Wilder placed a heavy hand on each of their shoulders, the force nearly making them stumble. "Develop your Devil Fruit abilities well, but at the same time, do not rely on them. You must also train your bodies and your fighting techniques."
With that, Wilder turned his gaze to the remaining four hundred and ninety-eight members of the guard, his expression turning serious. "The same goes for all of you. Never forget what you have learned. In the time to come, I will strive to obtain more Devil Fruits. These fruits will be given as rewards. Whoever makes the most progress, whoever is the last one standing in the competitions, will earn the fruit."
Hearing Wilder's words, the crowd grew excited. "Sir!"
Having settled matters here, Wilder dismissed the crowd, instructing Shade and Abyss to lead by example. He also ordered them to increase the intensity of their training and to ensure the security of the palace and the national treasury.
Wilder's greatest fear was spies and infiltrators, so he had always placed great importance on this aspect. The duties of the Palace Guard, besides training, were to protect the treasury, patrol the palace, and remain vigilant, rooting out any spies or moles.
In this regard, Wilder had great confidence in them. They were the most talented and professional, each proficient in multiple skills.
Every one of them had not only spent time in the Monitoring Unit but had also been tempered in other units. In their final assessments, each of them had scored near-perfectly, meaning they had achieved a level of perfection no matter which department they were in. This was a terrifying level of talent.
There were still many things to deal with. After dismissing the members of the guard, Wilder called for the Construction Department to clean up and repair the damaged palace hall.
By the time everything was done, it was nearly dusk. After handling a full day's worth of state affairs, Wilder was about to use the free time to train his Observation Haki when Claire pushed the door open and walked in.
During this period, Wilder's body was not suited for rigorous training due to his injuries, so he could only find ways to train and improve himself that didn't require movement. Meditation was perfect for training Observation Haki. And although his body had now recovered, he still needed to be careful. So, Wilder decided to train his Observation Haki first. Any improvement would make him stronger.
Claire's arrival interrupted Wilder's plans, but he wasn't displeased. After all, there were far too many matters to attend to in Morass recently. He himself was busy, but Claire, as his assistant and secretary, was overwhelmed.
Therefore, seeing Claire's somewhat weary expression, Wilder didn't feel guilty, but he at least wouldn't show her a sour face.
"Boss, this is the document from the Talent Development Department. They said you requested it." Claire walked over and handed him a sealed document.
"Oh?" Wilder glanced at it, already knowing what it was. He had indeed instructed the six members of the Talent Development Department on this matter. It was nothing else but to brainstorm and create a detailed plan and procedure for the major reform that was to come.
He couldn't possibly think through all the details of this matter on his own, so he needed a group of helpers who understood him. The six talents from the department were the most suitable choice.
This was also why the first complete departmental system Wilder established was the Talent Development Department. It was truly of critical importance, affecting all aspects of the kingdom.
"I see." Wilder broke the seal and glanced at the document. He immediately understood. These people truly understood his way of thinking. Smiling to himself, Wilder quickly put the document back as it was. Not even Claire knew about this matter, and Wilder didn't plan on telling anyone. After all, when the reforms began, some people would inevitably be phased out. Not exactly phased out, but a reduction in their position and power was certain. It would even affect those at the level of Claire and Vice. However, Claire and Vice would surely be happy about it. For the former, it meant a clear division of duties, so not everything would be piled on her. The latter was a battle maniac with no interest in handling affairs or power. But it was a different story for those with deeper ambitions. Wilder didn't want any trouble before he even started. Furthermore, he had to protect the defenseless talents of the Talent Development Department.
"There's one other thing." Claire seemed to remember something interesting and covered her mouth with a laugh. "Boss, little Aisha has arrived. She's currently at the Cadre Academy."
"Oh?" Wilder put down the document, a slight smile playing on his lips. He looked at Claire and asked, "What's her reaction?"
Wilder was a man of his word. After hearing about Aisha's actions on the training island in the East Blue, he had decided to bring her over for a good lesson. Calculating the days, she was indeed due to arrive.
"She's throwing a tantrum. I estimate she's bullying the kids at the Cadre Academy right now," Claire giggled. "She also said she's going to beat you up, Boss."
Wilder's face darkened instantly. How had this child become like this in less than a year? She used to be such a well-behaved, obedient, and sensible good girl!
"Let's go! We'll go see." Wilder stood up, his face grim. He wanted to see just how that little pipsqueak planned to beat him up.
In the outskirts of the Direct Rule District, within a massive, fully enclosed academy, a group of children of various ages formed a circle on a wide training ground. They were shouting and waving their little hands, the atmosphere incredibly lively.
"Go! Go!"
"Rook! Get up!"
"Go on! Beat her!"
"Damn it! That woman! Rook, don't give up!"
Beside them stood several children with bruised and swollen faces. They were cheering for one of the two small figures in the middle—the slightly smaller one—while gnashing their teeth at the other, larger child. Clearly, they had just been beaten up by her.
In the center of the field, the smaller figure was swaying, seemingly about to fall. He was about five or six years old, with a few bruises on his small face. He looked like a girl but was actually a boy. He was Rook.
The other, slightly larger figure was Aisha, who had come from the East Blue. At seven years old, whether due to daily training or good nutrition, she was already showing the beginnings of a tall and slender frame.
Aisha had a devilish smile on her face. Her hair was tied in a single ponytail, and she wore light short jeans and a combat top. Her figure was like a shadow, flashing and jumping with extreme speed. The ponytail swayed with her movements. Faced with such an attack, Rook could only stand his ground and passively endure, completely unable to fight back.
