Afterward, Wilder departed. Claire stepped forward, first offering a slight smile to the crowd, then adding in a soft but unquestionable tone, "This is mandatory. Of course, the King knows what you are all thinking, and he understands. But, do you know?"
As the crowd below looked on, confused and a little lost, Claire broke into a sweet smile and continued, "The King said he doesn't want to see the children of the future dressed as thinly as you are today, nor does he want to see them exhaust themselves for a piece of bread or rice… Learning… is the path of light the King has given them!"
Her words silenced the crowd below, their hearts shaken.
"I understand." At that moment, a middle-aged man looked up, tears glistening in his eyes. He dropped to his knees with a thud. "His Majesty the King saved my family's lives. We've been through the hardest of times. This request is born from His Majesty's sincere care for us. If I were to oppose it, how could I ever repay his kindness?!"
His words seemed to stir the memories of the crowd—the days when they couldn't see the sun, the day they saw Wilder lead his troops to bring them peace, and then the unexpected, emotional moment they ate their first free, hot meal. For a moment, their eyes filled with tears.
"We understand! Please rest assured, Your Majesty! We will all listen to His Majesty the King!" Soon, everyone had voiced their support.
Claire nodded in satisfaction, casting an imperceptible glance at the tearful middle-aged man below. Such good acting, she thought.
After returning to the palace, Wilder finally began to plan for the series of major events to come.
First was the grand tournament for all members at the senior cadre level and above, which was now less than half a month away.
Additionally, money remained a pressing issue. The food problem was temporarily solved, but the matter of external trade still needed to be addressed, though that couldn't be accomplished for now.
So, the financial problem had to be solved internally. He had heard from Claire that Doflamingo had responded to their proposal to deepen their cooperation. He had agreed to all of Wilder's conditions but had requested a further reduction in the price of the machine guns.
After final negotiations, Doflamingo placed an order for one hundred billion Berries. Now, the Munitions Department was working overtime to produce this batch of arms. They had already received half the payment as a deposit, which greatly eased the current financial strain on Morass.
While not everything was perfectly in order, things were looking up day by day.
Next, Wilder took out the goods he had "acquired" from Big Mom's ship and began to take inventory, a wicked smile spreading across his face.
Besides his own personal growth, this loot was undoubtedly the greatest gain from that great battle.
Not to mention the gold and antiques, these worldly possessions were worth about a billion Berries combined—no small sum.
But what made Wilder happiest was the Devil Fruit he had found in Big Mom's captain's quarters. Including the Seiki Seiki no Mi from before, Wilder now had two Devil Fruits in his possession.
Wilder planned to put them to good use.
He intended to give the Seiki Seiki no Mi to someone in his Palace Guard, as a first step in increasing the threat level of his "Imperial Guard."
After consulting some reference materials, Wilder also identified the Devil Fruit he had taken from Big Mom.
It was a fruit that allowed the user to cause dizziness by touching someone with their hands, somewhat similar in effect to the Seiki Seiki no Mi. But this was only the fruit's initial ability. Wilder didn't know its full potential. After some thought, he decided to give this Devil Fruit to the Palace Guard as well.
On the table sat two small boxes, containing the Seiki Seiki no Mi and the unknown fruit that caused dizziness. Wilder pulled a pure black, pocket-sized Den Den Mushi from his coat and dialed a contact number that only he knew.
This black pocket Den Den Mushi was used exclusively for contacting the Palace Guard. Each of the five hundred members had a multi-colored Den Den Mushi. When Wilder dialed the specific all-call number, all five hundred members would simultaneously receive his summons.
That's right—in the all-call state, it could only send specific messages, not hold conversations.
Five minutes later, five hundred guards in uniform, wearing gas masks that concealed their faces, had gathered in the main hall of the palace. From start to finish, they remained silent, all exuding an icy aura.
At the head of the five hundred stood two individuals. They were the strongest among them, the liaisons Wilder had chosen. They were leaders of a different sort, mainly responsible for relaying Wilder's orders to the others and holding command authority in battle. At all other times, they were the same as everyone else.
