At this moment, everyone's eyes were glued to the collapsed ruins.
The dust billowed, and an eerie silence fell.
"Well, it's been a while with no movement. Looks like he's seriously injured, huh? Heh, Mama's fists aren't so easy to take," one of Big Mom's sons said, unable to contain his excited smile after the long pause.
"Not necessarily. That Wilder guy is strong, after all. But you're right, he's definitely injured now. The only question is how badly," another said with a frown, his eyes fixed on the spot, his voice hesitant.
The seconds ticked by, and still, there was no movement from the ruins.
Everyone on Morass's side couldn't help but worry.
"It's been so long. It seems that guy really is seriously injured. Well, it is Mama, after all. So what if he's strong? Facing Mama isn't like facing us. He must know the difference between himself and Mama now."
"Maybe he's scared and hiding in there playing dead, hahaha!"
At this, everyone couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahaha, that's right!"
"That's definitely possible."
"Pfft! Hahaha!"
"You guys, stop it! No, I can't help it, this is killing me."
BANG!
Suddenly, with a dull thud, all the laughter died. The expressions on everyone's faces froze as they all turned to look at the ruins.
BANG!
A large boulder on the pile of rubble moved. Then, with a roar, it was sent flying high into the air, shooting towards Big Mom like a cannonball.
Big Mom's expression darkened. She raised a hand and threw a heavy punch at the descending boulder.
BANG!
The boulder exploded into countless fragments, which shot out in all directions at high speed.
CRASH!
Just then, there was a sound from the ruins. Stones tumbled away as a large boulder was effortlessly lifted by a powerful hand and slammed onto the ground with a heavy, dull thud.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
The sound of clear footsteps reached every ear. Then, a tall, imposing figure slowly walked out of the ruins.
A trickle of blood ran from his temple down his cheek, and there was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. But his expression was blank as he walked up to Big Mom and stopped.
Everyone stared at him, some of them swallowing nervously, a sense of tension and gravity filling the air.
The members of Morass's side all let out a collective sigh of relief. It seemed their boss was alright.
"Mamamamama! It seems that punch was a little too light for you," Big Mom said, her eyes radiating a cold and bloodthirsty killing intent. She suddenly leaned down, looking at Wilder coldly.
Wilder calmly raised his right hand, wiped the blood from his cheek, and looked at it before saying, "Perhaps."
Big Mom's smile vanished. She leaned in closer, her expression turning ferocious, her voice sinister. "And what... do you mean by that?"
Wilder calmly looked up, meeting Big Mom's gaze without a hint of fear, and said with a calm, composed, and indifferent tone, "I have to at least try to send you flying."
The atmosphere instantly froze. The people in the distance who had heard their conversation all had their expressions change, their faces growing grim.
"Mamamamama!" Big Mom suddenly burst out laughing. "Interesting! Interesting..."
Her laughter stopped, and her expression turned bloodthirsty and heart-stopping. She looked down at Wilder and said in a dark tone, "Then by all means, give it a try, little boy."
As her words fell, Wilder charged forward without any warning, his fist shooting towards Big Mom's abdomen.
BANG!
A large hand casually blocked in front of her. Wilder's fist struck the hand, but Big Mom's body didn't move an inch. She just looked down at him with a cold, playful smile.
Wilder's expression didn't change. He reacted with lightning speed, pulling back and retreating.
The next moment, a giant arm slammed down where he had just been standing, creating a circular crater in the ground.
This was Big Mom. With one hand, she blocked her enemy's attack, while with the other, she was already planning to seriously injure him. Her grasp and observation of the battle were unparalleled. If not for Wilder's own extensive combat experience, he would have been seriously injured by that punch.
A hint of surprise appeared in Big Mom's eyes, but she didn't pay it much mind. Although she was a little surprised that Wilder had been able to dodge that punch, it was to be expected. After all, he was the man who had killed her daughter. It would be strange if he couldn't even do that much.
