Lucifer: The Swamp Fruit

The eyes beneath the black cloak closed slightly, and a perspective transmitted from another location. "Looks like it's from the corner of some room."

The room was carpeted in red, exuding an overall air of nobility and elegance. In the center of the room, towards the back, was a round table coated in dark red wood lacquer, gleaming smoothly. Six chairs, the same wine-red as the carpet and inlaid with gold patterns, encircled the table. Three chairs were empty, while the other three were occupied by one person each.

To avoid detection from excessive movement, Wilder kept the swamp rat stationary. This inevitably limited its line of sight, but fortunately, the current perspective was decent enough not to miss anything crucial. At least, the three people at the round table could be seen somewhat clearly. Of course, Wilder could have summoned more swamp rats, but that also increased the risk of discovery, making it a counterproductive effort. Wilder certainly wouldn't do that.

Of the three seated around the table, two wore greenish-brown cloaks, similar to his own, their figures shrouded in shadow. Thus, Wilder couldn't make out their faces. However, based on their builds, he could roughly determine that the one on the left was male, and the other was likely female. The third person was a middle-aged man, dressed in luxurious, loose-fitting pajamas. He had some wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and let out a wide yawn, looking sleepy.

"So, this is Dragon's intention?" After yawning, the middle-aged man's expression turned serious. As he spoke, his eyes turned to the two people opposite him.

Wilder unconsciously held his breath. The middle-aged man's words clearly entered his mind via the swamp rat. Yes, his mind, not his ears. Wilder couldn't quite figure out the reason for this. But that wasn't important. What mattered were the middle-aged man's recent words. The name "Dragon" made Wilder's heart stir. His eyes opened a little wider, a sharp light flickering within them.

Of the two opposite, the one with the more masculine build nodded, their voice calm and unhurried. "The situation in the New World and Paradise is currently chaotic. This is a good opportunity for our expansion. The East Blue is relatively the most suitable location."

"This time, we will primarily target five nations where we have been operating covertly for several years. Dragon will personally oversee this mission." Here, the person paused.

"So?" the middle-aged man asked.

"So..." The head within the cloak seemed to lift slightly. "Koron Auction House must prepare to be exposed."

Although he already had some inkling, the middle-aged man fell silent upon hearing this. "Is there... no possibility of avoiding exposure?" After a long pause, the middle-aged man asked, unwilling to give up. After saying it, even he found it laughable.

"Basically, no." The cloaked figure paused for a moment before continuing, "Large quantities of arms need to be transported here from various locations. That process isn't a concern. But what about after the operation begins? The arms will need to be transshipped from here and distributed to five battlefronts. The frequency and volume will not be small. In such a situation, do you think... that's typical for an auction house? It will be targeted sooner or later."

The middle-aged man actually knew this. His location was geographically ideal. Once this operation began, Koron Auction House would become the most crucial logistics base for this war, responsible for transporting arms and other supplies. Once fighting broke out over there, following the trail would inevitably lead to his discovery here. But… he just couldn't bear it! It wasn't the profit from the auction house he couldn't part with! In fact, the auction house itself was an asset of the organization. What he couldn't bear was to waste such a liaison point that had been cultivated for so many years! It was also a hub for transporting special items and personnel! Making money was one aspect. More importantly, through the auction business, they could acquire many special or rare items that were of great use to the organization, such as Devil Fruits, which could add another ability user to their ranks. The Devil Fruit bought by the North Blue merchant two years ago—that merchant was actually already a member of the organization. This was what made him most reluctant to let go of Koron Auction House; it provided too many conveniences for the organization.

The three in the room could never have imagined their conversation was being eavesdropped upon. Beneath his black cloak, Wilder's expression was impassive, but his hands had unconsciously clenched into fists. Dragon… Arms… Nations… War… Revolutionary Army? Several keywords flashed through his mind, finally settling on the name of a faction. A ripple passed through his eyes. Wilder suppressed the faint stirring in his heart and continued to listen.

"When does the operation start?" As if resigned, the middle-aged man yawned, lit a cigarette, and began to puff away. Even his eyes seemed hazy, or perhaps he was simply listless.

"What were you up to last night?" Seeing the middle-aged man's state, the person in the cloak frowned almost imperceptibly.

"Ah..." The middle-aged man listlessly slid down in his chair, completely slumped. "At my age, one can't always resist temptation. Especially a man as attractive as myself. When they throw themselves at me, you know, I can't refuse. Let me tell you! Last night, that little... minx..." As he spoke, some life finally returned to the middle-aged man's face.

But his words were impatiently cut off by the two opposite him. "The operation won't be too soon. Wait for specific notification. However, the arms shipments might all arrive here within this month. Again, wait for specific notification."

"Ah… I got it. Scram, scram! You're ruining my good mood!" The middle-aged man instantly deflated like a wilted eggplant, returning to his listless state, and waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away stray dogs.

The two under the cloaks couldn't help but clench their fists, then relax them, then clench again, repeating this several times before finally holding back.

But just as the two turned to leave, the door suddenly burst open, and a plain-looking, rather ugly man stumbled in. "B-Boss..." The plain man then noticed there was more than just the middle-aged man in the room. Seeing that the other two were clearly comrades, he nodded at them, then gasped out, "Outside... outside... the island is surrounded by Marines! They're heading this way now! Vice Admiral Momonga from Marine HQ is leading them!" By the end, the plain man was almost shouting.

"What?!"

"Damn it!"

Two successive cries of disbelief. The middle-aged man shot up from his chair. The two cloaked figures exchanged a look and exclaimed in unison! This was big trouble! Had the Marines found out? This was the thought in all three of their minds.

