The Ope Ope no Mi, a Devil Fruit known as the ultimate Devil Fruit, is a legendary existence capable of granting others eternal life.
So the World Government has always kept the Ope Ope no Mi within their sphere of influence, hoping to find a talented person who can follow their orders. They want this person to eat the Ope Ope no Mi and then perform the Perennial Youth Operation on the top - level officials of the World Government.
After Shakky focused her intelligence - gathering on the World Government and Mariejois, she really found some Clues.
"So, the user of the Ope Ope no Mi is really in the hands of the World Government?" Fang Yi asked, frowning.
"Right!" Shakky nodded and replied.
"This is going to be a problem!" Fang Yi shook his head and said, "Let's not even talk about how we're going to get the person out. Even if we manage to get the person out, there's no guarantee that they'll treat the captain. And even if we get the person out and the Ope Ope no Mi reincarnates, we don't know where it will reappear!"
"It seems there really is no way out!" Mr. Rayleigh sighed and said.
If the Ope Ope no Mi was still in its fruit form, they could have found a way to steal it even from Mariejois.
But now that the user has already eaten the fruit, things have become much more difficult!
"According to my intelligence, there's a slave in Mariejois who fits the situation you described very well!" Shakky thought for a while and said, "Before being captured by the Celestial Dragons, this person was a very respected doctor. After being captured, they disappeared for a while. Now, although they're in Mariejois, they're living a life very different from that of ordinary slaves! The most important thing is that someone saw them using a strange ability!"
"Do you have any intelligence on the ability they used?" Fang Yi asked.
Shakky shook her head and said, "There's no specific intelligence. But I've heard that the surgeries they perform are blood - free, and they even cut off someone's head and then revived the person! But these are just rumors, and there's no solid intelligence. Mr. Rayleigh said to contact you as soon as there was any news, so I sent you a message!"
"Based on this... it does seem a bit like the Ope Ope no Mi described in the books! Is it in Mariejois!?" Fang Yi pondered for a moment and then spoke up.
"What the hell are you up to, kid?" Mr. Rayleigh's face changed when he heard Fang Yi's words and he asked.
If it were someone from the World Government, there'd be absolutely no point in even thinking about it. But it's a slave, which is different. A person who has lost their freedom might really agree to treat Roger if they're given their freedom.
So seeing Fang Yi's expression, Mr. Rayleigh guessed that he was going to take a risk and give it a try.
"Mr. Rayleigh... The captain is a man destined to become the Pirate King! I'm absolutely certain of that! But... I can't accept that such a great man is going to die for such a stupid reason!" Fang Yi shook his head and said.
"Damn kid, do you have any idea what kind of place Mariejois is? That's where the Celestial Dragons reside!"
It's a more terrifying place than the Navy headquarters. With your small frame, you'll get killed before even entering!" Rayleigh immediately objected.
"Who said I'm gonna fight my way in? Do you think I'm tired of living, attacking Mariejois directly?" Fang Yi rolled his eyes and retorted.
Hearing Fang Yi's words, Rayleigh's expression looked a bit better. He said, "Xiaoyi, don't underestimate Mariejois. It's not an ordinary place!"
"I know! But... I can pretend to be a slave and then go in!" Fang Yi grinned and said.
His words made both Rayleigh and Shakky change their expressions. Rayleigh said directly, "What kind of joke are you playing on me? Do you think it's easy to get out after becoming a slave? This is even more dangerous than sneaking into Mariejois!"
"Come on! Mr. Rayleigh, please listen to me first!" Fang Yi said helplessly, "It's a disguise! Disguise as a slave! As long as Sister Shakky gives me some intelligence about Mariejois in advance, and then I pretend to be a slave, it'll be fine. I'm not going there to take out the Celestial Dragons! There shouldn't be any problem!"
Rayleigh opposed it out of his concern for Fang Yi. So Fang Yi knew very well that if he wanted to follow his plan, he had to get past Rayleigh.
"Mr. Rayleigh! You know the captain's physical condition. Let's not even talk about whether we can find the Final Island in a year. Even if the captain achieves his goal and becomes the Pirate King, do you want him to die right after that?" Seeing that Rayleigh seemed to be wavering, Fang Yi quickly said.
"No, don't try to change the subject on me! Roger's condition is indeed urgent! But... this shouldn't be done by you! You're just an intern!" Rayleigh shook his head and refused, "Let's go to the Final Island first. If there's still time, I'll accompany Roger to Mariejois. After all, the Ope Ope no Mi can't guarantee to cure Roger for sure!"
"This..." Fang Yi hesitated for a moment.
Indeed, according to the original story, after Roger became the Pirate King, he had a child and left behind Ace before surrendering himself to the Navy headquarters. Logically, there should be time to go to Mariejois.
But soon, Fang Yi figured it out.
