In the grand hall of the palace, Crocodile, Ivankov, Gecko Moria, and the others were all assembled.
Wilder sat at the head of the conference table. On one side were his allies, and on the other, the high-ranking officers of Morass.
At that moment, all eyes were on Wilder. Crocodile took a drag from his cigar, his eyes narrowed. "Now that everyone's here, are you going to tell us about this 'plan' of yours, Wilder?"
Inwardly, Crocodile was not optimistic about Wilder's chances against Big Mom. He even found the idea somewhat laughable. He had come for two reasons: first, because of the promise Wilder had made him, and second, because he found the whole affair amusing.
The others also appeared nonchalant, but in reality, they shared his skepticism. They were here for the same reasons: Wilder's promise and the sheer entertainment value of the attempt.
Who was Big Mom?
She was an Emperor of the Sea, one of the Yonko. If she could be defeated so easily, she wouldn't have dominated the seas for so many years.
Not even the Marines could handle the Four Emperors, let alone a nation like Morass, which, despite its immense potential, had not yet reached that level.
Before Wilder could respond, Moria's high-pitched laugh echoed through the hall. "Kishishishishi! How exactly do you plan to deal with Charlotte Linlin?" he asked, his gaze fixed on Wilder with a morbid curiosity.
This was the question on everyone's mind. No matter how much they doubted him, they knew Wilder wasn't foolish enough to make such a bold claim without some basis. So, they held onto a sliver of anticipation.
Now, hearing Moria's question, all eyes, including Crocodile's, were on Wilder.
He needed to know on what grounds Wilder thought he could take on a Yonko.
Meeting their gazes, Wilder calmly swept his eyes over them. "Before we discuss that," he said, his voice even, "I'd like to ask you all a question. How much do you really know about Big Mom?"
"Hmm?"
His question was met with frowns and silence.
Whether it was Crocodile, Gecko Moria, or even the Revolutionary Army commander, Ivankov, they were all famous and well-informed figures. But faced with Wilder's question, they all held their breath, unsure of how to answer.
Did they know of her? Of course, everyone knew of Big Mom. But did they understand her? To what extent? The common knowledge was shared by all of them. But the deeper, more secret information was not so easily obtained.
While Crocodile and Moria were once great pirates, they didn't have the vast and sophisticated intelligence network of a nation like Morass. There were some things they simply couldn't access.
And while Ivankov, as a revolutionary, had access to a great deal of classified information, it was impossible for even them to have a deep, comprehensive understanding of a being on the level of a Yonko.
After all, she was an Emperor, one of the most terrifying beings on the sea. Stealing her secrets was not comparable to overthrowing a small kingdom.
So, no one dared to give a confident answer.
But Morass was different. Not only did it possess a massive and precise intelligence network with agents spread across most of the world's seas, but Wilder himself had the advantage of foreknowledge. In terms of intelligence, Morass was second to none.
Seeing their silence, Wilder continued, "Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin... I'm sure you all know the basics. What I want to talk about is Big Mom herself."
His words captured their full attention.
Hearing him speak with such confidence, they knew he wasn't joking. No one was treating this lightly anymore.
And they were all intensely curious to hear what he had to say.
What's more, they knew that Wilder was one of the few people in the world who had fought Big Mom and lived to tell the tale. If anyone in this room truly understood her, it was him.
"I have fought Big Mom twice, as I'm sure you all know," Wilder began, his expression growing serious. "And in the course of those battles, I discovered something. Something... terrifying."
"What is it?"
Unconsciously, they all leaned forward, their expressions mirroring his. For Wilder to call something "terrifying," it had to be serious.
Big Mom... what kind of monster is she?
The question rose in all their minds.
"Besides her Devil Fruit, the Soul-Soul Fruit," Wilder continued, "the most terrifying thing about Big Mom is her body."
"Her body?"
Their eyes narrowed, fixed on Wilder.
"That's right," Wilder nodded. "Her body is what makes her a true monster. Besides her immense strength, the most frightening aspect is her defense. Her body is like a steel balloon; it's nearly impervious to all physical attacks."
"Impervious? Are you joking? How is that possible?" Crocodile said, his cigar clenched between his teeth. But there was no hint of a smile on his face.
Only a deep gravity.
An unbreakable defense...
A steel balloon.
The words made their pupils contract. But some were still skeptical. "I don't believe any defense is unbreakable," a man cloaked in a black robe said. "If that were the case, wouldn't she have conquered the world by now? It's more likely that the attacks were simply too weak to harm her."
The others nodded in agreement. In fact, Wilder agreed with him as well.
As he had said, no defense in the world was truly unbreakable.
"But what if it's infinitely close to unbreakable? Can you deny the terror of such a body?"
