Big Mom stood opposite Wilder, a lake of swamp separating them. The air seemed to freeze.
Everyone's gaze was drawn to them, and a tense atmosphere began to spread.
Big Mom's blood-red eyes stared coldly at Wilder, making everyone's heart skip a beat. Wilder, however, met her gaze with an impassive expression.
"Cough, cough!"
CRASH!
From a collapsed building in the distance, Straw Hat Luffy pushed himself to his feet and looked over at Wilder.
Then, he shouted, his voice carrying through the silence to every ear, "Hey! Mister! I'll leave Big Mom to you! Shishishishi!"
"..."
Wilder raised an eyebrow. He could see Straw Hat waving in the distance and was somewhat surprised by his words.
That's not his style...
But after a moment's thought, he understood. Straw Hat Luffy wasn't an idiot, nor was he mindlessly impulsive. That much was clear from how he had ordered his crew to scatter and flee when they encountered a Marine Admiral in the past.
For Straw Hat, the previous battle had clearly shown him the huge gap that still existed between him and Big Mom. To charge in knowing you couldn't win wasn't courage; it was suicide.
Wilder was surprised, but at the same time, he felt a certain admiration for the kid. To be able to immediately let go after realizing he couldn't beat Big Mom right now—that was worthy of the future Pirate King.
Straw Hat's words stunned a great number of people. One by one, they turned to look at Big Mom, waiting to see her reaction.
But Big Mom's expression was unnervingly blank, as if she hadn't heard him at all.
Gulp. Someone, unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere, swallowed hard.
Then, everyone saw the hand with which Big Mom was holding the mochi sphere slowly loosen. The sphere fell gently to the ground and began to twist and shrink until Katakuri appeared, the last of the mochi disappearing into his skin.
"Mama..." Katakuri looked at Big Mom, his face filled with pain, as if he couldn't bear to face her.
"Katakuri." Big Mom's voice made Katakuri look up in a daze.
"If you can still fight, go help the others," Big Mom said, her tone so calm it was unnatural.
"Yes..." Katakuri stared for a moment, then nodded in response.
Before leaving, he glanced back at Wilder, his fists tightening, and then walked away.
"Wilder." After speaking, Big Mom finally looked at Wilder, her first words directed at him.
Here it comes!
Everyone tensed up, watching the two of them with a mixture of nervousness and excitement. They knew the clash was about to begin.
Wilder didn't speak. He simply lifted the Germ Spear in his hand and stuck it into the ground at his feet, meeting Big Mom's gaze calmly.
But inwardly, Wilder was a little surprised. Big Mom was far too calm. It wasn't like her at all. This was, after all, the Emperor who was most prone to fits of rage. Her current behavior struck Wilder as extremely abnormal.
But, at the end of the day, a fight was a fight. Wilder had been prepared for this from the moment he set foot on Cake Island. He wasn't going to be concerned with her behavior now.
In a word: come what may.
Big Mom looked at Wilder. Wilder looked at Big Mom. A silent clash began between them.
An invisible aura began to rise from both of them.
The people around them were still wondering why the two of them hadn't moved, but gradually, they began to feel that something was wrong. The air seemed to grow heavy, and breathing it in felt oppressive. Some people started to have trouble breathing, clutching at their throats, unable to speak, a sense of panic rising within them.
"What's happening?" someone asked in a panicked voice. Although he could still speak, he could feel that something was wrong. His body felt heavy, both inside and out, as if a giant boulder were pressing down on him.
Only a few of the more experienced individuals recognized what was happening, and their expressions changed slightly.
"That guy, could he be..." Crocodile, covered in blood, stood on a high platform watching the situation. He also felt the oppressive wave in the air and couldn't help but narrow his eyes, his grip on his cigar tightening.
VMMMM...!
An invisible wave pulsed out from between Wilder and Big Mom. In that instant, the world seemed to dim.
