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

[Ding! After 27 minutes of cooking, your culinary skill has improved. Current Cooking Level: Master (4652/5000). Life Points +3. Current Life Points: 1980.]

"Wayne! Are you done yet? I'm starving here!"

Solomon was already seated at the dining table, utensils in both hands, a napkin tucked into his collar. The aroma drifting from the kitchen made his stomach growl. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and kept shouting toward the kitchen.

"Coming, coming! Just three dishes this time don't ask for more."

Wayne controlled the magnetic field in the room with his Goro Goro no Mi powers. Three massive serving platters floated through the air and landed gently on the table.

This was a newly developed technique by manipulating the magnetic field through his Devil Fruit, Wayne had achieved limited levitation.

Solomon watched the floating plates and raised a brow. "Damn. You've come up with another new trick?"

As Wayne's closest brother, Solomon didn't know about the system bound to Wayne, but he did know Wayne always had a knack for pulling out strange, otherworldly inventions like that bamboo copter that let you fly for an hour, or the never-ending supply of spicy snack sticks from a single room.

"This isn't a trick," Wayne replied. "It's a new Devil Fruit I got. The Goro Goro no Mi you've heard of it?"

"No way. That one? A Logia? Dude, your luck is insane!"

Solomon shoved a large mouthful of food into his mouth, still chewing as he spoke. "But seriously... why does it feel like you've turned a lightning fruit into a levitation fruit? Are you sure you didn't kill off that old geezer, Golden Lion Shiki?"

Wayne took a sip of beer and tapped his temple. "Knowledge is power, bro. Ever heard of that?"

"Cough cough! Water... I need water..."

Solomon had swallowed too fast and choked on his food. He reached out a hand toward Wayne, coughing violently.

Wayne quickly passed him a glass of beer.

Gulp...

After draining the glass, Solomon finally swallowed. He exhaled and leaned back in relief.

"I swear, your cooking's gotten even better. Ever consider taking on a couple of apprentices? Open a few restaurants in Sabaody? You'd make a fortune."

Wayne chuckled. Then, recalling a certain curly-browed kid, he said, "Actually... I did take on a student in the East Blue."

He went on to tell Solomon about his time back in the East Blue, including how he recruited Kuro as a new crewmate.

The two of them chatted away, one topic leading into the next everyday stories, up-and-coming Supernovas, even nostalgic tales like that one time they snuck around trying to spy on the neighbor girl taking a bath.

Years apart couldn't dull their bond. Reunited, they had a thousand things to say.

When brothers meet, even a thousand drinks fall short.

They drank from noon till sunset, the sky gradually shifting from crimson to violet.

Wayne, slurring his words, pointed at Solomon's half-empty bowl of beer.

"You—hic—you better not be raising fish in that bowl..."

Solomon's face was flushed crimson, though his dark complexion made it more of a reddish-black glow.

"You who the hell are you calling a fish farmer?!" he retorted, slamming his bowl down. "Drink up!"

Wayne raised his own mug and grinned.

"Screw it cheers, big bro!"

"Cheers!"

. . .

The next morning, Wayne was the first to wake. He glanced at Solomon, who was still snoring away, then kicked him awake.

"It's late already! Get up!"

Solomon rubbed his eyes, groaning. "Still drinking? Again?"

"Come on, round two!" Wayne grinned.

Solomon shook his head. "Nah, not today. Next time. Seriously, I've got stuff to do later."

Wayne looked at his reluctant brother and chuckled. "Alright, next time we drink like warriors. This round was just for fun."

Solomon winced as he surveyed the battlefield empty beer bottles and kegs scattered all over the room but still forced a smile.

"Fine. Casual drinks or a battle binge bring it on."

. . .

Wayne waved goodbye as Solomon stepped through a door of air and vanished. For now, their reunion was over. It was time to get back to business.

He headed to the shipyard, where the shipwright stood in front of the Ark Maxim, looking visibly distressed.

"Lord Wayne, it's not that we don't want to help, but... the entire ship is made of gold. We can't even melt it down properly!"

He scratched his head. "As for making it fly the way you described honestly, that's far beyond our technical capabilities. Forgive me, but I'm afraid I just can't do it."

Wayne thought for a moment, then waved dismissively.

"Alright, alright. Don't worry about it. You're dismissed I'll find someone else."

He sighed and rubbed his temples.

Melting the Ark Maxim wasn't the real issue. With the Goro Goro no Mi, electrometallurgy was totally possible after all, Enel had built the ship using that very technique.

The real problem was he didn't have the original design blueprints.

He couldn't just fly the golden ship around openly too eye-catching so his best option was to transplant parts of it onto the Apocalypse and redesign the rest, crafting a brand-new flying warship.

"Looks like I'll need to find those two."

The shipwright he'd just spoken to was already among the best in Water 7. If even he couldn't handle it, Wayne had no choice but to turn to Iceburg and Franky.

Unfortunately, those two were estranged former apprentices, and now their paths couldn't be more different one was the city's respected mayor, and the other a no-good street thug.

Wayne decided to start by visiting Mayor Iceburg.

. . .

Inside the mayor's office in Water 7.

"Come in."

Wayne pushed open the door and stepped in. Inside was Mayor Iceburg, seated behind his desk, and beside him stood a woman in black stockings and high heels his secretary.

That secretary was none other than Kalifa, an undercover agent from CP9, sent by the World Government to find the blueprints for Pluton.

Wayne was fully aware of Kalifa's real identity, but he didn't let it show. He simply smiled and nodded to the mayor.

"Mayor Iceburg, I'm Wayne."

Iceburg's face was as icy as ever living up to his nickname, Ice Mountain.

He gave a polite nod. "Greetings, Lord Wayne. What brings you here today?"

Despite Wayne being a Warlord, Iceburg treated him respectfully. Wayne had never harmed civilians, and his company paid enormous taxes to the city every year.

What mayor doesn't love a major taxpayer?

"I'd like to modify a ship," Wayne explained. "All the materials are ready, but the design and execution are a bit tricky. I need your help."

Iceburg nodded thoughtfully. "That can be arranged. I'll have the folks at the Galley-La Company clear Dock One. Just bring the ship in—"

Wayne interrupted with a wave. "No, you misunderstand."

"This isn't a job just anyone can handle. I'm hoping you will oversee the project personally."

Iceburg hesitated.

He hadn't personally built a ship in years not due to rustiness, but sheer lack of time. As mayor, his schedule was packed, and it would be borderline absurd for a sitting mayor to return to shipbuilding.

"I appreciate the request," he said, "but I'm afraid I'm far too busy at the moment. However—"

"Three hundred million Berries," Wayne said, cutting him off. "Just for labor. The materials are already covered."

"That's not the issue—"

"Five hundred million."

"I really can't—"

"Eight hundred million."

Iceburg: (⊙_⊙)

He paused, lips twitching slightly. "Well... maybe I can squeeze it into my schedule..."

"Ten. Hundred. Million. Berries," Wayne said, enunciating each word clearly.

Iceburg took a long breath, then nodded. "Deal."

Truthfully, he'd already been swayed when Wayne offered eight hundred million, but spacing out for a second ended up earning him an extra two hundred million.

Akainu: What kind of power is this?

Wayne (smirking): The power of cash.

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