Wilder sat on his throne, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally landing on the two leaders. His voice was calm as he spoke: "Shade, Abyss."
Swoosh! Hearing their names, the two knelt on one knee in perfect unison, their heads slightly bowed, indicating they were ready to receive their orders.
Two fruits with mysterious patterns appeared in Wilder's hands. He descended from the throne and stopped in front of them. "Eat these."
Shade and Abyss looked up. Without questioning why, they took the fruits from Wilder's hands and, in front of him, removed their masks, revealing their faces.
Shade, on the left, was a young man with a scar over his left eye. His aura was as cold and merciless as his expression. He took the fruit and, without hesitation, took a bite.
"…"
Even a man like him couldn't help but contort his face the moment he tasted the fruit.
Abyss, on the other hand, removed her mask to reveal a complete contrast—a delicate and beautiful face. Strands of hair peeked out from under her cap. She was a woman!
A beautiful woman with intelligent, mirror-like eyes. Though her expression was also blank, her eyes held a clear curiosity and a hint of hesitation. But seeing Wilder watching her, she gritted her teeth and took a bite of the fruit as well.
"Ugh…"
Abyss's beautiful face instantly twisted into a demonic grimace.
Wilder said nothing, simply watching as the two of them finished every last bite of the fruits. Only then did a smile touch his lips.
"Very good. Shade, Abyss, now tell me, what abilities have you gained?"
Once a Devil Fruit is eaten, the user will feel that something is different. If they concentrate, they will know what ability they have acquired. However, there are also cases where the user doesn't notice any change and is unaware they have gained an ability.
Hearing Wilder's words, Shade and Abyss closed their eyes and frowned, concentrating.
A short while later, they opened their eyes one after another.
Shade's face was devoid of emotion. He said gravely, "My ability is to steal."
Wilder nodded. He already knew this result. What he really wanted to know was the ability of the other fruit. He turned to look at Abyss.
Abyss's eyes were clearly filled with excitement and thrill. "My ability is Poison Mushroom!"
A look of bewilderment crossed Wilder's face. "Poison Mushroom?"
The others were the same, all turning their heads to stare at Abyss.
Being stared at by so many people didn't make Abyss feel the least bit shy or nervous. She nodded, her face filled with irrepressible excitement. "That's right, Poison Mushroom!"
So…
???
Even though everyone was wearing a mask, Wilder could still see the utterly baffled expressions on their faces.
So what kind of ability is Poison Mushroom?
Seeing their reactions, Abyss's small face scrunched up. She stomped her foot. "Aiya, Poison Mushroom is Poison Mushroom! You're so slow. You don't even know what a poison mushroom is?"
Everyone: "…"
No… we don't.
One of the guard members cautiously peeked out. "Poison Mushroom… is it the ability to create poison mushrooms?"
Everyone was startled and turned to look at Abyss, their eyes seeming to ask: Is that it?
"That's right! That's exactly it!" Abyss said righteously, her eyes shining as if she had found a kindred spirit. She gave the guard a big thumbs-up, revealing a small canine tooth that glinted in the light.
Everyone was stunned, still finding it hard to believe and accept. Is that really it?
Only the guard who had spoken first looked at Abyss with adoration, his eyes shining. "Amazing!"
Everyone: "…"
Is this guy an idiot?
And what's with that proud and smug look on Abyss's face?
What part of that ability is worthy of pride?!!
Another member couldn't take it anymore. He carefully chose his words and then, with some hesitation, revealed the reality of the situation. "So… so, Abyss, you plan to create poison mushrooms during a battle, and then find a way to trick the enemy into eating them? Is that it?"
The hall fell silent.
Everyone, including Wilder, was trying very hard not to laugh.
"What are you talking about? Of course it's not such a useless ability!" Abyss seemed to be angered by his words. After a moment of shock, her small face turned red, possibly from anger, and she roared at him, "My ability is not that trashy!"
