One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

Vane was surprised that Sunlight Tree Eve emitted special fluctuations. He remembered the last time the [Investment System] detected something similar—it was the Fruit of Life.

Normally, if the system detected a Devil Fruit, it would directly state "Devil Fruit detected." The term "special fluctuation" was only used for unique phenomena like the Life Fruit.

So… was Sunlight Tree Eve another special existence?

It certainly seemed so. The great tree was rooted at the bottom of the sea, transmitting sunlight from the surface to Fish-Man Island, located 10,000 meters deep. Its miraculous nature wasn't unlike the mangrove trees on the Sabaody Archipelago, which allowed bubbles to form on land.

What exactly made Sunlight Tree Eve so extraordinary?

Vane's curiosity grew. Just before dawn, he arrived at the island's entry point. Guards patrolled 24/7, but as a VIP of Fish-Man Island, Vane moved unhindered. The checkpoints were cleared for him without question.

At the pass, Vane applied a coating of upstream water—an invisible film that functioned like a diving suit—and soon he was drifting beneath the roots of Sunlight Tree Eve.

[Ding! Special fluctuation detected: Sunlight Tree Eve!]

The system's voice rang out again as Vane approached the tree. He gazed at the dreamlike giant, its roots stretching endlessly into the seabed, surrounded by shimmering schools of fish. A faint glow radiated from the trunk. With the fading night giving way to dawn, Sunlight Tree Eve nurtured the light of a new day from beneath the ocean.

"What's causing these special fluctuations?" Vane wondered aloud. The closer he looked, the more he sensed something unusual—something sacred.

He pressed his right palm to the tree's trunk.

[Ding! Life force detected. Extract?]

"Life force?" Vane asked. "System, what is life force?"

[Life force: the purest form of plant vitality in nature. It can be invested into specific domains—such as the Life Domain accessed through the Life Fruit.]

Vane raised an eyebrow. "So this could substitute for Devil Fruit energy… to invest in the Life Fruit?"

[Yes.]

The Life Fruit Vane sought was one that defied the world's rules—a fruit of immortality, healing, and life manipulation. It was still theoretical, but if possible, it could elevate him beyond the limits of the living.

As he prepared to extract the life force from Sunlight Tree Eve, a troubling thought struck him. "System, if I drain its life force, will Sunlight Tree Eve… die?"

[Yes.]

Vane hesitated. "What if I only draw a limited amount, allowing it to recover naturally? What's the safe maximum?"

[Sixty percent: 600 units of vitality.]

"Then extract fifty-five percent—550. No more," Vane ordered.

He wouldn't destroy such a vital tree for his own gain. Without Sunlight Tree Eve, Fish-Man Island would wither in darkness. In essence, its life force was the blood of the island. A little could be taken—but too much, and everything would die.

[Ding! Extracting 550 units of life force.]

What did 550 units even mean? What could be done with them?

Even Vane didn't know yet. But he was eager to return and invest in the Life Fruit. As for investing in dimensional characters, there was no rush. His current power was already considerable. He hadn't even summoned Esdeath yet, but her investment had been marked as perfect—enough to summon her completely as a crew member.

"You must be Rhett Vane."

Vane turned. About twenty meters away stood a tall fish-man, wielding a red harpoon.

A three-meter-tall fish-man, wearing a black hat, his presence cold and imposing.

Hody Jones.

Apparently, he had been tracking Vane and waiting for the right moment to confront him.

Vane narrowed his eyes. The figure looked familiar, though he couldn't place him immediately. But he could tell this wasn't a friendly meeting.

"Are you looking for me?" Vane asked calmly.

Hody stood in the water, as comfortable as any human standing on land.

"I am Hody Jones," he announced. "Boss of Fish-Man Street, strongest man on Fish-Man Island, its future ruler, and the next Pirate King!"

"That's a long introduction," Vane replied with a slight smirk. "You worried people won't remember your name, Hody?"

Now he recalled. Without the drug enhancement, Hody had seemed unrecognizable at first.

"You'll remember me soon enough. I'll give you two choices, Vane. One, surrender to me, and I'll let you live. Two, refuse—and die. Choose wisely, Flame Sword God Vane."

Hody's threat was clear.

Vane chuckled.

"What are you laughing at, human?!"

"I'm not laughing at you exactly. You just remind me of something... What was it? Oh yeah—a frog," Vane said thoughtfully. "You look like a frog squatting under the sea, staring upward without ever knowing there's a whole sky above you."

"You dare call me a frog?!"

Hody pointed his red harpoon at Vane, enraged. The insult had clearly struck a nerve.

"You plan to fight me with a harpoon?" Vane asked, amused, tapping his chest.

"This is no ordinary harpoon! Since you've made your choice, I won't show mercy. I'll teach you how to behave! Among the inferior humans, only the fish-men possess the supreme bloodline! All humans, even the Celestial Dragons, should bow before us!"

Hody's voice rang out like a declaration of war.

Vane shook his head. "You're so painfully ignorant. Have you ever even been to the surface?"

He could see it now—this fish-man didn't want to talk. He wanted blood.

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