One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

When the biggest and most explosive news of the year broke out, the world was shaken. Many people were uneasy—especially those who weren't ordinary civilians.

White Earth Island, located in the first half of the Grand Line, was shrouded in dense clouds as if a heavy rain was about to fall.

This island, rarely known to outsiders, was the hidden headquarters of the Revolutionary Army.

"If only I could have stayed a little longer to witness that battle with my own eyes…"

"The massive frozen tsunami and the shattered battlefield—it all speaks volumes about the scale of the fight."

Dragon held up the newspaper. The entire front page was filled with reports about Vane.

"It's strange… a man of such strength submitting to the Revolutionary Army? Unlikely. A powerful man like that surely carries his own pride."

"But," Dragon muttered to himself, "there may still be room for cooperation."

From the side, Sabo exclaimed in disbelief, "Dragon, do you really think someone could wield two Devil Fruit powers? That completely defies logic!"

"No, Sabo," Dragon replied, "logic doesn't apply to everyone. There's always a handful of people who break the rules."

"So… we're the ones living within the bounds of logic?" Kerra added.

"Exactly."

Sabo looked confused. "But why won't he join us? He clearly despises the Celestial Dragons, just like we do. We share a common enemy."

Dragon's eyes narrowed. "Some things aren't that simple. A man who could rival Whitebeard would never bend the knee to anyone—not even us."

"Comparable to Whitebeard? You really believe what's in the paper?"

"I've seen him, spoken to him. The conversation wasn't pleasant… but I could feel it—he's strong."

Dragon added one last thing: "And most importantly… he's young. Younger than all of you. And youth means unlimited potential."

"Especially if he already has the power to take down an admiral."

As he spoke, Dragon gazed out at the distant sea, falling into deep thought.

The pirates could move freely under the sun, but the Revolutionary Army's cause had to remain in the shadows—for now, perhaps for many years to come. Their base on White Earth Island had to stay hidden. If the Navy discovered it, as Vane once warned, the Buster Call would be issued and this island would be obliterated within thirty minutes.

"This world… it breeds darkness because of demons. And the Celestial Dragons are the demons."

"This twisted rule must be overthrown. The darkness must be cleansed so that the light can truly shine."

---

Amazon Lily, Imperial Palace

"I saw Lord Vane again!"

"Lord Vane is still so dazzling!"

Boa Hancock blushed, sitting on the floor with newspapers and Vane's bounty poster scattered before her.

She held her cheeks, visibly flustered, glancing at his photo with a dreamy smile.

"I'll find that Devil Fruit, no matter what."

"Soon… I'll be able to see Lord Vane again!"

"Who's that blonde girl with him?! Why does she get to stay by his side?!"

"Ugh! I'm jealous!"

Hancock murmured to herself.

"This girl's lost it," the old woman muttered, watching her with a sigh.

"Granny Nyon, what should we do?" asked her two younger sisters. "Our sister's been acting strange lately."

Granny Nyon sighed. "What can be done? She's fallen in love. Or maybe it's obsession. Either way, she's smitten with that man… no, that boy."

"Fallen in love?"

"Impossible!"

"Our big sister hates men!"

They couldn't believe it. How could Boa Hancock fall for someone she'd only met once?

"What's impossible about it?" Granny Nyon said. "The girl's crazy."

She didn't want to say more. In her opinion, Vane had bewitched Hancock, maybe even taken advantage of her admiration. He asked her to find a Devil Fruit, and she interpreted it as affection.

What else could explain her obsession?

"Then again… maybe someone as strong as him really will become the next Pirate Emperor."

---

In the first half of the Grand Line

Perpetually shrouded in darkness, its name—Ghost Island.

Hawkeye Mihawk sipped his tea, the latest newspaper resting in front of him.

"I didn't expect him to be this powerful."

"This is the first time I've heard of someone wielding two Devil Fruit powers."

But Mihawk wasn't focused on the abilities. What caught his attention was the sword.

A blurry photo—likely taken secretly by a reporter—showed Vane's back, flames swirling from the blade he held. The sword didn't appear to be one of the famed ones, at least not at first glance. Maybe it was the photo's fault, but the flaming blade exuded something extraordinary.

"I'd like to meet him. If a sword can produce flames like that… how powerful is it?"

"A true swordsman deserves a worthy sword."