As if to prove her point, Abyss clapped her small hands!
"Hallucinogenic Mushroom!"
Poof! A puff of white smoke exploded in front of her. When the smoke cleared, a poison mushroom had appeared out of thin air, hovering in the spot where it appeared, in mid-air, without falling.
"Watch." Abyss tilted her small face up proudly, then extended her hand, palm open. The mushroom actually moved!
After floating around the entire hall, the poison mushroom returned to its spot in front of Abyss.
Silence…
The eyes of the member who had spoken first shone with golden light. He was full of admiration. "Amazing! It can fly! Is this the power of the Poison Mushroom?! Ooh! It's so amazing!"
Fwing! He flipped off his mask, gave Abyss a thumbs-up, and flashed a grin of pearly white teeth that glinted in the light.
Fwing! Seeing this, Abyss smiled so wide her eyes disappeared. Her small canine tooth flashed as she gave him a thumbs-up in return.
"…" The rest of them looked at the two as if they were idiots.
Is this guy an idiot?
Abyss must be an idiot too, right?
Of course, only people like this can get along.
By the way, why did His Majesty pick these two idiots for the guard?
Is it out of pity?
Caring for the mentally challenged? That must be it.
As everyone was silently lamenting, they saw Abyss clench her small fist in excitement.
The mushroom floating in front of her… cracked… cracked… cracked…
And then…
Hiss… A purple mist instantly filled the entire hall.
Wilder, Shade, and the idiot who had just taken off his mask all had their expressions change at the same time!
"This is…" Swamp surged from Wilder's body, completely enveloping him.
Just then, Wilder heard a mournful cry from the idiot. He turned to see the man kneeling on the ground, clutching at something, looking completely helpless. He heard him say, "Abyss! Abyss, hang in there! Don't die! Abyss! My comrade!"
BAM! The next moment, a foot appeared, a size 38 sole instantly imprinting itself on his face and sending him flying. Abyss's face was dark, a vein throbbing on her forehead, her teeth grinding audibly.
"You bastard…"
"Hallucinations…?" Wilder was thoughtful, a smile now on his face. "Now this makes more sense. This ability couldn't be that simple."
BOOM! Just then, a tremor shook the hall! Wilder turned his head to see Shade's eyes were bloodshot, the veins on his face bulging. His fist was pressed against the ground. Under his punch, the floor had collapsed into a large crater, covered in a dense web of cracks. The cracks were so uniform it was clear that not a single bit of force had been wasted; it had all been focused on the target.
"Protect His Majesty the King!" Shade roared, his eyes blood-red. He then used Moon Walk to leap high into the air. The next moment, he brought his fist down in a furious blow on another intact section of the floor!
BAM! CRACK-CRACK-CRACK! Cracks spread out everywhere. Under his fist, a flat floor collapsed outward layer by layer, forming another large crater!
"Urgh!" Just then, Shade frowned, a look of struggle flashing across his face. Then, the blood-red color in his eyes quickly receded, and in the blink of an eye, he was clear-headed again.
Abyss glanced at him, clearly unhappy. She seemed to be taking it personally that he had taken so long to fall into the illusion and had broken out of it so quickly.
Clap, clap, clap! Wilder clapped his hands. The swamp on his body quickly flowed back into him. With a smile, Wilder's gaze fell on Abyss's hands. "Abyss, those hands are the key, aren't they?"
"Eh? Your Majesty noticed?" Abyss's eyes widened, frustrated that Wilder had figured it out so quickly. "That's right. I can create various types of poison mushrooms with my hands, and my hands also have abilities… Hmm, or rather, my body is the poison mushroom. I can switch between different types of poison mushrooms to give my hands different toxic abilities. For example, the ones I can use now are the Dizziness Mushroom and the Hallucinogenic Mushroom. Anyone touched by my hands will become dizzy or briefly hallucinate. I can also turn my entire body into a giant mushroom and release different types of poison gas."
"Amazing." Only then did the others understand that this ability wasn't meant for feeding poison mushrooms to the enemy.