The Kingdom of Chenoat. A broad, straight avenue led to a grand and imposing palace, standing at the kingdom's highest point, which was also the island's center.
Under the cover of night, a figure silently landed on the outer wall of the royal palace. A guard stationed outside the prince's bedchamber broke out in a cold sweat, opening his mouth to shout, but a sharp, irregular spear instantly pierced his throat.
Blood spurted, and the guard collapsed soundlessly, his eyes wide.
"Gurgle!" Under the moonlight, a hand grasped the spear. The spear seemed to melt, transforming into a puddle of swamp ooze. More swamp emerged from the hand, mixing with the puddle to engulf the guard's body.
The swamp receded like the tide, drawing back completely into the hand. The guard's corpse had vanished without a trace, the ground left spotless, as if the scene had never occurred.
Naturally, there was more than one guard outside the prince's bedchamber. Soon, the disturbance attracted attention. Around the corner, several guards exchanged glances, drew their swords, and cautiously approached.
"Where is he? Where's number eight?" Turning the corner, they found the guard who should have been stationed there missing. The approaching guards furrowed their brows.
Just then, a faint gurgling sound reached their ears.
Their expressions changed, a bad feeling rising in their hearts. One of the guards looked up, and then... his pupils dilated!
"Pft! Pft! Pft! Pft!" Almost instantaneously, several muffled thuds sounded. Each guard had a sharp, irregular spike protruding from their heads. A mass of swamp ooze on the roof shifted and dropped to the ground, rising up like a living thing and swiftly swallowing the guards.
In the bedchamber of the Second Prince, Cheno Koga, the sleeping prince was suddenly awakened. He opened his eyes to find a man standing beside his bed, a wide smile on his face.
Before Koga could speak, a sharp object shot from the man's fingertip before he could react, piercing his eye and penetrating his brain.
"This thing... is even better than a bullet," Wilder said with a smile, the swamp in his palm extending and solidifying into a sharp, irregular spike.
"Next is the Third Prince... Tsk tsk... I'm really not used to doing this sort of thing." The spike reverted to viscous swamp and flowed back into his palm. Wilder spoke as his body gradually liquefied, flowing over the Second Prince's corpse, carrying it away like the sea taking sand.
Soon, the Third Prince met the same fate as the Second. An unseen, bloody operation unfolded silently within the kingdom.
The next day, the mysterious disappearance of the two princes sent shockwaves through Chenoat!
On the third day, the king secretly left the palace.
On the fourth day, the existence of the eldest prince, Koya, was revealed.
On the fifth day, the king fell gravely ill, leaving a will that named Koya as his successor!
On the sixth day, the king passed away, and the eldest prince ascended the throne!
On the seventh day, a merchant guild named Black Serpent was established!
"Everything is finally starting to fall into place..." Wilder's lips curled upwards, watching the flames dance in the fireplace, his ambition flickering along with them.
Controlling this country was the first step. Wilder's ultimate goal was to develop his own power and strength.
"Recruiting personnel will be handled by Claire and Franpetar. Claire will primarily be responsible for the guild's operations and development, while Franpetar will handle personnel and combat."
"Yes," Claire and Franpetar nodded in agreement within the room.
"Vice, Bica, Bacon, and Sherilmo, you will be responsible for expanding our influence! Each of you will take a different direction."
"Yes."
"Ashin, Eigg, and Yves, you will be responsible for gathering information and recruiting special individuals, primarily focusing on doctors, scientists, and the like."
"Yes."
After assigning clear directions and tasks, Wilder suddenly remembered something. "What about the pirates?"
"We've investigated. The pirate crew controlling these waters is a rookie group called the Giant Lizard Pirates. The captain is Paison, a Zoan-type Giant Lizard Fruit user with a bounty of 56 million Berries. As for the first mate..." Sherilmo's expression turned strange.
"What is it?" the others asked, curious.
"The first mate is a snake, an anaconda. Not a Devil Fruit user, just a snake."
"..." Everyone was momentarily speechless.
"Let that pirate crew disappear tomorrow," Wilder said, not paying it much mind.
"Understood."
After everyone dispersed, Wilder opened his palm. A mass of swamp ooze wriggled in his hand, gradually solidifying.
Watching the swamp transform into a hard-as-stone sphere and then into a longsword, Wilder's thoughts drifted. He could now freely control the solidification of the swamp, but this wasn't the state he was satisfied with.
The reason he was so intent on practicing solidifying the swamp was to have more defensive and offensive options in close combat. Undoubtedly, having "weapons" and armor on hand would significantly enhance both attack and defense, just like Kizaru's Ama no Murakumo Sword and Aokiji's ice blades. They both utilized their abilities to create substantial weapons to deal with close-range opponents.
"To make this weapon indestructible, the prerequisite is... Armament Haki," Wilder's eyes widened slightly, revealing a determined look.
Sensing another, faint power flickering within his body, Wilder tried to grasp it, but he always failed.
Wilder wasn't discouraged. Awakening Armament Haki required a significant amount of combat and an increase in physical strength; it wasn't something that could be achieved in a short time.
But now that he had signs of awakening, Wilder believed it wouldn't take long. A year or two at most, maybe even just six months, and he would definitely succeed.
"Another thing, the Marines will eventually discover I'm here. During this time, I need to develop more Swamp-Swamp Fruit abilities as quickly as possible! Of course, Haki is the priority for now. This way, even if a Marine Admiral comes knocking, I'll have the ability to fight back and won't be forced into a purely defensive position."
Wilder raised his head and muttered to himself. Then, his brow furrowed as he suddenly recalled the scene of the withered leaves and branches falling onto the swamp.
"What was the principle behind that? Or... was it some kind of new development?" After that day, Wilder had conducted several experiments. He discovered that as long as he didn't consciously control the swamp to devour or absorb things, small, lifeless objects like withered branches and leaves would rapidly dissolve upon contact with the swamp.
Moreover... they dissolved completely... merging with the swamp and becoming part of it. The strange thing was that the swamp didn't increase in volume, or rather, he couldn't tell where the extra swamp had gone. This was what puzzled Wilder the most.
Could it be...?
A thought suddenly struck Wilder, and his eyes lit up.
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