Half an hour passed.
The important members of the Charlotte Family began to arrive one after another.
Among them, the most eye-catching arrivals were Charlotte Katakuri, Charlotte Smoothie, as well as Charlotte Daifuku and Charlotte Oven.
From his position in the crowd, Wilder's gaze fell upon a certain group, and a smirk touched his lips.
The Vinsmoke Family had also arrived.
Upon their arrival, they took their seats without a word, their gazes toward the other guests filled with arrogance and disdain.
Wilder waited quietly.
This time, both Big Mom and the Vinsmokes were his targets.
It might have sounded like an impossible fantasy, but nothing was set in stone, was it?
Besides, from the very beginning, Wilder had come here with the intention of conquering this territory. Even if he failed to deal with Big Mom for one reason or another, he would not give up.
In any case, from this day forward, Morass would no longer back down. At the very least, if Big Mom didn't die this time and wanted a war, then a war it would be.
Morass would claim its place upon the seas!
The sound of heavy footsteps approached from the distance. Everyone's gaze turned to the main entrance.
She's here.
Wilder's eyes narrowed as he also looked toward the gate.
As the footsteps grew louder, a massive shadow emerged from the entrance, walking with a slow, heavy tread.
Finally, a huge, smiling face came into view.
The venue fell silent for a moment, then erupted in a wave of enthusiastic greetings.
"Ooh!"
"Linlin, you look beautiful today!"
As the flattering remarks rang out, Big Mom's eyes swept over the wedding venue. She grinned, looking incredibly pleased. "Mamamamama! What a wonderful day! Mamamamama!"
POP! POP! POP!
Confetti cannons fired, showering the area with colorful streamers as Big Mom made her way to the head table and sat down.
A waiter carefully brought over a framed photograph and placed it in the empty seat across from her.
"Mamamamama! It's so good that you're here too, Mother! Mamamamama!" Big Mom looked at the photo, a blissful smile spreading across her face.
From the shadows, Wilder grinned wickedly, his gaze also falling on the photo. He murmured in a low voice, "Yes, it's wonderful…"
He lowered his head, exchanging a subtle glance with his hidden allies, then resumed his elegant and noble demeanor.
At the same time, Wilder once again surveyed the layout of the venue and the number of people present.
The result made him frown inwardly.
The situation was slightly different from what he had imagined.
Excluding Charlotte Linlin's children and the staff, there were fewer than five hundred guests at the entire wedding venue.
Even including the staff, the total number wouldn't exceed six hundred.
Six hundred people—almost half of his target number. And that was a conservative estimate. These were living people who would move and fight back. With the Sweet Commanders and other powerful individuals present, the effectiveness of his attack would be greatly diminished.
Even if, by some chance, no one reacted in time, with such a large area, some people were bound to escape.
"It seems I'll have to place my hopes on what's below," Wilder thought, his expression returning to calm. He knew that the largest concentration of people was actually outside the castle, where the main forces were stationed.
But now was not the time to deal with those outside. The primary objective was to eliminate Big Mom right here.
Once Big Mom was dealt with, the Four Emperors…
Wilder's ambitions went far beyond just becoming an Emperor.
But there was no doubt that if he succeeded in eliminating Big Mom, Morass would take her place, and Wilder would become one of the new Four Emperors.
However, Wilder knew that this would not be easy. It was like walking on thin ice. One wrong step, and he would be doomed.
To kill or be killed—the outcome would be decided in an instant.
"Introducing the bride and groom!" the master of ceremonies on the high platform shouted into a microphone.
The next moment, the new couple walked out.
Then, a short old man stabbed the ground with a knife, and a giant wedding cake rose up.
As the MC stood between the couple and began to officiate, Wilder and his hidden allies tensed.
Now is the time!
Wilder shot a look at the hidden Moria, and then, he made his move!
BOOM!
An endless torrent of swamp suddenly erupted from his body!