THUD...! THUD...! THUD...!
At the same time, the sound of bodies falling came from all over. The weakest soldiers, and even some ministers, one by one, fell to the ground, their eyes vacant.
"Hey! What's going on?!" It all happened without any warning. The others who were still standing looked on in horror. But then, the wave swept over them as well.
Thud! Thud!
After the wave passed, they, like the soldiers before them, fell to the ground, the whites of their eyes showing.
Of course, some people remained standing. But their conditions varied. Some watched with grave expressions, some were perfectly calm, and some were on one knee, drenched in a cold sweat.
"This is... Conqueror's Haki?" someone asked, looking up at Big Mom and Wilder in horror.
BOOM!
Just then, the contest between the two of them truly erupted.
A deafening roar, accompanied by the crackle of lightning and fire, and a terrifying shockwave blasted out from between them, rushing towards the onlookers.
Everyone stared in horror, bracing themselves against the fierce wind as they looked up at the two of them.
SIZZLE...!
A storm of red and black, of lightning and fire, a shockwave formed from the clash of two Conqueror's Haki. The two forces collided, neither giving an inch, locked in a fierce stalemate. Turbulent currents, unable to withstand the pressure, burst out in all directions.
The clash of their Conqueror's Haki manifested as a storm of black and red, with thick, black lightning snakes weaving through red clouds. The scene was magnificent and awe-inspiring.
In the midst of it, a tall figure stood proudly. His cape billowed behind him in the fierce wind, but his body was as unmovable as a boulder, his face calm and arrogant.
On the other side, blue lightning and orange fire intertwined, containing a terrifying power that crackled and sparked. A fearsome figure with a cold smile and a pair of crimson eyes stared at Wilder through the barrier between them, as if wanting to devour him.
Big Mom's Haki surged. The space between them was a blur of sparks, fire, red clouds, and lightning snakes. A terrifying shockwave was generated between them, the wind so strong it was hard to keep one's eyes open.
"Wilder..."
But just then, Big Mom's eyes pierced through the storm, locking onto Wilder. A bloodthirsty smile spread across her face as she said in a sinister tone, "Become my subordinate. I can forgive you for your rudeness this time."
Only now did Big Mom reveal her true intentions.
So that's it...
Wilder's brow furrowed as he heard this. He finally understood why Big Mom's attitude had been so strange. The mystery was solved.
So that was her plan, huh...
Big Mom stared at him, her bloodthirsty smile unwavering. Before this, she had been determined to kill Wilder. But now, she had taken a liking to him. The change had begun after she saw him defeat two of her Sweet Commanders. That level of strength was enough to catch her attention.
But that wasn't the deepest reason. Wilder's strength was the basic requirement, but what had truly solidified her decision was Smoothie's death. In that moment, Big Mom had felt an unprecedented rage and killing intent. After all, Smoothie was her daughter. And more importantly, Smoothie was one of her highest-ranking combatants.
But that combatant had been killed by Wilder, which had nearly driven Big Mom mad.
Afterwards, as she watched Wilder fight Katakuri, her thoughts gradually began to change. Today had indeed been a day of rage and pain for her. Because she was certain that after this battle, even if she won, her power would be greatly diminished, and she would become the weakest of the Four Emperors. This was something she had not expected, and something she was unwilling to see.
Therefore, after some thought, Big Mom had finally made a decision: she would use Wilder to compensate for her losses.
Once Wilder joined her, today's losses would not only be negated, but she might even be able to advance further. She had long coveted Wilder's intelligence network. And as it happened, with that girl Smoothie dead, Wilder could take her place.
As for whether she was worried about Wilder being disloyal after joining, Big Mom didn't think it was a problem. As long as she had control of Wilder's forces, his continued existence would be something she could decide at any time.
That was her confidence.
She certainly valued Wilder's strength, but that was all. In her eyes, he was far from being able to challenge her authority.
