Corolla pushed himself up weakly from the ground, one arm hanging limp. Half his body was charred black, damp hair plastered messily over his shoulders. With one eyelid drooping, he said hoarsely:
"This old man bears no ill will. I am a CP0 officer. I came here to invite you to return to the Celestial Dragons. As long as you agree, you can immediately regain your status as a Celestial Dragon and return to Mary Geoise. Going even one step higher is not impossible either."
"???"
Barrett.
At the side, Barrett, who had been forcefully suppressing his desire to fight, heard Corolla's words and his eyes, which were usually like those of a demon god, went wide and slightly blank.
He turned his head to look at Vergo and Pica. Both of their faces were as dark as thunder.
Good grief. News this explosive and somehow he was the only one shocked?
Why could the two of them stay so calm? Was it that his mentality just wasn't trained enough?
That was a Celestial Dragon. Celestial Dragon. Boss used to be a Celestial Dragon, and this was the first he was hearing of it.
He forced down his own shock and tried to steady his emotions, focusing on listening carefully to Boss's conversation.
"Celestial Dragon status?
Tch tch tch tch. From the moment I was expelled from Mary Geoise, I was no longer a Celestial Dragon. Now, just hearing the words 'Celestial Dragon' only makes me sick. Besides, even if it's an invitation, you're not qualified. Take out the private Den Den Mushi that lets you speak directly to those old fossils in the Gorosei. You're not worthy to talk to me."
Doflamingo rejected him outright, without the slightest hesitation.
Celestial Dragon?
If it had been three years ago, that would have been what he desired most.
Now? What did Celestial Dragon status bring him? It would only become a burden.
On top of that, before he had the confidence to face Imu head-on, Doflamingo had no intention of going to Mary Geoise. Who knew how that demonic transformation-like power of Imu's actually worked? The safest method, naturally, was not to go to Mary Geoise at all.
"Very well."
Corolla understood what Doflamingo meant. Slowly, he reached into the inner pocket of his suit and took out an exquisite little jade box.
He carefully opened the box, revealing a small, delicate Den Den Mushi.
Dialing the call, the "buru buru" ringing began to sound over and over.
"Corolla, is the mission complete?"
The Den Den Mushi's features shifted, mimicking a stern-faced old man with a scar across his left cheek and a white beard: Jaygarcia Saturn.
"Corolla! If you're talking about the loyal dog standing in front of me, I'd say he doesn't have the ability to answer you right now."
On Saturn's side, the Den Den Mushi likewise mimicked Doflamingo's sinister, infuriating tone.
"Y-you are… Doflamingo…-sama?"
Saturn was no fool. He immediately corrected himself, even going so far as to switch to the "-sama" honorific reserved for Celestial Dragons in order to win Doflamingo over.
"Heh, old man, don't call me that. I can't afford a title like 'sama.' I still much prefer how, more than two years ago, you called me a 'lower creature' with that arrogant attitude of yours."
Doflamingo's voice dripped with mockery.
What he had strained for and failed to obtain more than two years ago was now being handed to him for free.
Doflamingo hated the unfairness of this world even more, and understood more clearly that strength was everything. Only strength could turn all that was unreasonable into something "reasonable."
"Doflamingo-sama, you jest. What happened back then was all a misunderstanding. Celestial Dragon blood flows through your veins. That is an unchangeable fact. As long as you're willing, the gates of the Holy Land are always open to you, and you could even receive the blessings."
Saturn did not get angry at Doflamingo's veiled ridicule. Having lived so many years, he was thoroughly practiced in keeping his temper.
"The Holy Land, huh?
I wonder how long ago it was that I last saw that place? I can't help but think: if the secret you guard were made public, would the Navy and the Army mutiny? Would the world fall into chaos?"
Doflamingo had no fear of things getting out of hand. He deliberately raised his own value as he spoke.
"You wouldn't dare!"
Saturn-sama, who had already been holding his temper in check, snapped the moment he heard Doflamingo's words.
If Doflamingo were to reveal the world government's secret, not only would their authority be destroyed, even if they cleansed the world once over, they would not be able to erase every trace.
"So tell me, do you think I dare or not? Or are you old geezers planning to personally make a move and crush me?"
Doflamingo paused for a beat, then continued casually:
"Or are you planning to borrow the power of that high-and-mighty fellow who schemed his way into the authority of an Empty Throne that was never supposed to exist?"
"What?"
The Den Den Mushi mimicking Saturn's expression suddenly widened its pupils. The amount of information in Doflamingo's words was staggering.
If it was just that Doflamingo knew that secret, that could still be explained somehow. But as for Imu-sama… given Doflamingo's age, how could he possibly know?
Doflamingo's threat level could no longer be spoken of in the same breath as before. Once the call ended, the evaluation would absolutely have to be rewritten.
"Watch your tongue. There's no way we would be taking orders from anyone else!"
Deny.
Absolutely deny.
There were some words that, once said out loud, would be very hard to take back.
Even if he could be turned into an "immortal" body, it would still depend on the timing. If Imu-sama learned he had been talking nonsense, he probably wouldn't even have a hair left.
Holding up the Den Den Mushi, Corolla was drenched in cold sweat, his already heavily injured body trembling and on the verge of collapse.
Inside, he was frantically screaming: Was this really something he was supposed to be listening to? Could he still go back to the Holy Land after this?
If he pretended he hadn't heard anything, would Saturn-sama believe that?
All kinds of questions whirled around in Corolla's mind. He desperately wished he simply wasn't here right now.
Barrett, though he had no idea what kind of riddles Doflamingo was speaking in, could tell from the conversation that whatever he was talking about was absolutely enough to affect the course of the world.
Damn. Boss was this terrifying?!
…
Originally, he'd thought Boss was just stronger than him.
Looking at it now, he'd been shallow. Just how shallow could his thinking be?
Pica and Vergo, on the other hand, showed almost no change in expression. Their young master having intel like this was perfectly normal. For someone who had achieved so much at such a young age, anything he did was reasonable, wasn't it?
"Heh…"
Doflamingo paid no attention to Saturn's barking and continued:
"Relax. In my current state, I have no intention of plunging the world into immediate chaos. Put away those little tricks of yours. If you can't kill me, then you'd best sit down and listen obediently to my conditions."
With that, Doflamingo hung up the Den Den Mushi, leaving Saturn on the other side furious enough to want to smash the snail… yet afraid he wouldn't be able to contact Doflamingo again if he did.
As for Corolla's life or death, did that matter?
The moment Doflamingo ended the call, Corolla felt his own fate drift like duckweed on water, swaying and uncertain.
Betray the Gorosei? That was impossible. His entire family was firmly in the hands of the world government. If he defected to the enemy, his kin probably wouldn't even have their names left behind.
Captured by the enemy? The choices awaiting him would be: either seize a chance to escape and accept Saturn-sama's punishment, or end his own life.
Thinking this far, Corolla, who had originally wanted to stow the Den Den Mushi away, saw Doflamingo snatch up the jade box and casually toss it to Vergo.
"Vergo, keep that Den Den Mushi safe. It's going to be very useful to us in the future."
"Understood, young master."
Vergo carefully tucked the Den Den Mushi into the inner lining of his clothes. He absolutely had to keep this snail safe.
(End of Chapter)
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