The entire street was now utterly silent. The civilians had apparently been notified in advance; the doors and windows on both sides of the street were tightly shut, with not a single uninvolved pedestrian in sight.
One end of the road and the side intersections in the middle had been blocked off by members of Morass. The scene was set: at one end of the road stood the numerous senior cadres of Morass, and at the opposite end stood the group of outsiders.
The atmosphere was tense and strange, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The two sides just stared at each other, no one speaking.
The man with the slicked-back hair and the horizontal scar across his face narrowed his eyes. He looked at the senior cadres of Morass opposite him, his voice as deep as a drum. "Looks like we've run into the shepherds. I never thought I'd be treated like a sheep one day. It seems we've really been herded into a dead end. Next, the person behind them should be appearing, right?"
As he finished speaking, he turned to look behind him. The others, hearing his words, seemed to realize something and also turned to look.
Clack… clack… clack…
A steady, rhythmic set of footsteps echoed from the end of the street. Then, a tall figure wearing a large cloak gradually came into view.
As the figure approached, the expressions of the onlookers changed slightly.
The man with the scar on his face looked grim. He lit a cigar, took a light drag, and exhaled a puff of smoke. "The main man himself, right from the start. It seems we're being treated with high regard. This isn't good for a mere passer-by."
The person with the terrifying build watched the approaching figure, his eyes dark and cunning, and let out a strange laugh: "Hekikikiki…"
The large-headed, charming youth in the greenish-brown robe had a solemn expression. "Honestly… I really don't want to see this man."
The others were either silent or watched the approaching figure with vigilance, their faces also subtly changing.
Clack… clack… clack…
The footsteps stopped. The tall man halted less than three or four meters in front of the group. He looked up, his emotionless eyes sweeping over them, lingering for a moment on the scarred man, the terrifyingly large figure, and the large-headed youth, his gaze profound.
Then, he grinned and spread his arms wide.
His voice, filled with immense enthusiasm, boomed out.
"Sand Crocodile—Crocodile."
"Gecko—Moria."
"Okama King—Ivankov."
"And our other unfamiliar guests—"
"Welcome to the Kingdom of Morass."
As he finished, the expressions of the group shifted slightly before returning to calm.
"Hekikikiki… could you not expose me? This is very dangerous for me, you know," the terrifyingly large person said with a sinister laugh, but his gaze, now fixed on Wilder, had become incredibly dangerous.
The man with the scar, however, remained calm, smoking his cigar. He replied in a flat, deep tone, "Is there any need to expose you? Anyone with a slight familiarity with your appearance can tell, right? Gecko Moria."
At these words, the face of the terrifyingly large figure, now identified as Gecko Moria, instantly twisted with rage. He looked down at the scarred man with murderous intent. "Are you looking to die, Crocodile…?"
"Tch, stop trying to scare people. You're just a guy who could only sneak away after getting beaten," Crocodile retorted, meeting his gaze without flinching, his eyes full of impatience.
"My, my… it seems Crocodile-boy has forgotten about me. How heartbreaking," just as Moria, his sore spot having been poked, was about to fly into a rage, the large-headed youth suddenly spoke up.
"Hmph!" Crocodile's face instantly turned ugly. "You want to fight right now, you damn okama?"
Wilder watched them bicker with a smile on his face, then unhurriedly interrupted them.
"This is not a good place for a chat. And to arrive in Morass without any prior notice… you're making things difficult for me, your host. Why don't you all come to the palace and allow me to fulfill my duties as a host?"
"I'm just passing through." Wilder's words made the group's expressions change. Crocodile, having regained his composure, said flatly.
"Ah, well… I'm actually just passing through too," the Okama King Ivankov said, scratching his hair with an embarrassed look.
"Hekikikiki… I just wanted to see this country that's been in the eye of the storm recently. Now that I've seen it, it's time for me to leave," Gecko Moria said in his usual sinister tone.
"Same here."
"Same."
"Same…"
The other few individuals, whom Wilder couldn't quite place, also spoke with calm indifference, not even bothering to make up an excuse.
The atmosphere became subtly unfriendly.
Wilder's smile didn't change. "I see. So you're all just passing through? Then you should definitely come to the palace for a visit."
As soon as he said this, the street fell silent. Crocodile smoked his cigar with a blank expression. The Okama King Ivankov's face became grave. Gecko Moria's stare at Wilder grew even more dangerous.
The others also subtly tensed their bodies, adopting a guarded and ready stance.
Some of them were frustrated because they really were just passing through and didn't want any trouble. But now, it seemed they were being treated as if they were here to scout or with some other malicious intent. Who would believe them if they said otherwise? But if they were forced to stay and be investigated, no one would be willing. Crocodile was one of them.
And a portion of them had indeed come with some purpose, whether it was to gather information or for other, less savory reasons. They were even more unwilling to be detained.
The situation now was…
Wilder wanted them to stay.
The atmosphere instantly became one of a standoff.
Wilder's smile slowly faded, his face becoming expressionless. He looked at them, took out a cigarette, and lit it.
In the quiet and heavy silence, Wilder sighed, his tone filled with helplessness.
"I am being very sincere. Won't you all consider it?"
No one spoke.
They just, in unison, turned their bodies to face Wilder directly.
Seeing this, Wilder took a light drag from his cigarette and slowly exhaled a plume of smoke. His tone was a few shades calmer than before. "Perhaps if we talk, we could even become friends. On these seas, having one more friend is better than one more enemy. Don't you all agree?"
Although they had to admit in their hearts that what he said made sense, it was clearly just a sugar-coated way of saying things. The bottom line was still that he wanted them to stay, wasn't it?
The hostility began to rise. This time, even Crocodile frowned, biting down harder on his cigar, his body already tensing up.
