East Blue.
A battered warship sailed across the vast, open sea.
"Cough... cough...!"
The waves gradually calmed, and the quiet ship was suddenly filled with the sound of hoarse coughing.
"Boss..." Claire, tall and alluring with a curvaceous figure, stood behind Wilder, her eyes filled with concern.
"I'm fine, Claire," Wilder said, his face pale on the deck as his weakened body slowly recovered.
Besides Wilder, Devil Fruit users like Bacon, Yves, and the others also looked exhausted.
After escaping from the Marine Admiral Kizaru, the group had encountered a violent storm. The ship was nearly capsized by the towering waves, and everyone had been thrown into the sea.
Fortunately, the storm was as quick to pass as it was to arrive, preventing the crew from being scattered. By the time they'd climbed back aboard the ship, the Devil Fruit users, including Wilder, were on death's door.
"Ashin... where are we?" Wilder sat on the deck, his voice raspy.
"East Blue, Morlan Sea area. Not far from Filgus Island," Ashin replied. The mast had become his personal perch. He stood with his feet planted on the edge, back against the mast, peering through a telescope.
Wilder nodded, then turned to look at Bacon, who was sprawled on the deck like a dead dog. "What about the island's resources?"
"Ah? Don't worry, Boss. There's enough to keep us going for half a year," Bacon answered weakly.
Under Ashin's guidance, the warship continued sailing for half a day. They encountered no further trouble, and soon, a moderately sized island came into view on the horizon.
"Boss, what should we do next?" Vice, who had been silent until now, spoke up, voicing the question everyone had been holding back.
"Get the treasure, rest up, and then find a prosperous island..." Wilder scanned the faces of his crew, leaving his sentence unfinished.
But they understood. They nodded, agreeing with the plan. Right now, building up their strength was the priority. The shockwaves of the Summit War would soon be felt across the world, and they would undoubtedly become a prime target for the Marines. It was clearly not the time to be conspicuous, and that was one of the reasons they'd chosen the East Blue.
The warship slowly approached the shore, the waves pushing sand back and forth. The crew stepped onto the beach and headed inland.
"Bacon, lead the way."
"Right, Boss!"
Meanwhile, the hurricane of the Summit War began to sweep across the globe. Countless reports were carried by News Coos to all four seas.
[Fire Fist Ace Executed!]
[Whitebeard Dead in Battle! His Pirate Crew Completely Dismantled!]
[The Yonko Red-Haired Shanks and his Crew Appear at Marineford!]
[Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach Stripped of Warlord Title!]
[...]
The news of the war at Marineford caused an uproar across the world, leaving countless people shocked, terrified, and awestruck!
In a tavern in the East Blue, a motley crowd of pirates, bounty hunters, and ordinary citizens sat together, their heated discussions filling the air.
"Whitebeard... actually died!"
A pirate stared at the newspaper in his hands, disbelief etched on his face.
"Look at this...!" Just then, another pirate beside him leaped to his feet, also holding a newspaper, his eyes wide with shock.
"Imp... Impel Down has been blown apart...!"
"What!"
"Who!?" The first pirate immediately snatched the paper from the other's hand.
"It was a prisoner named Wilder! And not only did he blow up Impel Down, he also led a group of prisoners to participate in the Summit War! And... and he fought against Admiral Kizaru! And he got away from Marineford!"
"Hiss!" The pirate's words caused everyone present to gasp sharply.
Lucifer Wilder! Everyone silently memorized the name.
On a deserted island, the Blackbeard Pirates were resting. Blackbeard held a newspaper, a sinister grin spreading across his face.
"Wilder, is it? I'll remember you. Zehahahaha!" His wild laughter startled the birds on the island, sending them flapping away in a flurry.
...The storm at sea continued to spread, showing no signs of stopping. On Filgus Island, Wilder was unaware that his exploits had already spread across the world through newspapers and other channels.
The name Lucifer Wilder had, through this single battle, entered the eyes of the world's top power players.
"Boss, this is it." Inside a cave, several chests of gold sat exposed on the ground. Bacon, soaking wet and trembling slightly, stood to the side.
"Well done, Bacon." Wilder knew what Bacon was worried about – that he'd kill him after getting his hands on the treasure. But Wilder had no such intention at the moment.
The island was covered in dense forests, with mountains and rivers intertwined. Birds and beasts called to each other, and a series of booming sounds echoed as smoke and dust billowed, and trees toppled.
An area in the center of the island had been cleared. Bica sheathed his long, straight sword. Flashes of white sword energy had sliced through the thick trees, causing them to fall with cleanly cut surfaces.
Swamp ooze surged from Wilder's body, slamming into the ground and pushing the fallen trees away. Smaller branches and leaves were crushed and swallowed by the swamp.
The swamp gurgled as it moved, spreading a thick layer across the cleared area. Dead branches and decaying leaves that fell onto it quickly dissolved.
"Hmm?" Wilder's brow furrowed in surprise. He knew his swamp had the characteristic of limitless absorption, but it had always required his conscious control to increase the speed at which objects were absorbed. Even then, it had never been as fast as the leaves had just dissolved.
Moreover... dried branches and leaves were incredibly light. He hadn't been controlling the swamp to devour them... yet those leaves and branches had clearly vanished the instant they touched the surface.
While Wilder noticed this, the others hadn't. Countless thoughts raced through Wilder's mind, but he maintained a calm exterior, secretly making a note of the event.
The swamp pushed the trees away and then gradually rose, forming a series of low walls. Under Wilder's control, it rapidly solidified, becoming incredibly hard.
Bacon and the others moved the lumber, constructing roofs on the walls. With everyone working together, several simple houses were completed.
Wilder's crew quickly established a temporary base on Filgus Island. No one knew that they had come to this remote location from the Marine Headquarters.
Their daily meals were hunted on the island. As the leader of the group, Wilder naturally didn't have to do such things. Several days passed quickly as Wilder recuperated and experimented with the discovery he'd made that day.
A pool of swamp secreted from his palm. He held a dried twig, not much bigger than a toothpick, in his right hand.
He released it, letting the twig fall onto the swamp in his palm.
Silently, like melting ice, the twig rapidly dissolved into the swamp the instant it made contact.
And at this time, on the sea not far from Filgus Island, a ship appeared on the horizon.
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