When Wayne saw the Junior Corps arriving, he took a deep breath and shouted loudly:
"Everyone, please stop crowding here! Go home and rest! If this keeps up, someone's going to get trampled!"
To his dismay, his words only made the crowd even more excited. The people waved and shouted even louder, thrilled just to hear his voice.
Helpless, Wayne released a trace of Conqueror's Haki to reinforce his authority. With a sharper tone, he roared, "If you don't head home now, I'm going to get angry! I'll have the Junior Corps detain every last one of you!"
Sure enough, bolstered by the weight of his Haki, the citizens finally began to calm down. Slowly, they started heading home.
With the Junior Corps organizing things, the port soon emptied aside from a few vendors still hawking Wayne-themed merchandise.
You had to give it to them. These merchants had a real nose for business.
"Welcome home, Lord Wayne!"
Standing before him was the Junior Corps unit that had maintained order. Their faces were lit with pride and excitement, though noticeably more restrained than the general populace.
Wayne studied the young faces and nodded toward the leader of the squad. "I remember you. Wallace, right? I gave you a lesson once."
The City of Freedom had its own schools, and Wayne was officially the principal of all three. He'd funded their construction himself, modeling their systems on his knowledge from his previous life. When he had the time, he'd even teach a class or two though sadly, that hadn't been enough to unlock the "Teacher" profession in his system.
The boy named Wallace was visibly moved. His eyes shone with pride as he replied with a trembling voice, "Yes, Lord Wayne. You once taught me swordsmanship!"
Wayne nodded at the kids, then continued walking, escorted by the Junior Corps.
After passing through the port district, they arrived at the commercial area. Right at the border between the two zones stood a thirty-meter-tall statue of Wayne himself.
Wayne hadn't commissioned this statue. It had been funded and erected by the citizens themselves, back when the city was first being built.
The sculpture depicted Wayne with elegant features, draped in a black coat. His gaze was sharp, piercing through the distance, as though leading the people behind him toward hope.
At last, Wayne and his entourage reached company headquarters a towering castle built atop the highest mountain in the entire city.
"Boss, welcome home!"
As Wayne stepped through the front doors, he saw Lafayette and Morn waiting to greet him in the grand hall.
Funny enough, the two of them looked surprisingly alike. Lafayette always looked pale as a ghost, while Morn wore white powder on his face almost every day.
"Kuro, go with Lafayette and Morn for now. Get familiar with the operations and find your rhythm quickly."
Wayne nodded at the two and introduced Kuro to them. All three had solid intellects especially Kuro. Since neither Wayne nor Solomon could handle every task personally, having capable subordinates like these three was essential for running things smoothly.
"Boss, Solomon is waiting for you on the rooftop."
Wayne nodded, gave a few final instructions, and climbed the stairs to the castle's rooftop.
...
The rooftop of company headquarters was the highest point in the entire City of Freedom. Wayne had always loved standing here, looking out over the thriving city below. It seemed Solomon, now handling much of the city's affairs, had grown fond of the view as well.
"You're here?"
As soon as Wayne stepped onto the rooftop, Solomon his back turned, eyes still on the city spoke without looking.
Wayne walked up beside him. "What's this? Not happy to see me?"
Solomon picked up a nearby bottle of red wine, poured Wayne a glass, and said, "Of course I'm happy. It's just that you're never around. I was starting to worry the people only knew the city gates, not the man who built them."
Wayne took a sip of the wine. He understood Solomon's point. As his older brother, Solomon was essentially second-in-command. For the past few years, he'd managed the city on his own. Some of the older veterans had started complaining that the citizens remembered Solomon's name more than Wayne's.
But Wayne didn't care about that. He had never built the City of Freedom for fame or power. His motivations stemmed from the pain of his own childhood and his compassion for the enslaved.
Still, that compassion had always been from a position of strength. As Wayne rescued more slaves and his forces grew, the City of Freedom had risen naturally from those efforts.
"You know I don't care about things like that. And besides, I trust you."
Lighting a cigarette, Wayne stood in the cold rooftop wind. Under the silver moonlight, he looked Solomon in the eyes.
Solomon smiled, clearly moved. Everything he'd done including today's spectacle at the harbor had been for that one reason: to be worthy of Wayne's trust.
He paused, then said, "I know you don't care, but if you want to realize your dream... power is something you'll need."
Wayne shrugged noncommittally. Who could really say no to power? Even he lived within the comfort it brought.
Solomon refilled Wayne's glass. "I heard about what you did on the Island of Slavery. What are your plans for it?"
Wayne blinked. The sudden topic change caught him off guard. "I don't really have a plan. I just couldn't stand Slaive. He was always trying to mess with us."
Solomon shook his head. "I figured you'd say that. But have you considered this? Without a structure in place, that nation could fall back into the same darkness as before."
Wayne nodded. He'd thought about it. But he wasn't a god he couldn't fix everything.
"So what's your suggestion?"
Solomon downed his wine in one go. In his eyes gleamed something unmistakable ambition.
"Have you ever thought about turning that island into a branch city? A secondary capital, second only to the City of Freedom?"
Wayne caught his meaning. "But our main base is in the New World. That island's way back in the first half of the Grand Line. Can we really manage a second headquarters that far away?"
Solomon spoke with confidence. "Yes. You've been gone two years, so you might not know our strength has grown a lot. We're more than capable of establishing a major base there. And once we do, our network and influence will expand even further."
He continued, "Besides, you don't have to worry about the distance. Did you forget what Devil Fruit power I have? My teleportation range easily covers that island. So... let me handle the expansion. You just deal with the Navy."
Wayne nodded. "No problem. I trust your judgment."
Catching a falling snowflake in his hand, Solomon murmured, "It's snowing... Oh right, Caesar said he'll be on leave soon. He might be able to visit you."
Wayne paused, then a flicker of excitement entered his voice. "Really? I haven't seen him in ages. When's he coming?"
Solomon shook his head. "You know how it is with the Navy. We'll only know when the time comes."
Wayne nodded. "Alright. Talking about all this has me wide awake now. Come on, let's go hit the hot springs while it's snowing. We'll talk more there."
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