One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

This was the day after Vane left the Sabaody Archipelago and set off for Fishman Island.

The major events that occurred on Sabaody were reported as some of the biggest news of the year. However, the story about Vane killing a Celestial Dragon was quietly buried this time.

But such sensational news is only complete when paired with a new bounty issued by the World Government.

So, all the major newspapers waited all morning—and then the new bounty was released.

It was Vane's new bounty!

This time, the news didn't just highlight the increase in bounty—it revealed information that shook the world.

The bounty was set at 1.5 billion Berries! He was described as possessing the power of shock and ice, wielding two Devil Fruits, skilled in all three types of Haki, and armed with a flaming sword.

Newspapers detailed this in full, leading to endless speculation. Some guessed that the Explosion-Explosion Fruit was a variant of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and equally powerful. Others said his freezing powers matched those of the Admiral Aokiji's Ice-Ice Fruit. Vivid images accompanied the story—destruction at Sabaody, and the surrounding sea frozen solid for days.

The pictures alone were enough to convince the public.

Another Celestial Dragon dead—this time, people weren't even surprised. After all, it was the same man again. Only after defeating an admiral could the world begin to understand his audacity. He wasn't afraid to die. That kind of power—enough to take down an admiral—what could someone like that possibly fear?

The fact that Vane had killed more Celestial Dragons didn't shock the world nearly as much as the revelation that he possessed two Devil Fruits. That was what truly sent shockwaves across the globe. Whether pirates, civilians, nobles, marines, or revolutionaries—no one could ignore the magnitude of that fact.

"Hey, hurry up and print as many copies as you can!"

"Get the presses running at full speed!"

"We're going to make a fortune! This is headline gold!"

"Add this to the front page—Vane, the Pirate God, most likely to become the fifth Emperor!"

"You scared to print that, you coward? Do it!"

"And throw this in too—he might become a monster like Whitebeard!"

The newspaper agencies across Sabaody were going berserk. They were printing day and night, seeing Berries in every sheet. The bounty posters and newspapers were soon delivered by seagulls across the world—villages, towns, kingdoms, islands, and ships at sea.

Demand was overwhelming. Newspapers were running out.

Even if some claimed not to believe it, they had to—dozens of sources reported the same. The photos matched, the bounty had risen—whether it was true or not, the world accepted it as fact.

"Whoa, he actually defeated a Navy admiral? Is the Fire Sword Vane really that strong?"

"He's not even sixteen! I was still rolling in the mud at that age!"

"I became a pirate at sixteen, and after ten years of crimes, my bounty is only nine million Berries!"

"How terrifying. Can a monster like an admiral really be beaten by a human?"

"I once saw Aokiji freeze an entire island—and the sea around it for fifty meters. Can anyone even fight against that?"

"Is Vane even human? Two Devil Fruits! Have you ever heard of that happening before?"

"Never. It's insane."

"If he really can match a Navy admiral… then maybe the papers are right. He could become the fifth Emperor."

"It's possible… but becoming an Emperor is no easy task."

…

"What's happening to the world? Pirates like this are terrifying! How are we civilians supposed to survive?"

"He's the only one alive who's dared to kill Celestial Dragons—and he's done it three times! He doesn't seem like a villain to me. I'd rather call him an adventurer!"

"Adventurer? The papers called him a pirate, and he's got a bounty on his head. That's all that matters."

"God, punish this terrible pirate! The world was already chaotic—now it's hell."

All over the world, people discussed it—pirates, civilians, nobles—everyone had something to say.

Meanwhile, in a certain part of the Grand Line, a pirate ship sailed steadily.

"Boss, this won't work! You already ate one Devil Fruit. If you eat another, something bad could happen!"

"Yeah, Captain!"

The captain of the Mantis Pirates—a muscular man with a beastly face—had the Mantis-Mantis Fruit, a Zoan-type ability. Now he held another Devil Fruit, rumored to be the Spider-Spider Fruit, and intended to eat it.

His crew was torn—some tried to stop him, others watched silently.

But the captain didn't flinch.

"Why can a punk like Vane eat two Devil Fruits? And look at the women around him—never seen such beauties in my life. Once I gain these powers, I'll tear through the New World, crush every Emperor, and become the Pirate King! I'll have everything—power, status, wealth, women! No one will stand in my way! Anyone who does—I'll kill them!"

He shouted across the ship. No one dared oppose him.

Everything went silent.

The captain raised the fruit to his mouth. He hesitated briefly—but the thought of everything he could gain made him commit.

"Here goes nothing!"

He bit into the fruit—and screamed in agony.

His body convulsed. Every nerve screamed as though being stabbed from the inside out. The crew froze in fear. No one dared approach him. They could only watch as he writhed… until finally, his body exploded violently.

He was dead—mangled beyond recognition.

"…What the hell…"

"I told him not to eat it!"

"He's dead! What now?!"

Panic broke out among the crew.

Then the vice-captain stepped forward.

"Shut up! From now on, I'm the captain!"

"Hah! Screw your Mantis powers—I've got the Cockroach-Cockroach Fruit! I've wanted you dead for a long time. You took credit for everything while I did the dirty work. No more!"

"From now on, we're not the Mantis Pirates. We're the Cockroach Pirates! I'm the captain now! Anyone who wants to live—fall in line! And clean up this mess. I'm gonna puke just looking at it."

Scenes like this played out all over the Grand Line. Across different seas, powerful pirates risked everything trying to eat a second Devil Fruit.

Some succeeded in stealing one, and consumed it immediately.

Every time—it ended the same.

They exploded and died in horrific pain.

Devil Fruits are rare. Some are found, others lost, but one rule is certain: when a Devil Fruit user dies, their fruit reappears somewhere in the world—like energy being recycled. That's how the power passes on.

Do you really think one person can eat two?

Since ancient times, legends warned: a body cannot hold two devils. When the devils clash, death is inevitable.

Over the following days, multiple pirate captains perished this way. Their crews fell apart.

But those were small fry. They weren't even strong enough to reach the New World, much less survive the crushing pressure of 10,000 meters beneath the sea.

Still, stories of pirates trying to eat two Devil Fruits became a trending topic.

Greedy pirates, desperate to gain overwhelming power, continued to seek out and fight over Devil Fruits. Some hoped to defy fate. Most ended in carnage.

In the end, one truth remained:

Two Devil Fruits?

Death. Always.

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