Wilder's plan was simple: join forces with the Marines to conduct a sweep of Big Mom's forces in the surrounding waters, driving them out of the region for good.
He had no doubt the Marines would accept his proposal. It was obvious they didn't want Big Mom's spies lurking on their doorstep either. The operation was mutually beneficial, and unless the Marines had other, hidden concerns, there was no reason for them to refuse.
For the Marines, driving Big Mom out of the area would not only be a major blow to her power and territory, but it would also eliminate her surveillance network.
And things unfolded just as Wilder had predicted. When he arrived at the Marine fortress and explained his intentions to Kizaru, the Admiral didn't refuse. Instead, he gave Wilder a meaningful look, picked up his steaming teacup, and took a slow, leisurely sip.
"You must know this is no simple task, Wilder-kun. As you said, removing Big Mom's surveillance would put us both in a more advantageous position. But... if it were that easy, the Marines would have done it long ago. After all, cracking down on pirates is our duty," Kizaru said, his voice carrying its usual lazy, ambiguous tone. Having dealt with him many times, Wilder was already used to it.
Kizaru set down his teacup, a glint of light flashing across his glasses. His tone grew a bit more serious. "The biggest problem is that we don't know where Big Mom's forces are located. And... even if we could pinpoint their hiding spots, they would simply flee."
Wilder smiled. "Flee? Isn't our goal to drive them out of here? Or is your ambition so great, Admiral, that you want to annihilate them?"
That was clearly impossible. Neither Morass nor the Marines could hope to wipe out the forces of a Yonko if they were determined to escape. Their numbers and locations were too scattered, and with Big Mom herself commanding them, a complete annihilation would require a simultaneous assault on Totto Land. No single power in the world was capable of such a feat.
Kizaru knew this as well.
"Alright, even so, if we were to pinpoint their locations and make a move, we would need to assemble a large fleet. And that presents its own obvious problem..."
"Assembling such a large fleet is not easy, and the process would create a huge commotion. Big Mom certainly wouldn't just sit back and watch us gather our forces to sweep away her influence."
"Heh..." A cold laugh escaped Wilder's lips.
"What's so funny, Wilder-kun?" Kizaru asked, looking at him strangely.
"Leave that to me. The Marines only need to provide the muscle."
Kizaru's eyebrows shot up, his mouth forming a surprised "O". "You have a way to do that?"
This genuinely surprised Kizaru. He was even skeptical of the claim's authenticity. If Wilder could actually pull it off... then they would have to completely re-evaluate the power of Morass. A hidden light flashed behind Kizaru's glasses.
Wilder grinned, his smile bordering on arrogant. "You never know until you try."
Kizaru fell into a thoughtful silence.
Wilder glanced at him and said jokingly, "What's wrong, Admiral? Don't you trust me?"
Kizaru shook his head. His teacup was empty, but he didn't refill it. Instead, his expression grew serious, a look Wilder had never seen on him before.
"You need to understand, this is no small matter."
Seeing his serious expression, Wilder's smile faded, and his gaze grew intense. He uttered three simple words. "I know."
"Good." Kizaru said no more. With that single word, he reverted to his usual lazy, old-man persona and poured himself another cup of tea.
"So, tell me, Wilder. What's your plan?"
Wilder stood up and began to walk toward the door. "The Marine warships are equipped to navigate the Calm Belt. If we take a detour through there, the chances of being discovered will be greatly reduced."
He paused at the doorway, his back to Kizaru. "The Marines just need to intercept Big Mom," he said, his voice carrying a hint of authority that reached the Admiral's ears. "Morass will handle the cleanup."
With that, Wilder strode out of Kizaru's office, his final words drifting back. "The operation will be in half a month. I'll inform you of the exact time once my preparations are complete..."
Kizaru stared at Wilder's retreating back until he disappeared from sight. "How terrifying... Wilder-kun," he murmured in his strange, drawn-out tone.
In the days that followed, there was no unusual activity from Morass or in the surrounding seas. The only ripples in the New World were some minor disturbances in the underworld and the usual chaos stirred up by the Straw Hat Pirates.
By the pool on the roof of the palace, Wilder lounged on a beach chair, reading a newspaper. A meaningful smile spread across his lips.
"The Straw Hat Pirates... time really flies..."
Wilder knew that the day he would finally eliminate the threat of Big Mom was not far off.
He had been keeping a close watch on the Straw Hats' movements. No one knew that he had been monitoring them all along.
As for why... only Wilder himself knew the answer.
No one understood the importance of the boy in the straw hat better than he did.
And...
A calculating glint appeared in Wilder's eyes. "The time is about right." His gaze fell on a small, printed note on top of the newspaper. It was an intelligence report from the Monitoring Unit.
"They've already reached Zou? In that case, Sanji should be getting captured soon." He thought of his former, blonde-haired opponent, and his expression turned cold. "So, you've made your choice after all, Vinsmoke Judge. I'm surprised Big Mom is still willing to tolerate you... but then again... her goal has never changed."
Even as he pondered these things, Wilder's body remained in a state of cultivation. It was a powerful technique he had developed through a combination of Life Return and his Devil Fruit abilities. While not as effective as active training, this passive cultivation had its own benefits.
Wilder had always combined active and passive training, though he had used the latter less frequently over the past year. Now, returning to it, he felt a different kind of growth.
