The King of the Celestial Dragons!

The night sky of this world was exceptionally strange. Scholars had confirmed through astronomical observation that no fewer than eight satellites orbited this blue planet, yet when darkness fell, only that one moon shone with the brightest radiance amid the stars.

"Fuffuffuffuffu—"

Doflamingo stepped out of the Bubble Gondola after it came to a stop, and a cold night wind stirred his pink Flamingo coat.

Yet he discovered that there was not even a single Holy Land Garrison soldier standing guard nearby. As he studied the enormous staircase leading upward before him, he lowered his voice and chuckled.

"Even after all these years, this place really hasn't changed at all. But can something like power truly endure for a thousand years, just like these stone steps?"

"Come on. The elders are waiting for you."

At that moment, the White-Clad Agent from CP0 who had gone to North Blue specifically to invite Doflamingo urged him onward. He then passed by Doflamingo's shoulder and took the lead onto the massive stairway.

A few months later, the kings of two hundred allied nations would also walk this path before gathering in the Reverie Hall within Pangaea Castle to discuss and decide matters concerning the entire world.

At this moment, there were only the two of them, one ahead and one behind.

At the top of the enormous staircase lay the true Mary Geoise. This place known as the "Holy Land" was so clean and orderly that even the ground beneath their feet seemed as though every grain of sand had been washed.

Doflamingo raised his eyes and looked into the distance. Though it was night, countless lights had already illuminated all of Mary Geoise as brightly as day. Even the rows of trees and the rivers shimmered with a faint golden glow.

This was splendor in its truest sense, glittering with gold and blazing with lights!

At the sight, his body trembled faintly. He was desperately suppressing the rage and longing within him. He should have lived here, high above all others, doing whatever he pleased and looking down upon every human below.

Though it had only lasted a few short years, Doflamingo's happiest childhood memories had undeniably been in this place.

Here, attendants lowered their heads before him. Slaves knelt before him. Every day brought more delicacies from land and sea than he could ever finish, endless wealth that spared him any concern for money, and supreme authority that allowed him to kill any life at any time, save those of his "own kind."

All of this had originally been his!

Until that incomparably stupid fool destroyed everything with his ridiculous innocence and took everything away. His mother had died because of him, and his younger brother had vanished afterward as well.

Though he had personally shot that bastard dead, what he had lost could never be regained.

Doflamingo followed CP0 onto the "automatic elevator," allowing the slaves underground to rise in the middle of the night and desperately push the heavy stone track for him.

In truth, he did not know about any of this. But given his nature, even if he had known, he likely would have only enjoyed it and felt nothing else.

Because he was meant to stand above all others!

Along the way, Doflamingo spotted the enormous iron gate leading to the Land of the Gods from afar. The Holy Land Garrison soldiers there were still standing guard.

He knew that his former home was there.

But he only glanced at it once before turning his gaze toward the increasingly close, massive ancient castle—the Pangaea Castle that represented the center of world power!

"Fuffuffuffuffu, I hope you won't disappoint me this time." Doflamingo unconsciously pursed his lips, somewhat nervous.

He had only just turned seventeen that year. Whether in temperament, scheming, or strength, he was still immature. Even his knowledge was limited to that little corner of North Blue.

Before long, Doflamingo arrived before Pangaea Castle, and the enormous steel gates slowly rose.

To be honest, everything had become unfamiliar once he reached this place. How could he possibly have come here as a child? He could only remain vigilant as he silently followed CP0, committing the surrounding environment firmly to memory.

This castle within a castle was remarkably spacious, yet for some reason, he still did not see a single patrolling or guard soldier. It was also incredibly quiet.

Until he was brought into a cold, dark, empty hall. Only the golden-red throne atop the grand three-tiered stone platform gleamed beneath the moonlight shining directly down upon it.

But there was no one sitting on it!

"Aren't I here to meet the Five Elders, hmm?"

Doflamingo had only just swept his eyes over the surroundings when he turned around to ask and immediately discovered that the other man had disappeared!

[Bang—]

At that moment, the doors behind him slammed shut. The shock sent his entire body into motion. His fingers curled into claws, his body bent low, and he instantly entered a combat stance from head to toe. Even the Haki he had only recently mastered was poised to strike.

Doflamingo now seriously suspected that this was a trap—a trap set by the Celestial Dragons for him!

Like a wild cat trapped in a cage, he bared his claws and stared fiercely at every movement around him. Fine threads drifted faintly between his fingers.

The atmosphere became utterly stiff and awkward, as though the air itself had frozen in that instant, while time continued to flow slowly onward.

Until Doflamingo once again raised his head and looked at the Empty Throne high above.

"Mm!"

Yet that single glance froze his entire body in place, as though he had been afflicted by some immobilizing effect. Behind his sunglasses, his eyes widened to their limit, his pupils filled with the figure that had somehow appeared seated upon the throne.

But that was not what terrified him most. The key was that when his gaze met the eyes of the figure above, his mind seemed to suffer a tangible yet invisible impact. An incomparably intense fear continually washed over his heart.

He felt as though he were spinning madly through a world of golden ripples. The air around him trembled and gradually grew heavier.

Every muscle in his body quivered in agony. Combined with the inexplicable mental oppression, Doflamingo could not even hold on for two seconds before crashing to his knees. Only his arms remained rigidly braced against the icy floor as he gritted his teeth and tried to lift his head.

Yet the invisible pressure weighing upon him forced his bulging-veined head to bow. He could only stare fixedly at the spotless, expensive red carpet before him.

Who is this person?

One of the Five Elders?

How could there be someone this terrifying? A single look made me unable to rise from my knees?

"Young one of the Donquixote Family, Mu wishes to see you."

As soon as the words fell, Doflamingo felt the pressure on his body ease considerably.

But when he panted heavily, drenched in cold sweat, and tried to rise, the air pressing down upon him remained like an unmoving invisible mountain.

This left him no choice but to remain kneeling unless he was willing to lie flat on the ground.

"Y-you... who... are you?!"

Doflamingo struggled to force out each word. The feeling of terror wrapped around his heart was truly unbearable.

As for the crushing pressure on his body, he had also noticed that as long as he had no intention of standing up, the air remained nothing more than ordinary air.

Such an incredible method instinctively made him think it was some kind of Devil Fruit ability!

"Mu is your king."

An incomparably cold voice descended from the Empty Throne and echoed through the empty hall.

"The King of the Celestial Dragons!"

A report to all my dear readers: this book currently has 292 bookmarks and ranks 46th in the light novel category of the new books chart for contracted authors!

Also, considering the continuity of the plot, the second chapter will be updated in three minutes. Please send in some more recommendation votes~~~