Wilder was immersed in developing his new skill. His control over the swamp had already reached a profound level; simple shaping wasn't difficult for him. The challenge lay in the details, construction, and maintenance.
The swamp covered his entire body, gradually contorting towards the image Wilder envisioned in his mind. Within his swamp, Wilder wouldn't suffocate; this was a unique privilege he possessed as its user. Not just for himself—if he wished, any creature he stored within his swamp would not suffocate either.
Time flowed by as Wilder trained. In the blink of an eye, it was already ten o'clock at night.
A knock on the door roused Wilder from his cultivation. He looked down at the dark brown, hardened armor encasing his body, paused for a moment, then reverted it to swamp and retracted it into himself.
Stepping out of the room, he found a server holding a tray.
"Sir, this is the dinner you requested," the server said.
Wilder smiled, took the tray, and handed him a small tip.
"Thank you, sir." The server turned to leave, carefully closing the door behind him.
Wilder returned to his room.
The development of Swamp General was not yet complete. The armor he had just formed was the Hard Armor state, but it hadn't reached a level Wilder was satisfied with. The form was there; after all, being hardened swamp, it was relatively easy to shape. But Wilder didn't just want a good-looking, brittle shell. The most crucial aspect of Hard Armor was its hardness.
What Wilder was currently training was to instantaneously cover his entire body with this armor, continuously increasing the swamp volume and compressing it to the extreme during the process, with hardening as the final step.
The current problem lay with compression. Achieving the level of compression Wilder desired within a short time was still somewhat difficult.
But Wilder wasn't in a hurry now. Whether it was cultivation or development, there was no need to rush.
His gaze fell upon the tray. Wilder carried it to the balcony, where a small round table and a stool were placed. Sitting there, he could enjoy the night view and the evening breeze, which was very comfortable.
Though called dinner, it was actually a late-night supper. Perhaps the concept of a "midnight snack" didn't exist in the pirate world.
On the tray were steak and Sabaody Archipelago's specialty snacks, probably including takoyaki. Beside them were a bottle of red wine and a glass.
The meal was quiet and elegant. Wilder enjoyed this kind of atmosphere: savoring fine food and wine, caressed by the night breeze, with the stars for company. What he detested most was being disturbed by others. Like this, with no interruptions, eating alone—it was quite good.
If he truly had to have company, it certainly wouldn't be in such a setting. If there were a bonfire, Wilder wouldn't mind reveling with others.
The meal finished.
Wilder threw himself back into practicing the Hard Armor.
He continued until the sky gradually began to lighten before stopping and heading into the bathroom for a quick shower.
After a night of practice, Wilder had preliminarily grasped the "Swamp General" technique. Overall, the Hard Armor and Heavy Armor forms were nearing proficiency. The Heavy-Hard Armor, however, still couldn't be deployed very quickly.
"When I have time, I'll find a place to test it out. For now, it's better to make some preparations for heading to the New World." Wilder could hardly wait to enter the New World.
"That place is teeming with powerful individuals, monsters everywhere. I hope it won't be boring." Wilder dressed and walked out of the courtyard.
Before entering the New World, some preparations were necessary. Wilder planned to restock his supplies; the amount stored within his swamp was running low. Food and drinking water were both needed.
These things were not scarce in the Sabaody Archipelago. In fact, one could find almost any type of trade good from around the world here.
Wilder took less than twenty minutes to purchase everything he needed.
Storing everything in his swamp, Wilder headed straight for the coating area.
But when Wilder arrived, his original plan suddenly changed.
The reason was simple: Wilder now remembered something a member of the Blackbeard Pirates had apparently said in the original story. He couldn't recall the exact words, but the meaning seemed to be: crossing the seabed alone to enter the New World was tantamount to suicide?
Wilder didn't know how Hawkeye Mihawk managed to travel the world in that small coffin-like boat, but he didn't want to gamble.
This change of mind occurred when Wilder saw his small, already coated boat nearby. A solitary vessel—he truly couldn't guarantee what would happen once it entered the deep sea.
"You're here?" As Wilder walked to the shore, the old coating artisan spotted him and respectfully said to Wilder, "Your ship has just been coated. It's best to let it air dry for a bit."
