Even with the ground beneath covered in ice and snow, Wilder's swamp form advanced unimpeded.
It just required more stamina to assimilate the frozen environment compared to ordinary earth.
After breaking through the final barrier, Wilder finally entered the building's interior.
Pausing for a moment, he used his Observation Haki to scan the area, a clear image of everything above him forming in his mind.
The scan revealed that he was currently beneath a clean, spacious room.
"It's a playroom." A children's room. Wilder relaxed, his body emerging from the floor to take human form, quietly surveying the space.
Wilder recalled some events from the original story. There were children from all over here, subjected to Caesar's human experiments, their bodies grown gigantic. Weren't these experiments kept secret from Doflamingo?
"Are these experiments for Big Mom?" Wilder's memory of the original story was a bit fuzzy. He shook his head slightly.
None of it had anything to do with him. The idea of creating a giant army was a good one, but what Wilder truly wanted was Caesar's other technologies.
For example...
Artificial Devil Fruits?
Or...
Devastatingly lethal chemical weapons?
If he could get his hands on those...
At the thought, the blood in Wilder's veins couldn't help but flow a little faster.
After looking around and finding nothing of interest, Wilder reverted to his swamp form and left the children's room, traveling underground, of course, to avoid detection.
Wilder didn't want to waste too much time exploring. His target was Caesar.
Along the way, he saw several children playing with a ball in one room. Hmm... I definitely can't compete with their height.
He also saw the astonishingly well-endowed Snow Woman, Monet, in a surveillance room. Wilder paused for a moment but ultimately decided not to disturb her.
"For a woman like her to be with Doflamingo is a real waste of talent," Wilder mused, a wicked smile spreading across his face in the shadows.
He wasn't some kind of pervert; he wasn't saying this because he was taken with her looks. It was a genuine sentiment. The woman in the original story was a tragic figure, a subordinate loyal to the point of foolishness.
"How great would it be if a woman like that were mine?" This was Wilder's sincere thought. A subordinate willing to die for her master, who would do so without complaint even after knowing her master had abandoned her—where else could you find someone like that?
But it was precisely because of this that Wilder felt she was unattainable. Neither threats nor inducements would win her over.
Beyond her loyalty, what Wilder valued even more was her ability. It was by no means weak; it was only held back because she herself was too weak.
The Snow-Snow Fruit. It might not compare to Aokiji's Ice-Ice Fruit, but its potential for development, for altering the environment of an entire area, was immense. To be precise, it could change the weather itself.
A thousand thoughts raced through Wilder's mind as he moved through the underground, his eyes occasionally flashing with a sharp light, his plans taking shape.
A quarter of an hour later, Wilder finally found his target. A sinister grin spread across his face as he emerged from the floor, slithering up to the ceiling behind the unsuspecting man and looking down on him in utter silence.
"Shurororo..."
"Shurororo..."
The room was bathed in bright, white light and cluttered with experimental equipment. Before a lab bench covered with a white cloth stood a man in a white scientist's coat, with two horns sprouting from his head. A thick, pinkish-purple gas swirled around him, coalescing into a garment-like form that fluctuated between solid and gas with his movements.
After a characteristic laugh, he suddenly threw his arms wide, his mouth splitting into a grin that was both sinister and incredibly arrogant. He seemed to be bottling up his excitement, brewing it for a moment before finally shouting at the top of his lungs, "I'm such a genius!"
"That fool Vegapunk can't even compare to me! Shurororo!"
"Have you had a new breakthrough in your experiments? That's truly wonderful news." Suddenly, a congratulatory voice sounded from behind him.
"Shuroro! Thank you! Thank you! It's just a small achievement, nothing worth mentioning, nothing at all! Shuroro!" Caesar was naturally delighted to be congratulated and subconsciously responded with humility.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, his face froze. Something was wrong. There shouldn't be anyone else in this room without his permission. So who was that just now? When did they get here? Why hadn't he heard a thing?
The smile froze on his face. Caesar's heart began to pound violently, cold sweat pouring down his cheeks. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and his scalp tingled.
