All preparations were complete. In the shadows, an unseen, ferocious undercurrent was flowing silently.
Wilder, holding a wine glass, moved through the wedding venue, chatting and laughing with the guests, occasionally glancing at the time on his watch.
Claire was also wearing a face mask made by Eigg, transforming her into a completely different person.
Like a beautiful companion Wilder had brought along, she held his arm and smiled by his side.
At the same time, Crocodile, Ivankov, Moria, and the others had also infiltrated the castle. Wilder's eyes shifted imperceptibly, landing on a spot about twenty meters away.
Crocodile, dressed in a black suit, was sitting at a table drinking alone, showing no intention of making eye contact with Wilder.
Time flew by, and soon there were only two hours left until the wedding ceremony began. Wilder received a message from Franpetar, informing him that they had made contact with the Straw Hats and had relayed the plan to them.
Now, all they had to do was wait.
Wait for the wedding to begin, and for the plan to be set in motion.
"Get ready," Wilder murmured, seemingly to himself, as he touched the miniature earpiece in his ear.
Simultaneously, outside the castle and on the shores of Cake Island, groups of grim-faced men in standard-issue combat gear received Wilder's message and immediately sprang into action.
"Final preparations."
"The operation is about to begin."
"We must ensure security for the post-mission phase!"
"Everyone, move out!"
"Yes, sir!"
As the team leaders issued their commands, everyone began to move in an orderly fashion.
Wilder lit a cigarette, taking a drag as he walked through the venue. He finally found a spot in a relatively quiet corner and sat down.
After observing his surroundings for a while and confirming that everything was normal, Wilder withdrew his attention. He needed to relax his mind to prepare for the impending battle.
Facing Big Mom was no easy task.
Therefore, he had to ensure he was in peak mental condition beforehand.
Wilder's method was meditation.
But it wasn't ordinary meditation. He combined it with Life Return, entering a state between sleep and wakefulness.
In this state, he could still sense the slightest disturbance around him, but it was a passive awareness, so it didn't consume his mental energy.
At the same time, his mind would relax, and on another level, it would be spiritually elevated.
This was a unique application of Life Return that only Wilder could achieve in this world.
And it was all thanks to his powerful and unusual soul.
Meditating in this state was similar to the digestion and absorption process of Life Return. During meditation, he would digest fatigue and then increase or restore his mental energy.
In this state, Wilder only needed ten minutes to restore his mind to its peak, assuming he hadn't expended any energy.
However, with two hours left until the wedding, Wilder planned to wait in this state.
Besides, in addition to restoring his mental energy, he could also use this meditation to perceive his surroundings and train his Observation Haki.
This training-style meditation also didn't consume mental energy. It was a passive process, becoming an instinct like breathing, synchronized with its rhythm. In the past, in this state, Wilder could always explore his surroundings with greater depth and detail.
He particularly enjoyed this state—a state that could invigorate his spirit and, at the same time, give him a clearer, deeper understanding of the world's truths.
"Hm?"
But this time, not long after entering his meditative state, Wilder felt a strange sensation he had never experienced before.
Is it my soul again?
This feeling was completely new to him. Wilder couldn't help but wonder if his soul was acting up again.
Based on past experiences, almost every change in his strength was related to a change in his soul. In other words…
Wilder wasn't sure if his theory was correct, but he was certain that almost every time his strength increased, some mechanism within his soul also changed.
It was as if his soul itself had a function that defined his strength.
It could change secretly as his power grew, and then, at the right moment, it would switch roles, becoming a key that unlocked a new level of power.
At this thought, a surge of excitement filled Wilder. He didn't want to let this strange feeling go, because it often meant he had the potential to reach a new level of strength.
He immediately immersed himself deeper into the sensation.
The reason he called it strange was that he felt as if he were enveloped in flames.
But this feeling didn't bring him any burning pain. On the contrary, he himself seemed to have become a flame, a part of the fire surrounding him.
Therefore, he only felt a warmth enveloping him—or rather, enveloping his spirit and soul—without causing him the slightest bit of pain.
As Wilder's mind sank deeper into this strange sensation, thousands of blurry, orange-colored objects began to appear before his eyes.
And as he focused more, these objects gradually became clearer. Finally, thousands of burning flames appeared before him.
"This is…"
Wilder was surprised to find himself in a dark space. There was no light, no ground, no sky—everything was a void, except for the thousands of flames suspended within it.
These flames had light, but the light they emitted couldn't illuminate the surroundings. Beyond the flames was a dark, empty void.
And yet, in this darkness, Wilder could see everything—the void and the burning flames.
It was a contradictory phenomenon. Everything was in a state between blurry and clear. The moment he tried to think clearly, he would fall into a daze, but at the same time, he was in a state of clarity and wakefulness.
Contradictory, bizarre.
Wilder tried to touch the flames. With that thought, he reached for them.
Strangely, he shouldn't have existed in this state, yet he easily grabbed a flame.
With a boom, it felt as if the air around him had exploded. He then felt the sensation of being engulfed in flames.
BOOM!
Then, something in his mind seemed to explode with a deafening roar.
