His Background

Life Return was a skill Gray had decided he absolutely needed to learn.

Aside from martial artists who mastered it through their own efforts after reaching a certain level, the easiest way to learn Life Return was to master the Six Powers.

Unfortunately, no one in the Donquixote Family knew the Six Powers yet. Dellinger would learn them later, possibly from Vergo, who might have sent the information while undercover.

The Donquixote Family was still making its way in the North Blue. They might have heard of the Six Powers, or they might not have. Either way, they clearly hadn't given it much importance.

Otherwise, given the Donquixote Family's influence in the North Blue and the Marines and nobles they had bought off, how could they not have obtained it?

Without the Six Powers, Gray could only lay a solid physical foundation for now and find a way to get Doflamingo to look into it.

The Six Powers were superhuman techniques.

Without a certain level of physical fitness, not only would you fail to master them, you'd injure yourself.

So whether or not he could get the Six Powers, there was nothing wrong with training his body.

"With the help of the gravity field, I don't need to worry about strengthening my body. But what excuse can I give Doflamingo to get him to look into it?"

As the underground king of the North Blue, the Donquixote Family had bought off more nobles and Marine Base commanders for its arms business than Gray could even imagine.

What's more, the arms trade in the North Blue had already begun expanding into the Grand Line. The underground forces connected to it were too numerous to count.

If they actually took an interest in the Six Powers, simply buying the information should be easy.

After all, not every Marine was a righteous man like Zephyr or Smoker.

Whether they needed money to support their families or were carrying out a comrade's last request, there were always Marines willing to sell information for Beli.

"I've got it!" After turning it over in his mind, Gray found the perfect excuse. "Who the hell says I can't be a prince?"

"As a prince, it's only natural that I know a thing or two."

"You, Doflamingo, know about the Celestial Dragons' National Treasure. So how is it strange for me to know a little about the Six Powers?"

Gray's previous life had been much like Doflamingo's. They had both lived in wealthy families before a sudden upheaval turned their lives upside down.

The one difference was that Doflamingo's father had caused their family's disaster by giving up his status as a Celestial Dragon.

But the country Gray had lived in had fallen into disaster after catching the Celestial Dragons' attention.

When the disaster first struck, his previous self hadn't known why. His parents entrusted him to Shark Chili, and the two of them were forced to take to the sea.

While fleeing, his previous self had still received some information. The newspapers had clearly reported that the Tartarus Kingdom had been conquered by pirates, and that Saint Ross, who had been passing through, led the Marines to rescue it.

Since the pirates had killed the entire population, the Tartarus Kingdom became Saint Ross's territory.

That was all his previous self knew.

But once Gray learned about it, he immediately recognized it as a conspiracy.

Given what he knew about the dark side of piracy, the only explanation was that the Celestial Dragons had taken an interest in the Tartarus Kingdom, and their lackeys had joined forces with pirates to set up the whole thing.

After all, what were the odds of such a coincidence?

The Celestial Dragons had arrived with the Marines right after pirates had ravaged the place?

Besides, the Tartarus Kingdom wasn't a World Government Affiliate Nation. It couldn't afford the Heavenly Tribute.

The only good thing about the country was that flowers bloomed across the land, and it was home to a unique species of bee whose honey could nourish the body.

Whatever the reason, once those pigs with their bizarre thought processes set their sights on it, the powerless Tartarus Kingdom became history.

Gray wouldn't let go of his previous self's grudge. Those pigs, the Celestial Dragons—if he had the strength, then as a man from Blue Star, he'd kill every last one he saw.

People from the Zhonghua Family of Blue Star weren't like the Japanese, going on about bloodlines.

"Are kings and nobles born to rule?"

That was the conviction in every person's soul.

You mess with me, and I'll kill you!

The whole point was that eighteen years later, he'd be a hero all over again!

"Just wait. I won't make you wait much longer." With a hand over his chest, Gray solemnly promised his previous self.

Whether or not his previous self had left behind any lingering attachments, Gray would resolve this matter for him.

After all, he had inherited his previous self's karma.

"Wait! That's not right!" Gray was on his way to the cafeteria when he suddenly spotted Corazon and immediately dismissed his earlier idea.

"If I bring up the Six Powers now, this old fox will definitely report it to Sengoku."

"The attention that draws could make it impossible for Doflamingo to escape Tsuru's pursuit." Doflamingo's actions in the original story had already drawn plenty of attention. If he did even more, Gray feared the Donquixote Family wouldn't be able to handle it.

After all, he was still weak and needed the Donquixote Family's protection.

Thinking it over, Gray could only put the Six Powers aside for now. "Can't be helped. I'll just have to wait another couple of years!"

"That'll give me time to build myself up."

Thump—

Lost in thought, Gray hadn't noticed that Corazon had stopped in front of him. He walked straight into his abdomen.

Gray looked up in confusion and snapped, "What?"

Whether for his previous self's sake or to keep up his act, Gray would pretend not to like the man responsible for his previous self's death.

In truth, Gray didn't care about Corazon. After all, he didn't hold grudges against the dead.

But for now, he still had to act like a child and show the emotions one would expect.

Faced with Gray's rejection, Corazon, who was pretending to be mute, could only try to make amends in his own way. Deep down, he was kindhearted, and he still felt guilty about what he'd done.

He had come to see Gray because he thought Gray might have calmed down by now and wanted to explain.

But he gestured wildly, and Gray couldn't understand a thing.

"Get lost! Whatever you want, I don't want to see you again!" Unable to shove the tall Corazon aside, Gray walked around him.

Intentional or not, his previous self was dead. Gray had no right to forgive Corazon on his behalf.

He went straight into the cafeteria, sat in his usual spot, and waited for the meal.

By then, Gray had figured out why his previous self and Corazon had ended up like this.

The truth was simple. Corazon beat up those children to make them leave the Donquixote Family, hoping to keep them from being corrupted by the darkness.

He had meant well, but he didn't realize that the children who joined the Donquixote Family had already been left with no way to survive. Without the family's protection, how many of them would even make it to adulthood?

When Gray's previous self was sent flying, he happened to hit the Supreme Stone. Its pointed tip pierced his head, killing him on the spot and allowing Gray's soul to enter his body.