Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, nearly a year had passed.
In the Calm Belt, at the crossroads of the New World and the Grand Line, a massive island had become vibrant with life, showing the first signs of prosperity.
Morass.
Compared to a year ago, Morass had undergone a tremendous transformation. The docks were bustling with activity, and the faces of the working civilians were filled with happy smiles. Fishing boats came and went from the piers, and large catches of fish were unloaded onto the docks, immediately swarmed by eager merchants.
The biggest change was the town that had been built near the pier. There were now eighteen such towns, each located near one of the eighteen new, large piers constructed over the past year.
"The Boss is coming out tomorrow." Claire stood on the high fortress overlooking the pier, feeling a bit emotional as she watched the lively scene below.
"Yeah, it's been a year. Who would have thought things would change so much?" Vice was much calmer than he had been a year ago.
Looking at the scene below, both of them felt a sense of excitement and elation. They knew that Morass was finally on the right track. It could be said that everyone had poured countless hours of effort and hard work into reaching this point.
And this… was only a part of their achievements.
Besides the bustling piers, many new civilian settlements had sprung up in the interior of Morass. Although not yet prosperous, they were filled with a vibrant energy. It was believed that before long, these settlements would also evolve into bustling cities over time.
Traffic had increased significantly. People traveling from one settlement to another, and even to the capital, had become a common sight. Thanks to the Path of Light, a network of roads was taking shape, ensuring that no corner of Morass was forgotten.
Food was no longer an issue. No one was starving to death anymore, and the number of settled people had increased dramatically. The transient population was becoming settled citizenry. As the number of citizens grew and the number of transients decreased, many merchants began to appear in Morass. Although they were mostly small business owners, a group of merchants with the clear potential to become future tycoons had already emerged.
Because of these merchants, the industries of Morass had become rich and diverse.
Clothing stores, taverns, daily necessities shops, and even… headhunting companies had sprung up all over Morass.
The capital was one thing, but even a single pier town had at least seven or eight taverns and other recreational venues.
More and more people were moving away from subsistence farming of bread-rice and starting their own businesses. However, the majority still relied on fishing. Thanks to these people, the income of Morass had grown rapidly.
For fishing, they followed the method Wilder had laid out beforehand: rent the newly built fishing boats to those interested in fishing, and in return, collect fifty percent of each catch. Later, when these fishermen had enough capital, they would use their money to buy their own boats. Morass would sell the boats to them, and from then on, only collect taxes.
As the income of the common people grew, so did the national power of Morass. And, with the burden of providing for the people lifted, the nation's strength grew even more rapidly.
Wealth came from the East Blue and from arms sales in the New World. Over the past year, Doflamingo had purchased several more batches of machine guns from Morass, and the Marines had once again bought several batches of cannons.
Naturally, Morass would not be releasing its second-generation machine guns and cannons just yet. With the support of vast funds this year, all departments in Morass had made leap-like progress in their development.
The Research Department: The second-generation ship power system was in the final stages of research and development.
The Munitions Department: The third-generation cannons were ready for mass production. At the same time, the second-generation machine guns had been introduced, with two models: a light machine gun and a heavy machine gun. The former was an improvement in research, the latter an improvement in technology.
The Agriculture Department's tree-planting project was still ongoing. They had already cultivated five types of trees suitable for shipbuilding and construction, distributed throughout Morass. These trees could grow to a height of ten meters in just one year.
Many other types of trees had also been planted, as well as various vegetables and fruits for human consumption. These were all the results of powerful technology and science.
The Construction Department: They had been busy all year round, without a single day of rest. Buildings and infrastructure rose from the ground one after another, and roads began to branch out from the Path of Light, creating a comprehensive network.
It could be said that from now on, Morass had overcome its most difficult period and was beginning to move toward prosperity and strength.
In just over two years, from having nothing to showing the first signs of prosperity. If this news were to get out, no one would believe it.
And all of this had been consciously isolated by Morass. Coupled with its location in the Calm Belt, it was even more impossible for anyone to obtain accurate information about it.