"Leaving the others aside, Mr. Crocodile and Mr. Ivankov, we've been through life and death together, haven't we?"
The cigarette burned down to the filter. Wilder dropped the butt, spread his hands again, and looked at the group with a warm, enthusiastic smile. "Please, be my guests at the palace."
But this time, the smile looked incredibly fake, as if it were forced.
A shadow fell over Crocodile's face. The tip of his cigar was bitten off with a snap. Wisps of yellow sand flowed from his sleeves, floating around him. His voice was as deep as a drum. "It seems today won't end peacefully."
Shadows writhed at Gecko Moria's feet. His eyeballs became bloodshot. "Hekikikikiki… exciting, exciting, so exciting!"
The Okama King Ivankov had a look of complete resignation, adopting the opening stance of his Okama Kenpo.
The others also made their respective defensive moves.
In the distance, the senior cadres advanced with dense, pressing footsteps, forming a pincer formation with Wilder. They stopped behind the group without a word, all of them ready for battle.
Wilder's smile completely vanished.
The atmosphere on the street grew to its most solemn point.
Just as the tension reached its absolute peak, the sound of a Den Den Mushi rang out from Wilder's person.
"Bello-bello-bello…"
"Bello-bello-bello…"
"Bello-bello-bello…"
On the street, only the sound of the Den Den Mushi's ringing could be heard.
The heavy atmosphere, instead of being broken by the sudden ringing, seemed to be hammered down upon with each additional ring, tightening the already taut tension.
Click! Wilder took out the black Den Den Mushi and expressionlessly pressed the receive button.
"Your Majesty, the national treasury was attacked by a group of men in black. No losses have been discovered so far. Ten members of the Palace Guard were injured. The men in black are currently heading toward the eastern docks on the outskirts!"
Shade's voice came through quickly. In the quiet street, his words seemed to be infinitely amplified, reaching everyone's ears.
Silence!
Crocodile and the others raised an eyebrow, feeling an extremely uncomfortable pressure settle on them. The temperature around them seemed to drop a few degrees.
Looking up, they saw that Wilder's face was now covered in a dark cloud, his entire being radiating an icy aura.
Wilder lifted his eyelids, his calm, cold gaze falling on the group. He spoke flatly, "In any case, please make your way to the palace first. I have some trivial matters to attend to and cannot accompany you for the time being. To express my apologies, I will prepare a banquet for you later. Claire, take care of our guests."
His voice allowed no room for argument. After speaking, Wilder turned and walked forward.
"Yes, sir." Claire didn't dare to hesitate. Anyone could see the suppressed rage and killing intent in Wilder at this moment.
But just then, the bandaged man next to Gecko Moria rashly ran out and shouted at the departing Wilder, "As I thought, I should just kill you here! You bastard, I told you I don't want to stay…"
Before he could finish, a terrifying aura erupted from Wilder. With a few faint cracking sounds, the ground where the group stood developed a dense web of fissures. The violent aura formed a tangible storm that radiated outward!
The bandaged man's eyes instantly went blank, the whites showing completely. His body swayed a few times before falling down stiffly.
It wasn't until the aura receded and Wilder disappeared without a backward glance that the group recovered from the pressure, a few drops of sweat on their faces, their expressions grim and full of apprehension.
"…Conqueror's Haki…" Moria's face showed some lingering fear as he looked at the stiff corpse on the ground.
"An almost physical attack…" Crocodile stared at the small cracks in the ground beneath his feet, his eyes trembling.
"This way, please," Claire stepped forward, making a friendly and enthusiastic gesture of invitation along with Vice and the others.
Meanwhile, Wilder was rushing toward the eastern docks at full speed, so fast that he was difficult to see with the naked eye. A muffled boom was heard in the sky, and by the time one looked up, only a black dot could be seen speeding into the distance, disappearing in an instant.
Wilder had guessed that some forces might take advantage of the Grand Tournament to infiltrate, but he had thought they would be nothing more than small fries gathering intelligence.
He hadn't expected to first discover several major figures like Ivankov and Moria at the arena. After dealing with that, and having finally herded them together, he hadn't expected there to be a fish that slipped through the net and went after the national treasury, and to go straight for the palace at that. If it weren't for the Palace Guard, they would have likely succeeded this time.
Wilder was furious now, his eyes like ice. "Since you've come, then be prepared to stay."
BOOM! Wilder's speed increased again!
The distance from his starting point to the eastern docks wasn't far, but compared to the distance from the palace, it was more than ten times further. Wilder didn't know if he could make it in time, but no matter what, he was determined to kill that group today!
"Shade, have everyone guard all parts of the palace. Beware of a diversion." Despite his anger, Wilder had not lost his cool.
He considered many possible scenarios in his mind. First, he notified the Palace Guard. No matter what, the palace absolutely could not be compromised.
Not only was the national treasury there, but also the prison holding the prisoners of war, including several key members of the Big Mom Pirates.
Wilder didn't want these people to escape and return to Big Mom's side to bolster her forces.
"Yes, sir," Shade's firm and calm voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
After hanging up, Wilder pushed his speed again and again. To reach the docks before the group left Morass, he pushed his speed to the point where his legs soon felt a sore, numb, and throbbing pain. This was the point where his body's tolerance for pressure had reached its peak.
He had no choice but to slow down slightly, maintaining the fastest possible speed at a suitable threshold.
Ten minutes later, Wilder's body fell from the sky!
A group of more than a dozen people, all clad in black, were startled by the sudden huge commotion and stopped their run toward the docks.
They were now less than five hundred meters from the docks, in a desolate, barren land with barely any grass or trees.
The dozen or so men in black stared warily ahead.
As the billowing smoke cleared, Wilder's figure was revealed. His first words made their bodies stiffen.