After nearly a year of hellish training, no one but Wilder himself knew the true extent of his power.
The peace on the seas was merely a facade. The quiet in and around Morass was an intentional deception.
Dozens of Monitoring Unit teams had gathered from the East Blue two days prior and had already deployed into the surrounding waters.
One by one, Big Mom's surveillance points were being uncovered, and the intelligence was being delivered directly to Wilder.
An unseen undercurrent was beginning to stir beneath the calm surface of the sea.
At the same time, in the underworld, the Red Leaf Company, under the guise of "business talks," had summoned a group of underworld bosses. All of them were currently doing business with Red Leaf.
Among them were the dozen or so arms dealers who had nearly come to blows with them that day.
The days passed quietly.
No one knew what was discussed in the meeting between Red Leaf and the underworld bosses. All they knew was that Red Leaf had promised them priority for the next shipment of weapons, and in return, they had lent some of their ships to Red Leaf.
No one questioned Red Leaf's motives. By now, they were almost certain that the power behind the company was Morass. And for them, that wasn't a bad thing; it was a good thing. It meant that Red Leaf was an even bigger cash cow than Joker had been.
And since they knew Morass was behind it, no one dared to make a move on them. They understood that crossing them would not end well.
Furthermore, with a power like Morass in the picture, their shared interests in the underworld were now more secure.
That's right. The underworld had come to see Morass, or rather, Red Leaf, as a new stabilizing force. They knew better than anyone that compared to the powers that ruled the seas, the underworld was ultimately a world of shadows. Their only advantage was their ability to operate in the dark. Without it, they were just lambs to the slaughter.
This was the era of pirates and Marines.
So, for a powerful entity to join their ranks was a form of protection, a shield for their interests.
If anyone tried to destroy the underworld, the stubborn Red Leaf would be on the front lines, because their interests were now intertwined.
Red Leaf had now thoroughly penetrated the underworld, establishing the largest primary network and channels. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Red Leaf was now the head of the underworld, the power that maintained its order and security.
And with this advantage, there was much that Morass could do.
Wilder's perspective on the underworld was different from others. For the bosses, it was a world of profit. For Wilder, it was a tool, a very useful tool that could be used to strengthen Morass and facilitate its development.
To him, the underworld served a similar function to his Monitoring Unit and Lurking Serpent Department, with the Transport Unit thrown in for good measure.
The three of them combined formed a small-scale underworld, one without the complex and dangerous relationships.
But that wasn't what Wilder wanted. The value of the underworld lay in its darkness and complexity, its tangled web of connections. That was something his own organizations, with their inherent limitations, could not provide.
A few more days passed.
A tense, solemn atmosphere filled the grand hall of the palace.
Vice, Claire, General Kuchiel, Bacon, Sherilmo, and all the others were assembled, ready for battle. After more than ten days of secret preparations, everything was in place.
Wilder took out a Den Den Mushi and called Kizaru. "Are you in position?"
"Maa... we arrived in the designated waters this morning, just as you instructed, Wilder-kun. This is the perfect spot to intercept Big Mom if she comes from Totto Land. And what a coincidence, there's a thick fog today. How terrifying, Wilder-kun. I suppose this was part of your calculations as well? In that case, I'll leave things on that end to you." Kizaru's usual flippant voice came through the receiver.
Wilder's eye twitched. "Rest assured... I'm not as cunning as you, Admiral. The weather... you give me too much credit."
He had no idea what went on in Kizaru's mind to make him attribute the fog to his planning.
"Maa, maa... just a little joke. We're ready on our end. So... good luck, Wilder-kun."
Click!
Wilder hung up.
"Move out," he said to his assembled forces, his voice grave.
"Yes, sir!"
The grand army of Morass set sail, making no attempt to conceal their movements. Led by the black and red flagship, a fleet of fifty large, medium, and small vessels—the entirety of Morass's current naval power—headed out to sea.
The appearance of such a massive fleet instantly sent shockwaves through the world. The Marines, the Four Emperors, and every other power were stunned.
"Hiss!" The powers below the rank of Yonko collectively gasped.
"Fifty ships..."
Everyone who saw the massive fleet on the sea was rendered speechless.
What shocked them even more was that they had no idea Morass had reached this level of power.
Even Fleet Admiral Akainu, far away at Marine Headquarters, was shaken by the report. He shot up from his seat.
"What did you say!? Fifty ships? Morass has fifty ships?" he roared, his eyes wide as he stared at the reporting Marine.
"Y-yes, sir... Fifteen large vessels, twenty medium, and fifteen small," the Marine stammered.
"With a fleet that size! What is Morass planning!? This was supposed to be a simple cleanup of a surveillance network! And... what is he thinking, moving so openly!?" Akainu's face contorted. He had known about the cleanup operation; he had personally signed off on it. But he hadn't known the specific details, and the scale of Morass's fleet and their blatant movements were far beyond his imagination.
Fifty ships. What did that even mean?
The world-famous Buster Call only deployed ten warships.
While only fifteen of Morass's ships were on the level of a Buster Call warship, the medium-sized ones were still larger than most pirate ships.
But most importantly, what was the meaning of this ostentatious display?
Akainu's face was as black as charcoal. He felt like he, Kizaru, and the entire Marine organization had been played. This was not how you conduct a cleanup operation. I thought we agreed to sneak past Big Mom! What the hell is this!? Akainu had completely lost faith in the success of the mission.