What truly surprised Big Mom was that after retreating, Wilder had quickly stepped forward again and charged at her, his fist aimed straight for her.
Big Mom's brow furrowed. She reacted instantly, her own fist colliding heavily with Wilder's.
HISS! BOOM!
A stream of air shot out from between their fists, followed by a shockwave that blasted outwards, wreaking havoc on the ground beneath them. In an instant, sand and stones were sent flying, and the scene was utterly chaotic.
But what was even more shocking to Big Mom's subordinates who were watching was that this was the first time they had seen their mother in a head-on clash of fists with an opponent. In the past, arrogant fools had tried the same thing, but without exception, they had either been sent flying or had their arm bones shattered.
What they found shocking and unbelievable was that Wilder was now holding his ground, his posture unwavering, his entire being exuding an indomitable aura. His body, which looked so small in front of Big Mom, now seemed tall and imposing.
"To actually choose to trade blows with Big Mom, and not even be at a disadvantage... is that guy a monster too?" From a distance, Moria, for the first time since the battle began, showed a look of shock.
At the beginning, although he had thought Wilder was strong, he hadn't actually been optimistic about his chances, especially after he had chosen to fight Big Mom one-on-one. But seeing this scene, he was completely dumbfounded.
Was Big Mom's body a joke? As a former Warlord of the Sea, Moria's knowledge of Big Mom was not something an ordinary pirate could compare to. One of the things he had paid particular attention to was her body. It was like a monster made of a steel balloon. Her defense, explosive power, and attack power were all terrifyingly high.
Yet, Wilder could actually go head-to-head with her. How could that not be shocking?
After recovering, Moria couldn't help but let out an excited laugh. "Kishishishishi, the sea is getting more and more interesting. This Wilder guy is full of surprises. In that case... it seems his goal is not so simple. Just wait, soon, the sea will be stirred up by a great storm again."
BOOM!
On the battlefield, the force of Big Mom and Wilder's first punch had just dissipated when they immediately threw another heavy punch at each other. A violent shockwave exploded, and a torrent of air shot out from between their fists, forcing the onlookers to shield their eyes.
The scene was both terrifying and shocking.
"How... how is that possible?"
"That guy can actually trade blows with Mama and not be at a disadvantage!"
By now, no one doubted Wilder's strength, but seeing him go head-to-head with Big Mom, they still couldn't quite believe their eyes.
But soon, they noticed that upon closer inspection, it was clear that in his exchange of blows with Big Mom, Wilder, who seemed to be on equal footing, was actually at a disadvantage. It was for a simple reason: when Big Mom threw her punches, her expression was relaxed, with a faint, almost imperceptible cold smile on her face. Wilder, on the other hand, was clearly using most of his strength.
With that, the difference was clear.
Big Mom's subordinates all let out a sigh of relief.
"I knew it. How could that guy be so strong? It turns out Mama was just toying with him."
On the battlefield, fists continued to collide. And in truth, it was just as the onlookers saw. The more Wilder fought, the more solemn his expression became.
Big Mom's strength is immense.
I've already experienced that.
But what truly surprised him was her punching speed and reaction time. She, who seemed so clumsy, was actually incredibly fast and fierce with her punches, each one carrying a grand, sweeping momentum. And every punch seemed to carry a violent desire to destroy her enemy.
"Mamamamama! Is this all the resolve you have, Wilder?" Big Mom said with a sinister smile as she caught his fist.
"If this is all you have, it's not good enough, little boy," Big Mom's expression suddenly turned fierce. She roared, and when she threw her next punch, the force behind it was completely different, filled with a terrifying destructive power.
BOOM!
The punch landed, and the ground collapsed, forming a circular crater. Within the crater, arcs of lightning flowed, and a thick smoke billowed.
SWISH!
