Grandline - a country full of flourishing cities full of establishments and business opportunities that stabilizes the economy's growth.
Just by looking at the establishments and buildings, anyone can say that this country has a lot to offer for people who seek jobs and find their footing in a corporate world. With the World Government at the helm of this nation, one would think that everything is going as perfectly as possible. That's when people are wrong.
Behind the buildings and the luxurious life that this nation can offer is an undeniable truth that everyone knows. The Mafia World.
As much as World Government wants to abolish the Underground world and its rulers, it's impossible, not when several groups are trying to climb the top to get the world-renowned title - Mafia King.
Several Mafia groups are hiding behind Grandline's biggest corporations making the World Government unable to fully utilize their manpower to arrest any of them. They have the power and the money to ensure that none of their illegal transactions are discovered. Without sufficient evidence, the World Government cannot make a move against them.
This is only true for the biggest Mafia groups out there but not for the smaller ones. Every day, the World Government are sending Mafia leaders and members to their prison cells and today is not different from those days.
Every day, the TV and newspaper contain information about Mafia groups that are sent to jail by the World Government. This should be good news to everyone else, but because of how frequent it is, people started seeing it as normal.
People know about the Mafia groups, it's no secret to them at this point as most of the businesses out there belong to them. Many seek protection under a certain group to avoid being targeted by others. They pay them in exchange for the protection the group can provide. This is how it works in this world.
It is either you create your own group to survive or live under someone else's. To kill or be killed. To hunt or be hunted. To fear or to fight. These are just a few of the unspoken laws in the underground world ruled by the Mafia leaders. Finding someone dead is a common occurrence in this nation. If someone got killed last night, everyone will know why. That person was killed by a mafia member.
Mafia Group's businesses usually involve several illegal activities such as firearms dealing, underground fighting arena, bars, cabarets, host clubs, and many more. But other mafia groups take a different route when it comes to their businesses and opted to deal with slavery, prostitution, and drugs just to name a few.
It is a battle royale of mafia groups, fighting over territories, and gaining an upper hand. With so many groups in Grandline, there are a few who were able to stand at the top of the food chain and the one who stood at the peak of this food chain is called Mafia King.
Several years ago, someone managed to snatch the title as the Mafia King - the king of all kings. If anyone ever asks who it was, they will immediately know. Even in rural areas where Mafia groups have limited access to, they all know who the Mafia King was. His name is Gol D. Roger.
This man's existence lived forever in the minds of everyone. Years after this death, no one can forget the legacy he left behind. Many rumors are surrounding Roger especially when it comes to his wealth.
Several years ago, the World Government declared an all-out war against Roger's Mafia Group. They risked everything they have just to arrest this man. Pieces of evidence laid before the public's eyes about Roger's involvement in an underground facility that deals with slavery as well as a laboratory that conducts experiments to humans sold as slaves.
There are several theories as to what that laboratory is for but none was ever proven. What everyone knows is that Roger is the mastermind behind this inhumane conduct. They all believed that only a madman can do this to humans.
World Government was quick to take action against Roger to arrest him for his heinous crimes. Years after Roger left Grandline, the World Government managed to locate him and sent several ships to surround the island he's staying at.
It was an arrest that Roger resisted. He was a madman through and through as instead of turning himself in, he decided to blow up the entire island, wiping it off the map of the world and this inevitably killed his family as well. His wife and this three sons.
When this news was published, many were shocked. How could someone do this to their own family? Yeah, maybe someone like Roger can easily do it without blinking. With the death of the Mafia King, the World Government set their eyes on finding the officers of his group only to find none of them.
They placed bounties on their heads for a long time but did not get any progress whatsoever. Within Roger's group, the World Government placed the highest bounty to Silvers Rayleigh's head - Roger's right-hand man and also known as Dark King in the underground world and also was considered as the brains behind the operations of the group.
Even to this day, 16 years since the Mafia King died, the World Government wasn't able to find the whereabouts of his previous members and they cannot commit all of their forces in doing so as more groups started to rise after the Mafia King's death.
They wanted the territories he left behind. They wanted the title that no one managed to get years after his death. World Government did not take this into account that his death will only add fuel to the fire. They thought that with his death, many groups will start to disband, but they're wrong.
"Earlier today, World Government officials have finally arrested Arlong's Mafia Group along with the Black Cat Mafia Group. All of their assets are confiscated by the World Government and that includes drug supplies amounting to at least 10 Million Bellies."
"16 years since the Mafia King's death, many are still hoping to get the title and dominate territories. But the World Government is keen on stopping this, dedicating all manpower and resources they have to start the process of targeting the Mafia Emperors' Groups such as Big Mom, Hundred Beast, Akagami, Blackbeard, and Whitebeard."
"With an arrest rate of almost 70%, many are expecting World Government to put a stop to all Mafia Groups that are still active even to this day. That's all that we could hope. Stay tuned for more information."
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
The news reached all over Grandline whose televisions are currently turned on.
Hearing the newscaster provide information, a brunette tall woman with grease on her hands just stares at the news portrayed on the television, clenching on the wrench in her hand.
She can only frown and glare at the words the newscaster mentioned:
Mafia King, Mafia Emperors, and World Government.
All of those words hold a significant value to this woman.
"You'll pay soon..." She muttered to herself.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
A blonde woman wearing formal office wear stops her hands from flipping the pages of the papers on her table in favor of listening to the news portrayed from the television.
She raises her eyebrow before frowning.
"You're all going to pay for what you did." She mumbled to herself before someone knocks on her door.
"Attorney Sab. The client is waiting for you."
"Alright." She said before standing up to attend the meeting. The television was turned off before she left her office.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
"World Government is on the move against groups again. Even if they say that they want to target the Emperors, there's no way they can do in a blink of an eye." An orange-haired woman said after their group heard the news.
"They'll most likely target groups like ours." A blond-haired man said before exhaling a smoke of the cigarette.
"What do you think, Luffia?" A long-nosed, curly-haired man asks the person sitting on the couch, staring at the television.
"Not if they get targeted first." The words she said made the people in the dark-lit room stare at her in confusion but none dared to ask. They can feel the tension surrounding her and the weight of the words she said.
A storm is brewing and they might find themselves in the middle of this storm or catastrophe.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
AN: Finally managed to write the first chapter, although this is more of an introduction than anything.
Anyway, let me know what you guys think!
Also, placed several warnings for this story. Although I am not a fan of describing violence that much so I will tone it down a little as much as I can.
This is a slow burn, let me tell you. I am not kidding. I outlined till Chapter 28 and it's not even half of the story. So, most likely this will be around 80 chapters or so. Probably, who knows.