The old man spoke very carefully, likely having already learned of Wilder's identity. The old man's attitude also surprised Wilder slightly, but after a moment's thought, he understood. The other party had probably witnessed the scene of him chasing down Burgess and the others yesterday.
"No need." Wilder stowed the small boat away under the old man's astonished gaze.
"If Yves were to work here, these people would probably all be out of a job," Wilder thought with a touch of dark humor as he turned away.
Plans changed faster than thoughts. After turning, Wilder didn't leave the coating area but instead focused his gaze on the ships at the docks, searching for something.
"In this situation, the only way is to hitch a ride. Perhaps I could build a large ship here and then hire a few dozen sailors, but the first option is still far better." Wilder knew the second method was rather impractical.
Most of the ships that came here for coating belonged to pirate crews. Wilder didn't mind that, but he didn't know if they would be willing.
"If they're unwilling, I'll just use force to persuade them." Wilder looked at the coated pirate ships, an evil smile playing on his lips.
Wilder had set his sights on a pirate ship and was about to walk over when he suddenly sensed a gaze frequently landing on him. That gaze wasn't like the one he'd felt when being tailed yesterday, nor was it from too far away. Wilder turned and looked in the direction of the gaze.
It was a middle-aged man, lavishly dressed, looking like a businessman.
"D-dammit! Was I discovered?! I knew I shouldn't have looked!" When Wilder turned and cast his gaze over, the wealthy merchant instantly tensed up, turned his head away, and prayed inwardly that the other man wouldn't come over.
The wealthy merchant had personally witnessed Wilder hunting down Burgess yesterday and knew Wilder's identity. He had already been worried yesterday about whether his New World business would be affected. He hadn't expected to see Wilder again today, and to make matters worse, he couldn't resist looking. Now look what happened! The wealthy merchant was dying of regret.
But things often go contrary to one's wishes; the more one prays for something not to happen, the more likely it is to occur. Wilder walked over.
"M-may I ask if there's something you need?" The wealthy merchant, seeing Wilder now standing before him, knew there was no escape. He lifted his head, forced himself to appear calm, and spoke.
Over three meters tall, exuding an oppressive aura, the wealthy merchant's lips trembled slightly, but he still endured the pressure Wilder emanated and looked at him. He was a businessman; he had a group of subordinates to manage. He absolutely couldn't show weakness in front of them, no matter when or where.
Wilder looked at him coolly for a moment, sensing no threat or malice from him.
Composing himself, Wilder put on a friendly smile. "Excuse me, are you heading to the New World?" Wilder had just noticed that cargo was being loaded onto a nearby ship, which he presumed belonged to this man.
"Yes," the wealthy merchant replied, his mind somewhat muddled, responding instinctively to Wilder's question.
The smile on Wilder's face seemed even friendlier, and a bit more sincere than before. "Then, may I ask if I could travel on your ship?"
"O-of… of c-course, certainly!" Tiny beads of sweat appeared on the wealthy merchant's face as he forced a smile.
"Then… my name is Wilder." Wilder's smile didn't change as he extended his hand.
"My name is Gin Kaneshiro." The wealthy merchant twitched his lips and rather awkwardly extended his own hand, shaking Wilder's.
"Rest assured, I will pay you appropriate compensation," Wilder said after withdrawing his hand.
"N-no need!" Kaneshiro waved his hands repeatedly. He had regained his composure by now, knowing he couldn't avoid this and not daring to accept Wilder's money.
Was this a joke?! This was a Warlord! And just yesterday, he had taken off a leg from Jesus Burgess, the First Ship Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates! If Burgess hadn't run fast enough, he might have lost his life! How could he possibly accept money from such a ruthless individual!
"It's necessary."
"Y-yes… yes." Kaneshiro felt it was better to be obedient. If, by any chance, the other party enjoyed spending money and he happened to thwart that interest and get himself killed, it would be tragic.
Just then, the merchant ship's cargo was fully loaded. Kaneshiro said to Wilder, "Mr. Wilder, we can depart now."
"Much obliged." Wilder offered a feigned smile and walked towards the ship with Kaneshiro.
