The first three shells arrived in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, everyone except the members of Morass, from the Sweet Commanders down to the guests, was reeling from the impact of Big Mom's scream, clutching their ears in agony, unable to move.
The shells were right in front of Big Mom.
Wilder and the others watched intently, their hearts in their throats.
In the next moment, a shockwave of energy erupted from Big Mom's body. The three shells froze in mid-air, as if caught by an invisible hand. Then, their momentum dissipated, and they clattered to the ground with a metallic clang.
Everyone's expression changed. Only Wilder remained calm, his eyes still fixed on Big Mom, because the second volley of three shells had already reached her.
But just then, Katakuri, one of the Three Sweet Commanders, seemed to have recovered. With a series of soft thumps, countless balls of mochi flew out, plugging the ears of those around him. He himself flashed forward, appearing in front of Big Mom, and flung a stream of sticky, white mochi at the three incoming shells.
A moment later, a look of shock crossed Katakuri's face. He tried to turn, but it was too late. Wilder had appeared beside him at some point and sent him flying with a heavy kick.
But, at the last moment before he was sent flying, the mochi that had shot from his hand had already enveloped the three shells.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A series of muffled explosions rang out. A bright flash of light and thick smoke erupted from within the mochi. Katakuri landed on one knee, sliding backward for some distance before coming to a stop. He looked up, his icy gaze meeting Wilder's.
Wilder gave him a cold look but made no other move. At that moment, the third volley of shells arrived.
"Stop them!" Katakuri's face changed, and he roared, about to charge forward again. But Wilder flashed in front of him, blocking his path.
"There's no way through here," he said, his voice cold. Today, Wilder would not allow anyone to interfere with his plan.
Katakuri's face was ugly. Mochi began to pour from his body.
"Get out of my way!" A long strip of mochi, coated in black Armament Haki, swept toward Wilder.
But Wilder simply raised his arms, crossing them at his sides to block the attack.
The black mochi slammed into Wilder's arms. His own Armament Haki was incredibly dense. A shockwave erupted from the point of impact.
Katakuri's expression changed again. Under the force of the blow, Wilder's body hadn't moved an inch. Even the arms that had taken the hit hadn't shifted in the slightest. He stood there like a mountain.
A smirk touched Wilder's lips. He murmured to himself, "This kind of body… now this is more like it."
He looked up at Katakuri, at his dark, grim face, and his smile widened. "In any case, don't interrupt."
Hearing Wilder's words, Katakuri's face grew even darker, but he knew he couldn't get past him. He would have to rely on the others.
It all seemed to happen in slow motion, but it was over in an instant. Hearing Katakuri's roar and seeing the three shells heading for Big Mom, the others finally reacted, moving with a sense of urgency.
But it was too late.
The final three shells whistled through the air and slammed into Big Mom.
BOOM!
A bright flash of light and thick smoke engulfed her massive body. Her scream either stopped or was drowned out by the explosion. Even with their earplugs, everyone's ears were still ringing.
"Mama!"
"No!"
All the members of the Big Mom Pirates, including Katakuri, were stunned, their eyes wide with disbelief as they stared at the smoke and flames.
Wilder and the others also stared nervously. It has to work!
Under the watchful eyes of both sides, the smoke gradually cleared, revealing Big Mom's massive figure.
A thick, dark layer of Armament Haki covered her body. The spots where the shells had hit showed only slight marks, with not a single drop of blood.
The moment they saw this, everyone on Morass's side, including Wilder, paled.
"Do it!" Wilder's face was grim. He glanced at Crocodile, who gave a solemn nod. There was no hesitation.
This… was their only chance.
This was the contingency they had prepared beforehand.
But they had planned for a scenario where all three volleys missed. They had never imagined that Big Mom, even in her screaming fit, would still have the presence of mind to use Armament Haki to protect herself.
The two of them, one transforming into a swamp, the other into sand, shot toward Big Mom.
Wilder and Crocodile both knew that victory or defeat would be decided in this single moment. They also knew that time was short. Big Mom was already showing signs of waking up. A terrifying pressure was already bearing down on them. They knew they couldn't hesitate.
They had to seize this opportunity, this moment before Big Mom fully recovered… and kill her!
Both of them were incredibly fast. Before anyone else could react, Wilder and Crocodile had already reached Big Mom.
"Now!"
Almost simultaneously, an arm extended from the swamp and an arm from the sand. Each held a sharp syringe. Armament Haki instantly coated the needles as they plunged toward Big Mom's skin.
From within the swamp and the sand, Wilder and Crocodile's eyes were wide open. Time seemed to slow down as the two gleaming needles were about to pierce her skin.
There was no doubt that in her current state, even Big Mom's defenses couldn't block these needles.
"Die."
"It's over."
Cold smiles spread across both Wilder and Crocodile's faces. The needles touched her skin. All it would take was a push to inject the deadly poison into her body.
BOOM!
But just then, a cold, terrifying pressure descended upon them. Their expressions changed in an instant, and they looked up in horror.
The next moment, Big Mom's blood-red eyes were fixed on them.
Damn it!
Wilder didn't have time to think. He immediately retracted his hand and crossed his arms in front of him.
Big Mom raised her hands.
She clapped them together.
A gale-force wind struck them.
BANG! BANG!
The next moment, two figures were sent flying backward at high speed.
Wilder landed on one knee, sliding a long distance before coming to a stop. He looked up, his face grim as he stared at the figure radiating a terrifying aura.
Crocodile was not so lucky. He was sent flying into a wall, coughing up a mouthful of blood, his face a mixture of disbelief and fear as he looked at Big Mom.
The sudden turn of events shocked everyone. The hearts of those on Morass's side sank.
