One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

Twelve hours passed quickly.

[System notification: Upgrade complete. The system has officially advanced to a secondary level.]

[System notification: New functions unlocked — Character Template function activated. You will now receive one non-character investment opportunity per month. Investment income can also be transferred between characters.]

With the system's upgrade, three new features were unlocked. Vane focused mainly on the non-character investment function — meaning he could now invest in the Fruit of Life.

"System, how many Devil Fruits are needed to invest in the Fruit of Life?"

[Five.]

"Five?" Vane was surprised. He hadn't expected the investment requirement to be that high. Mr. Yamamoto only required four, and Esdeath just two. But the Fruit of Life needed five Devil Fruits?

"It must have tremendous potential then…"

Right now, Vane only had one spare Devil Fruit — the one given to him by Boa Hancock. He'd have to wait before investing in the Fruit of Life.

Next, Vane opened the character template tab. Besides his own template, both Kalifa and Esdeath had now been added.

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Character: Kalifa

Allegiance: Vane

People she cares about: Vane

Abilities: Six Powers, Observation Haki (entry-level), Armament Haki (entry-level), Beginner-level Thunder Fruit awakening

General Assessment: Dangerous and seductive — a femme fatale.

---

Character: Esdeath

Allegiance: None

Abilities: Swordsmanship, Ice Teigu

General Assessment: Exceptionally powerful and ruthless. Believes in the law of the jungle — the strong devour the weak.

---

Three days later, Vane arrived at the harbor of Sabaody Archipelago, where Silvers Rayleigh was finishing up a coating job.

After two months, he had returned once again to the island he had called home for over ten years. A wave of nostalgia washed over him. But he wasn't the same man anymore — Vane had grown. He was no longer the Vane of the past.

"Hey, Rayleigh! Long time no see!"

He greeted the legendary pirate, who had just finished working and was sitting down for a drink. Rayleigh looked up in surprise — it was the same boy he had helped not long ago.

"I remember you. Your name's Vane, right?" Rayleigh said with a smile. In his twilight years, the sharp edge that once made him a legend had softened. After more than two decades in seclusion on the Sabaody Archipelago, few still recognized him as the Pirate King's right hand.

Vane took a seat and asked, "The Navy hasn't been bothering you since last time, have they? After all, your location was exposed."

Rayleigh narrowed his eyes. "There are more eyes on me, sure, but nothing serious. Still, you should be cautious. The Navy may not be chasing me anymore, but you're another story. You've drawn some serious heat — they're gearing up to arrest you."

"You're a man with a bounty of one billion and fifty million Berries. In the New World, pirates with that kind of price on their heads are just one step below the Yonko."

"My bounty increased again? One billion and fifty million?" Vane was confused. Last he checked, it was still around 700 million. A 350 million Berries jump in a single month?

"You didn't know?" Rayleigh asked.

Vane shook his head. "I've been on Skypiea this past month. I haven't kept up with news from the sea."

Then it clicked. "It must've been that incident with Aokiji…"

"No wonder," Rayleigh muttered. "But you should be careful. A lot of pirates have their eyes on you now. For someone with your bounty, you haven't made enough public achievements to justify it — especially for a newcomer. Other than killing a Celestial Dragon, most don't know much about what you've done. That's left a lot of pirates unhappy."

Rayleigh leaned in, lowering his voice. "You went to Enies Lobby, didn't you? Then straight to Skypiea?"

That information had come from Shakky, who specialized in intelligence.

"Yeah," Vane admitted.

"Do you know what you've done?" Rayleigh's tone grew heavier. "If both of us were captured by the World Government, you would be the last to die — and your death would be the most brutal of all."

Vane nodded in agreement. In this world, the World Government cared more about its pride than eliminating an old legend like Rayleigh.

Rayleigh gave a small smile. "That's why I'm telling you to tread carefully on the Sabaody Archipelago."

"I'll be heading into the New World soon anyway. They won't be able to touch me there."

With Vane's current strength, abilities, and hidden cards, he was no longer someone who could be taken down easily.

"By the way," Vane added, "I saw something you left behind — on a Poneglyph. The words of the Pirate King, Roger."

Rayleigh turned his gaze to the sea. The name brought back memories, long buried under the tides of time.

"For me, the events on Skypiea feel like they happened in another life. I can barely recall most of it," Rayleigh said, taking a slow sip of his drink. Then, with a serious look, he asked, "If you're a pirate, what is it you seek? Power? Fame? Status? Wealth? Women?"

It was a profound question — a reflection on life. These five goals summed up what most pirates pursued.

"Me?" Vane looked out toward the horizon. "I want to overturn the world."

Rayleigh chuckled. "Ambitious. But you can't do that alone."

But Vane didn't say the rest aloud.

His goal wasn't just to overthrow the world…

He wanted to rule it.

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More chapters? You know the drill! (＾▽＾)

Powerstones = fuel for extra heat!