Mihawk glanced at Yoru, his own Supreme Grade blade. It was a symbol of his title: the world's greatest swordsman.

"Let's hope we meet someday. I want to see what kind of man you are."

He had bested every swordsman he'd faced. Only Red-Haired Shanks had truly dueled him for long periods. But after Shanks lost an arm in the East Blue, their duels ceased.

It's lonely at the top. Invincibility breeds isolation.

---

New World, Dressrosa, Royal Palace

"He took down another Celestial Dragon? What a monster."

"No… he's no brat anymore. If he can beat an admiral, then even I can't take him lightly."

Doflamingo, flamboyant as ever in his feathered coat and pink shades, grinned.

"If this keeps up, that little elite circle's power will start to crumble. World Nobles? Hah! Let them tremble."

"Even if they fall, I'll still rise."

"Celestial Dragons… the monsters of the New World are getting restless. What will you do when your pedestal disappears?"

His train of thought was interrupted by the ring of a special Den Den Mushi. His expression immediately darkened.

Only one person ever used this line.

Kaido of the Beasts—the Pirate Emperor.

He picked up the call.

"Joker," Kaido's deep voice rumbled.

"Yes, Kaido. I'm here."

Doflamingo didn't dare act arrogant. He could mock anyone, even admirals. But Kaido… Kaido was a different kind of monster. Only those who had stood before him knew how terrifying he truly was.

"I need all the information you have on that man."

"Vane?"

Kaido's voice sharpened. "Is there a problem with your intelligence?"

"None whatsoever!"

Doflamingo was sweating. In terms of intelligence networks, the Big Mom Pirates ranked first, the World Government second, and he considered himself third. Spies and contacts stretched across the Grand Line. Digging into Vane's background wouldn't be hard—just a matter of time.

"How's your artificial Devil Fruit project?" Kaido asked.

"Proceeding well."

That was a lie. He and Caesar were still early in their experiments. Failure was constant.

Kaido's ambition was mad: a pirate crew of full Zoan Devil Fruit users—a real Beast Army.

---

Wano Country, Beast Pirates Headquarters

In a massive cave, Kaido sat cross-legged, towering over his subordinates. Beside him were massive barrels of sake.

At more than ten meters tall, Kaido's monstrous body dwarfed his men.

The Three Disasters—King the Wildfire, Queen the Plague, and Jack the Drought—stood before him.

Queen scoffed, "Why bother investigating some brat?"

King's voice was cold. "If he can beat Akainu, don't call him a brat."

"He's still human trash! Just a kid!"

Kaido bellowed, "He has two Devil Fruit powers. I want to uncover his secret. It could help perfect my Beast Army."

Jack nodded. "Lord Kaido is wise."

Kaido grinned drunkenly. "I wonder… can he kill me? I've tried everything. Still alive."

"Maybe he'll become the fifth Pirate Emperor. I'd like to see it."

"Whitebeard gave me hell, but couldn't kill me. I fell from 10,000 meters… still breathing."

"Who can end my life?"

The Three Disasters said nothing. They were ancient Zoan users—tough beyond comparison. But Kaido was in a league of his own: unmatched durability, monstrous resilience, and a body that refused to die.

---

Far away from Wano, on Whole Cake Island—headquarters of the Big Mom Pirates...

"Well, well, well…"

"I'm interested in this kid."

In the Cake Castle, the terrifying woman had just finished devouring her latest dessert. The ground before her was corroded and rotten—melted by the stomach acid that had dripped from her mouth. Her stomach acid was so powerful, it could dissolve nearly anything. In the entire world, only Big Mom had such terrifying digestive power.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the image of Vane. Even her own children sometimes shuddered when they saw that intense, deranged gaze of hers.

She was one of the most powerful women in the world. Undisputed.

"If I can marry him into the family, my power would become even greater, wouldn't it?"

Big Mom was already plotting to have one of her daughters marry Vane. This was her usual method for strengthening her pirate crew. She believed only in power that came from blood relations—nothing else. That's why she obsessed over childbirth. She had more than eighty children, fathered by dozens of ex-husbands.

"Is Mama going to marry again?"

"Marry? It's the man who marries in!"

"Would anyone actually want that…? Weird!"

"Don't want to? You think he's Mama's rival? Just because he beat a rabid dog, he thinks he can challenge Mama?"

