Successful Possession, Learning to Fight

Wang Sen slowly sat up after opening his eyes.

He checked the time. It was around one or two in the morning, and everyone should have been fast asleep.

He gently closed his eyes. Then, a faint phantom rose from Wang Sen's body.

His own body, meanwhile, collapsed back onto the bed with a thud.

The golden phantom instantly passed through the room and flew toward another body he could sense. Moments later, it arrived in a huge, luxurious room, where it saw a little boy lying on a bed more than ten meters wide.

The little boy, who had merely been sleeping soundly, had now stopped breathing. His rosy complexion had turned pale, and even the warmth of his skin was slowly fading.

Not daring to delay, Wang Sen's soul swiftly lunged into the body. The little boy shuddered all over, then fused with the soul.

When Wang Sen—no, Doflamingo—opened his eyes again, sparse sunlight was shining through the curtains. It was already the next morning.

He slowly moved his small body, and an ecstatic expression appeared on Wang Sen's face.

He could not remember how many years it had been since he had felt this relaxed.

The mental damage caused by his long years of slavery and his damaged cheat ability had vanished without a trace. Even his formerly sickly body now felt incomparably light.

He got up and walked to the mirror in the room. Looking at the blond little boy in the reflection, Wang Sen murmured to himself, "From today onward, you are Doflamingo!"

"This will be the first step toward destroying the Celestial Dragons!"

Just as Doflamingo was admiring his young yet healthy body in the mirror, he heard a knock at the door.

"Doffy, are you there? It's time for breakfast." A gentle female voice came from outside.

This should be Doflamingo's mother, Amy Merkel.

Doflamingo frowned. He still retained roughly seventy or eighty percent of the original owner's memories, but there were still differences in his personal habits. It would be easy for him to expose himself in front of people who knew Doflamingo well.

Fortunately, the original Doflamingo was only six or seven years old. A change in personality would not be a major issue.

With that in mind, he replied, "Alright, I'll be right out, Mother."

As he spoke, he followed Doflamingo's habit and lightly kicked the female slave lying beside the bed. "Hurry up and help me get dressed!"

Seeing the female slave's timid, numb eyes, Doflamingo felt a faint surge of anger in his heart.

"The slaves in Mary Geoise are practically ruined. It's simply impossible to expect them to spontaneously develop the resolve to resist the Celestial Dragons."

To be honest, Doflamingo had never been able to understand it. How could the Celestial Dragons' slaves be so docile?

Once someone became a Celestial Dragon's slave, few survived for long. Either way, death awaited them. Was it really so difficult to choose between being tortured to death and risking everything to drag one enemy down with them?

If all the slaves had been ordinary people, that would have been one thing. But many of the Celestial Dragons' slaves had once been pirates—people who had lived with their heads on the line out at sea. Yet even they feared the Celestial Dragons so deeply. He truly could not understand it.

"There's no point relying on them. Fortunately, the Donquixote family will soon leave the Celestial Dragons' Holy Land. When that happens, I'll naturally have the chance to build up my strength and seek revenge again."

Doflamingo did not think he could truly take revenge on the Celestial Dragons in Mary Geoise. Only on the boundless sea could he truly gather enough power to oppose the World Government.

That was why he had chosen Doflamingo as the target of his possession.

First, Doflamingo's talent was not bad. While he could not compare to the greatest monsters on the seas, he could still be considered a second-tier talent.

Moreover, his own Illusion Fruit ability was far superior to the String-String Fruit. As long as he trained diligently, he would certainly be able to join the ranks of the Top Experts.

Second, the Donquixote family would soon move out of Mary Geoise, giving him the opportunity to build up his strength. Otherwise, remaining in this Celestial Dragon holy land might seem carefree, but in reality, he would merely be livestock kept in captivity. No matter what plans he had, he would be unable to carry them out.

Of course, the final reason could also be considered repayment for that naïve Donquixote Homing.

