One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

"That woman came from eight hundred years ago. Vane, have you heard of the Ope Ope no Mi?"

Doflamingo smiled. In his eyes, Rhett Vane was the strongest of the Yonko. What made him approachable was the fact that he carried no pretentious airs, allowing Doflamingo to speak freely.

Vane nodded. "Yeah. I've heard it can grant someone eternal life through the immortality surgery."

Doflamingo leaned back. "Its value rivals Whitebeard's head—five billion Berries. The World Government has gone to great lengths to obtain it. Now, the fruit is in the hands of one of my men. As for the immortality surgery, opinions vary. Some believe it grants true eternal life, but…"

He shook his head. "Eternal life doesn't really exist. At best, it can extend your life. If a single surgery truly granted immortality, the World Government wouldn't still be chasing it. According to my sources, they've sought the immortality operation more than twenty times throughout history."

Doflamingo's intelligence network was among the best in the world—rivaled only by Big Mom's crew and the World Government itself. And as a Celestial Dragon, he had access to certain secrets others could never hope to hear.

"More than twenty times?" Vane raised an eyebrow. If Doflamingo's words were true, then immortality surgery probably wasn't absolute. Perhaps it simply prolonged life for an unknown period, requiring repeated procedures to maintain the effect.

Doflamingo smirked. "It's not just the immortality surgery. Other Devil Fruits have similar life-extending properties. And beyond Devil Fruits, there's another substance—something even rarer."

"Pure gold?" Vane asked without much enthusiasm. His own life-related abilities meant he had little personal need for it.

Doflamingo's eyes narrowed. "You've heard of it?"

"I've heard stories. Supposedly, you can even cook with it to extend life."

Doflamingo chuckled. "Not quite as simple as making soup… Pure gold is rarer than any Devil Fruit, and I have no idea how it's formed."

Vane remained unimpressed, so Doflamingo decided to sweeten the story. "Ever heard of Raftel?"

"The Final Island?" Vane asked. "They say whoever reaches it becomes Pirate King."

"Exactly. Since the start of the Great Pirate Era, Raftel has been the symbol of the Sea Throne. But to reach it, you need four Road Poneglyphs. Big Mom has one, Kaido has another. The other two? Who knows? And even with all four, you'd still need someone to read them. The coordinates point to a vast sea at the end of the Grand Line, scattered across multiple points."

Vane frowned. "So Raftel's a moving island?"

"More or less," Doflamingo replied. "That's why finding someone who can read the poneglyphs is essential. Not that it's an issue for you. I doubt Kaido or Big Mom would refuse to hand over their copies… or, if they did, I can guess how you'd convince them."

Doflamingo's implication was clear—if they refused, Vane would simply take them by force.

Vane already knew the locations of all the poneglyphs and exactly who could interpret them.

"But," Doflamingo continued with a grin, "I don't think the title of Pirate King excites you."

Vane didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "You brought up pure gold—does Raftel have it?"

"That's the rumor. Not only pure gold, but maybe even the source of Devil Fruits… and the truth of this world."

Vane didn't flinch at the claim, which seemed to disappoint Doflamingo.

"Roger only went there once," Vane said after a pause. "If you're telling me he left mountains of treasure behind, I don't buy it."

Doflamingo chuckled. "Exactly. The gold was just a lure for ordinary pirates. The real value lies in Raftel's secret—perhaps the missing century of history the World Government is so desperate to erase, or something even greater."

Vane considered the possibility of a Devil Fruit tree, though he knew it could just be a myth. Devil Fruits reappeared in the world after their users died—whether or not they came from an actual tree was uncertain. Still, if such a tree existed, he would be interested.

"So according to you," Vane said, "Raftel might have pure gold, the truth of the world, and the Devil Fruit tree?"

"And Devil Fruits not recorded in the official compendium," Doflamingo added. "That list is far from complete."

He paused, then smirked. "Tell me, Vane, are you… a multiple-fruit user?"

Vane didn't answer.

"Hah! Crazy idea, I know. But you're… something else entirely. If you ever head to Raftel, take me with you. I'd like to see it for myself."

Doflamingo recalled the report from his undercover agent, Vergo, describing how he had summoned a massive meteor that day—kilometers wide.

"The World Government has tried to wipe out that island completely. If the rumors are true, it threatens the Celestial Dragons' very existence. You still want to go?"

"Of course," Doflamingo replied without hesitation. "The Celestial Dragons? I'd love to see them dragged off their throne."

Vane stood. "I'll go eventually. For now, I need you to help transport several ships' worth of goods to Wano. We'll use the koi under the waterfall to enter."

Doflamingo chuckled. "That's not something I'd expect from a Yonko."

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