The two parties stopped at the reception gate. The Marines and the Morass guards lined up on opposite sides as Wilder and Kizaru walked ahead, appearing to be in deep and pleasant conversation. Claire and Kizaru's aide followed behind them, respectively.
After passing through the gate and walking down a short, red-carpeted path, they arrived before the main audience hall of the palace.
If not exactly golden and brilliant, it was at least neat and pristine.
The entire hall, constructed from massive white stones, looked extraordinary, exuding an air of grandeur and elegance.
"Is this your palace, Wilder-kun? It's quite a surprise," Kizaru said, tilting his head back to look at the massive, rounded dome of the ceiling. It was impossible to tell if his surprise was genuine or just an act.
"You're too modest, Mr. Kizaru. The architecture of Marine Headquarters is what's truly astonishing."
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before stepping into the main hall. The interior of the hall, in contrast, could truly be described as magnificent and splendidly decorated.
A long conference table was draped with a red silk cloth, a potted plant sitting in its center. The entire hall was filled with the fragrance of flowers, every detail proclaiming a sense of elegance and nobility.
"So, Mr. Kizaru, how do you propose we begin?" The two took their seats in the high-backed chairs at opposite ends of the table. The moment he sat down, Wilder's feigned smile vanished. He looked at Kizaru, getting straight to the point.
Kizaru, unhurried, crossed his legs, his hands clasped on the tabletop. A glint of light reflected off his glasses.
"Shouldn't it be you, Wilder-kun? If you want to do business, shouldn't you be the one to state your price first?"
"True enough."
Wilder nodded in agreement. "In that case, let's say fifteen million Beli per cannon. As for the cannonballs, one million Beli for ten rounds. This is a very cheap price, you know. It's only because it's you, Mr. Kizaru, that you get such preferential treatment."
Though he said this, the price he quoted was naturally not too low. On the surface, it didn't seem expensive, but its production cost was about the same as that of standard cannons on the market.
Hearing Wilder's words, Kizaru's reaction was flat. He neither frowned in thought nor did his eyes light up.
All in all, he looked completely bored, as if he had just woken up.
Wilder didn't mind. He quietly raised his wine glass, took a sip, and waited for Kizaru to speak.
"Ten million Beli per cannon. Five hundred thousand Beli for ten cannonballs," Kizaru said after taking a sip of his tea.
He had cut the price of a cannon by a third and the cannonballs by half. In the arms business, no one haggled like this.
Wilder's drinking motion paused. He then looked up at Kizaru, a smile of unknown meaning on his face, though anyone could see the hint of ridicule in it. "Mr. Kizaru, do you buy your own clothes? Your haggling style is quite similar to buying clothes, you know."
"This price, of course, is not acceptable."
Of course, Kizaru knew it was impossible. To be honest, he really had just used his clothes-shopping haggling method, and he hadn't expected Wilder to call him out on it so casually.
"What do you think, Wilder-kun?"
"If it's for the Marines, then I'll consider it a contribution to the cause of maintaining peace on the seas. Fourteen million Beli per cannon. Nine hundred thousand Beli for ten cannonballs."
Although this price was nearly three million Beli more than the market price for standard cannons, it naturally wasn't expensive considering its power. But the Marines could produce their own cannons. Now, it was as if they were not producing their own but buying them from an outside source for a premium of five million Beli. This would significantly increase their military spending.
However, the two couldn't be compared. The two types of cannons were completely different. Compared to the cost, the benefits they would bring to the Marines were substantial.
Kizaru's purpose this time was to buy cannons, and he had already estimated the price. This figure was within an acceptable range. Most importantly, he couldn't be bothered to haggle over the price. A deal was a deal. Getting off work early was the right way to go.
Thinking of this, Kizaru's glasses flashed. "Can't it really be any cheaper?"
"It cannot," Wilder replied, meeting his gaze with a broad smile.
The aide standing behind Kizaru was rendered completely speechless upon hearing his question.
Is this how someone does business?!
But he didn't dare to interrupt.
"Then let's go with that price. This time, we need five hundred W01 Cannons and one hundred thousand W01 cannonballs. We hope for delivery before payment."