Wilder's figure appeared fifty meters away, opposite Big Mom. He looked up, his gaze calm and indifferent. Then, a giant swamp serpent's head erupted from his body, its bloody maw open as it shot towards Big Mom.
"Useless," Big Mom said with a chilling smile. She casually raised her hand and slapped it.
BANG!
The giant swamp serpent's head was slammed heavily onto the ground, scattering into countless pools of mud.
Wilder was unfazed. He charged forward again, appearing above Big Mom's head. A sharp spear instantly materialized, and with a whistling sound, it shot down at her.
"Useless, useless," Big Mom said with a crazed smile. She looked up, her body unmoving, and reached out to grab the spear that was hurtling towards her.
BANG!
The spear was instantly caught in Big Mom's hand. With a heavy squeeze, CRACK!, the spear shattered into several pieces.
The people of Morass in the distance swallowed hard, watching the shocking scene unfold. Big Mom's casual attacks had a huge impact on them. It was hard to believe that a single person could be so powerful.
"This... is Big Mom?"
"Such terrifying power... she's a monster."
"Can we really defeat a monster like that?"
"Believe in the boss."
The two figures on the battlefield moved one after another. Wilder quickly unleashed his attacks, but each time, they were broken by Big Mom with a mere gesture. The two of them went back and forth, a dizzying sight to behold.
But at a certain moment, Big Mom's expression darkened. "It seems this is all you have. Then I won't play with you anymore. This boring fight should end. Mamamamama!"
With that, she threw a casual punch.
This punch actually caused the air to distort for a moment.
"Thunder-Fire Burst!"
Violent lightning and fire, driven by a terrifying fist, formed an irregular, giant fist shape that shot towards Wilder with ferocious speed. In an instant, wherever the thunder-fire fist passed, the air distorted, and the sand and stones were turned to ash and cinders. It was incredibly fast, reaching Wilder in the blink of an eye.
"Great Serpent!" Wilder's eyes snapped open, and he shouted.
BOOM!
As his voice fell, a transparent fist print shot out from his own fist and collided with the thunder-fire fist. A much louder roar echoed out. The thunder-fire fist and the white fist print collided and were locked in a stalemate. Then, both of them began to rapidly and continuously dissolve.
"This is..." A hint of surprise appeared in Big Mom's eyes. This punch from Wilder had been unexpected. She remembered now that Wilder had used this strange fist technique before. But at that time, its power had not been great, and she had paid it no mind. She had never expected that this time, the power of the technique would have grown to such an extent that it could actually cancel out her Thunder-Fire Burst. This was truly beyond her expectations.
"But a weakling is still a weakling," Big Mom said. She was only slightly surprised and quickly calmed down. This fight was beginning to bore and annoy her. So, she just wanted to end this boring battle now.
"I told you it was useless, little boy," Big Mom said, taking a step, then another, and another. She suddenly appeared in front of Wilder.
"Emperor Sword: Rupture Blade!"
The bicorne hat on Big Mom's head suddenly flew off, transforming into a giant sword. Then, the flames of Sun Prometheus were infused into the massive blade. As Big Mom brought the sword down from above, a terrifying attack of flaming sword energy also descended.
Faced with this attack, Wilder also felt a sense of pressure, but his expression was unchanged as he retreated, moving out of the way. Then, as Big Mom's attack missed, Wilder suddenly appeared above her head. A massive amount of swamp erupted from his body, pressing down on her.
"Good reaction, but I think I've already told you, this kind of attack is useless!" Big Mom looked up, a sinister smile on her face, and then raised the greatsword in her hand.
All traces of a smile vanished. A layer of black Haki spread from the hilt of the sword, instantly covering the entire blade.
Big Mom's eyes snapped open, and she swung the sword in a strange arc.
"Elbaf Spear: Ikoku Sovereignty!"
VMMMM!
A humming sound filled the air. A spiral wave of sword energy extended up into the sky. At the same time, the swamp also descended.
The two met...
BOOM!