One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

[Five days before Vane and the others landed on Sky Island]

Marine Headquarters.

Aokiji finally regained consciousness and later explained the truth to Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the others. This overturned their initial suspicions—there was no force behind Vane, no one aiding him in secret. Instead, Vane wielded a sword that had eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit!

A Logia-type Flame Fruit.

This name confused Sengoku and the others. Flame Fruit? Wasn't that just the same as Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit? But Aokiji clarified—the flames produced by Vane's sword were far more intense than normal fire. It wasn't the same kind of heat as Fire Fist Ace's flames. These flames were strange, almost alive, and could even chase targets.

Moreover, even without using his Devil Fruit, Vane's physical strength was overwhelming. He sent Aokiji flying hundreds of meters with a single punch. If Aokiji weren't a Logia user—or if Vane hadn't used Armament Haki at the time—his body might've been shattered entirely.

The Marine top brass held a long discussion, recognizing the threat Vane posed.

Vane was terrifyingly strong—his power was comparable to that of a Marine Admiral. Add that mysterious sword to the equation, and his combat potential became even harder to define.

"This is giving me a headache," Sengoku muttered.

"As for the Celestial Dragons... let them stir up trouble if they want."

He slapped his forehead in frustration.

"If this keeps up, the New World might see another sea emperor rise. He's only fifteen. Who knows how far he'll grow."

Shortly after, a new bounty was issued. Vane's bounty skyrocketed—not only did the number go up, but he also earned a new title: Fire Sword Vane.

His bounty was 1,050,000,000 Berries.

Only the Marines understood why it was so high. Many of Vane's actions had been covered up. The assault on Enies Lobby, for instance, was known only to groups with top-tier intelligence, like Doflamingo's network and the Big Mom Pirates—leaders with access to secret information. Even they didn't know the full story. Aokiji's injury, for example, was known only to Marine officers, and that news had been buried.

The title "Fire Sword," alongside the massive bounty, painted Vane as someone with no background or allies, and who had only been at sea for under a month. This meteoric rise caused a stir throughout the world. Most pirates with billion-Berry bounties were entrenched in the New World and backed by major forces. Vane had neither.

So why did he have such a bounty?

Many pirates were enraged and confused. Bounties are status symbols—proof of power and reputation. And this teenage brat with barely any whiskers was worth over a billion?

"Fire Sword Vane? So he's a swordsman too?"

Somewhere along the Grand Line, a lone coffin ship drifted across the sea.

Dracule Mihawk, the greatest swordsman in the world, stared at the new bounty poster.

"To earn a title like 'Fire Sword' means he's no ordinary swordsman."

Vane had caught his attention.

The seas were stirring, but Vane—still on Sky Island—was completely unaware.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed. During that time, Vane and his crew remained on Sky Island.

The old king had died, and a new one had risen. After Enel's defeat, control of the island changed hands, but none of that concerned Vane.

During this period, Vane either rested or trained. He continued honing the Quake-Quake Fruit, improving his control and devising new techniques. He also familiarized himself with Yamamoto's combat style, which he had received through [Investment]. He'd obtained various abilities: Ryukenwakaki, Kido techniques, single-bone and twin-bone swordplay, and mastery of kenjutsu.

Additionally, Vane took a huge portion of the gold from Sandora—the Golden Land. With it, he could make another round of investments. He estimated he could accelerate development by 200 years.

With careful division, he could invest in at least four different individuals. Since the lifespan of most strong people peaked around 70–80 years, investing for just 50 years per person would be enough. Of course, some beings lived much longer—over thousands of years.

While exploring Sky Island, Vane was surprised to discover two Devil Fruits that had gone unnoticed. But thinking about it, it made sense—Sky Island was isolated. Most people didn't even understand what Devil Fruits were, often mistaking them for normal fruits.

One fruit was a Paramecia, and the other was a Zoan-type. There was no Devil Fruit encyclopedia on Sky Island, so Vane had no idea what their powers were. It was likely that even the encyclopedia on the Blue Sea didn't list all the fruits.

Vane also helped Kalifa develop her control over the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. With his experience from another world, he guided her with imagination: repulsion, magnetism, electricity, heat, combustion—all concepts that went beyond what Enel had ever conceived.

What was most astonishing—Kalifa could still swim after eating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. She wasn't weakened by Sea-Prism Stone either. There were no side effects.

One month later—

Vane and his crew were preparing to leave Sky Island.

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