Am I saved?
After a period of dark slumber, his consciousness drifted in a state between waking and dreaming. Wilder forced his eyes open.
The searing heat remained, the distorted, fiery-red air looking as if it would melt everything. It all felt unreal. His body was still completely paralyzed, and he could feel his face swelling rapidly, but his mind was much clearer now—lucid enough to understand what was happening.
Taking advantage of the lull, Wilder extended his Observation Haki to survey the situation. He found the battlefield had fallen into an eerie silence. As his Haki swept forward, his pupils constricted slightly.
It's him…
A crimson suit, a scar down the right side of his face, a cigar clamped between his teeth. The aura radiating from him was that of a volcano on the verge of eruption—violent and absolute.
Marine Fleet Admiral, Akainu Sakazuki!
Wilder smirked, a grotesque sight given his injuries. He never would have expected it… this was their backup!
The man who, in Wilder's mind, possessed the greatest destructive power after Whitebeard himself!
Well then… time to get back to it.
Wilder closed his eyes again, but he didn't retract his Observation Haki. His earlier incapacitation had interrupted his plans, but now was the perfect opportunity to resume them.
His Haki, now seemingly carrying some other connected essence, began to search and weave through the chaos of the battlefield.
A moment later, Wilder's lips twisted into a grin.
Found it.
Near the docks, far from the main battlefield, a pile of collapsed swamp underground suddenly twitched.
It was the same mass of swamp that had fallen from the body of his disintegrated Swamp General.
As it stirred, the sludge seemed to form a crude mouth and eyes, just like a living creature. That mouth split open into the same bizarre smile currently on Wilder's own face.
It moved…
Its target was Big Mom's pirate ship, docked at the pier.
It slithered forward at a steady pace, moving through the underground tunnels Wilder had constructed long ago. In the blink of an eye, it was beneath the docks.
His Observation Haki swept the area. No one had noticed. A patch of ground on the pier suddenly rippled, and the swamp creature surfaced. With a single leap, it latched onto the ship's hull, sticking to it as it began to crawl toward the deck.
In that moment, Wilder was surprised to find that his Observation Haki seemed to have improved. Its range was wider than before, though the advancement wasn't as profound as the one his Armament Haki had undergone.
The swamp creature successfully crawled onto the deck.
Wilder breathed a sigh of relief, an excited smile spreading across his face. Now, all he had to do was sit back and enjoy the show.
On the battlefield, the atmosphere grew tense. Kizaru had already distanced himself from Big Mom's immediate vicinity. That's right—he was planning to slack off. Now that someone else was here to take the lead, there was no need for him to go all out.
"Hey, you alright there, Brother Wilder?" A flash of light coalesced beside Wilder. The towering figure in front of them shifted his gaze slightly in their direction before turning back to face Big Mom.
"Nyehehehe… I can't move a muscle. Would you mind taking me somewhere a bit further away, Mr. Kizaru? I don't exactly feel safe here," Wilder said. Despite his wretched state, he maintained an air of nonchalance.
"Of course," Kizaru nodded. He lifted Wilder and shot off in a streak of golden light, reappearing next to Vice Admiral Momonga.
Momonga had just finished off his opponent and was looking for his next target when he was blinded by a flash of light. Kizaru appeared, holding Wilder, who looked like a dead dog.
"Well then… I'll leave Brother Wilder in your care, Momonga. He's the king of a nation, you know. It wouldn't look good if he died on a Marine battlefield."
"I understand, Admiral Kizaru," Momonga nodded grimly. He drew his sword and stood guard around Wilder without another word.
"I'm… in your debt," Wilder said, lying on the cold ground, a frustrated sigh caught in his throat.
"Um… Mr. Momonga."
"Hm?" Momonga finally glanced over at Wilder.
"Could you please call a medic over? I am, after all, an injured man. Don't you think?" Wilder narrowed his eyes, a look of deep dissatisfaction in them.
Momonga was silent for a moment, seeming to agree that just leaving him there was inappropriate. He nodded. "Understood."
"You there, get a medic over here," he called out to a nearby Marine.