But before that, she had to put him in his place. So, Big Mom had used her Conqueror's Haki to pressure him.
What she hadn't expected was that Wilder's Conqueror's Haki had also reached such a level. But that didn't affect her decision in the slightest. In fact, it made her even happier. As long as Wilder agreed, then in the future, if anyone was to reach Laugh Tale, it would undoubtedly be her, Big Mom.
"How about it, Wilder?" Big Mom stared at him, her presence incredibly oppressive.
And it was true. Big Mom's smile and tone, combined with the fear-inducing effect of her Soul-Soul Fruit, gave her an oppressive aura that could break a Vice Admiral who hadn't seen much of the world.
"What did you just say?" Wilder's somewhat cold voice came through.
Big Mom's smile froze for a moment, then she repeated with great patience, "Become my subordinate. I'll forget about what happened before and now."
"Sorry, but I have no habit of being a subordinate to a mother pig."
"Mamamamama! It seems the negotiations have broken down! Really... I guess I have no talent for negotiation, mamamamama!"
Although she was laughing, everyone could feel a cold, oppressive aura beginning to spread from her. It pressed down on them, and some people, unable to control their trembling, fell to their knees, looking at the area in terror.
"What... what's happening? What did they say in there? Why did Big Mom say the negotiations broke down?"
The laughter suddenly stopped. Big Mom's face was covered in a dark shadow.
A violent and crazed aura erupted from her. The next moment...
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
A dense cracking sound was heard.
Wilder's expression changed. The Conqueror's Haki between the two of them was actually cracking apart.
Finally, with a bang, it exploded. A terrifying shockwave spread outwards, sending people flying. Everyone looked in horror at the space between the two of them.
"Then die!" A large, fat arm suddenly appeared through the thick smoke and dust in front of Wilder, followed by Big Mom's shrill, bloodthirsty voice.
Wilder's expression was grave. He crossed his arms, coated them in Armament Haki, and blocked in front of him.
BANG!
Wilder was sent flying by Big Mom's punch.
"This power..." Feeling the force from his arms, Wilder's expression grew slightly more serious. He used the momentum to push off the air with his feet, leaping up into the sky.
"But this isn't a defensive game!" Wilder suddenly appeared above Big Mom's head, a giant stream of swamp erupting from his hand.
BOOM!
Big Mom looked up, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Wilder. She raised her hand and threw a punch upwards. The punch, wreathed in flames, formed a giant fist of fire that collided heavily with the descending swampy torrent.
The two attacks exploded, the roar of the impact echoing far and wide.
Those who had already retreated to a safe distance were stunned as they watched. The spectacular scene was one thing, but what shocked them even more was that Wilder had dared to attack Big Mom directly, and that his attack seemed to be on par with hers.
"That mister is amazing," Straw Hat Luffy said, his eyes wide as he watched from a distance.
The others were also incredibly shocked.
The flames burned fiercely, evaporating the swamp. Finally, the fire and swamp mixed together, turning to ash and falling from the sky.
Wilder landed gently, standing opposite Big Mom.
The two of them stared at each other.
Big Mom's eyes were still bloodshot. Besides her decision to recruit Wilder, she had, of course, also made another decision. That was, if Wilder refused, then she would make him disappear from this world, and no one... could stop her.
"Mamamamama!" Thinking of this, Big Mom suddenly burst out laughing. But there was no hint of laughter in her eyes. They were like those of a bloodthirsty beast, filled with a cold and violent aura.
Wilder rolled his neck, a series of cracking sounds echoing. The punch that had sent him flying hadn't seemed to cause much damage, but the force that had been transmitted through his arms had still left his arms and neck feeling a little uncomfortable.
After stretching, Wilder lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a cloud of smoke. His expression also became calm.
He looked at Big Mom and said, "Since we're already doing this, let's not play around. If we're going to fight, let's have a proper fight."
Gurgle!
As his words fell, swamp erupted from his body.