"Of course, Mr. Kizaru. However, the Marines will need to pay a deposit of half the total amount. After all... our country is also short on funds at the moment."
As Wilder said this, he was rapidly calculating the numbers in his head. One cannon was fourteen million Beli. Five hundred cannons would be 7 billion!
7 billion Beli!
And one hundred thousand cannonballs. Ten for nine hundred thousand meant one was ninety thousand. One hundred thousand would be 9 billion!
7 billion plus 9 billion is 16 billion!
16 billion Beli!
He could get a deposit of 8 billion Beli at once!
Kizaru agreed to Wilder's demand for a deposit. That evening, a batch of gold and paper currency was delivered.
A full eight billion Beli went straight into Wilder's pocket. It would be a lie to say he wasn't excited. It was a time when money was desperately needed. But to say he was so excited he couldn't sleep wouldn't be accurate either. Eight billion sounded like a lot, but it was only the price of a few powerful Devil Fruits combined. Some people's bounties alone could reach into the billions.
For the construction of a nation, eight billion was merely a drop in the bucket.
But at least it would keep them going for a while longer.
Wilder personally saw Kizaru off. Just as he was about to board the warship, Kizaru turned his head and took a deep look at the barren land before him, a land that seemed desolate even beyond the horizon. He nodded at Wilder. "Well then, I hope you can deliver the munitions as soon as possible, Wilder-kun."
"Hehe, please rest assured, Mr. Kizaru. Within a month, all munitions will be delivered. Of course, at that time, I hope your forces can deliver the remaining payment on time. One hand pays, the other delivers. Believe me, our cooperation will not stop here."
The two shook hands, then turned away. The warship pulled away from the dock.
"The next policy is development. The country develops, and then the country creates wealth. Use wealth to develop military power! To defend against the military invasions of the near future!" Wilder watched the warship depart, confirming his main course of action.
He turned and walked along the coast.
He still had to lay low!
After returning to the palace, Wilder fell into deep thought. The deal he had just made was not as simple as those few words. After confirming the price, there were naturally more conditions, all of which were written into the agreement.
The most important of these was a demand the Marines had made of Wilder. It could be said to be unreasonable, but it was a clause written as a compromise due to the circumstances.
The W01 cannons were not to be sold to any other power or country.
This put Wilder, who had just found a way to make money and was planning to enter the New World's arms market, in a somewhat passive position. However, thinking of that thing, Wilder ultimately agreed to this condition.
He had no choice. He still needed to rely on the Marines for now, and some concessions were necessary. Once he had developed his own strength...
A dark light flickered in Wilder's eyes.
"The Marines only stipulated that I can't sell W01 cannons to other powers and countries. It doesn't mean I can't sell other things," Wilder grinned, his gaze profound.
He hadn't forgotten that, besides the cannons, he had another ace up his sleeve, one that had even attracted the covetous eyes of Germa 66.
"It seems it's time to meet him," Wilder said in a low voice, swirling the crimson liquid in his wine glass, his eyes fixed on it. "I hope... we will have a pleasant cooperation."
The next day, as the sun was just rising, Wilder was already awake in his spacious bed.
"Claire, prepare a small boat."
Dressed and ready, Wilder emerged and spoke to Claire, who was already waiting for him.
"Yes, sir."
Before leaving, taking advantage of a moment when Claire wasn't looking, Wilder gave her shapely rear a pat, which immediately made her blush and run away.
"Heh..." Wilder chuckled at Claire's retreating figure. The feeling of occasionally teasing his secretary was quite nice. Shaking his head, he boarded the small boat Claire had prepared.
His own ship had been damaged before and was being repaired. This one was made of sturdy wood, and Wilder didn't find it too bad.
Alone, he set off, the small boat bobbing gently as it gradually disappeared into the golden and green waves that stretched across the sea.
Halfway through the journey, a sudden thought struck Wilder, and he changed his mind. To be precise, he wasn't changing his destination, but he had just thought of a place that was conveniently on the way. He could go and have a look. Perhaps... he could even plant a seed in advance and reap an unexpected fruit in the future?
