The battle ignited once more.
And in the fight that followed, Wilder began to truly feel the pressure.
Big Mom's power repeatedly forced him back, a scene that did not go unnoticed by the others. In an instant, the members of the Charlotte family erupted in excited cheers.
"Hahaha! Die, Wilder! Who do you think you are, daring to oppose the Big Mom Pirates?"
"You can't defeat Mama!"
"You arrogant fool! You think you can challenge Mama just because you beat Smoothie? Don't make me laugh! You won't be ready to challenge Mama in another ten years!"
"Noisy!" Wilder retreated, dodging another of Big Mom's attacks. He shot a cold, sharp glance at a group of them not far away, raised a hand, and sent a wave of swamp crashing over them, instantly engulfing the hecklers.
"Aaargh!" One moment they were boasting, the next they saw a giant wave of swamp descending upon them. Their eyes widened in terror, and with a single horrified scream, they were swallowed whole.
The act immediately silenced the others, a cold chill running through them.
It was a time-honored tradition in the pirate world for the subordinates to cheer on their commanders or taunt the enemy during a duel. Wilder was currently on the back foot against Big Mom, but talk was one thing; no one actually dared to challenge him. Seeing his ruthless methods, everyone who had been shouting just moments before clamped their mouths shut, not daring to make another sound.
"Mamamamama! Are you angry, little boy?" Big Mom's shrill laughter echoed. Wilder had just turned his head back when a giant fist was already in front of him.
Wilder quickly leaped, using Moon Walk to evade the attack.
CRACK! BANG!
Big Mom's massive fist slammed into the ground, creating a huge crater.
"Ma... mamamamama!" Big Mom looked up at Wilder, a cat-and-mouse smile on her face.
Wilder's expression was blank. He descended from the sky, landing steadily about fifty meters away from her.
His heart was now heavy. Big Mom's recent attacks had put considerable pressure on him.
As expected of a Yonko.
Big Mom's strength had once again given Wilder a deeper understanding of her power.
Wilder stood his ground, his eyes fixed on Big Mom, but his mind was racing. A head-on clash was inevitable; this was a battle of pure strength, after all. But he couldn't let the fight continue at this pace. Not only could he feel it, but everyone else could see that he was at a disadvantage under Big Mom's assault. If he couldn't regain control of the fight, he would remain on the defensive.
Wilder didn't want that.
He had to change his approach, to break this passive situation.
As Wilder was thinking, Big Mom, who was staring at him as if she wanted to eat him, a sinister smile on her face, was also thinking.
This little brat... to have grown this strong in such a short time.
Wilder's strength had indeed exceeded her expectations. Although she appeared to be fighting with ease, even with a certain carelessness, she was not letting her guard down in the slightest.
But... mamamama! He's still young, after all. He's bound to lose control of the battle's rhythm. As long as I keep this pace, then... finding an opening to kill him will be the most important task of this fight. Mamamamama!
Their thoughts were different, but just then, Wilder, who had been standing still, suddenly moved.
Hmm?
Big Mom let out a surprised grunt, her eagle-like eyes fixed on Wilder.
What is he trying to do?
Wilder pressed both hands to the ground, looked up at Big Mom, and gave her a cold smile. "Since I can't gain the upper hand in physical strength and close-quarters combat, then... how about this?"
As his words fell, the ground in a hundred-meter radius around where his hands were placed suddenly began to move.
This guy!
Big Mom's eyes shifted slightly. She didn't move, but her attention was now focused on the ground beneath her feet.
VMMMM!
The next second, with a low hum, the ground began to heave. In the blink of an eye, the entire hundred-meter area had softened, turning into a swamp.
Big Mom felt her body sink. She looked down and saw that her feet were already submerged in the swamp. Wisps of corrosive smoke rose from around them.
"I can't be careless about this. You're full of surprises, you little brat," Big Mom said. Although she was confident in her body, she also knew that this was not just any attack; it was a fluid with strong corrosive properties. No matter how strong her body was, even the hardest substance would eventually be corroded away in a corrosive environment over time.
Besides, this was a swamp, not something to be trifled with. Even she would suffocate if she let herself sink into it and be covered. So, Big Mom had no intention of being stubborn at a time like this. That was not what a strong person would do. Those who did were not strong; they were arrogant fools.
"You think you can deal with me like this?" Big Mom suddenly grinned, a strange smile on her face. Then, her expression turned grim.
"You're still far too weak, little boy!" Big Mom suddenly roared. Her body crouched slightly, and then, BOOM! A violent aura erupted from her.
GURGLE!
The swamp around her was sent flying outwards, like a giant boulder had been dropped into a lake. The swamp was the water, and Big Mom and the aura erupting from her were the force of the boulder, pushing the swamp away in all directions.
"Terrifying," Wilder said, a hint of shock in his eyes as he watched. The impact of this scene was immense. To push back his swamp lake with just her aura—Big Mom was the first to do it.
The onlookers from both sides were also stunned.
"Is... is she even human?"
"This woman is a monster, isn't she?"
The people of Morass were so shocked they couldn't speak, muttering under their breath.
It wasn't just Morass's side; even Big Mom's own subordinates were shocked. To push back such a thick swamp with just her aura, who would believe it if they were told? Even though they were all experienced and knew that things like Conqueror's Haki could have a physical effect on the outside world, they had never expected it to have such a massive impact. This could be called an ability in itself.
Everyone had just witnessed how terrifying Wilder's swamp was. Even the mid-level ministers of the family couldn't escape from it. Let alone push it back.
But Big Mom...
At this moment, everyone was speechless, deeply shocked.
