The next day, the warship slowly pulled away from the pier of Native Island.
Unbeknownst to them, the story of the traveler who fought and tamed the divine dragon was already spreading across the island.
As witnesses to the event, Baika and the two young men later learned Wilder's true identity after he used his Swamp-Swamp Fruit powers, leaving the three of them speechless with shock.
On the deck of the warship, Wilder lay on a beach chair, wearing sunglasses and sipping a drink.
The muscles of his upper body reflected the sunlight, giving them the hard, metallic sheen of steel.
It was a rare moment of leisure.
However, Wilder himself was not as idle as he appeared.
His mind was immersed in the swamp space within his body. A massive Jiao lay motionless in the swamp, yet it was not suffocating.
After taming the Jiao yesterday, Wilder had released his swamp and brought it into his internal space. Thinking of this, a faint smile touched his lips.
He had a good helper for future battles now.
Or rather, another powerful subordinate. And this subordinate could coordinate with him, meaning he was essentially carrying a ferocious beast with him at all times.
Most importantly…
Wilder considered that in the future, he might be able to ride the Jiao directly when he went out to sea. After all, its size was comparable to a large Sea King, and it possessed hearing that was equivalent to Observation Haki, as well as Armament Haki. It could be said that this Jiao had the terrifying strength to dominate the seas… provided, of course, that it could survive underwater.
Furthermore, the Jiao could even serve as an excellent beast of burden to pull a ship, much like the Kuja Pirates' vessel. However, this Jiao was far larger than the two small sea serpents of the Kuja; there was simply no comparison.
"I'll have a great helper in naval battles from now on." Wilder couldn't help but get excited thinking about future fights at sea.
Imagine it: two sides are fighting, and suddenly, he opens his swamp and releases the Jiao. The look of utter shock on the enemy's faces, the sight of their ship being dwarfed by the serpent.
There would be no need to even fight.
"Mr. Wilder, we estimate it will be another half a day before we reach Water 7," Kakarot said, walking over.
"Is that so… I see. Thank you for your trouble," Wilder replied, not even bothering to open his eyes.
"Not at all." Kakarot gave him a strange look, wondering when this guy had become so polite. He scratched his head and walked away.
The warship sailed steadily across the sea, riding the wind and waves. Wilder, for the time being, had no mind to pay attention to any of it. His entire focus was still immersed in the swamp space.
He was communicating with the Jiao. Although it had been beaten into submission, that wasn't what Wilder wanted. He hoped this Jiao could become his loyal partner, a fighting machine that could coordinate with him without a second thought.
Last night, Wilder had discovered that the Jiao could actually communicate with people, though not through words. As a beast, it lacked the clear, logical thinking of a human. Wilder had managed to establish contact with it through the medium of his swamp space and his Observation Haki.
Their communication was more of a conscious exchange. From the beginning, and even now, the Jiao showed resistance, even resentment. Without a doubt, if it ever had the chance to escape or kill Wilder, it would do so.
What Wilder needed to do now was to make it submit completely, and even to cultivate a rapport with it, to become "friends" and partners who could share anything.
Unseen from the outside, the swamp was constantly compressing. The Jiao within it thrashed uneasily. Trapped in the swamp, the terrifying compressive force coming from all sides left it with no strength to resist. Its body was quickly squeezed into a ball, and a sense of suffocation followed.
At the same time, Wilder released the swamp gas he had not yet fully mastered.
Under this triple pressure, the Jiao's consciousness began to fade.
Whenever this happened, Wilder would withdraw his methods. After repeating this process several times, the Jiao gradually became obedient, no longer daring to have any thoughts of resistance.
Wilder seized this opportunity and began to patiently guide it, cultivating a bond.
Just as the warship arrived at the bustling metropolis of Water 7, he had finally established a sliver of friendship with it.
Wilder opened his eyes. Just then, Kakarot walked over to inform him, "Mr. Wilder, we've arrived at Water 7."