If possible, Wilder really wanted to recruit that person.
A talented individual.
No sooner said than done. Wilder slightly adjusted his course and headed towards that destination.
He sailed for more than three days, passing the time by fishing and training. The boat was fully stocked with all sorts of supplies, except for fresh fish. After two days of eating canned meat, Wilder wanted a change of pace. He took out a fishing rod and cast a silver line into the sea.
By noon, he had caught a large basket of silver fish. He didn't save any, eating them all.
The journey was monotonous. On the fourth day, an island finally appeared in Wilder's line of sight.
This island was his destination.
An island split in two by ice and fire. The battle that had taken place here nearly a year ago seemed to have left a lasting image on the island. It must have been earth-shattering.
The island's name was Punk Hazard.
Putting away his small boat, Wilder stepped onto the island.
A wave of heat washed over him. Wilder frowned in discomfort, activating his Life Return to adjust his body to the environment.
"Even more terrifying than the Blazing Hell."
Wilder walked on the dark red ground, observing his surroundings while keeping an eye on the ground beneath him.
The ground was fraught with danger. Scalding steam erupted from time to time, hot enough to cook flesh, and occasionally he could see cracks in the earth, revealing the scalding, crimson magma flowing within.
"Tsk... what a monster. Is this kind of power, which directly reshapes a region's environment and even its climate, something a human can do?"
This wasn't temporary; it wouldn't revert after a certain time. It was a permanent change.
"Sakazuki is terrifying, but that guy is also scary. In such a hot environment, he was still able to create a world of ice and snow, and over time, it shows no sign of being eroded by the magma." Wilder had now reached a chasm. The chasm was bottomless, with molten magma below. On the other side of it, he could clearly see a world of ice and snow.
One side red, one side white, the boundary was clear, as if the world had been forcibly split in two, perfectly balanced yet in complete opposition.
"That guy Aokiji may not seem as reliable as Akainu, but when he really fights, he's not weaker than him at all. A battle can change in an instant. If they were to fight again in perfect condition, it's hard to say who would win or lose."
Wilder still leaned towards Akainu, but he didn't think Aokiji was weaker. In fact, in a fight between Akainu and Aokiji, Aokiji was at a disadvantage. It wasn't about their element types, but that Aokiji had to expend more stamina in that fight than Akainu.
The heat would melt his ice, so to prevent his ice from melting, he had to invest more stamina to sustain it.
And yet, the two of them still fought for ten days and ten nights. Monsters, without a doubt.
"How I wish I could have seen that fight."
Wilder used Moon Walk to leap across the chasm and continued forward.
His Life Return adjusted his state accordingly as he stepped into a completely new environment. The ground crunched beneath his feet, each step sinking slightly into the snow.
"So cold it's making the sky snow." Wilder looked up at the snowflakes drifting down from the sky. He held out his hand and caught one, which instantly melted in his palm.
"Time to go have a look. I wonder where it is." Wilder withdrew his hand and continued walking, his eyes searching for something in the vast whiteness.
The monotonous white was the dominant color of this world, making it easy to become disoriented. Looking at it for too long made his eyes ache.
Wilder simply closed his eyes and unleashed his Observation Haki without reservation. The surrounding scene, including what was underground, was instantly and clearly reflected in his mind.
"At full power, I can use my Observation Haki for an hour. Any longer and it's overload; my head will be the first to give out. I need to save some time as a reserve, so I have to find that place quickly."
Wilder used Shave to speed up the process, his body instantly vanishing from the snowy landscape.
About ten minutes later, Wilder's eyebrows rose, and a corner of his mouth twitched. His Observation Haki was withdrawn, and his eyes opened, looking towards a spot not far away.
Hidden in the white snow was a building that, if you didn't look closely, you would mistake for a small, snow-covered hill.
"Building it in a place like this is certainly secretive," Wilder said, giving it a deep look before his body began to turn into swamp and sink into the ground.
His purpose this time was to make contact with Caesar. Therefore, he had to avoid being discovered if at all possible.