If fate followed the original story, after they left Holy Land Mary Geoise, Doflamingo's arrogant personality would expose their identity as Celestial Dragons, leading to them being besieged by countless victims.

Later, Amy Merkel would die of illness. Doflamingo would kill his own father, then be rejected when he tried to return to Holy Land Mary Geoise, sending him down a dark path.

In the end, he would even kill his younger brother, Donquixote Rosinante. It could be said that, aside from Doflamingo himself, none of the others would meet a good end.

If Homing's naïveté accounted for sixty percent of their tragic fate, then Doflamingo was responsible for the remaining forty percent.

Wang Sen, who had taken over the body of this typical Celestial Dragon, did not feel the slightest guilt. After replacing him, he could also slightly change the fate of the Donquixote family.

After the female slave helped him get dressed, Doflamingo pushed open the door and followed his mother outside.

A long table stood in the dining room, laden with dozens of lavish dishes. Every one of them was a rare delicacy. This single meal would cost tens or even millions of Beli out on the seas.

Doflamingo knew very well that the Donquixote family was already unusually frugal among the Celestial Dragons. For other Celestial Dragons, the cost of a meal could easily be more than ten times as much. No wonder fewer than a thousand Celestial Dragons could make over two hundred Member States buckle under the burden of the Heavenly Tribute.

Donquixote Homing sat at the head of the long table, a trace of sadness on his face as he sighed.

Doflamingo's mother looked confused. "What's wrong, Homing?"

"Sigh, Steve died from illness last night." Donquixote Homing spoke with a gloomy expression.

To be honest, Homing had not been particularly happy in Mary Geoise either. His way of thinking was completely different from that of the other Celestial Dragons. The ordinary slaves acted numb and lifeless around Celestial Dragons, while the remaining World Government officials treated them with fearful deference.

By comparison, Steve, whom Wang Sen had transmigrated into, suited Homing's temperament quite well. He was knowledgeable, neither servile nor overbearing, and could be considered Homing's only friend.

Now that his only friend in the Holy Land was gone, it was only natural that he felt deeply saddened.

After hearing this, Doflamingo raised his head and casually glanced at his nominal father. So my body has already been discovered? That was fast.

"Steve? He was a very good person." Doflamingo's mother sighed as well.

"Hmph! A good person! Didn't a good person end up being... forced into slavery?" Homing said angrily, though he could not help but trail off halfway through.

After all, he was a Celestial Dragon now. He still had to watch his words.

But that was all Homing could do. In the end, although he disapproved of his kin's behavior, his weak personality meant he could never truly turn against them.

Naïve and weak—that was why this good man among the Celestial Dragons ultimately received no good ending.

After breakfast, the original Doflamingo would have ridden slaves around like the other Celestial Dragons, flaunting his power and indulging in idiotic amusements. But now, he went to find his nominal father instead.

"Father, I want to learn some combat skills."

Although the person inside had been completely replaced, Doflamingo did not blush in the slightest when calling him Father.

Homing, who was playing with Rosinante, who was only five years old now, immediately showed a surprised expression.

"Why do you want to learn to fight? That's very hard work. You're a Celestial Dragon."

Doflamingo had already prepared an answer. Tilting his head, he said, "I want to become the Great Sage Equaling Heaven from Journey to the West!"

Homing could not help but show an amused expression. Journey to the West truly was an eternal classic. Even among the idiotic Celestial Dragons, it remained extremely popular.

Still, compared to playing with slaves at home all day, it would be better for him to learn some combat skills. Even if he would never use them in his life, at least he could develop a strong body.

With that thought, Homing nodded. "Alright, then. I'll have Bell teach you some ways to train your body."

Bell was the head of Homing's family Bodyguards and also a member of CP0. He possessed at least the strength of a Marine headquarters officer at the rank of captain. That strength was not particularly impressive, but it was more than enough to teach the current Doflamingo.

"Thanks, Father! I'll go find him now." Doflamingo's eyes lit up, and he immediately scampered off.