As for the nearby Marine fortress, Morass would not allow them to set foot on their land without reason.
This was a tacit agreement established between Morass and the Marines from the very beginning.
Otherwise, it would be annoying if Wilder decided to take a stroll through the fortress every day.
Who didn't have their secrets?
However, the biggest change was in the capital. The capital was no longer the empty space it had been a year ago. Dozens of districts were now filled with well-designed buildings and residential houses. This was the most prosperous place in all of Morass.
Commerce, government, education, and other institutions were all concentrated here.
The capital had also produced the first batch of wealthy merchants. The first tavern in Morass had now become a nationwide chain, and its owner had become a household name as a tycoon.
There were also clothing store owners and so on.
Besides these visible developments, the internal members of Morass had also made great strides in all aspects.
From the top combatants, Vice and Claire, down to the senior cadres and cadres, everyone had diligently followed Wilder's orders over the past year, all of them intensifying their efforts to increase their strength. Everyone knew that a great battle was probably not far off.
Big Mom's forces had become increasingly active over the past year, making it so that Morass had to be extremely careful even when making a short trip. In this situation, no one dared to relax.
Today was a special day. Because the master of this country, Wilder, who had thrown himself into training a year ago and had not emerged from the Beastland forest since, was finally going to meet with everyone.
When Wilder, shirtless, with his messy long hair cascading down his back to his waist, walked out of the forest, everyone who had been waiting outside the palace gate was stunned.
Tap, tap, tap… His bare feet stepped onto the smooth, straight path, walking toward the crowd. With each step, he brought with him a beast-like aura. As he drew closer, everyone felt their breathing become heavier, a strong sense of pressure weighing on their hearts.
"Gulp…" Bacon swallowed hard, his eyes wide. "Boss… what kind of training did he go through this year? How… how strong has he become?"
The others also had beads of nervous sweat on their faces. Vice stared at the approaching Wilder and answered, "I'm afraid we've been left even further behind."
Just then, Wilder finally arrived in front of them and stopped. He looked up and quietly met their gazes. Only then did they see that a new, ferocious scar had been added to Wilder's resolute face, running from his temple down to just below his eyelid.
It looked like it had been made by the sharp claws of some ferocious beast, swiped from top to bottom. Fortunately, his eye seemed to be unharmed.
"Welcome back, Boss!"
"Welcome back, Your Majesty!"
The crowd shouted with excited smiles.
Wilder's lips curled up slightly. He glanced at everyone, his voice a bit hoarse and deep from not speaking for a long time. "If there's nothing else, allow me to take a bath, and then… let's have a banquet."
"WOO!" The crowd erupted in cheers.
That night, Wilder held a banquet with all the key members of Morass. The cheers continued throughout the night.
In the following days, Wilder personally toured various parts of Morass to understand the current situation. He was satisfied and gratified by the country's development, and also a little surprised. He hadn't expected Morass to develop so much in less than a year. In his original plan, reaching half of the current level would have been considered good.
"It seems those guys really didn't disappoint me. Speaking of which, I have the institutional reforms to thank for this," Wilder mused, referring to the civil officials who were not skilled in combat. It was clear that these officials had played a huge role in Morass's achievements.
This was also why Wilder had been so insistent on institutional reform back then. If it had been left to Vice and his gang, who only knew how to fight, who knows how long it would have taken to reach this level of development.
Wilder, wearing a bathrobe, lay on a beach chair by the open-air swimming pool on the palace roof. He held a newspaper in his hand, a silent smile on his face. Although the pool was just for show for him, it had been the designer's quirky idea and a sign of their consideration.
"So… it's finally begun?"
The newspaper was not from today. There was a particularly eye-catching headline on it, one that had captured Wilder's full attention.
[Straw Hat Pirates Return! Battle of Sabaody Archipelago! Power Soars! Pacifistas Defeated!]
Wilder covered his face with the newspaper, his expression hidden. Only from his slightly trembling shoulders and the low chuckles that occasionally escaped from under the paper could one tell that he was suppressing something.