Boarding was smooth, with no shortsighted troublemakers appearing. It seemed everyone around understood that the tall man was not to be trifled with.
The ship slowly pulled away from the docks. Only when it was just a small black dot in the distance did several figures emerge from behind a large tree six or seven hundred meters from the pier, staring at the speck on the distant sea.
"Finally heading to the New World, is he? Send this news back."
The sunlight was gradually devoured by the heavy seawater, and the surroundings grew dim. The merchant ship Wilder was on had now entered the ocean depths, heading towards the undersea tunnel.
The ship had no intention of going to Fishman Island. That place wasn't very friendly to humans at the moment. Kaneshiro knew this full well, as one of his fleet's ships had already disappeared there. He didn't want to take the risk for a little extra profit.
The deep sea was fraught with danger. Raging currents and hidden reefs were only part of it; the most important thing was the behemoths that dwelled in the ocean's depths! Although they had passed through the same waters countless times, everyone on board still tensed their nerves, maintaining a high state of alert.
Kaneshiro had arranged a room for Wilder—the most luxurious one, no less—a special courtesy.
However, Wilder was not currently in his room. He, too, had been on high alert since entering these waters. Staying in his room wouldn't allow him to respond to any sudden emergencies.
Wilder didn't speak to anyone; at a time like this, no one would be talking, including Wilder and Kaneshiro. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the deep, dark waters surrounding the ship.
A long period passed peacefully, the journey perilous but without major incident, as the ship advanced towards the great chasm beneath the Red Line.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the ship lurched violently! Everyone on board panicked slightly for a moment, their feet unsteady on the deck as the ship's violent rocking caused them to lose balance.
"Something's coming!" the crewman steering the ship shouted, his face beaded with nervous sweat and etched with gravity.
A massive shadow gradually approached the ship. Wilder stood up, his gaze fixed on the shadow, a cold light glinting in his eyes.
"Dodge it quickly! Hard to starboard!" Kaneshiro commanded the crew, his face showing a fierce determination, ready to trade his life if necessary.
The shadow was too large; in its presence, the ship was like the difference between a single grape and a barrel of wine. Minuscule.
As the shadow drew nearer, the surrounding currents also changed. The ship emitted creaking, unpleasant sounds. The crewman at the helm now had bulging muscles on his arms, veins prominent. He gritted his teeth, controlling the direction.
"How did Luffy and the others deal with these things?" Wilder walked to the bow at this moment, recalling the scenes from the original story when Luffy's crew encountered such creatures.
"It seems they could attack from the inside out, and the coating wouldn't break." Wilder glanced at the surrounding crew, then turned his head to look directly at the shadow, which was now drawing ever closer.
"M-Mr. Wilder? Are you planning to…?" Kaneshiro noticed Wilder's actions. His heart leaped. Only then did he remember the other party's status.
Perhaps… perhaps I got lucky this time, Kaneshiro thought, his expression complex. Actually, they also had ways to deal with it, but doing so would inevitably incur significant losses.
"It's here!" a crewman shouted in terror. Only then was the shadow's form revealed. A ferocious head, densely packed with sharp fangs—it was a giant Sea King that looked like a monstrous hybrid of a shark and a lion.
It was incredibly fast. The giant Sea King was now less than twenty meters from the ship. It had already opened its blood-red mouth and could, in the blink of an eye, rush forward and swallow the ship whole.
"Grand Serpent!" Wilder stared at the rapidly approaching Sea King, the killing intent in his eyes almost materializing as blood-red light. He threw a punch! BOOM! A transparent white fist-imprint shot out, instantly striking the giant Sea King. It pierced through its open mouth and exited from its tail.
Silently, a translucent, whitish fist-imprint had penetrated the entire body of the giant Sea King. Its forward momentum instantly ceased, as if frozen in the seawater.
But everyone, watching the high-speed currents flowing past the giant Sea King's now motionless body, knew it wasn't truly frozen. Rather, its forward speed had been stopped by that fist-imprint, and the counteraction had resulted in this state of suspended animation.
The seawater turned crimson as the giant Sea King's shredded internal organs floated out.