"Thank you for your hard work." Wilder stood up, put on his shirt, and took a cloak from his swamp space, draping it over his shoulders. He turned to Kakarot and the others. "Well then… let us part ways here. Thank you for bringing me all this way. There's no need to trouble you any further. I can make my own way back."
Kakarot and the others exchanged a look and nodded eagerly. This was exactly what they had been hoping for.
Almost without pausing, the moment Wilder stepped off the warship and onto the pier, the vessel turned and sailed away. They moved with such speed it was as if they wished they could add more horsepower to get away from this pervert as quickly as possible, terrified he might change his mind.
Wilder shook his head, looked away, and turned to walk toward the bustling city.
Water 7 was incredibly prosperous. The pier was a hive of activity, and walking into the city proper only further highlighted its wealth and vibrancy. The streets were lined with all sorts of shops and vendors, and the air was filled with the endless cries of merchants and the chatter of people. The streets were crowded, and one could even see strange creatures carrying goods and people through the canals beneath the bridges.
"First, I'll find a tavern. I haven't eaten all day, and I'm a bit hungry. I can have a drink, gather some information, and ask the owner about shipwrights."
It was Wilder's habit to first find a place where he could gather information and relax whenever he arrived somewhere new. A tavern, for instance.
Of course, there were many kinds of taverns in this world. Some were purely for drinking, some were actually inns, and some were even like the restaurants of his past life.
But without exception, these taverns at least looked the part, with a bar, a bartender, and so on.
"Big-bone meat! Big-bone meat!"
"Sand-sculpture fish! Sand-sculpture fish! Freshly caught from the sea!"
"Huge chunks of Sea King meat! Huge chunks of Sea King meat!"
"Pork ribs! Pork ribs! Pork! Pork! Four thousand eight hundred Beli a pound!"
"What?! That's too expensive! I don't want it! On the next island, it's only three thousand eight hundred Beli a pound."
"That's dead pork! Can it compare to mine?"
"With the swine flu going around lately, who knows? Anyway, I'm not planning on eating it. I'd rather have beef."
"And I heard the price of pork is going to drop. Whether I can afford it now is one thing, but the main thing is, it's a bad deal."
"Tch! Then you can just not eat it for the rest of your life."
Listening to the arguments and sales pitches, Wilder finally spotted a tavern on a street corner. It wasn't in a remote location, but it seemed a bit quieter than the ones in the center of the street. Though, the main reason was probably that taverns generally don't look too lively from the outside.
Pushing open the swinging half-doors, Wilder walked in. He was immediately hit by the smell of alcohol, which invigorated him. He couldn't help but close his eyes and take a few deep breaths.
"Not bad."
Wilder strode toward the bar. The inside of the tavern was not as quiet as it looked from the outside; it was bustling with activity. There was even heating, making one feel warm and comfortable the moment they stepped inside.
"What can I get for you, sir?" There happened to be a few empty seats at the bar. As soon as Wilder sat down, the bartender, who looked like he could be either the owner or just an employee, asked while wiping a glass.
"I'll have a blueberry cocktail." Wilder was wearing a black cloak, his entire face hidden in the shadow of his hood, making his features impossible to see.
"Certainly. Please wait just a moment." The bartender turned and began mixing the drink.
"Hahaha! You lose! Drink up!" Someone in the tavern was playing a drinking game, and the atmosphere was lively.
Wilder glanced around and noticed that some people had plates in front of them with knives, forks, and leftover food. He turned back to the bartender. "Could you also bring me something to eat? Anything is fine, though meat would be better. Hmm… I'll have a couple of large pieces of big-bone meat."
"Big-bone meat? Oh, of course. It doesn't quite suit your aura, but what can I say? This is a tavern that serves big-bone meat."
"My aura?" Wilder chuckled softly.
"Yes. Although I can't see your face, your aura… yes, I'm not trying to flatter you. I feel that your aura is even more refined than a nobleman's."
"Thank you, you're too kind." Wilder wanted to say it was because he was a king, but then he thought about his past life and decided against it. This aura wasn't something he had cultivated after becoming a king; it was probably the result of two souls with different experiences and personalities.
