Vane came to steal the Devil Fruit in such a hurry largely because he believed the Logia-type Snow-Snow Fruit was on this island.
That was a Logia-type Devil Fruit. Even one of the relatively weaker Logia fruits was enough to make anyone drool with desire.
"Open those treasure chests first."
The two of them focused on opening the chests.
The first chest didn't contain a Devil Fruit. Instead, it held a gemstone about the size of a fist, though its shape wasn't particularly refined.
The second chest… what was this? A water source investigation report for Twin Islands. So the king of Twin Islands had once invited scientists from the World Government to test the island's water supply.
The final report stated that the water source of Twin Islands was somewhat different from other places. In short, drinking it made pregnancy more likely—and increased the chances of having multiple births.
"Vane… a Devil Fruit!"
What?! A Devil Fruit!
Vane looked toward the chest in Lena's hands.
He had thought it would be the Snow-Snow Fruit, but the moment he saw the fruit, he knew this was definitely not it.
To a certain extent, a Devil Fruit's ability influences its appearance. The Snow-Snow Fruit should be primarily white, yet this fruit was golden in color.
A golden Devil Fruit shaped like a gourd.
"Could it be that fruit?"
The disappointment he had felt vanished the instant he saw it, replaced by overwhelming excitement.
"A Paramecia—Gold-Gold Fruit!!"
That's right. Its appearance was unmistakably the same as the Paramecia Gold-Gold Fruit eaten by the Golden Emperor in the movie.
When he was young, the Golden Emperor had a slave girlfriend he adored. He had been saving money to buy her freedom. Then the detestable Celestial Dragons appeared, bought her away, tortured her to death—and when he clashed with them, he was captured and turned into their slave as well.
Later, during the Mary Geoise incident created by Tiger, he escaped from Mary Geoise in the same batch as Hancock and her two sisters.
With his lover murdered and himself enslaved and tortured, his desperate thirst for strength drove him to boldly attack Doflamingo's auction house and seize the Gold-Gold Fruit.
His obsession with wealth led him to develop the Gold-Gold Fruit to an exceptional degree, rising as a newcomer into a figure not inferior to Doflamingo.
"The Gold-Gold Fruit? Is it that powerful?"
"It's extremely powerful. Even stronger than some Logia fruits."
The Gold-Gold Fruit wasn't just strong—it was highly practical. It could create fake gold that was indistinguishable from real gold unless washed by seawater.
They hadn't found the Snow-Snow Fruit, but they had found the Gold-Gold Fruit. Their luck was truly not bad.
The only headache now was—who should eat it?
An ordinary Devil Fruit like the Grow-Grow Fruit could be given to anyone, so he had handed it to Martha. Whether it was developed well or poorly wouldn't affect the bigger picture.
The Gold-Gold Fruit was different. Its power and utility were both formidable. It had to be given to someone capable of developing it properly.
At present, no one in his team fit that role. And he himself had no intention of eating it.
It seemed this fruit would have to be stored away for now, waiting for its true owner.
"A blessing in disguise. This trip was definitely worth it."
None of the remaining chests contained another Devil Fruit. With the Gold-Gold Fruit already secured, even if the rest were empty, he would still be completely satisfied.
The importance of the Gold-Gold Fruit meant he took it with him immediately. Even if it alerted others, it didn't matter. If someone were to eat it, no amount of money could compensate for that loss.
The Gold-Gold Fruit had likely been sitting here for a long time. Even if Vane took it now, any irregularities might not be noticed right away.
Holding the Gold-Gold Fruit in his hand, the ninth Articuno feather appeared. In just a few days, he had encountered two Paramecia-type Devil Fruits, and the number of feathers collected had quickly risen to nine.
Using the convenience of the Through-Through Fruit, the two of them slipped out of Crown City without a sound. Once outside the city, there was no need for such caution. They condensed ice wings and flew away from the Twin Kingdom, returning to Green Hell Island.
He sealed the Gold-Gold Fruit inside a special combination lockbox made by Meowth.
Meowth was always inventing things. A secure lockbox for valuables had been created long ago. Vane had anticipated the possibility of obtaining a powerful fruit with no suitable user in his team—now it finally came in handy.
"Since it's bound to be snatched away by the Golden Emperor in the end, better never to have had it than to grieve over losing it later, Doflamingo."
If nothing unexpected happened, this fruit would ultimately be taken by Doflamingo.
Doflamingo was quite skilled at handling Devil Fruits. Unfortunately, many of the top-tier fruits had already been eaten by others—such as the Gold-Gold Fruit and the Flame-Flame Fruit.
Among Doflamingo's subordinates, the only fruit stronger than those two was the Hobby-Hobby Fruit. The only ones close were the Weapon-Weapon Fruit and the Stone-Stone Fruit. Unfortunately, the former was developed only moderately, while the latter became nothing more than a target for Zoro to chase and slash.
Doflamingo himself was quite interesting. He planned to auction off the Gold-Gold Fruit, while throwing the Flame-Flame Fruit into the colosseum as a prize.
To release two genuinely top-tier fruits like that—honestly, Vane himself couldn't do it.
But after thinking carefully, it became clear why Doflamingo had done so.
Because he didn't trust anyone except those who had followed him from the early days. And even those early subordinates were not fully trusted. His own brother's betrayal was a permanent thorn in his heart.
As a result, after accepting Monet and her sister, Doflamingo's inner circle never expanded again. Even Monet, who ate the Snow-Snow Fruit, was merely a disposable chess piece.
This could be seen in the fate of the Spring-Spring Fruit user, Hyena Bellamy. Bellamy could be called the second greatest simp among pirates… the first being Bartolomeo, the second-generation Barrier-Barrier Fruit user who worshipped Luffy.
Even as the second most devoted, Bellamy's loyalty was astonishing—yet Doflamingo never trusted him.
The Flame-Flame Fruit and the Gold-Gold Fruit were simply too powerful. Without subordinates he fully trusted, allowing someone to eat them might lead to another betrayal like his brother's—only this time from someone even stronger.
That was why he chose to "sell" the fruits through various channels to strengthen his industries instead of cultivating subordinates… his team would never allow anyone stronger than himself to exist.
Human nature. Vane also wouldn't want anyone in his team to become an uncontrollable factor stronger than him.
The difference was that Vane had confidence in his own growth. If the Gold-Gold Fruit encountered the right person, he wouldn't hesitate to hand it over and make them submit.
"But first, I have to find the right person…"
The right person… Vane's thoughts couldn't help drifting.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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