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

"Whew finally landed!"

Glaya let out a long breath as the balloon-octopus rapidly shrank behind them. She had no desire to experience freefall again anytime soon. Sure, it was thrilling but it was also terrifying.

Wayne piloted the golden Ark Maxim steadily behind the Apocalypse. The ark was packed full of gold and treasure, gleaming even under the afternoon sun.

After all, he hadn't traveled to Skypiea for nothing. Still, hauling that much gold around was bound to attract attention. Wayne needed to find a way to convert it into something more practical fast.

His first stop? Water 7.

"Dawn" already had a base of operations there, and Wayne planned to use it to quietly offload some of the treasure. On top of that, Water 7 was home to the world's finest shipwrights. If he wanted to rebuild the Apocalypse to infuse it with electrical propulsion and flight capability this was the only place to do it.

. . .

A week passed quickly at sea.

During that time, Wayne's ship was attacked by pirates on three separate occasions. Not surprising, really the gold practically screamed, Come rob me! from a mile away.

Unfortunately for those would-be robbers, Wayne was not a man to be trifled with. Every attack only added to his growing pile of loot.

Now, looking at the massive island just off the bow, Wayne's eyes lit up.

"Water 7. Finally."

The Apocalypse docked smoothly in the harbor. The moment Wayne and his crew stepped ashore, they were greeted by a formal welcoming party.

A squad of twenty or so burly men in black suits and sunglasses approached in formation. Leading them was a man in a loud floral shirt, who stepped forward and gave Wayne a slight bow.

"Boss! Welcome to Water 7!"

Kuro, fresh off the ship, stood gaping. Clearly, he hadn't seen this kind of scene before.

Wayne didn't even pause. He reached into the floral-shirted man's front pocket and pulled out a cigar. With a snap of his fingers, an underling rushed up and lit it for him.

"Daniel, how've things been? You haven't stirred up any trouble while I was gone, have you?"

The man in the floral shirt was Daniel Naiden slicked-back blond hair, signature sunglasses, and an enforcer of Dawn, holding the rank of No. 06. He was Wayne's man in Paradise, and one of the most notorious crime bosses in Water 7.

At the mention of trouble, Daniel's expression turned slightly awkward.

"Boss... things haven't been exactly peaceful lately. Slayver's people have been sticking their hands into Water 7's affairs."

Wayne's eyes narrowed.

Slayver like Wayne, one of the ten reigning kings of the Underworld. Both had risen to power in recent years.

The key difference? Wayne had a hard line he never touched the slave trade.

Slayver, on the other hand, had built his entire empire on it.

It was no surprise, then, that the two had always been at odds.

"So that shipment that got hijacked a while back... he was behind that too?"

"Yes, Boss. After some digging, we found out Joker only leaked the location. The ones who actually carried it out were Slayver's men."

Wayne clenched his jaw and let out a cold laugh.

"Bold of him. Think just because he's got some backing I won't make a move?"

Slayver had risen about a year and a half after Wayne. Four years ago, Wayne's influence had begun to surge. His operations expanded rapidly across Paradise, and not long after, he secured a seat among the Shichibukai. His rise sent shockwaves through the Underworld.

At that time, there had only been eight kings of the criminal underworld:

Morgans, the president of the World Economy News "Big News."

Lou Feld, the loan shark magnate "God of Fortune."

Gild Tesoro, owner of the world's largest entertainment city "The Golden Emperor."

Umit, the sea transport tycoon "Deep Current."

Giberson, head of the global warehouse syndicate "The Concealer."

Drag Pyetro, funeral parlor baron.

Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District.

And, of course, Donquixote Doflamingo "Joker."

Though none of them were eager to share power, Wayne's strength was undeniable. Reluctantly, they accepted him as the ninth king.

Later, they invited Wayne to a clandestine gathering of the Underworld's elite. But things didn't go as they hoped.

Nearly all of the original eight had dealings direct or indirect in the slave trade.

Wayne refused to touch it.

That moral boundary drove a wedge between him and the rest. After the summit, Wayne had gone on to intercept several of their slave shipments. Unsurprisingly, not long after, a new "king" emerged: Slayver, dubbed the King of Chains.

His timing was suspiciously convenient. He quickly drew Wayne's attention and diverted pressure away from the other kings.

Rumors later surfaced that Slayver had the backing of the Celestial Dragons.

But Wayne knew better.

Slayver wasn't working for the Celestials.

He was working for the others the old kings of the Underworld. And who better to make the introductions than Doflamingo himself, once a Celestial Dragon?

"Troublesome guy..."

Wayne lit a cigarette, mulling over the layers of this web.

Slayver's base of operations wasn't even in the New World. He was still operating in Paradise because Sabaody, the largest slave market in the world, was there.

It made sense.

"Boss, there's a call for you."

Daniel's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Wayne took the Den Den Mushi. "Moshi moshi?"

The snail's face morphed into that of a thick-lipped man.

"Yo, Wayne. That you?"

Wayne let out a groan the moment he recognized the voice. "Yeah... Solomon. It's me. What is it now?"

"What is it?! You've got some nerve, you little punk. You snuck off with Robin and vanished into the sky for some damn concert or whatever and you didn't even leave a message! Do you know how much crap I've had to deal with in the New World because of you?!"

"And that guy you sent me two years ago Lafitte or whatever. Yeah, he's strong, sure. Clever too. But do you have to let him 'train' the way he does? He nearly chased a Celestial Dragon all the way into Mary Geoise!"

"And don't get me started on!"

Wayne didn't mind the rant at all. In fact, there was a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

After a long tirade, Wayne finally said, "Thanks for holding down the fort all this time, big bro."

There was a beat of silence on the other end.

Then a resigned sigh.

"Oh, so you do remember you have a brother. Wow. I'm touched."

Wayne chuckled. "Bro, I've missed you. Let's talk face to face. Where are you?"

"Where am I? Where are you?"

"I'm in Water 7. At Daniel's place."

"Got it."

The Den Den Mushi crackled as the other side relayed a few orders. Then the line went dead.

A moment later...

A swirling black portal opened in the air before Wayne.

A dark-skinned man with vibrant orange-red hair stepped through, brushing dust off his jacket.

"Damn. Haven't used that in a while. Forgot how much of a pain it is to find this place."

Wayne's face lit up.

"Bro!"

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