A few other people were sitting at the bar drinking. Hearing the bartender, one of them burst out laughing. "Haha! Pike, you say you're not flattering him, but that's exactly what you're doing! I remember you said the same thing to me the first time I came to your tavern."
The others also laughed, calling him out. "That's right, that's right. Pike says that to everyone. Anyone who comes here for the first time, he'll say that. Yep, he said the same thing to me last time I was here. Phew, seriously, do you think this gut of mine qualifies for the word 'aura'? That's just blatant nonsense, isn't it?"
"Hahaha!" Hearing his words and looking at the fat that spilled from his waist down to the chair, the others couldn't help but slap the bar and laugh!
The bartender, who was called Pike, gave them a helpless look. He wasn't embarrassed at being exposed. He spread his hands and said to them and Wilder, "Isn't it my job to make you all happy? Anyone who comes here is my guest. As a conscientious owner, making my guests happy instead of miserable is the bare minimum, isn't it? Besides, Felo, you can't say that. This guest's aura is genuinely good. This time, I'm being completely sincere."
Hearing this, the men paused for a moment, then laughed so hard that tears streamed down their faces, slapping the bar repeatedly. "There he goes again, there he goes again! He said the exact same thing last time! How can he use the same line so many times without an ounce of shame?"
"Hahaha!" The men rocked back and forth with laughter.
Just then, the tavern door was violently kicked open from the outside! The laughter died instantly. Pike and the others at the bar lost their smiles. The tavern fell silent. Everyone except Wilder, who was calmly sipping his drink, turned to look at the entrance.
"Yo, yo, yo… so lively and happy, are we? Looks like I've come at just the right time," a soft, effeminate voice said. A few tall men swaggered in with exaggerated steps. The faces of everyone in the tavern changed when they saw them.
"It's George. He actually chose today to come collect protection money. We're done for!"
"What bad luck!"
"Damn it! Ruining my good mood. He'd better not mess with me. I'm definitely not paying him any protection money."
"Shh! Keep it down, do you have a death wish? This guy controls this entire street… no, he even has a say in all of Water 7. You want to fight him? Are you trying to die?"
Low murmurs spread through the tavern. Everyone stared at the newcomers with hostility and resentment.
Clearly, this was not the first time this had happened.
Wilder's ears twitched. He had a rough idea of the situation from the hushed conversations.
There were eight men who had entered, all of them burly thugs with short guns at their waists and sharp machetes in their hands. Each one looked fierce and menacing. The man in the lead, however, was slender and weak-looking, like a young master with nothing better to do, his body hollowed out by something. He had bleached blond hair and a cruel, arrogant smile on his face.
His eyes swept across the tavern, finally landing on one person. A cruel grin spread across his face as he walked toward the man, stopping in front of him and looking down at him.
The man he was staring at was one of the people who had been talking just now. His face turned pale. He stood up, tried to back away, but tripped over his chair and nearly fell.
No one laughed at him. The tavern was frighteningly quiet. The others watched, angry but afraid to speak up. They were worried for him but didn't dare make a sound, even subconsciously holding their breath.
"It was you… you were the one talking bad about me just now, weren't you? What a joke. I'm a good person!" the blond young master, George, said with a cruel smile, his eyes filled with malice.
As he spoke, his hand shot out with incredible speed.
A look of terror flashed across the man's face, but he couldn't react in time before his face was grabbed by five fingers.
"Heh…" George grinned, a cruel arc to his lips.
He slammed his arm down!
BAM! The round wooden table shattered into several large pieces. The man's head was covered in blood, only the whites of his eyes visible as he collapsed limply to the ground.
"Ah!" Someone in the tavern screamed at the sight.
George tossed the unconscious man aside like a piece of trash, sending him crashing into the wall. The tavern instantly fell silent again, the customers cowering and trembling.
Tap, tap, tap…
George's eyes fell on the bar. The cruel grin appeared on his face once more as he took a step, and then another, walking toward the bar.