The Charlotte family members started chatting amongst themselves.

Regardless, there was no way Vane would ever fall in love with any of Big Mom's daughters.

---

Red Hair Pirates – Red Force

"Whoa! That's a shocker."

Shanks chuckled lightly.

"Hard not to be shocked. Two Devil Fruits in one person?" Ben Beckman said gravely.

"It's insane! How does a monster like that even exist in this world?" Yasopp muttered with a grin.

Shanks laughed heartily. "Come on, isn't this world always full of surprises? It's normal for someone beyond our imagination to appear now and then. I just wonder how far he'll go."

Ben Beckman looked at him seriously. "Shanks, your arm… you bet that arm on the new era."

"Yeah," Shanks said quietly.

He pressed his remaining left hand over the stump of his missing right arm.

Then, he smiled. "There's finally someone to resist this age."

---

New World – Moby Dick (Whitebeard Pirates)

"Gurararara! I didn't expect that brat to be this strong!"

Whitebeard laughed heartily. It wasn't mockery—just pure amusement. He referred to Vane as a brat, but not out of contempt. Even if Admiral Akainu stood before him, Whitebeard would still call him a brat.

"Pops, is that really possible? Can one person truly possess two Devil Fruits? Don't the demons inside them clash?" Marco asked, stunned. The rest of the crew were just as shocked.

Whitebeard nodded. "I once saw someone try it. Ate two Devil Fruits at once…"

"What happened?" they asked, eager to know.

Whitebeard grinned. "He exploded."

"Gurararara!"

"My sons, remember—those are rare exceptions. Not something anyone can repeat."

He warned them not to experiment with Devil Fruits. Most who did paid the price with their lives.

Bista added, "Pops, the papers are calling him your successor."

Ace burst into laughter. "Seriously? Compared to Pops? No way—he's invincible!"

"Exactly!" someone echoed. "No matter how strong Vane is, he's no Whitebeard!"

"Don't worry about it!" Whitebeard said cheerfully. "You'll all find out in time!"

Strangely enough, his health had been improving lately, something even his crew had noticed. But Whitebeard paid it no mind. A good thing was a good thing, after all.

None of them realized it was due to Vane's hidden investment in him through the [Investment System], subtly healing Whitebeard's internal injuries.

"Come on, drink up! My sons!" he bellowed.

"Pops, take care of yourself!"

"Gurarara! I'm already feeling better!"

---

In a quieter corner of the ship, Blackbeard was reading the newspaper carefully.

"Will I succeed too…?"

"A dual Devil Fruit user…"

Blackbeard muttered to himself. Though he was still lying low within the Whitebeard Pirates, he hadn't given up on his ambition. He had dreamed countless times of possessing the Dark-Dark Fruit... and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. The most destructive of the Paramecia, and the most sinister of the Logia.

With both, he would be unstoppable.

So he waited. Endlessly. Patiently. Hibernating in plain sight.

But now, Vane's existence strengthened his conviction. If Vane could have two powers, maybe so could he.

Of course, Vane didn't actually have two Devil Fruits. But the world had already assumed he did, and the myth was more powerful than the truth.

"Oi, Teach, still reading that paper?"

Fire Fist Ace strolled over and slapped Blackbeard on the back, nearly startling him.

"Ace…"

Ace shrugged. "What's the big deal? He's just another pirate rising up in the Grand Line."

Blackbeard muttered, "He's no ordinary pirate… Never mind, you're still too young to understand."

He didn't want to argue. Ace was strong, but naïve. Just like when he challenged Whitebeard only to be stopped by Jinbei before becoming part of the crew.

"I'll make it soon," Blackbeard whispered, eyes glinting as he looked toward Whitebeard, who was laughing with his sons.

There was a cruelty hidden in that gaze.

Vane's rise had set the world ablaze. What would later be called the "Worst Generation" was beginning to stir. Young, arrogant pirates desperate to prove themselves were preparing to leap into the New World.

Because Vane—younger than any of them—had done what none of them dared: defeat an admiral. And now he had a bounty of 1.5 billion Berries.

Why not them?

The world was shifting. An era of chaos and upheaval was coming. Those who once stood at the top might soon be crushed under the weight of a new generation.

Even thrones would be overturned.

Even gods would fall.

---

2k words, damn !

_

Send Powerstones btw !