In contrast, the members of the Charlotte Family let out a collective sigh of relief, then turned their icy, murderous gazes on the members of Morass around them.
But no one made a move yet. All eyes were on the massive figure.
In the faint smoke, the giant shadow cast an intense pressure on everyone's hearts. The blood-red eyes, glinting with rage and killing intent, seemed to foreshadow the terror to come.
In the blink of an eye, the sky turned dark. Ominous clouds swirled in from the distance, gathering above the palace rooftop like a mountain pressing down on them. Everyone found it difficult to breathe.
Their bodies felt as if they were restrained, a sense of stiffness setting in.
Everyone looked up at the dark clouds, a chill rising from the bottom of their hearts.
Their eyes were wide with horror as they looked at Big Mom. A sense of foreboding filled them.
It's… it's over!
A male guest stared at Big Mom, his voice trembling as he began to back away.
Big Mom was angry.
CRACKLE!
Lightning began to snake through the dark clouds. The muffled sound of thunder rolled down from above, each clap like a giant hammer striking their hearts.
THUD!
Suddenly, a heavy footstep rang out. Big Mom took a step forward, her face, like the clouds above, was cast in shadow, her expression unreadable.
RUMBLE!
The thunder grew louder and more frequent, and the flashes of lightning in the clouds became more numerous.
The intense pressure and the feeling of dread kept everyone rooted to the spot, unsure of what to do. Even Big Mom's own children felt the same.
Big Mom took only one step, then stopped. Her blood-red eyes slowly swept over everyone at the wedding venue. Then, she slowly raised her right hand.
A bloodthirsty smile spread across her face. She clenched her hand toward the sky, then swung it down.
Everyone's face changed. Some turned and ran.
CRACK!
The next moment, a blinding white light descended. A terrifying bolt of lightning struck the wedding venue on the palace rooftop. In an instant, the white light engulfed the entire castle.
BOOM!
A terrifying explosion and a blinding white light were the only things that existed.
It seemed to last for only a moment, yet also for an eternity. When the white light finally, reluctantly, dissipated, the wedding venue had been transformed into a scorched wasteland.
The tables and chairs were overturned, reduced to charcoal, glowing with embers.
A massive crater now occupied most of the palace rooftop, the earth scorched black.
Thick smoke rose from the crater. Hundreds of charcoal figures, vaguely human-shaped, lay silently within it. The smell of burnt flesh wafted up with the smoke.
The only scenery left was a chaotic mess of rubble, wood, and architectural debris, and the slowly dying flames.
A giant figure stood in the center of the massive crater, the red fire in her eyes having faded, but her icy killing intent remained.
Crack!
Just then, the rubble moved. Similar sounds began to come from all around. Stones, wood, and debris were pushed aside, and one by one, slightly disheveled figures emerged.
Katakuri, Smoothie, Daifuku, Oven…
Claire, Vice, Crocodile…
Luffy, Sanji, Nami, Brook…
The two sides faced off against each other.
Only the giant figure in the center of the crater remained motionless, her eyes scanning the area, as if looking for something.
Finally, her eyes landed on what was left of an awning, half-buried in the earth directly across from her.
Crash!
A large amount of dirt and charcoal slid off the awning. Then, it was thrown into the distance. A tall, sturdy man stood up, his gaze meeting Big Mom's murderous eyes.
"Luffy-kun," Wilder said, his face unusually calm, as if the failure of the plan hadn't shaken his resolve in the slightest. He turned his head to look at Luffy and grinned. "Shouldn't we divide up the opponents?"
"Yeah…" Luffy reached up and tipped his straw hat, also smiling. He then looked up, his eyes filled with determination as he stared at Big Mom. "This one… is mine to take down!"
"..."
Wilder was silent for a moment, but Luffy's words, which would normally sound thoughtless, made him think.
Perhaps he really didn't have to carry this all on his own. Besides, his goal was just to eliminate the threat of Big Mom. As long as that threat was removed, it didn't matter who did the killing.
However, Wilder knew that it was impossible for the current Luffy to defeat Big Mom. But he also knew that Luffy wouldn't listen.
But Big Mom had to be killed. And… wasn't this what he had been waiting for?
Their forces were not weak right now. In the original story, the Straw Hat crew alone had caused the Big Mom Pirates heavy losses. And the situation now was different. Not only did they have the Straw Hats, but they also had powerful allies like Crocodile, Ivankov, and Moria, plus his own Morass. With this much power, they were not weak, even against an Emperor.
At this thought, Wilder smiled. "Then I'll leave her to you."
This suits me just fine. Let… you guys do the fighting.
Wilder's goal was simple: kill Big Mom and eliminate the threat of the Big Mom Pirates.
It didn't matter who did it. If someone had the ability to solve this problem, that would be for the best. And if they couldn't, it wouldn't be too late for him to step in.
Besides…
If possible, Wilder would be more than happy to withdraw now and cut his losses.
Yes, the reason Wilder had chosen to get involved at the same time as the Straw Hats' invasion was to use them as a shield to block some of the arrows aimed at him. This would not only increase his chances of winning, but also reduce his losses.
And if possible, withdrawing now would be the best choice.
This didn't mean returning to Morass before achieving his goal, but temporarily disengaging from this battlefield, letting the Straw Hats fight Big Mom, and then… he could begin his final annihilation plan.
Regardless of whether that plan would harm others.
However, Wilder also knew that this was unrealistic. Not to mention that Big Mom and her crew wouldn't allow it, but even the Straw Hats, in the original story, had only been able to flee. They couldn't stand up to the Big Mom Pirates.
So, withdrawing now seemed a bit unrealistic and not quite appropriate.
Therefore, the best course of action was…
To take this opportunity to clip Big Mom's important wings and weaken the enemy.