The massive commotion startled everyone. They all turned their heads, and what they saw was a handsome young man in an exquisite suit, his face grim, as a deluge of swamp poured from him. In the blink of an eye, a shadow loomed over everyone's heads.
The scene looked like a towering tsunami!
Everyone was stunned, staring at the sky-blotting swamp crashing down on them, momentarily forgetting to move.
BOOM!
The heavy swamp slammed onto the ground. Instantly, tables and chairs were overturned, shattered, and swept away.
The guests who had been sitting were engulfed by the rushing swamp before they could even react.
The scene was one of utter disaster.
In an instant, dozens of people were swallowed by the swamp without a chance to react.
But some were jolted awake and immediately jumped up, leaping away.
"Aah!"
Chaos erupted. Not only were all the tables and chairs swallowed by the swamp, but the guests who had managed to avoid being engulfed were now screaming and fleeing in all directions.
In the panic, people were knocked over and quickly consumed by the surging swamp.
In less than two breaths, over a hundred guests had been swallowed.
At the same time, Wilder felt the new power within him begin to change. The swamp, having consumed over a hundred people, was now rapidly breeding bacteria, decaying the corpses.
He also felt another of his abilities change.
The one he had spent so long mastering, only fully grasping it after this past year—Swamp Gas.
Now, it was no longer just simple swamp gas. It was filled with a complex and varied mix of bacteria.
These bacteria came from the decaying bodies submerged in the swamp and seemed to have become a part of the swamp itself. Now, the swamp, including the gas, carried these bacteria.
The sudden attack had stunned the members of the Charlotte Family. But these were battle-hardened veterans. They quickly recovered and began to attack, trying to disperse the swamp.
Wilder's heart skipped a beat. A bad feeling washed over him.
His gaze involuntarily shifted to the strongest of the Three Sweet Commanders—Katakuri.
Damn it! I completely forgot about his future sight ability!
Wilder saw that Katakuri, in the face of this sudden swamp attack, had made no move to counter it. Instead, his face was dark as he looked toward Big Mom—or more accurately, at the photo of Mother Carmel across from her.
Then, his gaze shifted to Moria, hidden in a corner, his expression growing ugly.
"How could this happen…" he muttered. He began to move, about to rush toward the strange figure.
But then, his pupils constricted. A vision of the next moment flashed in his mind.
When Wilder saw Katakuri's movement, he knew something was wrong. He cursed himself inwardly. How could he have been so careless as to forget about this guy's Observation Haki!
After a quick calculation, Wilder decided to turn the tables and disrupt his prediction.
So, instead of continuing to control the swamp on the ground, Wilder's body dissolved into a torrent of mud and shot toward Big Mom!
And at that moment, just as Katakuri was about to move against Moria, a vision of Wilder destroying the photo flashed in his mind.
Instantly, alarm bells went off in his head. Katakuri grit his teeth, his face ugly, and charged at Wilder.
BOOM!
A stream of mochi shot from Katakuri's leg as he kicked out.
The kick stretched to an incredible length. Wilder's eyes narrowed. He stepped on the air, and his body solidified from its swamp state. He appeared above Katakuri, and with a vmmm, Armament Haki spread across his arm as he brought his fist down.
GONG!
The punch created a sound like a bronze bell ringing through the air. Katakuri's expression changed. So fast!
Instantly, the leg he had kicked out swept horizontally toward Wilder in mid-air.
Feeling the gust of wind from his left, Wilder's expression remained unchanged. He reached out his left hand, his fingers spread wide.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Swamp bullets, like laser beams, shot from his palm. They were powerful and heavy. In an instant, the sweeping mochi leg was riddled with holes and began to fall apart.
A simple move, yet it had completely neutralized the powerful attack. This level of combat reaction and thinking made Katakuri's expression turn grim.
Crack!
Thud!
Just then, two strange, soft sounds reached everyone's ears.
"No!" Katakuri's face paled, and he roared.
