold back when the time comes," Kizaru said to Wilder, who was standing next to him, after giving the order.
Going full speed ahead meant exposing themselves, and also abandoning all defenses. It meant that even if the enemy had set up an ambush ahead, they wouldn't check; they would just charge straight through.
So, Kizaru's words meant that there would be a lot of trouble to deal with ahead.
"With you here, Mr. Kizaru, I don't think I'll have a chance to make a move," Wilder replied faintly.
"Now, now, you're being careless, Wilder-kun. I've been a Marine for decades, and I've seen many things. Even I can't guarantee that nothing will go wrong. Even if I were to suddenly die today, I wouldn't be surprised. The basic requirement for being a Marine is to have that kind of resolve."
Kizaru's words made Wilder turn his head slightly. He hadn't expected the old man to say something like that.
"In any case, I'll be counting on you, Wilder-kun. It would be even better if you don't have to make a move. I'm not one to just stand by and watch, you know."
Wilder didn't speak, just nodded, his gaze turning to the distance.
"Perhaps you're right, Mr. Kizaru," he said with a smile, looking at the dense swarm of small black dots flying toward them in the distance.
Kizaru naturally saw them too. Hearing Wilder's words, he noncommittally struck a pose, particles of light emerging from around him. "Or rather… pirates are just an unreasonable bunch! They… don't care who you are. Only when danger truly descends will they choose to flee in panic."
"Not necessarily. Some pirates are terrified of dying," swamp mud was already rising madly from Wilder's back, in the blink of an eye forming a massive swamp hand that blotted out the sun.
BOOM!
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