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

"Well, well, if it isn't old Sand Croc. Long time no see! What do you say grab a seat, have a drink?"

Wayne smirked at Crocodile, the familiar tone teasing. He wasn't surprised to see him. After all, he hadn't made the slightest effort to hide his presence on this trip. If another Warlord set foot on Crocodile's turf and he didn't notice, Wayne would've seriously started questioning the guy's qualifications.

Crocodile's gaze briefly swept across Robin, a flicker of old memories flashing in his eyes, before locking onto Wayne with clear suspicion.

"Well, I didn't expect this. Seven years ago, you were just some nobody. Now you're a big name shaking up the seas."

"So, what's a man like you doing in my territory?"

Crocodile's voice was laced with caution. He was in the final stages of a plan years in the making, and the last thing he needed was some unpredictable variable. Wayne was exactly the kind of variable that could unravel everything.

"Come on now, don't be so cold. Aren't we business partners of a sort?"

Wayne threw his hands up innocently.

"I'm really just passing through Alabasta. Just here for a few days of sun and sand, I swear."

Crocodile still looked skeptical, but he did seem to lower his guard a little.

While they ruled over separate domains Wayne in the New World and Crocodile here in Paradise they did have history. Some of Wayne's intelligence dealings were channeled through Baroque Works. Calling them "business partners" wasn't a stretch.

Wayne leaned in slightly and added under his breath, "Besides, who'd give a damn about that overhyped 'Pluton' of yours?"

"…What did you say?"

"Desert Spada!"

Crocodile's face darkened, his right arm morphing into a blade of compressed sand as he slashed at Wayne.

"Whoa, whoa! You always this touchy? I'm just a tourist!"

Wayne drew Shusui from his waist, armament haki shimmering across the blade as he blocked Crocodile's strike.

Yeah, he'd messed up. The mere mention of Pluton was enough to make Crocodile snap. To him, Pluton was everything the key to his revenge against Whitebeard, his path to domination. He'd sunk ten years into this plan.

"What else do you know?"

Crocodile's gaze turned razor-sharp.

Wayne scratched the back of his head. "Not much, really. Just that you're after an ancient weapon, and there's a Poneglyph buried beneath the royal palace…"

Crocodile's face grew stormier with every word.

"…and that you're using Dance Powder to incite rebellion and hijack the kingdom."

By the time Wayne laid out the whole scheme, Crocodile's face was a portrait of cold fury.

"How do you know all this? Who else knows?"

"Uh… saw it on TV? Wait, no, it's your own fault for leaving loose ends."

"But nah, probably just me who knows."

Wayne casually plucked a seabuckthorn fruit from Goliya's pocket an Alabasta specialty and took a bite.

"Ugh, sour!"

He handed the half-eaten fruit back to her.

Crocodile looked ready to explode. He glared at Wayne, teeth clenched. "You don't seem scared. So you think you can walk out of here alive?"

Wayne shrugged. "We're both Warlords. Why should I be scared? You can't beat me, and I'm not looking for a fight anyway."

Truth be told, Wayne could probably kill Crocodile here and now if he really wanted to. But what for? They weren't mortal enemies. And the Navy strictly forbade Warlords from killing each other. Plus, in two years, this guy was going to get knocked out by a rookie fresh off the East Blue.

Even if he wanted to end it here, it wouldn't be easy. Crocodile wasn't weak he was an old-school powerhouse, a Warlord from way back. Here in the desert, his power would spike dramatically.

That fight from the manga, where Luffy beat Crocodile with grit and spit? Wayne had always found it ridiculous.

Crocodile fell silent, lost in thought. After a few tense moments, he made up his mind.

"In that case… prepare to die. You came to my domain. The World Government won't say a thing if you vanish."

"Hold up, time-out!"

Wayne raised a hand in mock surrender and waved to a seagull flying overhead. How a seagull had made it this far into the desert, no one knew.

He pulled a letter from inside his coat and stuffed it into the news-carrying bird's satchel.

Turning to Robin, he said, "That was the final chapter of Journey to the West. It's finally done. Morgans has been chasing me for a month."

"Look at this! The delivery bird tracked me to the desert. What a nightmare. At last, it's over."

Wayne exhaled in relief. Having a news emperor breathing down your neck every day wasn't fun.

And readers in this world? Ruthless. In his previous life, angry fans might joke about sending razor blades. Here? They'd actually show up with swords and force you to write under duress.

He handed the seagull fifty Berries.

(Chopper: …I feel personally attacked.)

Wayne pulled a newspaper from the pouch, planning to check the headlines after wrapping things up.

"…Huh?"

"Damn it! Morgans, you bastard!"

Splashed across the front page:

SHOCKING! Warlord Wayne Battles Navy Admiral Aokiji for Two Days and Nights! The Reason Will Leave You Speechless…

The photo showed Wayne mid-strike, blade in hand, squaring off against Aokiji, whose side bled visibly.

Wayne's expression darkened. "Now I get why celebrities hate paparazzi so much."

He hadn't wanted Robin exposed being seen by the World Government meant endless trouble. And now his own strength was out in the open too, sure to attract more unwanted attention.

Especially from a certain sword freak who liked challenging strong people "for fun."