Is it really a system? Vane finally realized it might've been an auditory hallucination the first time—but three times?
[Ding! The Investment System requests binding. Do you want to bind it?]
A third time!
"Can I communicate with thoughts?"
[Yes.]
The system's voice was cold and mechanical.
"Bind."
Vane's nerves tightened. All these years, he never imagined he'd awaken a system. Just an ordinary guy living an ordinary life—he'd never even seen a Devil Fruit up close. Adventures were distant dreams, nothing more.
[Ding! The Investment System has been successfully bound. Activation complete. Do you want to make an investment?]
[This being your first investment, it is free. Would you like to proceed?]
"This young slave now belongs to this distinguished Lord Celestial Dragon! The next auction item is also the most anticipated today—an Zoan-type Devil Fruit! Specific abilities unknown. Let's see who the lucky bidder is…"
While the auctioneer rambled on, Vane was escorted backstage, awaiting the female Celestial Dragon to collect her new "property."
But Vane sneered quietly. "Come on. You'll see soon enough."
Sabaody Archipelago—infamous for its dark trade, a place where sin was made legal under the Celestial Dragons' protection. This place was their playground.
Sabaody: heaven for some, hell for others.
[Would you like to conduct a Super Dimensional Strongman Test? Upon detection, you may choose one of two discovered individuals to invest in. The longer the investment time, the greater the return—limited by the character's lifespan. This first test can be completed immediately.]
Free investment meant no cost for Vane—this time. Future opportunities might not come so easily.
"What do I gain from investing?" he asked.
[Abilities, strength, items, weapons—or even summoning the target themselves.]
A grin crept across Vane's face. He clenched his fists, hope flooding into him like a tide.
"Why are you smiling, slave?"
The nearby guard spat the words. Vane ignored him. That man would be dead soon enough—just another slave trader.
"Run the strongman test," Vane said silently.
[Ding! Testing initiated.]
[Ding! Test complete. Results: One Piece World—Peak Whitebeard. One Piece World—Peak Garp. Please choose your investment.]
"Whitebeard!"
No hesitation. Compared to Garp, Whitebeard's value was unmatched. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit and advanced Haki alone made him a powerhouse. Garp might be strong physically, possibly wielding Armament and Conqueror's Haki, but the Tremor-Tremor Fruit could destroy the world.
[Would you like to complete the investment now?]
"Yes!"
[Ding! Investment complete: Peak Whitebeard. Rewards incoming.]
[Congratulations, host: You've obtained Whitebeard's Prime Physique (not peak).]
[Congratulations, host: You've obtained Whitebeard's Advanced Haki (Observation, Armament, and Conqueror's).]
[Congratulations, host: You've obtained Intermediate Mastery of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.]
As the system fell silent, Vane could feel it—his body rapidly changing. Though his frame still appeared lean, power surged through him. Years of chronic fatigue vanished. He was alive like never before.
Observation Haki—Vane extended his senses, perceiving every movement in the auction house, even the scuttling of ants. He expanded the field to a hundred meters before stopping. Precision mattered more than size. With this, he could foresee danger… maybe even hear the voice of all things.
Armament Haki—the advanced type, not just the black coating. Like Garp's legendary punches.
And Conqueror's Haki—the will of kings. The mark of a ruler.
But the real gem? The Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Its power scaled with the user's strength, and Vane's body was now far beyond average. From the very beginning, this fruit held devastating potential. Blackbeard used it to shake Marineford itself—and Vane now had a taste of that same power.
While the guards remained unaware, Vane tightened his right fist. A transparent sphere of pressure formed around it—a manifestation of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. He held himself back. Not yet.
The guard watching him casually twirled a small remote—the trigger for the bomb collar around Vane's neck. It would be handed off to the Celestial Dragon shortly.
Vane had other plans.
Without warning, he struck. A single punch caved in the guard's stomach. The man flew backward, smashed into the wall, and collapsed like a discarded rag doll.
"You—!"
Too late. Vane crushed his skull with a swift kick.
"Die."
In this world, life meant nothing. Especially the lives of slavers.
"Now… how do I open this lock?"
Vane recalled how Rayleigh had done it in the original story—likely through advanced Armament Haki. But Vane hadn't mastered that yet.
[Host, would you like to remove the shackles?]
"Can you? Do it."
With a faint clink, the cuffs on his wrists, ankles, and neck all snapped open and clattered to the floor.
---
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