"Sir!" The soldier hurried off to find a medic.
Seeing this, Wilder finally felt a bit more at ease.
He tried to move. To his surprise, his finger, which had been completely immobile just moments before, twitched.
A jolt of excitement shot through him. He immediately focused all his effort on trying to regain control of his entire body.
To say it didn't hurt would be a lie. The beating he'd taken from Big Mom was no minor injury; several of his bones were fractured, and every movement sent a wave of excruciating pain through him.
Wilder gritted his teeth and persevered. Cold sweat beaded on his pale face, but finally, he was able to make small movements.
The medic arrived at last and began to apply medicine and bandages.
Forcing himself into a sitting position, Wilder leaned against a collapsed wall and turned his gaze toward the center of the battlefield.
There, two terrifying figures stood in opposition. Big Mom radiated a horrifying aura that seemed to make one's very soul tremble. Across from her, a man wore a cold, iron-blooded smile, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
The strange screaming had stopped. Big Mom seemed to have regained her senses. Her massive mouth split into a wide, icy, and sinister grin as she looked at Akainu.
"Sakazuki… did you come here to die?"
Her voice was heavy, like storm clouds gathering with oppressive weight.
Akainu's head was slightly bowed. He didn't speak. Instead, he began to walk, step by step, toward Big Mom, letting his actions speak for him.
Sizzle! As he walked, searing magma began to drip from his right hand.
"Whitebeard…"
"You… Charlotte Linlin…"
"And all the other so-called Emperors of the New World…"
Akainu's cold voice echoed with each step he took. Finally, he stopped less than two meters from Big Mom, lifted his head, and revealed a pair of eyes filled with ruthless, unwavering justice.
"You are all nothing but the ashes of a bygone era!"
"Dark Hound!" Without any warning, a torrent of magma erupted from his fist, coalescing into a massive pillar that shot straight toward Big Mom! Akainu's eyes held nothing but the murderous intent of absolute justice!
"You bastard…!" Big Mom's eyes bulged with rage. She coated her massive hand in Armament Haki and swiped at Akainu!
BOOM!
The magma and her hand collided, triggering a massive shockwave!
A wave of heat radiated outward! The air itself was set ablaze, glowing a fiery red as a terrifying explosive force burst from the magma!
Big Mom's body was actually pushed back, her feet carving two deep trenches in the ground as she slid!
"Great Eruption!" Akainu waved his hand expressionlessly. With a hiss, steam erupted from his right arm as a colossal fist of molten rock, as terrifying as a volcanic eruption, shot forward!
It flew straight for Big Mom!
Suddenly, the sky above darkened. Ominous clouds gathered, lightning slithering through them like serpents. A terrifying, smiling face materialized in the clouds, mirroring Big Mom's own grim expression.
CRACK! A thick bolt of lightning struck down, colliding with the giant magma fist!
Tss! Akainu's expression remained cold. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and pushed his arm forward, forcing the magma fist to advance!
The lightning and magma were locked in a stalemate for a moment, but soon, the magma, fueled by the power of a volcanic eruption, shattered the lightning and surged toward Big Mom with unstoppable momentum!
At that moment, Akainu's body vanished. When he reappeared, he was in the air behind Big Mom.
"Hound Blaze!" Magma erupted from his right hand once more, his arm becoming one with the molten rock. It formed the shape of a vicious dog's head with a gaping maw and sharp fangs, constructed entirely of magma that could incinerate anything. It fell from the sky, diving toward Big Mom below!
She was caught in a pincer attack, trapped between two fronts of impossibly hot magma. Akainu's fighting style was on full display!
Attack! Only attack! Seize every opportunity to press the assault!
Like an erupting volcano, there was no turning back! Only a relentless, forward momentum! Overwhelm all enemies with pure, explosive power! Melt everything!
"Ikoku Sovereignty!" Big Mom's eyes were bloodshot. She swung her massive arm forward, wreathed in flames and lightning. The terrifying force of the blow shattered the ground beneath her as she met the erupting magma fist head-on!