Someone who could sneak in here without a sound and appear right behind him... Caesar knew he was very likely no match for them. So, to save his own skin, he had to endure! Don't panic!
"And... and you are?" His mind racing, Caesar finally managed to stammer out a question, though he didn't dare move a muscle. He couldn't guess the intentions of the person behind him. What if they decided to just kill him the moment he moved?
Wilder's body had already landed on the floor behind Caesar. After a brief swirl of motion, his human form solidified. Seeing Caesar's trembling state, he revealed a wicked smile. He didn't answer the question immediately. Instead, he released a small amount of his swamp, which slithered up Caesar's back and onto his shoulders like slithering worms. He wanted to instill in him the maximum amount of fear and mystery. That would... make the ensuing conversation much easier.
"Help... mmmph!" Caesar's reaction was a bit extreme. He leaped three feet into the air, every hair on his body standing on end. To prevent him from attracting others, Wilder had his swamp promptly seal his mouth.
But he knew he had been careless. That cry for help had likely been heard. Someone would probably be on their way soon.
Wilder wasn't afraid, but his purpose this time was not to be discovered. So, he knew he couldn't delay any longer. He immediately used his swamp to bind Caesar's body and twisted him around to face him.
"The name is Lucifer Wilder."
Whether it was because Wilder had stated his identity, or because Caesar had recognized him the moment he was forced to turn around, his eyes widened in terror.
I'm going to die! I'm going to die! Why is it him?!
Caesar's heart was in a panic, his mind racing. Who didn't know of Wilder's fearsome reputation now? A man who had even gotten the better of Big Mom—could he possibly survive an encounter with such a person?
As Caesar trembled in fear, he saw Wilder give him a smile that was hard to define. Was it gentle? Friendly? Sinister? Murderous? Perhaps all of them!
It's so fake, Caesar thought. That smile... he clearly doesn't want to be smiling like that, does he?
So it's true... do all the big shots have to smile before they kill someone? I'm really going to die at the hands of the famous Wilder.
Wilder had no idea what kind of mental drama Caesar had just gone through in that split second. He looked at Caesar, trying his best to muster what he thought was a gentle and friendly smile. "I've admired your great name for a long time, Mr. Caesar."
"Huh?" Caesar's mental movie came to a screeching halt. He looked up at Wilder, his face a mask of stunned disbelief.
A fervent feeling began to sprout, rise, and surge within him.
"Mr. Caesar, you are a great scientist who ranks among the top three in the world. In fact... it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you are number one," Wilder continued, maintaining his smile, his tone filled with a sincere and gentle admiration and respect.
"Oh... OH! You said...! You think so too?!" Caesar was completely flabbergasted, tears of emotion streaming down his face. He felt as if he had met his legendary soulmate.
Wilder's expression turned serious. Meeting Caesar's hopeful gaze, he nodded with great earnestness and affirmation, as if to say, Who else could be number one in the world but you?
"Mr. Wilder... Mr. Wilder, you're truly...! Truly...!" Caesar was so moved he was sobbing, unable to extricate himself from the emotion.
"So..." Wilder's voice cut him off.
Caesar stared at him blankly.
Wilder extended a hand toward him, his gaze full of sincerity. "Your inventions should not be buried. Be my partner! I will provide you with the best science laboratory in the world!"
Wilder's words seemed to ring with a demonic power, stunning Caesar's mind into a temporary blank. Gradually, the image of Big Mom surfaced in his mind.
"No! No!" Caesar snapped back to his senses, shaking his head frantically.
"Do you want to die?" Wilder realized he couldn't waste any more time. Caesar's reaction was unexpected. He had thought that even if the man was wary of Doflamingo, he shouldn't have refused so decisively. His words should have set Caesar's heart ablaze. What was with this cold shoulder after all that flirting?
No matter. If inducement didn't work, there was always coercion. It wasn't like this guy hadn't been forced before. One more person, Wilder, shouldn't make much difference. Besides... he could always follow up with more inducements after the threats. The effect would surely be better than those who only knew how to threaten, right?