Wilder didn't wait for them to ponder this. "To give you an idea of the level of her defense, let me give you an example. A light beam from Marine Admiral Kizaru can shatter a mountaintop from a distance. But against Big Mom's body, it only left a scorch mark."
Wilder's tone was flat and matter-of-fact, but his words sent a wave of disbelief through his audience.
Before they could react, he added, "Fleet Admiral Akainu's magma fist clashed with her own, both enhanced with Armament Haki, and she was completely unharmed. What do you think of a defense like that?"
At this, no one could remain calm. Their eyes widened, their minds reeling.
They didn't doubt the truth of his words. Wilder had no reason to lie and make them fear Big Mom more than they already did. And he had been there; he had witnessed it firsthand. His account was far more credible than any rumor.
Crocodile took a long drag, his cigar burning down to the end. He turned to Wilder, his brow furrowed. "If what you say is true, then she's even more of a monster than we thought. But... I assume you have a way to deal with it?"
The others all looked at Wilder expectantly.
Wilder nodded. "That's right. We've talked about her defense. Now, let's talk about how to break it."
They all held their breath, listening intently.
"There is a moment," Wilder said, "when her defense can be broken."
"Oh?" This piqued their interest.
"And when is that?"
"There was someone very important to Big Mom, who disappeared long ago," Wilder explained. "I won't go into the details, but this person is gone from the world. She was a nun, and Big Mom has always kept a photograph of her."
"If..." Wilder looked at them, a wicked smile on his face, "...that photograph is broken, Big Mom will fly into a rage. She'll let out a strange scream. And in the moment she screams, her defense will vanish. All we have to do is seize that opportunity and kill her instantly."
This was a plot point from the original story, and Wilder was choosing to follow it. It was the most direct and plausible way to kill Big Mom.
Clap, clap, clap.
Wilder clapped his hands, and a few soldiers entered, carrying wooden crates. They placed one in front of each of the allies.
"What's this?" they asked, their eyes questioning.
"A weapon to deal with Big Mom," Wilder said with a faint smile.
Their interest was piqued. They opened the crates.
"A rocket launcher?" Crocodile raised an eyebrow, letting out a disgruntled "tch."
Wilder shook his head. "This is no ordinary rocket launcher. It contains a toxin that, upon entering the body, will instantly shut down all bodily functions. To put it simply, a direct hit means instant death."
Hiss!
A collective sharp intake of breath was heard in the hall.
They all looked at the "rocket launchers" with a newfound caution. If this thing could kill instantly, a misfire would be disastrous.
"Right, there's one more thing I forgot to mention," Wilder said. He waited until they had all closed the lids of the crates and were looking at him again. "This is the weapon we will use to kill Big Mom. I'm sure you all understand the plan now. We break the photo, wait for her to scream, and when her defense is down, we hit her with this."
Aside from Crocodile, Moria, and Ivankov, who were frowning in thought, the others nodded in agreement.
"However..." Wilder's expression turned serious. "The scream Big Mom lets out is so powerful that it can incapacitate anyone who hears it, even her own children, the Sweet Commanders. In a way, this state is also a form of defense. You could say her defense is never truly broken; it just changes form."
Wilder's words once again unsettled them. For the first time, they were beginning to grasp the true terror of a Yonko.
"So, we must wear earplugs beforehand," Wilder continued. The others let out a sigh of relief and nodded. It was a simple and effective solution.
But Wilder's tone shifted again, growing grave. "But if it were that simple, killing Big Mom would be too easy. As I said, her defense is terrifying. And the scream is another form of it."
Hearing this, their hearts leaped into their throats. They were on the verge of a breakdown from all the twists and turns.
"What do you mean?" Crocodile asked, frowning.
Wilder paused before answering, his voice heavy. "Her scream doesn't just incapacitate those who hear it; it also has a physical component. In other words, it is a tangible, physical attack."
"When she is in that state, the rockets we fire will likely be knocked off course by the shockwave of her scream just before they hit her. Therefore, the most likely outcome is failure."
"What did you say!?" At this, no one, not even Crocodile, could remain calm.
"If that's the case," Crocodile said, annoyed, "then this whole plan has been a waste of breath."
Wilder looked at him and shook his head. "Nothing is absolute. But we can't pin our hopes on that. So, my plan is to fire the rockets at one-second intervals."
"The moment she screams, three people will fire simultaneously. One second later, another three will fire. And so on. In this way, it's highly likely that one of the shots will hit her."
"In addition to that..." Wilder looked at Crocodile. "At that moment, you and I will both turn into our elements and approach her from different directions at high speed. We will break through her physical defense and inject the poison directly into her body."
"And that's your plan?" Crocodile looked at Wilder, annoyed. He lit another cigar. "You think you can defeat a Yonko with such a risky plan? Are you underestimating her, Wilder!? Her children aren't just going to stand by and watch!"