"He's acting crazy again," Bacon, who had been sent by Claire to act as a server since she was busy, muttered under his breath.
"Nyehehehe… do you want to die, Bacon?"
"Ah!" Bacon quickly covered his mouth in panic and shook his head frantically. "It wasn't me, I didn't… you misheard, Boss. Let me dance for you!"
"Heh, get lost. Go and call the others. We're having a meeting!" Wilder stood up, gave him a kick, and turned to walk back into the palace.
"Hooah! Yes, Boss!" Bacon, who had started wearing sunglasses this year, gave a salute to Wilder's back, looking as boisterous as ever.
He then leaped, letting out a strange cry, and jumped from the palace roof. "Waaah! Behold, the Bear-wind Bacon, and the Dance of the Spiraling Whirlwind Flying Claw Leap!"
SPLAT!
The patrolling palace guards heard a strange noise and looked up, only to see a bear hanging from the railing, swaying in the wind, its voice weak and faint. "Help… me."
For the next few days, Wilder called meetings with everyone to catch up on recent news and events. Everyone could feel that he was about to make a move.
A tense and busy atmosphere began to permeate Morass, though the common people didn't feel it, continuing to live and work in peace, contributing to the country's development.
A few days later, another secret letter arrived from Doflamingo, requesting to purchase two thousand machine guns. Wilder thought for a moment and agreed.
Afterward, Wilder made two calls to numbers he hadn't dialed in a long time.
"Dana, come to Morass."
"Kaneshiro, come to Morass."
He only said a few simple words to each before hanging up.
Dana and Kaneshiro, upon receiving Wilder's notice, didn't delay. They immediately set off for Morass. This was the first time they had received a summons from Wilder, and they saw it as an opportunity. They knew that their chance to truly enter Wilder's inner circle had come.
And… both of them had long yearned to visit Morass, Wilder's main base, which they had heard so much about but had never been to.
Upon receiving Wilder's notice, the two of them immediately dropped everything and were brought here by the personnel Wilder had placed with them.
In the main hall of the palace, Wilder met the two of them, who had rushed here and were covered in the dust of their journey. And they, in turn, finally saw Wilder again. For a moment, both of them felt a bit reserved.
Wilder's long hair, in particular, was a stark departure from his previous style. At first glance, it gave them an indescribable feeling of domineering wildness, which added an invisible pressure to their hearts.
Wilder glanced at the two of them and smiled faintly. "No need to be nervous. Tell me about the progress of your respective businesses during this time."
The task Wilder had given Kaneshiro was to use the foundation of the Red Leaf Company to delve into the underworld, especially Doflamingo's industries, and to lay the groundwork.
Later, Wilder had put Dana in charge of underground intelligence gathering, even assigning a team from the Monitoring Unit to her.
Then, he had had Kaneshiro and Dana share and exchange information, essentially having them jointly manage the same duties and tasks.
The only difference was that Kaneshiro was mainly responsible for the intersection between the Red Leaf Company and Doflamingo's industries, the task of infiltrating Doflamingo's businesses.
Dana, on the other hand, was mainly in charge of intelligence, dispatching agents to understand the underworld, but not limited to it.
Seeing Wilder's smile and hearing his words, Dana and Kaneshiro both relaxed and began to report on their work progress.
Wilder naturally had a better attitude toward Dana. After all… she was, in a way, his woman. And this time, Wilder had specifically summoned Dana back with the intention of officially integrating her into the internal structure of Morass.
After listening to their reports, Wilder was quite satisfied that Dana, in addition to her work, had not neglected to improve her own strength. It was clear that Dana now possessed formidable combat power, enough to serve as a senior cadre in Morass… and it wouldn't be long before she could climb even higher.
"Very good. Next, I have a job for you. It's not much different from before, but… it's time to integrate and perfect it."
"Tomorrow, I will call a meeting with everyone. You will both attend. At the meeting, I will announce the establishment of—the Lurking Serpent Department!"