"Are these five ships filled with Heavenly Gold?"
"There's so much!"
"But how long will this even last for the Celestial Dragons to squander?"
When money ceases to be seen as money, it simply becomes numbers. That's the reality for the Celestial Dragons. Every so often, a Celestial Dragon will visit the Sabaody Archipelago to buy slaves, and so it has practically become their private garden.
"I'll take everything you've got, Celestial Dragon!"
After knocking out the commodore, Vane casually walked around the five warships. There were a total of sixty large crates, filled with gold, silver, rare spices, precious goods—it was undeniably extravagant.
It felt like feudal lords paying tribute to the emperor.
To earn the protection of the World Government, kingdoms must pay massive amounts of Heavenly Gold every year. It's essentially a protection racket. Those who don't pay won't be recognized and are vulnerable to invasions by pirates or rival nations.
Some Celestial Dragons see themselves as gods.
[Investment System: Investment Currency—Devil Fruit—detected in the Pirate World.]
Suddenly, the voice of the system echoed in Vane's mind. It had been five days since the system last activated, and he was slightly surprised.
"Devil Fruits… are they the currency used to invest in powerful warriors?"
In this world, Devil Fruits serve as hard currency for investing in top-tier combatants. The fruits are the price Vane must pay when making an investment. The first time, he received a free opportunity as a beginner reward and invested in Whitebeard without spending a single Berry. The return had been tremendous.
But moving forward, the rules applied. He would have to pay the proper price to continue.
[Correct.]
Following the system's guidance, Vane discovered four Devil Fruits among the treasures. Two appeared to be Paramecia-types, and the other two were Zoan-types. Devil Fruits are among the rarest commodities in the world, but in the Holy Land of Mariejois, there are many. The Celestial Dragons sometimes feed them to slaves as a form of entertainment—enhancing their gladiator fights.
[Would you like to store the Devil Fruits and Heavenly Gold in the system warehouse?]
"Deposit everything!"
Vane was pleasantly surprised—he thought he'd have to move all of it himself, and his ship certainly couldn't hold sixty massive crates.
With that settled, Vane returned to his ship and continued on his journey.
This particular Navy escort was weak. Vane had heard that sometimes fleets escorting Heavenly Gold were protected by CP0 agents or even Vice Admirals from Mariejois, which would have made things trickier. Fortunately, he encountered none of that this time and returned with a full haul.
When the Navy eventually woke up, they discovered that the Heavenly Gold had been completely looted. Panic and confusion spread like wildfire. But Vane was already long gone.
The sixty crates—each a one-meter cube—were stacked so high that they couldn't even fit aboard Vane's ship. He sat cross-legged on the deck, pondering his next investment.
"What will I gain from my second investment?"
By now, about an hour had passed since he returned to his ship.
After a brief meal, Vane reviewed what he had learned about the system. Devil Fruits were the primary investment currency, though there might be other rare items in play as well.
Another factor was investment duration. The longer the investment period within someone's lifespan, the greater the return.
But who could afford to wait decades? A person's lifespan might stretch to seventy or eighty years, but Vane didn't have that kind of time. That's why the system allowed accelerated investments—like a business simulation game. With the right items, time could be sped up. A single Devil Fruit could accelerate an investment by thirty years.
Another acceleration method involved using Berries, the world's currency. The exact amount depended on the strength and value of the target being invested in.
Some investments only required three Devil Fruits, others demanded more. The stronger the candidate, the higher the cost—and the higher the reward.
Vane now had Devil Fruits in hand. Should he invest?
He hesitated.
"I'll wait a few more days. For now, I'll make use of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. I'll decide on my second investment once I reach Water 7."
With that decision made, Vane moved to the stern and began testing out the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. The sea swelled and churned beneath him, creating propulsion to boost his ship's speed.
He needed to be careful—not too much force, or the ship could be damaged. But with the right balance, he achieved the fastest possible sailing speed.
Two days later, the skyline finally revealed his next destination—Water 7.
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