But it was too late. A spear made of shadow had shot up from under the table, instantly piercing the photo of Mother Carmel.
In that moment, everyone froze. The venue fell deathly silent.
Wilder smiled, his gaze turning to Big Mom at the head table.
She was staring blankly at the shattered photo, completely motionless, her eyes glazed over and unfocused.
"Ma… ma…"
Charlotte Linlin's children all looked at their mother with concern.
Before long, Wilder saw the whites of Big Mom's eyes begin to show. He immediately shouted, "Everyone, get ready!"
He was the first to activate the sound-dampening function of his earpiece. As he did so, the others, both in the open and in hiding, also moved, activating their earpieces.
Click, click…!
At the same time, on the structures above the venue, figures in black suits and sunglasses stood up, holding rocket launcher-like weapons, all aimed at Big Mom.
This scene made the faces of all the Big Mom Pirates change. Now, everyone knew the identity of the man who had just unleashed the swamp.
"Wilder…" Katakuri said, his face dark as he stared at Wilder.
Meeting the gazes of the Charlotte Family, which were practically eating him alive, Wilder smiled. He reached up to his ear and peeled off a thin layer. A face mask came off, revealing his true appearance.
"My apologies, members of the Charlotte Family," Wilder said, his smile vanishing, his voice low and cold. "Today, Morass declares war on the Big Mom Pirates!"
The guests were stunned.
Gasp!
A collective gasp went through the crowd. A storm was raging in everyone's hearts.
It's over!
Something big is going to happen today!
Morass is declaring war on Big Mom!
Some people couldn't help but swallow nervously, quietly backing away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.
Everyone knew this was a major incident, but what they couldn't understand was why Morass was here.
And how could they say something like declaring war on Big Mom?
In the silence, Katakuri and the others didn't dare to make a move. Instead, a chill began to rise from the bottom of their hearts.
Big Mom's children all stiffly turned their heads to look at their mother.
A moment later, a scream that could shatter eardrums swept through the hall.
It was like a hurricane erupting from the center of the room.
The surrounding tables swayed and were sent flying. The tableware shattered.
At that moment, Wilder's eyes turned cold. He waved his hand.
"Do it!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Instantly, another batch of weapons was raised. The muzzles were aimed at the stunned, seated Big Mom, and the triggers were pulled.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three consecutive volleys.
The shells were fired in three volleys, with three shells per volley. The second volley fired after two seconds, the third after four.
A total of nine shells carrying a deadly poison gas, fired in sequence, all aimed at Big Mom.
Furthermore, the three shells in each volley were fired from three different directions.
This was what Wilder had planned from the beginning, to prevent a situation where one of the shells in the first volley was intercepted.
If one was intercepted, there was still a second, and a third.
And even if all three of those were intercepted, the next three were right behind them.
If even one of those three broke through and hit Big Mom, then this operation would be a success.
However, given what had happened in the original story, Wilder didn't dare to be careless, nor did he dare to pin all his hopes on those shells hitting their target.
What if, just like in the original story, the shells were about to hit Big Mom, but at the last moment, the force of her scream and the aura she released caused them to lose momentum and fall to the ground?
Then there was the third volley. The two-second delay was specifically to hit her during a lull in her aura and sonic waves.
And even if, as the last volley was about to hit, her aura and scream hadn't weakened, it didn't matter.
Because by then, the people who had fired the first volley would be ready to fire again.
The first three shells, under Wilder's watchful gaze, shot toward Big Mom.
In the blink of an eye, they were upon her.
BOOM!
The other members of the Charlotte Family didn't intercept them. After all, Wilder's group had moved too quickly, catching everyone by surprise. And at this moment, everyone was in agony from Big Mom's scream, unable to move. Even Katakuri, for a moment, didn't think to use his Mochi-Mochi Fruit ability to plug his ears.
And so, the three shells reached a point less than a meter in front of Big Mom, completely unopposed. In the blink of an eye, they were about to hit.