Having made up his mind, Wilder couldn't be bothered with whether Caesar was willing or not. After he spoke, seeing the frozen expression on Caesar's face, Wilder straightened up, looking down on him from above, his eyes cold. "You have no choice. Or would you rather die right now?"
"Or... do you think you can escape?" As Wilder spoke, more swamp oozed from his body, forming into arm-like tendrils that crawled over Caesar's body.
Caesar's face was grim. He wasn't exactly a man who feared death. If it came down to it, when his life was threatened, he was willing to fight back. So...
He moved!
His restrained body dissolved into a cloud of gas, about to scatter and escape!
But the moment he moved, he felt his body tighten. The gasified form was instantly snatched back!
How is that possible?!
Caesar's pupils constricted in utter disbelief.
Wilder watched him quietly. The swamp re-formed, binding Caesar's body, a layer of black Armament Haki shimmering on its surface.
"I may not be able to do it perfectly, but against you... Caesar, do you really want to die?" Wilder suddenly leaned down, his face right up against Caesar's, a pair of icy eyes staring into his.
Caesar instantly caved.
Tears of humiliation streamed from his eyes. He felt like he was going to go insane if this kept up! Why do I always have to be threatened! Waaahhh...!
"Follow me, and I will provide you with the best research environment. I can also guarantee that no one will be able to threaten you!"
Caesar almost thought he had misheard. Can this guy read my mind?
No! I don't believe it! He's just spouting nonsense and got lucky.
"Believe me, no one can do this for you but me," Wilder's voice continued.
"..."
Could this guy really read my thoughts?
"Yes! Only me!"
Caesar was completely and utterly stunned. He looked up at Wilder as if he were a god.
"What do you want me to do?" After a long pause, as if he had resigned himself to his fate or perhaps had already prepared himself, Caesar spoke.
He's compromising...
Wilder smiled. "I won't force you."
..."I believe you, my ass!"
Time was short. Wilder chose to get to the point. At the same time, to show his sincerity and his genuine appreciation for talent, Wilder released the bonds on Caesar. He wasn't worried at all about him running away. He had that much confidence in his own strength.
"You're working for Doflamingo right now?" Although Wilder already knew this, he pretended to ask.
"That's right," Caesar replied, somewhat surprised that Wilder knew, but his answer was still crisp.
Wilder nodded in satisfaction. His last question had been a test, to see if he would be honest from now on.
"And you're also doing work for Big Mom," Wilder stated this time, his tone affirmative. He finished with a sinister smile.
I'm not! I didn't!
Caesar was startled, his heart turning cold. He desperately wanted to say this, but meeting Wilder's emotionless gaze, he naturally chickened out.
Immediately, he felt like crying but had no tears.
This guy can definitely peer into people's minds! How else would he know about this? All his questions must be tests. If I lie, he'll definitely kill me.
"Yes," Caesar said, averting his eyes and steeling his heart. His answer was even more decisive than before.
"Very good." Wilder straightened up, looking at Caesar with a satisfied smile.
As I thought... he was just testing me!
Thank goodness I'm so brilliant and decisive. Otherwise, this genius's life would have been cut short today!
Seeing Wilder's reaction, Caesar was shocked by his own wisdom and decisiveness, and at the same time, he let out a sigh of relief, his heart still pounding.
Next, Wilder spoke a few words into Caesar's ear with the utmost speed and quietest voice. He took a piece of his Vivre Card and left his contact number.
"Remember, call this number when the time comes. Of course, you can also choose not to call. But the consequences are something you absolutely cannot imagine."
Leaving Caesar with these chilling words, Wilder gave him one last grin, a smile like that of a man-eating beast. Then, right in front of Caesar, his body gradually softened into swamp and disappeared into a crack in the floor.
Just then, a group of people rushed over from outside, banging on the laboratory door. Monet's questioning voice reached Caesar's ears. He snapped back to his senses and quickly responded, "There was just a small accident with the experiment. It's fine now."