Chapter 38: The Birth of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!

The King of the Celestial Dragons?!

Doflamingo, forced into a kneeling position, froze for a moment upon hearing this. He had thought the speaker was one of the Five Elders.

But based on these words, that didn't seem to be the case. Or rather, were there five of these so-called "Kings"?

"Fuffuffuffuffu~~"

Even in such a terrifying situation, Doflamingo managed to force out a laugh, though his pale complexion and the beads of cold sweat on his forehead made him look quite wretched.

"Then... the King of the Celestial Dragons... you—no, Your Majesty—what business do you have with me? I ceased being a Celestial Dragon a long time ago!"

The pressure on his body eased significantly. The words he spoke finally returned to normal, though his breathing remained heavy and intermittent.

"From the moment you knelt, your status as a Celestial Dragon was restored," the figure above replied nonchalantly.

Doflamingo pondered these words.

He felt the implication was that only a Celestial Dragon was qualified to kneel before this person; therefore, by kneeling, he had regained his identity as a Celestial Dragon.

Utterly arrogant!

That was his second impression of the entity; his first was one of overwhelming power.

"Don```t Quixote Doflamingo, I bestow upon you the honor of the Warlord of the Sea, granting you the right to receive direct orders from Imu."

This was yet another statement of extreme arrogance, carrying a forceful authority that brooked no refusal.

What were the Warlords of the Sea?

Doflamingo voiced his confusion, but this time, no reply came for a long while. This caused him to hesitate. It was only after about ten minutes that he cautiously attempted to lift his head.

Immediately, he found that everything had returned to normal, and the Void Throne was now empty.

When did they leave?

With an extremely grim expression, Doflamingo stood up, feeling that everything he had just experienced was far too surreal.

The King of the Celestial Dragons?

Warlords of the Sea?

And right, he had easily regained his status as a Celestial Dragon!

What should he say? What should he do next? Should he just go back like this?

Just as Doflamingo was sinking into indecision, the large doors behind him slowly creaked open once more. This time, he turned around instantly.

But just as he was about to take a defensive stance, he saw five middle-aged men clad in white robes appear before him.

"Relax, little guy."

"We are the Five Elders you wished to see."

Doflamingo cursed inwardly. *Didn't you lot invite me? Why is it that I'm the one who wanted to see you?* However, he felt a sense of relief; at least there were people he could communicate with normally.

"Come, sit with us. We will explain the details clearly."

"Fuffuffuffuffu~ In that case, why did all five of you come in person? Wouldn't it have been enough to send someone to fetch me?" Doflamingo sneered.

"Within this Poneglyph City, any matter involving Lord Imu is executed personally by the five of us," the bald elder wearing a white kimono and wielding a long blade said expressionlessly. Immediately after, the five of them turned in unison and left the hall.

Seeing this, Doflamingo had no choice but to follow, his mind filled with questions.

Before long, he followed the Five Elders into a luxurious, spacious room, where a central sofa particularly caught the eye.

The five men sat back into their usual positions. Topman Warcury, sitting in the center, pointed toward the empty sofa.

"You may sit there."

Doflamingo had no objections. He sat down with an arrogant, swaggering gait. He was no stranger to sofas; he was quite practiced at it.

"Speaking of which, this is the first time a non-Elder has sat on the sofa in this Hall of Power. You are the first."

"Well, I am truly honored~" Doflamingo grinned, crossing his legs.

"There is no need for honor. You are now an envoy of Lord Imu, a member of the Warlords, and having regained your status as a Celestial Dragon, you are fully qualified to sit with us," Shepherd Ju Peter said with a smile.

"Then perhaps you can tell me: who exactly is this Lord Imu, and what are the Warlords of the Sea?"

Doflamingo was still young and could not help but ask impatiently. His mind had been through a massive shock, and he truly could not remain calm.

"Heh, do not be in such a hurry. We will explain one by one."

Among the Five Elders, Topman Warcury seemed to be the leader; his voice sounded the most steady and majestic, exerting a subtle sense of pressure.

"Lord Imu is our master, the King of all Celestial Dragons, the founder of the World Government, and the true ruler!"

"The supreme existence of the past, present, and future. If this world must have a god, then this person is the sole God in the long river of history!"

His tone was filled with fanatical worship, his expression as if an extreme devotee was desperately suppressing the excitement in his heart.

Though the other four did not speak, the light in their eyes was identical.

However, as the saying goes, "ignorance is bliss." Although Doflamingo had just personally experienced Imu's terror, he had not lived in Mary Geoise since childhood, nor had he been exposed to the most secret histories. Therefore, his feelings toward Imu were more of fear and wariness.

Among the introduction, he immediately grasped the key point: the founder of the World Government!

Did this not mean that the man sitting on the Void Throne had likely lived from eight hundred years ago until now? At this thought, Doflamingo's heart grew even heavier.

"Then, what about the Warlords of the Sea?"

"As I said, the Warlords are the envoys of Lord Imu. They not only have the right to negotiate directly with us but also the right to receive direct orders from the Lord."

"However, you must keep this identity a secret, as must the fact that you have regained your status as a Celestial Dragon."

Hearing this, Doflamingo understood and laughed. "Fuffuffuffuffu~ It seems you want me to do your dirty work."

"Everyone has their value, do they not?"

"Fine, fine. So tell me, what do you want me to do?" Doflamingo relaxed, leaning back into the soft sofa.

"You are to maintain your current public identity, infiltrate the depths of the underworld, and provide us with the intelligence we require. Of course, we will provide you with necessary assistance during this time," Topman Warcury said directly.

Doflamingo laughed upon hearing this. Wasn't this exactly what he intended to do? Becoming a big shot in the underworld was his primary goal; now, he simply had an added task of providing intelligence to the World Government, and crucially, he would receive the covert help of the Five Elders.

No matter how he looked at it, he was coming out on top!

"Alright, I accept!"

"Very well. Take this. You will be contacted through this in the future." Topman Warcury produced a golden Den Den Mushi marked with black ring patterns.

Doflamingo took it and examined it in his palm. Just then, the elder suddenly uttered a sentence that made his heart tremble.

"By the way, your brother, Donquixote Rosinante, is currently in Marineford."

"You captured him?!" Doflamingo's relaxed expression instantly darkened. He lowered his voice, his attitude turning hostile.

"If that were the case, he would be in the Holy Land prison or Impel Down," Marcus Mars remarked from the side.

"Rest assured, that little fellow is quite lucky. He encountered Sengoku back then and was even taken in as an adopted son. However, his personality is the complete opposite of yours. Despite having the same experiences, he is a very kind child. It is truly a strange thing."

Doflamingo pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment. Then, he stood up and said with a grim face, "Is there nothing else? If not, I'm leaving!"