Harlem, New York 1905

Quincy McIver and Buggsy stokes were good friends. They worked together as dishwashers in various restaurants in the city until they finally earned up enough money to go into business together and opened up their own club. Harlem's Paradise they called it Quincy ran the bar and Buggsy ran the club. Quincy had an old family recipe to that went back decades for rum he called it Bushmaster's rum. They earned a lot of money quickly and soon a lot of people wanted a piece of their business. The local Mafia, the cops, and the crooked politicians all wanted some control over the club Quincy said no but Buggsy caved in when they told him he could keep the bar and make money off of the rum if he got rid of Quincy. So Buggsy killed Quincy but not before Quincy shot Buggsy in the stomach and Buggsy would die a few months later too.

Quincy left behind a son Johnny Mciver and his wife Gwen after Quincy's death they ran away to her homeland Jamaica where she could raise Johnny.

Kingston Jamaica, 1913

Johnny was 13 years old now and his mom had steady work they were fine until the Stokes showed up to Jamaica for a "Vacation". They met with his mother Gwen in private to talk about Quincy's will. They wanted control of Bushmaster's rum and anything that he owned from Harlem's paradise. Gwen refused. The Stokes however don't like taking no for an answer. So later that night they paid a visit to the McIver household and set it on fire killing Gwen. Johnny survived but was scarred for life at what had happened to make matters worse Buggsy's Stokes wife was there she was the one who set the house on fire. She had Quincy's will in her hands tore it up and threw it into the flames, laughed, and then walked away.

A few months later as he was minding his business on his way home from school to his Uncle's house who was now raising him. He was shot by a Stokes in the stomach. They all thought Johnny was going to die. One of his cousins took him to a lady who lived out far away from town as a last resort. She used some weird lotions and potions and somehow after hours Johnny survived. But since that day that he was shot he vowed revenge against the stokes for all that they had done to him and his family.

New York, 1933

Johnny was 33 years old now. A rugged veteran of the streets having been involved with bootlegging all over the Caribbean during prohibition the past decade. Running rum from the Caribbean to the United States he made money, he made enemies, and he piled up bodies it's how he gained the reputation as Bushmaster. One mention of the Stokes and he was in New York City immediately. Apparently the Stokes were still around in fact they ran the criminal underworld of Harlem. Mariah Dillard was a local politician but she was dirty like the rest of them and a Stokes. 

Even if he was away for years he still had contacts in the city. He had a cousin in Brooklyn who ran a small time gang of hoodlums and decided to pay him a visit. Johnny entered his cousin's hideout and took a seat waiting for him and his gang to arrive.

"How the hell did you get here?"

"If that's the question ya askin then ya in worse shape den I thought boy."

"Johnny dat you?"

Even after all these years he somewhat recognized the man sitting in the chair now

"Bushmaster dey call me Bushmaster now."

"My brudda said you'd never come ere."

"Ya brudda also said he'd never do business wit a Stokes. Ya soft and weak."

"You talk tuff. You think you can take over Harlem and Mariah Dil-"

"Stokes. Mariah Stokes. Harlem is mine it's me birthrite y'know."

"Get outta heah wit dat sheeit."

Furious Johnny lunges at his cousin with a pocket knife. Stabbing him across his eyes and then snapping his neck killing him. His goons start shooting at Johnny but Johnny moves quickly and starts kicking the guns out of their hands and stabs a goon in his neck killing him. The remaining two goods start shooting at Johnny but at their surprise he takes their bullets and survives. They stare at him in disbelief and surrender.

"As I was sayin den. We got work to do."