Unlike the worried expressions on the faces of Morass's side, after a moment of shock, Big Mom's children and subordinates were filled with excitement and thrill.
"OOOH!"
A rousing and fierce cheer erupted from Big Mom's crew.
"Wilder is finished!"
"With Mama here, the outcome of this battle was already decided!"
"Morass will disappear from this world today."
"Go to hell! Hahaha!"
The battle between Big Mom's subordinates and the forces of Morass instantly became one-sided. Big Mom's side fought as if they had been injected with adrenaline, their attacks fierce and swift. In just a short while, a considerable number of Morass's soldiers had fallen. The ground was covered in pools of blood, and the sounds of fighting, screams, and roars were incessant.
However, Wilder, one of the two main protagonists at the center of the battlefield, quickly regained his composure after the initial shock, his expression returning to a calm impassivity.
In truth, this had indeed exceeded his expectations and had once again given him a clear and definite understanding of Big Mom's strength. But it was far from enough to make him panic. And besides, Wilder didn't believe in just standing by and watching.
A fight was always a matter between two or more parties. It was never a case of, "you use a big move, I'll watch, and when you're done, it's my turn, you watch."
Never.
The swamp that had been pushed back by Big Mom's aura suddenly stopped, then began to rise, coiling up at the perimeter like a giant wave. Then, the wave surged back, crashing down on Big Mom.
All of this, under Wilder's control, was completed in an instant.
Hmm?
Big Mom, in the center of the swamp, glanced at the returning swamp from both sides, her brow furrowed slightly.
The others also saw this, and the cheers from Big Mom's subordinates instantly died down, replaced by a tense silence. They stared wide-eyed, the arrogant expressions gone from their faces.
"Hehishishishishi! What a thrilling and unpredictable fight! Hehishishishishi!" Gecko Moria, wrapped in bandages, couldn't help but let out his strange, shrill laugh as he watched, all the while controlling his shadows to kill the surrounding soldiers.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the very center of the battlefield.
Just then, the swamp finally crashed down.
BOOM!
A massive sound echoed out. In the blink of an eye, the area was covered in swamp, and no one could see what was happening inside.
For a moment, Big Mom's subordinates grew nervous. Although they didn't believe that Big Mom would be so easily defeated by the swamp, not being able to see her made them, who had placed their faith in her, feel anxious and worried.
After a few breaths, the swamp calmed down. In the center, there was only a flat swamp lake, a hundred meters wide, and Wilder, standing by its edge.
And Big Mom, it seemed, had been swallowed by the swamp.
The other battles continued, commander against commander, soldier against soldier. Only a few who were closer to the scene had stopped to watch.
The swamp lake was perfectly still, without a single ripple.
As time passed, the expressions on the faces of Big Mom's subordinates who were watching grew worse and worse.
"Mama... couldn't have really..." a soldier said, looking at the swamp lake, his words trailing off.
"Don't talk nonsense, you idiot! How could Mama be defeated by an attack like that? Just wait, she'll be out in a minute!"
As if to prove his words, or perhaps because he had sensed something, Wilder's brow twitched, his pupils constricting slightly. He quickly pushed off the ground and moved away.
BANG!
The next moment, a wave erupted from the swamp lake, and then, a massive figure shot up from it. In an instant, she was above Wilder's head, a giant black fist slamming down on him.
So fast!
Wilder's expression changed. He sidestepped, his body flashing to the side with a swish. But the next moment, a black shadow quickly appeared in front of him. It was vaguely recognizable as a large leg, sweeping towards him at high speed.
BANG!
"Gah!"
For the first time in his fight with Big Mom, Wilder was injured.
Wilder's reaction and movements had been fast enough. The moment he saw the approaching leg, he had reflexively raised his arms to block in front of him, his body also curling up. But the sweeping leg was faster than him. Almost before Wilder could react, he felt as if his abdomen had been struck by a large iron pillar. A tearing pain spread through his entire body, and he couldn't stop himself from coughing up a mouthful of blood. His eyes bulged from the impact, and then, his entire body was sent flying like a cannonball.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
BOOM!
He crashed through three walls in a row, and it wasn't until he had brought down the fourth that his body finally came to a stop. A thick cloud of smoke and dust filled the air.
Silence.
The entire battlefield fell into a deathly silence. Everything had happened too fast, so fast that no one had yet processed what had just happened. One by one, they stared blankly at the center of the battlefield, at the terrifying and massive figure—Big Mom.
At this moment, a question arose in everyone's mind.
Big Mom had emerged from the swamp, but how had she gotten out? That was a terrifying swamp, and she had been completely submerged in it. If even one of her arms had been outside, everyone would have believed that she could have freed herself with that one arm. But her entire body had disappeared.
How had she done it?
This was a question that probably only Big Mom herself knew the answer to.
In truth, every person who reached the level of a Yonko had extremely rich combat experience, and Big Mom was no exception. Faced with the descending swamp, an ordinary person would have probably just waited for death or panicked and attacked wildly. But Big Mom had instantly analyzed the situation and come up with a countermeasure. And with her combat power, she had more options.
So, when the swamp came down on her, Big Mom didn't panic in the slightest. Not only did she not attack the swamp coming from all sides and above, but she took advantage of the fact that the swamp had obscured everyone's vision to slam her fist into the swamp on the ground, directly breaking through it and revealing the relatively solid ground deep below. Then, she had directly smashed out a large object from below to block the descending swamp, creating a space for herself.
And after that, it was simple. With Big Mom's strength, a single punch was enough to shatter the swamp pressing down on her from above.