Once Roger became the Pirate King, not to mention going to Mariejois, even if he came to the Sabaody Archipelago, the Navy would be on high alert. How could he enter Mariejois quietly then?
Moreover, as a crew member of the Pirate King at that time, he would surely be under the Navy's radar. If he wanted to act like he did now, he might easily be exposed.
So Fang Yi felt that if he missed this opportunity, there might really be no way to save Roger.
"Alright, kid! I know you've done your best. Don't worry about this anymore. Think about how to help Roger reach the Final Island!" Rayleigh patted Fang Yi on the shoulder, then walked aside with Shakky to talk about other things.
"This little guy is really good!" Looking at Fang Yi sitting there deep in thought alone, Shakky couldn't help but praise with a smile.
"Indeed, he's a kid with a strong sense of loyalty!"
However, all of this was beyond his reach!" Rayleigh shook his head and said.
After leaving Shakky's shop, Fang Yi had been thinking about his plan. Rayleigh thought Fang Yi was unhappy because he couldn't help Roger, so he specially bought some specialties of the Sabaody Archipelago for Fang Yi, hoping to cheer him up.
"What? We've been working hard on the coating here, and you guys went shopping?" When Buggy saw Fang Yi and Rayleigh coming back with big and small bags, he immediately jumped out and said.
"Alright, go and rest! When it's time to set sail, you have to be energetic! Otherwise, it'll be a big hassle for me!" Rayleigh ignored Buggy and patted Fang Yi on the shoulder, smiling.
Fang Yi really needed a quiet environment to carefully think about his plan, so he nodded and returned to his room.
"Alright, don't bother Xiaoyi. Let's try to finish the coating today so we can reach Fish - Man Island earlier!" Seeing that Buggy still wanted to say something, Rayleigh directly stopped him and said.
However, Shanks looked at Fang Yi walking towards the cabin thoughtfully. Without saying much, he turned around and continued working.
In the afternoon, Buggy and Shanks sneaked into Fang Yi's room.
"Brother Yi, it's me! Shanks!"
"And Buggy!"
The two stood at Fang Yi's door, knocked, and whispered.
"Why are you two here?" Fang Yi opened the door and asked with a smile.
"Brother Yi, what happened today? Why did you and Mr. Rayleigh stay in the room after you came back?" Shanks didn't beat around the bush and directly asked.
"Today... Sister Shakky... that is, Shakky, gave us some intelligence about the Ope Ope no Mi!" Fang Yi didn't hide it and directly said.
"What?" Shanks was shocked and then asked with a hint of excitement, "Really?"
"The Ope Ope no Mi?" Buggy asked somewhat puzzledly.
Fang Yi first explained the effects of the Ope Ope no Mi and then continued, "But this Devil Fruit has already been eaten by someone, and that person is currently in Mariejois!"
"Mariejois?" Shanks' face immediately darkened. They weren't ordinary kids. Having traveled far and wide with Roger for many years, they knew what Mariejois meant.
"Five billion bounty?" Buggy was immersed in the value of the Ope Ope no Mi and couldn't snap out of it.
"Hehe... Buggy, five billion bounty is the price set by the World Government! On the black market, the price can go even higher!" Fang Yi deliberately teased.
"Even higher?" Sure enough, after hearing Fang Yi's words, Buggy's eyes turned into the shape of bounty.
You know, for ordinary Devil Fruits, the official price set by the World Government is at least one billion bounty, which is already a huge number. Many pirates would actively sell the Devil Fruits they found because of their high prices.
Moreover, depending on the type and effect of the Devil Fruit, the price would only be even more expensive.
As long as they get this sum of money, they won't have to be pirates anymore. They can find a place to live the rest of their lives in peace.
"So, Brother Yi, what are you going to do?" Shanks asked after a moment of silence.
"I really have a plan, but... I'm not sure if you guys are willing to join!" Fang Yi asked with a faint smile.
"I want to know what you're planning first, Brother Yi!" Shanks didn't rush to make a decision but calmly asked.
Fang Yi didn't beat about the bush. He told them his plan and then said, "I can feel that this is the captain's only chance. If we miss it... even if the captain really becomes the Pirate King, his life may come to an end!"
"I'm in!" Shanks took a deep breath and said directly.
"This..." Buggy hesitated, for he knew what Mariejois meant. If they went there, they might not come back!
"Buggy, I won't force you in this matter! Because this thing is extremely dangerous from the start!" Fang Yi nodded and said, "But do you know where the biggest treasure vault in this world is?"
"Treasure vault? The biggest one?" Sure enough, upon hearing Fang Yi's words, Buggy immediately perked up and asked, "Where is it?"
Fang Yi pointed outside and whispered, "It lies in the hands of the richest people in the world! So who are the richest people in the world? Of course, it's the Celestial Dragons, the world's nobles! The Heavenly Gin they collect from various countries every year is an astronomical figure!"