BOOM! Magma flew in all directions. Splatters of molten rock rained down on the ground, on the distant pirate ships and Marine warships, instantly melting scorched-black craters into the earth! One ship was nearly broken in half by a single falling glob of magma! Bubbles gurgled to the surface as the vessel sank rapidly!
Big Mom turned to face the magma hound diving at her from above, and behind it… Akainu. Her blood-red eyes glowed with a venomous light. Before the magma even arrived, a wave of heat washed over her. The fiery red light reflected on her face, and her hair began to sizzle, curling up instantly.
"Emperor Sword: Blade of Ruin!" A terrifying slash, wrapped in flames and lightning, flew from the greatsword Napoleon in her hand, rocketing toward the magma from above!
At the same time, another massive bolt of lightning fell from the dark clouds in the sky, aimed directly at Akainu!
The sword slash and magma collided with a deafening roar, but the slash was instantly incinerated. The magma's momentum didn't slow as it descended upon Big Mom!
Feeling the lightning strike from behind, Akainu frowned but made no move to dodge. Instead, he continued to press down, driving the magma hound forward!
CRACK! The lightning struck Akainu's body without fail. At the same instant, the magma completely engulfed Big Mom!
The battle between the two terrifying figures left everyone on the battlefield stunned, their faces etched with nothing but shock.
As they watched Akainu get struck by lightning and Big Mom get swallowed by the magma hound, both sides grew tense.
"What happened?"
"Will Admiral Akainu be alright?"
"Mama!"
Wilder's focus was split. Part of him was watching the fight between Akainu and Big Mom, while the other was secretly connected to a certain "creature."
Gurgle… gurgle…
On a damp ship deck, a soft-bodied creature slithered slowly, squeezing through the crack under a door and into a dark room.
A short while later, the swamp creature squeezed back out. There was nothing of interest inside.
That had been the kitchen. Wilder had found nothing useful.
The captain's quarters. I need to find the captain's quarters.
The swamp creature continued to slither, arriving at another door. Without any resistance, the swamp flowed like water—albeit slightly thicker water—through the crack.
This was…
This time, it found something.
The room was still incredibly dark, but the swamp creature didn't rely on light to see, so the surroundings were perfectly clear.
It was some kind of storage room.
A thick layer of dust covered the floor. Inside were several old wooden chests of various sizes.
Besides the chests, the room was filled with all sorts of weapons. The most common were swords and broken guns, as well as ammunition and a small amount of gold and jewels.
It wasn't anything particularly valuable. Wilder sent a command to the swamp creature. After devouring the few jewels and gold, it crawled toward one of the larger chests, which was over a meter wide.
The chest wasn't locked. It was slightly ajar, and a silver pot covered in cobwebs and dust peeked out from the opening.
It seemed to contain antiques.
The swamp creature attached itself to the chest and extended several small tendrils to lift the lid. Sure enough, the inside was filled with rusty or dust-covered antiques.
Wilder took them all without a second thought. He had the creature plunder the other chests as well, all of which contained more jewels and antiques.
He didn't bother with the weapons in the room. His goal was something far more valuable. While these weapons could probably fetch a decent price after some repairs, Wilder didn't want to fill the limited space inside his swamp creature with junk. The real prize he was looking for would surely be in Big Mom's personal bedroom.
This was Big Mom, after all. The place she lived would definitely have one or two exceptionally valuable treasures. That was what Wilder wanted.
So, he left the broken weapons to continue rusting.
The swamp creature exited the room and moved on to investigate the next one.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, under the nervous gaze of the crowd, the outcome of the clash became clear.
After the roiling magma hound had enveloped Big Mom, it continued to descend. But just then, the hound's head slowly split apart from the middle. Big Mom stood there, holding Napoleon in a striking pose, her body covered in a dense layer of Armament Haki. A few scorched, blackened burn marks were visible on her skin. Her face was terrifyingly grim.
At that moment, the magma finally exploded, scattering in all directions!
Akainu's body, also in magma form, landed on the ground and slowly reformed into his human shape, revealing his cold, ruthless face.
Evidently, their exchange of blows had done little to affect either of them.