Lucifer: The Swamp Fruit

Level 5, Freezing Hell: a world shrouded in ice and snow. Military wolves ran across the frozen ground, searching for prey.

Two figures approached from the distance.

"Pfft!" Blood bloomed as a military wolf, unable to distinguish friend from foe, fell silently to the ground.

"Claire, I'm going to introduce you to a few partners." Wilder flicked his hand, grabbing a handful of snow to wipe the blood from his fingers. Without turning his head, he spoke.

"Huh? First-sama's partners?! I'm so excited!" Claire, clad in purple stockings and long boots that surprisingly didn't hinder her movement on the ice, followed lightly behind Wilder.

"Claire," Wilder said suddenly, still walking, "if someone were to shoot me, and that shot was enough to kill me, would you take the bullet for me?"

"Of course I would, First-sama!" Claire's smile was so gentle it seemed capable of melting the endless ice and snow.

"Is that so…" Wilder nodded almost imperceptibly, his head lowering slightly, his eyes shadowed.

"Claire."

"Eh?"

"In front of me… you can live truly." He continued walking without pause, the shush, shush, shush of his footsteps heavy in the silence.

Claire's steps faltered for a moment, then resumed their light pace.

I would never betray First-sama…

The wind and snow were fierce, the cold biting to the bone. This was Wilder's personal impression. Just like Blazing Hell, Freezing Hell wasn't particularly hospitable to him.

His purpose in coming here, aside from conveying his attitude to a few of his subordinates (lest they forget who was boss), was to train and, incidentally, observe Level 5's environment.

The application he'd submitted to Magellan allowed him the freedom to choose patrol duties between Level 4 and Level 5. Of course, he could never completely escape office paperwork. Wilder could choose to spend his work hours in either Freezing Hell or Blazing Hell, even staying in Level 5 for ten days or half a month before returning. However, the paperwork had to be completed. Thus, Claire had become his document carrier.

She trudged through the snow, dragging a huge bundle, following closely behind Wilder. Years of service as a jailer hadn't turned Claire into a mere decoration; her steps were light and sure.

There were no Den Den Mushi in Freezing Hell. The temperature, lower even than a freezer, made it impossible for the creatures to survive. Compared to the cold, heat was something Den Den Mushi could adapt to more easily.

"Shush, shush, shush…" Footsteps sounded in the distance. As prearranged, several figures appeared at the designated location.

"Nyehehehe…" A wide, exaggerated grin spread across Wilder's face as he emitted a low chuckle, striding towards them.

"Yahahahaha! Boss Wilder!" The towering Vice's distinctive laugh carried from afar.

Beside Vice was Eigg, and then a tall, thin man with long brown hair and a cold, impassive expression.

"Nyehehehe… It's been a long time, my dear partners." Wilder opened his arms, embracing each of them. His smile was excessively flamboyant.

Eigg nodded, his body stiff and small within Wilder's embrace.

Releasing Eigg, Wilder's gaze turned to the final man, the brown-haired one. His smile intensified, his eyes fixed on him. "It's been a while, Yves…"

"Yes, Boss," Yves replied with a cold nod.

Wilder gave him a long, searching look, then turned away, his smile unwavering.

"Claire, these are the partners I told you about. Nyehehehe… Introduce yourselves to each other."

"Yahahahaha! Claire, right? I'm Vice."

Wilder was satisfied. Vice was always the first to play along.

Next, Eigg and Yves introduced themselves. However, one was a listless soul resigned to his fate, and the other a stone-faced ice man; naturally, one couldn't expect much warmth from their introductions.

"Well then…" Wilder looked at them, a strange curve suddenly appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" Before the three could react, they were sent flying.

"Pfft!" Vice executed a backflip, landing gracefully with one hand supporting him and his feet dug into the snow.

Eigg's perpetually apathetic face showed a flicker of surprise before returning to its usual impassive state. He curled into a ball, using the force of the blow to roll away.

Only Yves maintained his stone-faced expression throughout. He was knocked back, crashing directly into the snow. Not a single iota of emotion changed on his face during the entire process, even as he ended up planted headfirst in the snow, arms still crossed over his chest.

Vice hurried over and pulled him out.

"Hey, hey! Can't you make things a little easier on us?! You're ridiculously slow to react, yet you insist on maintaining this unconcerned air!" Vice said, somewhat exasperated, as he helped Yves up.

"There… was no need to dodge that." Yves closed his eyes, his face as cold as ever.

"…"

"Nyehehehe…" Wilder chuckled softly, observing the scene. Among the three, he was most satisfied with Vice. Not only was he the strongest in terms of combat ability, but his temperament was also reliable.

Eigg's combat ability was passable, but it didn't quite meet Wilder's standards. It would be good if his assassination skills could surprise him.

As for Yves… Vice was right, he was frighteningly slow to react. Whether it was an act or genuine, Wilder hadn't given him a lifeline because he valued his individual fighting strength. It was simply because he was a Devil Fruit user.

"Nyehehehe… Then, let's all 'return to our posts'," Wilder said, dispersing them after a brief, clandestine meeting where he'd conveyed the necessary information.

Now was not the time for "a long and peaceful gathering."

"Let's begin." The large figure, draped in an animal skin cloak for warmth, turned and walked into the passageway where the prisoners were held.

"Yes, sir," Claire replied, hurrying after him with her notebook.

Interrogating the prisoners was the first step. Wilder's true objective was to select those who harbored a desire to escape Impel Down. Rather than searching for new recruits after escaping, it was better to take advantage of this opportunity to bring these seasoned veterans under his command.

Of course, the greatest concentration of powerful fighters was in the legendary Level 6. But Wilder wouldn't entertain the idea of targeting them. Putting aside whether he could even enter that level with his current status, even if he could, the prisoners there were not ones he could recruit at his current level. One wrong move, and he'd be bitten by a venomous snake – a fact Wilder was always acutely aware of.

…

Soon, Level 5 welcomed a new Warden. Like a wild beast, he strode boldly, his back unguarded, into this hell. His sharp and ruthless methods quickly left a deep impression, and a sense of wariness, on the prisoners whose bounties were measured in the hundreds of millions.

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