One Piece: Chopping Ace Back to Foosha Village at the Start

"Right... feels like I'm forgetting something."

Wayne's eyes glinted red as he activated his Observation Haki, scanning the surroundings.

Before long, he located it a massive golden ark known as Maxim, forged entirely from gold. Its construction was nearly complete, with the engine system fully assembled and ready for flight.

"Damn... didn't expect Enel to be an engineer on top of everything else."

Wayne was taken aback. Even he had never seen a golden structure this massive.

"But this actually gives me an idea."

Staring at the golden ark, Wayne thought about integrating a similar design into his own ship, the Apocalypse. If he could power the ship using his new lightning abilities, it could become a true sea-and-air hybrid vessel. Its mobility would be off the charts.

. . .

The next day, Wayne and his crew returned to the legendary City of Gold, Shandora, bringing along a recovering Wiper and the rest of the Shandian people.

What they saw left the crew speechless.

Golden buildings stood tall amidst the ruins. From clock towers to streetlamps, nearly everything was made of pure gold.

Wayne's pirates rushed into the crumbling structures like kids in a candy store. Each house was filled with golden furniture, trinkets, and relics.

"Am I dreaming right now?!"

"Is this it? Did we just find the One Piece?!"

"Quick, punch me so I know this is real!"

"Ow! What was that for?!"

"You felt pain so this is real!"

Watching his crew go wild like a bunch of jokers, Wayne couldn't help but chuckle. But he understood their excitement completely.

They were pirates, after all. Sure, they chased dreams and freedom, but nothing brought them comfort quite like booze and treasure.

Wayne was no different.

He clapped his hands to get their attention. "Alright, alright. Grab as much treasure as you can. Take everything you can carry but don't overdo it."

With that, his crew fanned out in all directions, digging through the ruins for loot. Still, with only about twenty or so people, they could only haul away a fraction of it. Maybe a few billion Berries' worth at most which was nothing compared to the mountain of gold in Shandora.

Once the crew was off gathering treasure, Wayne took Robin, Glaya, and a few others and led the Shandians toward the city's center where the great Golden Bell stood.

The climb to the top was rough. Even Wayne was starting to get bored halfway up.

Only Robin was in her element. Dressed in her archaeologist's gear, she combed through every stone and ruin with a magnifying glass, occasionally cross-referencing old texts she carried with her. Her eyes sparkled with scholarly delight.

This must have been her happiest moment.

Wayne smiled softly, unwilling to interrupt her, and continued ahead with the Shandians.

"Whew, finally made it."

Wayne wiped his forehead, even though there wasn't a drop of sweat, and shook his hands theatrically.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Thud thud thud thud thud!

Suddenly, Wayne heard the sound of people dropping to their knees behind him.

The Shandians every last one, young and old had knelt down. Even Wiper, the fierce warrior, had tears streaming down his face as he kissed the golden soil beneath his feet.

"Four hundred years... We've finally come home!"

Generations of pain, exile, and humiliation poured out of the Shandians in a flood of tears and grateful cries. They wept openly, overwhelmed with emotion.

Wayne didn't know what it felt like, but he respected it. Lighting a cigarette, he stood quietly off to the side, letting them have their moment.

After a while, their sobs began to quiet down. An elderly man shuffled forward and bowed to Wayne.

"Sir... may we ask one final favor of you?"

"What kind of favor?"

"Would you ring the Golden Bell for us? It has slept for four centuries. In return, you may take more of the city's treasures."

Wayne smirked. Pirates take what they want who needs permission?

Still, he knew these people had been through a lot. And besides, he still owed Wiper a favor.

He glanced over at Wiper and said, "Alright. Once I ring that bell, we're square."

Just then, a massive rumble shook the ruins.

Wayne turned and saw a colossal serpent slithering out of the shadows.

"The Lord of the Sky!"

Panic spread through the Shandians, but Wayne just smiled and said, "I was wondering what I'd use to ring that bell. Thanks for volunteering."

With a flash, he transformed into lightning and flew straight toward the serpent. Dodging its snapping jaws with ease, he decided to test out his new powers.

"Fifteen Million Volts: Thunderbird!"

Boom!

A thunderbird-shaped bolt of lightning blasted the serpent's belly, leaving behind a charred mark.

The creature froze, eyes wide with panic. Something in its expression made Wayne pause.

"Huh. These snakes got thick skin these days," he muttered. "Guess I'll just shock it a few more times."

What Wayne didn't know was that this serpent wasn't unusually tough it had just been zapped by Enel so many times over the years that it had developed a kind of resistance. It had even developed a conditioned reflex: the moment it got shocked, it would freeze on the spot.

"Fifteen Million Volts: Thunderbird!"

"Fifteen Million Volts..."

"Sixteen Million Volts..."

. . .

"Twenty Million Volts: Thunder Beast!"

Wayne kept blasting the serpent with wave after wave of lightning. Though he hadn't had time to fully develop his fruit's potential, his stamina more than made up for it. He flew above the ruins, electrocuting the serpent for over half an hour straight.

Finally, the massive creature collapsed under the assault.

Wayne glanced at his slightly smoking fingertips. "Guess mastering a Devil Fruit takes good ol' practice."

Kuro: =_=" Only a monster like you could call that practice...

Wayne walked up to the unconscious serpent, grabbed it by the tail, and grunting with effort hoisted the hundred-meter-long snake onto his shoulders. Using Geppo, he stepped lightly through the air, ascending toward the bell.

"Hup!"

He shouted, his arms bulging with strength as he swung the serpent's tail like a giant hammer.

CLANG!

The Golden Bell rang out with a mighty peal that echoed across the sky. Its deep, resonant tone carried from the floating island all the way down to the Grand Line's Jaya Island below.

Somewhere on the sea, a spiky-haired man prepping a dive into the water suddenly froze. His eyes widened, and tears welled up.

"The Golden Bell... It's real!"

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