"Hah!" Aisha leaped forward in a rush, her body instantly appearing in front of Rook. Rook immediately raised his hands to block, but… Aisha suddenly dropped low, her whole body close to the ground. She swept her right leg out, hitting Rook squarely in the face!
"Wah!" Rook let out a pained cry, his body flying backward from the sweep and tumbling to the ground.
"Rook!"
"Damn it…! That woman!"
The surrounding children cried out in alarm, shooting angry glares at Aisha.
"Tch…!" Aisha dusted off her hands dismissively, completely ignoring their glares. She even raised her eyebrows at them provocatively.
"Waaah! Woman! I challenge you!" Someone couldn't stand her expression and stepped forward.
"You?" Aisha looked the person up and down for a moment, then shook her head with a look of disgust. "You're not good enough."
The person was furious and demanded loudly, "Why not?!"
Aisha crossed her arms and glanced at him coolly. "You're not qualified."
This sent the person into a rage.
"Waaaaah!" he shrieked, stomping his foot and lunging at Aisha.
Aisha yawned as if she couldn't be bothered. Then, with sleepy eyes, she slowly lifted her right leg. Just as the person's fist reached her, Aisha's eyes sharpened, and her calf shot out like a fully compressed spring.
Bam! A dull thud, followed by silence. The person flew backward like a sandbag, landing in the distance and rolling a few times before stopping.
"Who else?" Aisha's sharp gaze swept over the surrounding children. For a moment, no one dared to speak.
They were just a group of orphans who had only recently started training. Although they had been eating and sleeping well and getting stronger every day, they were still a far cry from someone like Aisha, who had been training for over a year on a training island, fighting all sorts of ferocious beasts and sparring with instructors.
"I will." Wilder, who had been watching from a distance for a long time, could no longer contain his anger. Radiating a chilling aura, he walked over with a dark expression.
That single word, "I," was spoken calmly, yet it landed in the children's ears with immense weight. Aisha's small face stiffened. She sensed an incredibly dangerous premonition from that single word.
However, the moment she saw Wilder's figure, an irrepressible flicker of joy appeared in her eyes, but it quickly turned into grievance, and then from grievance into fierce hostility.
The appearance of Wilder and Claire quieted the children. Rook and the child who had just been kicked were helped up and stood to the side, not daring to speak.
Wilder stood before Aisha, looking down at her, his face cast in shadow.
Tears welled up in Aisha's eyes, but she stubbornly held her head high, meeting Wilder's gaze without fear.
"I'll challenge you. How about it?" Wilder said expressionlessly.
He had already seen the tears in Aisha's eyes. After a moment's thought, he understood some of it, but this kind of attitude was unacceptable. He still decided to teach this reckless, arrogant little girl a lesson, to make her understand that there was always someone stronger.
Wilder's cold words made Aisha's body tremble with a sense of grievance, but this only fueled her inner rebellion. She glared at him and responded loudly, "Bring it on!"
"Heh…" Wilder laughed, a cold smile on his face. "Very good. Very brave. However, to avoid any suspicion of an adult bullying a child, I won't fight back. I'll also blindfold myself. If you can touch me within the designated area, you win."
As an afterthought, Wilder added, "You can use any means, including your ability."
Without waiting for Aisha to refuse, Wilder walked to the center of the field and stood still.
"Damn it!" Aisha watched Wilder's back, her inner little devil provoked. She clenched her small fists in anger and followed him.
By now, the children had spontaneously formed a circle, watching the two in the center with rapt attention.
"That guy is so strong. Will the King be at a disadvantage with a blindfold?" In the eyes of the children, it seemed Aisha had already reached the pinnacle of this world. Even adults couldn't beat her. And the King was surely much stronger than other adults, right? He must be stronger than that guy! But fighting with a blindfold, wouldn't that be too much of a disadvantage?
What if…
Just what if, he made a mistake because he was blindfolded?
"Right? It seems so easy to make a mistake without being able to see."
"Is His Majesty underestimating her? That woman is very strong. Maybe His Majesty doesn't know how strong she is?"
"And he can only dodge, not fight back. If he gets touched, he loses. It looks like a huge disadvantage no matter how you look at it! With that woman's strength, even His Majesty will probably get touched, right?"
The group of children actually started to worry about Wilder, feeling that he was being far too careless.
As for their constant references to her as "that woman," one could only say… the world of children has its own rules of communication.
Because they were annoyed with that woman, who was also a child, they resolutely refused to call her by her name.
Claire, standing on the sidelines, couldn't help but chuckle secretly as she listened to the children's discussion.
They're so… adorable.
"Now, attack me." By now, Wilder's eyes were covered with a thick black cloth. He "looked" at Aisha opposite him and said calmly.
"Hah!" Aisha didn't hesitate. Pushing off the ground with the tip of her foot, her small figure shot forward. In an instant, she was level with Wilder's face, a fierce little expression on her face as she brought her small fist down on his face without holding back.
Feeling the force of the punch and the wind it generated, Wilder nodded inwardly, satisfied with Aisha's progress.
He tilted his head slightly to the side. As if he could see the punch coming, he easily let it pass through the empty space beside him.
A miss!
The spectating children looked as if they had seen something incredible, their eyes widening in that instant.
"He… he dodged it!"
"He dodged it that easily?"
"Tch!" Aisha gritted her teeth, her first attack having missed. But the momentum from her jump had already dissipated, and her body fell toward the ground. The moment her feet touched the ground, she instantly leaped up again, this time above Wilder's head, raising her small hand for another punch.
"Hm?" But at that moment, Wilder frowned, letting out a hesitant sound from his nose.
What's going on?
My Observation Haki… it seems… it's not working.