The surroundings were too quiet, both the prisoners and the guards. This was not good for Wilder; he needed a chaotic scene to carry out the plan in his mind.
Like… the prisoners needing an outlet for their frustrations.
"Nyehehehe…"
Raising his head, his cold gaze swept over the surrounding prisoners and guards. Wilder subtly moved closer to where the prisoners and guards were more concentrated.
He blended naturally into the group, his appearance not arousing any attention or suspicion.
The Seastone handcuffs on his hands were silently unlocked. A chilling smile bloomed on Wilder's face.
Silently, thin lines of swamp spread out from under his feet. No one noticed that the ground they usually walked on now had some extra lines.
Wilder's smile always progressed gradually. When his smile became the most radiant and intense, that was when he was at his most dangerous.
"Clang!"
The sound of the Seastone handcuffs falling onto the bridge deck was particularly clear and loud at this moment. Just as a guard in front was about to turn around, the smile on Wilder's face had already turned to ice. He swung the massive piece of lumber on his shoulder with sudden force.
"Aargh!" One end of the log slammed down hard, hitting the guard squarely in the face. Wood splinters and blood splattered everywhere. The scream only managed to get halfway out before the guard was smashed off the bridge by Wilder, falling into the boiling hot cauldron below.
"Nyahahaha!" Wilder, having done this, acted as if nothing had happened. He stood there, laughing heartily, his shoulders trembling with excitement.
The other guards and the surrounding prisoners finally reacted. Realizing what had happened, they all stared at the man standing in the middle, laughing wildly, their pupils shaking without exception.
For a moment, the reactions were varied. Some were astonished, some calm, but most were shocked.
And Wilder, as if the commotion he'd caused wasn't enough, gradually quieted his laughter. He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the prisoners and guards one by one, finally settling on the prisoners.
A smile like a devil's flower bloomed silently on his face. Wilder's voice, low and forceful, rang in everyone's ears.
"Hey…! Escape with me! You must be tired of this damned place, right? Those of you who haven't had your wills broken, come with me! We'll trample this place together and leave Impel Down! Nyahahaha!"
Like a man who was utterly reckless, saying equally reckless words, Wilder wore a crazed smile. His eyes seemed to be shining as he gazed at the surrounding prisoners.
The reactions between the prisoners and the guards formed two extremes. The former, after their initial shock, were all subtly excited, but they weren't so impulsive as to be swayed by Wilder's single sentence. Everyone was restraining themselves.
But that was enough. Wilder hadn't expected anyone to step forward and cooperate with his actions. His goal was merely to try and plant a seed in the hearts of these useless wastes. Whether it took effect or not was unimportant.
Looking at the prisoners who, despite their restraint, had subtly surrounded the guards, Wilder sneered inwardly. It seemed to have some effect, at least.
"Enemy attack!" The guards snapped back to reality and instantly reacted. They each drew their whips, staring at Wilder with vigilance and fury.
They weren't fools either. None of them wanted to be the first to charge. They simply surrounded Wilder. A single cry of "enemy attack" was enough to summon more, stronger comrades. It wouldn't be too late to act then.
As for the surrounding prisoners, who showed subtle signs of rioting, although they also felt the pressure and tension, at least no one dared to act at this moment. That was enough.
"Nyehehehe…" Wilder suddenly laughed, a hint of something indescribable in his eyes.
"You…!" The guards were furious, but their choice not to attack en masse made Wilder uncomfortable. So, Wilder decided, he would be the one to start this riot!
"Gloop…" Veins bulged grotesquely on his forehead. Wilder smiled grimly. "So… no one? No one has the courage to leave Impel Down?"
As he spoke, flowing lines of swamp had unknowingly wrapped around everyone's ankles.
"What is this stuff!?"
"Underfoot… Since when!?"
At this point, someone finally noticed something was wrong. It was unavoidable. By now, the swamp lines had almost completely surrounded everyone nearby. It was impossible to hide them any longer.
"You…! What did you do!?"
"You must be behind this!?"
A constant stream of swamp flowed out from under Wilder's feet. Before long, it had formed a not-so-thin layer on the bridge deck. The extremely adhesive swamp, even in the form of lines, possessed the same property. The swamp wrapped around the ankles of the prisoners and guards was painstakingly pulled off, but soon, more swamp from the bridge deck would wrap around them again.
The more it wrapped around, the harder it was to break free, especially when the swamp was no longer intent on hiding itself and began to climb up their bodies.
Wilder's smile remained unchanged. Seeing that the prisoners and guards were gradually becoming agitated, he chuckled darkly. "Nyehehehe… As long as we take down these guards, we can all leave this swamp, leave Impel Down. Are you all really not going to consider it?"
He alone escaping wasn't escaping, because that would mean the subsequent attention would be focused solely on him. This was something Wilder didn't want. So… he wanted some prisoners who had "successfully escaped" like him. Only then could the attention focused on him be dispersed.
Candy alone might not be effective, but if you added a stick, things would be much better.
Wilder's words successfully silenced the prisoners.
One by one, their gazes shifted from struggling and hesitant to fierce, turning towards the guards who were already more than halfway wrapped in swamp.
Wilder's actions showed his stance. These guard gentlemen would have to trouble you all.
"Heh, in that case, fine. Then let me be the first. If you can really get me out of Impel Down, you'll be my boss!"
A tall, muscular prisoner with a bald head and a scar on his face stepped forward first. Yes, the swamp hadn't restrained him. Wilder was a little surprised, but he liked people like this, so he respected the other party's choice.
"Nyehehehe… Of course. I, Wilder, keep my word."
"Thud!"
Just as Wilder finished speaking, the bald prisoner's log slammed down on a guard's head. The log instantly shattered into splinters that flew in all directions.
Without even making a sound, the guard collapsed directly, his eyes rolling back, a gaping wound on his head gushing blood.