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

Dulach D. Solomon that was the name of the man standing before him.

Solomon was twenty-seven years old, two years older than Wayne. The two shared no blood ties, but they'd grown up as childhood friends in Sabaody Archipelago, closer than family.

Solomon, like Wayne, was an orphan. He had been rescued by Rayleigh from a slave auction and later met Wayne, who at the time didn't even have a name. After they became close, Wayne simply took on Solomon's surname.

Solomon's dream was to travel the world to see every place the seas had to offer and one day write a book about it all.

When Wayne was fourteen, he defeated a group of pirates and claimed a Devil Fruit from their ship. Excited, he rushed to Rayleigh and asked what it was. After flipping through the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, Rayleigh identified it as a Paramecia-type The Door-Door Fruit.

Wayne didn't hesitate. He gave the fruit to Solomon.

"It lets you open doors in the air, to anywhere you've been," he'd said. "Perfect for someone who wants to travel the world."

Later, when Wayne returned from a three-year voyage and needed trustworthy allies to help him build his organization, Solomon came back without hesitation.

Wayne still remembered how that conversation went:

"Bro, I need a favor..."

"What kind of favor?"

"I'm starting a company. A big one."

"Okay. And?"

"I need someone I can trust to help run things."

"Say no more... but I might be gone for a while."

So, Solomon who had once dreamed of circling the globe came home and helped Wayne build Dawn. And he'd been helping ever since.

For five whole years.

Especially in the past two, while Wayne was mostly away from headquarters, it was Solomon who managed internal affairs and held the fort.

In the Dawn organization, Solomon held the rank of No. 01.

Codename: Gate.

. . .

When Solomon saw Wayne, a faint warmth flickered in his eyes. Then he snorted and muttered, "Well well, our celebrity finally has time to visit the Grand Line again? Tired of playing bigshot in the Four Blues?"

Wayne had his arms out, ready for a hug but froze midway at the snide tone. With a slightly awkward laugh, he dropped his arms and said, "I went back to the East Blue recently. I saw Ace."

"Ace? That's great! Did you talk to him? You should've brought him to the Grand Line to see the world!"

Solomon gave a thoughtful nod. He'd heard about Ace from Wayne before. Though they'd never met, he knew Ace was the son of the man who once saved Wayne's life. Wayne had always treated Ace as a younger brother.

Wayne shook his head. "No, I didn't reveal myself. The kid was set on becoming a pirate. I managed to talk him out of it at least for now."

He went on to recount the details of their encounter.

Solomon listened quietly, then frowned and said, "I don't think you did the right thing. Nothing should stand in the way of a man chasing his dream on the sea."

Wayne shrugged. "Sure, that sounds nice in theory. But you know whose kid he is. If he sets sail as a pirate... do you have any idea what the consequences would be?"

"Besides, Ace is still too weak. Once he's strong enough to protect himself, I won't stop him."

In Wayne's mind, "strong enough" meant: Devil Fruit awakened, Armament Haki refined to Ryuo, and Observation Haki capable of future sight.

Fifth Emperor Luffy: ┐(─__─)┌ I don't even meet that standard, bro!

Solomon snorted. "Come on. All of us pirates know the risks. Doesn't matter whose kid you are if the Navy catches you, you're done. Whether you're a nobody or a Celestial Dragon's son, the sentence is the same: death or a life sentence in Impel Down."

Doflamingo: Wow. I feel so personally attacked. Thanks.

"And what's he gonna do if he stays in the East Blue forever? He won't get strong there. Let's be real when you first set out, you probably weren't any stronger than he is now."

Wayne fell silent.

In theory, Solomon wasn't wrong. But Solomon hadn't read One Piece. He didn't know how tragic Ace's future would be.

And Wayne couldn't exactly explain it, either.

What was he supposed to say? "Listen to me, this whole world is a manga I read back on Earth. Trust me, I know how this all ends!"

Yeah. No one would buy that.

So instead, Wayne just shook his head and said, "You wouldn't understand. Never mind. Let's change the subject."

"How's the New World been lately? Any of those bastards causing trouble?"

Solomon smirked, his expression laced with contempt.

"Please. As long as I'm around, what could possibly go wrong? Most of those so-called warlords are just paper tigers. None of them have the guts to go all-in against us."

"As for Sabaody, things are quiet. The old man's still got our back. All that gambling money we've been sending him every year isn't for nothing."

The "old man" he referred to was, of course, Silvers Rayleigh the Dark King. Though technically retired and unable to act openly due to his past, Rayleigh had secretly eliminated two of Wayne's most troublesome enemies over the years.

Solomon paused, then let out a sigh. A flicker of concern crossed his face.

"But the situation in Paradise... that's the real problem. Our influence there is still weak. My ability doesn't cover everything, and those rats have been exploiting the gaps."

The Door-Door Fruit wasn't omnipotent. For one, it could only open doors to places the user had previously visited. Second, the doors couldn't be opened beyond the user's range of ability.

For Solomon, his maximum range was currently from the New World to Water 7.

And that was after his fruit had awakened.

The original user, Bruno, hadn't shown even half that reach. If the fruit had allowed intercontinental jumps, they wouldn't have needed a damn Sea Train to get Robin to Enies Lobby!

Wayne nodded, the name Slayver the King of Chains flashing through his mind.

"I'll handle it," he said. "Give me a few days."

Solomon glanced at Wayne and nodded. "Fine. I'll leave it to you. Can't have you slacking off while I do all the work, right?"

He knew exactly what Wayne planned to do, and he didn't stop him. Some people could only be dealt with using force and Solomon wasn't the kind to object when violence was necessary.

He'd also seen the news about Wayne's recent clash with Aokiji and knew his strength had grown significantly. Letting him stir things up was no problem at all.

Wayne lit a cigarette, then tossed one to Solomon.

"Bro, it's been a while since we had a drink together. What do you say?"

Solomon checked his watch. "Yeah, I'll head back tomorrow. Go cook up a few dishes let's drink tonight."

"It's been forever since I've tasted your cooking. Hope it hasn't gone downhill!"

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