Simultaneously, Wilder, in the auction house stands outside, suddenly stood up and walked towards the aisle. The situation outside had already been relayed to his mind via the swamp rats. A large wave of Marines was approaching, led by his old acquaintance, Momonga.

"Full lockdown!" About two hundred Marines noisily surrounded the Koron Auction House. Besides the previous adjutant, a Rear Admiral now flanked Momonga. The two of them followed a step behind Momonga as they entered the auction house entrance. The guards trembled, too scared to speak. In addition to the two hundred-plus Marines surrounding the outside, over a hundred more surged into the auction house.

Momonga's eyes swept the auction hall. He raised a hand and commanded, "Search!"

Without any unnecessary words, the Marines behind him sprang into action. There was a brief commotion in the hall, which then quieted down under the Marines' orders, no one daring to disrupt the operation.

"Marines are searching for criminals. Everyone present, please cooperate. Do not make any sudden movements. We guarantee your safety."

But before this, Wilder had already left the stands.

"What do we do now?!" In the red-carpeted room, the middle-aged man, his face grave and tense, turned to the other two. The situation in the auction hall was now visible to them via surveillance.

"Perhaps it's just a coincidence..." the voice from one cloak said, lacking confidence.

"Regardless, we must prepare for the worst," a crisp, elegant female voice came from the other, previously silent cloak.

"Perhaps I can help you." Just then, a calm voice came from the direction of the door.

The three of them tensed, their hearts pounding, and they all looked towards the entrance. The door to the room was gently pushed open by a slender hand, followed by a foot stepping in. Through the half-open doorway, the guard outside lay on the ground, motionless, having fallen at some unknown point.

"Ah… don't misunderstand. I just put him to sleep," the person entirely concealed under a black cloak said calmly as they walked in, fully opening the door. Seeing the unpleasant expressions on the three faces in the room, the cloaked figure seemed to realize something and offered an explanation.

"Who are you?" The three tensed as if facing a great enemy, warily watching the figure who had suddenly intruded. What shocked them most was that this person had managed to silently neutralize the guard outside the door without them, just a door away, noticing anything! This was what they found most incredible.

Observing their reactions, Wilder said nonchalantly, as if nothing were amiss, "You can call me… hmm, Morass."

"Morass… a strange name," the three thought simultaneously, but quickly refocused. The current situation was clearly not about names, but about the other party's objective.

"You just said you could help us? I really can't think of any way we would need your assistance, sir," the middle-aged man spoke first, his tone and expression very bland.

Wilder spread his hands, as if helpless. "I believe we can actually be sincere with each other. Just like how I told you my name is Morass as soon as I arrived. So, do you gentlemen really think I can't see what's going on? What the Marines outside are here for… I don't need to elaborate, do I… gentlemen of the Revolutionary Army?" His tone on the last few words was significantly heavier. After speaking, Wilder just watched them quietly.

The faces of the three changed repeatedly. Wilder's final words left their hearts in turmoil. Weighing pros and cons, a murderous intent flickered, and their hands beneath their sleeves clenched tightly. He… actually knew! How did he know! When did he find out! These three questions struck them to their core, making their heads buzz. For a moment, they didn't know what decision to make or how to react! Kill him?!

"Of course… the Marines probably don't know about this matter." Just then, the voice from beneath the black cloak spoke again, instantly dispelling their thoughts. Coming to their senses, their eyes narrowed slightly as they looked at the person before them.

"What did you say?" The Marines didn't know the Revolutionary Army was present here? If that was the case, it meant the Marines' arrival was merely a coincidence. This gave the three a renewed sense of hope.

"Naturally. Because the Marines are here to capture me," the person under the black cloak added.

And with these words, all three were stunned. So, after all this commotion, the Marines were here to catch this guy? But what did that have to do with them, the Revolutionary Army?! Why didn't he flee? Why come and tell them all this?! The three were momentarily baffled, but this only further confirmed that the other party was no simple character. Otherwise, the Marines wouldn't have mobilized so many people, even sending Momonga, just to capture him alone. So what kind of monster was this guy?! What had he done to attract a Marine force of this scale to apprehend him?! Wait! The three instantly thought of something, and at once… their faces turned green. Cold sweat poured down their backs. This guy couldn't be planning to… drag them down with him, could he?! Their hearts sank; they were mostly certain of it now.

"So… whether the Marines leave or not depends on me. If I don't show myself, I'm afraid the Marines will search this place sooner or later. Furthermore, I know your identities. Therefore, for you, members of the Revolutionary Army, whether your identities are exposed also depends on me."

"Thus, you three now face two choices. One, kill me. Two, cooperate."

"Of course, if you choose to kill me, you three probably can't manage it. So, my suggestion is to choose option two: we cooperate for a win-win situation." The voice from beneath the black cloak was calm and steady, as if stating something perfectly natural.

But upon hearing this, the expressions of the three in the room could only be described as murderous. This guy… How detestable!

Although the three were furious, no one doubted the truth in the cloaked man's words. The other party was very strong; that was certain. The three of them together probably couldn't defeat him. They could sense this even without having fought. As members of the Revolutionary Army, their primary objective was never battle, but stability and concealment. So, after careful consideration, it was again the middle-aged man among the three who spoke.

"Sir, first tell us how you propose we cooperate," he said, his eyes fixed deadly on Wilder, as if staring at a long-dead love rival.

"First, allow me to introduce my profession. I am an arms dealer. As far as I know, the development of the Revolutionary Army has always depended on armaments. Therefore, I would like to establish a deep cooperative friendship with your esteemed army. How about I provide the arms your army requires?"