The flames that had been floating around him all surged toward him at once, scrambling to enter his "body."
In the void, Wilder seemed to hear two sighs from the darkness.
Then, a strange sense of power welled up from the depths of his body—or rather, his soul.
In reality, Wilder opened his eyes, which were filled with shock. He clenched his fists, feeling a new power coursing through his body.
He looked at his watch and was surprised to see that an hour and a half had passed. He hadn't felt the time go by at all.
Ignoring that, a smile spread across Wilder's face as he stood up. He was thrilled.
He had never expected such an unexpected gain.
"It seems I still don't know enough about my own soul."
This new power that had appeared in his body came with an innate understanding. He knew exactly what had changed within him.
Yes, even though he hadn't used it yet, Wilder already knew what the change was.
In addition to the core change, this experience had brought him other things that excited him.
As he walked, Wilder could feel the rhythmic contraction of his muscles. His body was stronger than before.
And this strength was all-encompassing. It wasn't something he was born with, but something that could only be obtained through time and diligent effort.
This strength was different from the innate physical power of a giant. Of course, his own physique and strength had been enhanced, but what excited him more were the things that couldn't be obtained through natural talent.
Things like coordination, balance, agility, and explosive power.
But these were only the secondary benefits. The deeper changes were things that could only be gained through a lifetime of battle and slaughter.
Things like powerful and versatile force-application techniques, combat reflexes, heightened physical senses, and a powerful ability to perceive and react.
All of these were now firmly ingrained in his body, his nerves, and his memory, as if he had been born with them, or as if they were the refined essence of countless battles.
This was a complete transformation of his body—his muscles, his nerves, and even his brain and memory.
Correspondingly, his Armament Haki had also grown much stronger with this physical enhancement.
The quantity and quality of his Haki were already impressive, but this transformation was not just about that. It was also a transformation in his control and application of it, as if his Haki had been forged through a hundred battles.
Feeling the seemingly endless power in his body and the bottomless abyss of his Haki, Wilder now felt a confidence that he could face anything.
He didn't know the exact extent of his physical and Haki enhancements, but he knew that from this moment on, he truly had the qualifications to vie for the top.
The qualification that only the strong possessed: a powerful body with infinite potential.
The body is the source of all combat power.
At this moment, Wilder had a deeper understanding of this. It was like when he had watched the battle between Big Mom and Akainu. He had begun to understand the difference between the top-tier fighters and everyone else.
It was the body.
And now, he understood even more clearly that a powerful body with infinite potential was the only prerequisite for a strong person to reach the pinnacle.
The Soul-Soul Fruit was incredibly powerful. Decades ago, its user was not Big Mom, but the nun who had "disappeared."
And yet, in the nun's hands, this terrifying fruit had not shown its true potential. It was only when Big Mom ate it (and her) that its terrifying power was truly unleashed.
What was even more thought-provoking was that Big Mom, without any Devil Fruit ability, had… eaten the nun, who was already the user of the Soul-Soul Fruit.
And at that time, she was only five years old.
This showed that in this world, a powerful body with infinite potential was the standard for standing at the pinnacle.
Whether it was Big Mom, Akainu, or the late Whitebeard, all of them were beings with incredibly powerful bodies.
And among them, compared to the other two, Akainu actually felt more terrifying to Wilder.
Of course, just in terms of his body.
For no other reason than, while Big Mom was difficult to injure, Akainu's situation was more… or perhaps it would be more accurate to describe him with a single word.
Tough.
Akainu had taken so many heavy blows from Whitebeard and was still able to fight with vigor, routing the pirates. This showed just how tough he was. He was like a video game character with a health bar. As long as his health wasn't depleted, his combat effectiveness wouldn't be affected at all.
It goes without saying how terrifying such a person is. Just imagine fighting him. You're exhausted, or you've landed a punch on him and taken some damage yourself, affecting your strength, while Akainu is still fighting as if nothing happened.
Devil Fruits are terrifying, but what's truly terrifying is the person who wields them.
What if the Magma-Magma Fruit was wielded by someone like Foxy from the original story?
He would probably be exhausted after a single Great Eruption.
It's undeniable that most Devil Fruits give their users some physical enhancements, but this enhancement is limited and, in a way, superficial.
In Wilder's mind, the people whose physical strength had reached this pinnacle level were Big Mom, Akainu, Aokiji, who had fought Akainu for ten days, Whitebeard, and Blackbeard. As for Garp… he had never seen him fight for real, so he wouldn't count him.
As for others, like Kaido and Shanks, Wilder had never seen them fight either, so he wouldn't count them. But given that they were Emperors, they must also be physically powerful.
Although Wilder had never met Kaido in person, he couldn't agree with his portrayal in the original story. It was… a bit of a letdown.
He was hyped up as an unkillable being in the early stages, but in the later stages, he seemed to fall apart.
However, Wilder wouldn't dare to make any rash judgments based on that. Anyone who could become an Emperor was obviously not to be trifled with.
There was half an hour left until the wedding began. Before that…
Wilder looked up at the waiters standing by in the corner, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
He wanted to test his new power.