Time passed quickly, yet something strange was happening—
Despite the chaos Ghidorah had stirred up and the massive loss the World Government had suffered, not only did they not issue a bounty for him, they hadn't made any public move whatsoever.
That kind of silence… was all the more thought-provoking.
Then again, even if the World Government had reacted, it was unlikely Ghidorah would have cared.
Bounties? Things like that meant nothing to him.
After a few days of rest, Ghidorah set out to search for the volcanic islands Sabo had pointed out.
But despite visiting several volcanic islands near the Red Line in the New World, he sensed nothing unusual.
Instead, his massive form soared through the skies—sometimes passing above pirate ships, which would descend into panic at the mere sight of him.
As he flew through the clouds, a particular island surrounded on all sides by mountains caught his attention.
After a moment of thought, as if searching through his memory, he recalled its name: Dressrosa.
Once under the rule of the Donquixote family 800 years ago, the island had now seemingly returned to its former hands—currently ruled by Donquixote Doflamingo.
"Round and round it goes, only to end up back in his hands,"
Ghidorah murmured, recalling Doflamingo's actions during the Marineford War. With a flick of thought, he changed direction and flew toward the island.
---
Dressrosa – Royal Plateau, King's Palace
All the members of the Donquixote Family had gathered.
Since the end of the Paramount War, Doflamingo had been in a perpetual state of shock after receiving word of Ghidorah's destruction of Mary Geoise.
He had never expected that creature to do something so earth-shattering.
Even more unbelievable was the fact that the supreme figure among the Celestial Dragons—Imu—had fled in fear and vanished into the New World along with the remaining Celestial Dragons.
Doflamingo knew this wasn't the end. He had been seeking a chance to approach that creature ever since.
---
"B-Bad news! Young Master!! A… a gigantic beast is descending from the sky!"
"I-It looks like Ghidorah!!"
At that moment, a member of the Donquixote Family burst through the door without knocking, tripping and stumbling, his face pale with terror.
"(ω)!!"
"NANI!!??"
The rest of the Donquixote officers inside the room were stunned.
That monstrous creature—the one that had become infamous across the world in less than half a month—had actually come to Dressrosa?
This news was explosive enough to shake them to their core.
Compared to the World Government, their little Donquixote Family was hardly enough to satisfy a beast like that.
Just as everyone was frozen with worry, Doflamingo, seated at the head of the room, suddenly burst into laughter.
"Fufufufufu…"
"Family—our Donquixote Family's dawn has arrived!"
He stood up, arms outstretched, an excited grin spreading across his face.
"Come, let us go greet the 'Heavenly King' of this world!"
The officers widened their eyes in realization.
The Young Master had once mentioned that he'd reached some sort of agreement with the creature during the Paramount War.
And now, the chance to partner with such a terrifying entity filled everyone with thrilled anticipation.
As they left the palace, laughter echoing wildly, a massive golden three-headed beast flew toward them from the sky.
A furious windstorm blasted against their faces, sharp as blades.
Yet none of them flinched. Instead, their eyes gleamed with fervent excitement.
Though the Donquixote Family appeared powerful on the surface, in the grand scheme of things, they were still fragile.
Take Kaido, for example. Though Doflamingo and he had a business partnership, even Doflamingo himself had always feared him.
But Ghidorah?
Doflamingo believed this creature would be the ideal partner—no, his greatest backing.
---
BOOOOM!!
A thunderous crash shook the ground as Ghidorah landed before the palace, unleashing a massive shockwave.
As the dust settled, Doflamingo and his followers stepped forward until they were about twenty meters from the beast.
"Esteemed Lord Ghidorah—welcome to Dressrosa."
After speaking, he led his people in a deep, respectful bow—his posture completely deferential.
"Heh heh… Donquixote Doflamingo!"
"Should I call you a Celestial Dragon… or something else?"
Ghidorah leaned his monstrous heads close, golden eyes gleaming with amusement and menace.
Ugh!!
A fetid wind laced with blood and rot rushed over them.
Everyone froze in place, as if plunged into an icy abyss.
Doflamingo's Celestial Dragon lineage wasn't exactly a secret, but only a few knew the truth.
Yet the fact that this beast knew—and even disdained the Celestial Dragons—was deeply unsettling.
After a long, frozen silence, Doflamingo suddenly burst into laughter again.
"Fufufufufu…"
He then declared loudly, with a wide, almost deranged grin:
"Yes, I am a descendant of the Celestial Dragons. The bloodline runs deep—it can never be erased. But…"
His face turned dark and vicious.
"If I could… I would personally wipe that wretched race from existence!"
---
"Hehehe…"
Ghidorah chuckled coldly, before muttering:
"I'll take your word for now. I'd love to see the clash between two generations of Donquixote tyrants."
Then his golden eyes narrowed slightly.
"But if you think a fruit awakening alone will make that happen… you may never get the chance."
Doflamingo, who possessed many Celestial Dragon secrets, had received relatively kind treatment in Impel Down even after his defeat in the original timeline.
But now, hearing Ghidorah mention the Donquixote lineage made him recall strange things he'd seen in his youth.
"My ancestor…?"
"So that rumor… was true?"
---
"Heh… true or not, we'll know soon enough."
"They're just a bunch of cowards hiding in the shadows," Ghidorah sneered.
He slowly pulled his heads back and looked down at Doflamingo from above.
"Donquixote Doflamingo… this is the last time I'll ask you:
Will you join the 'Great Kingdom' plan?"
"Great Kingdom plan?"
"What happens if I say no?" Doflamingo asked.
"You die."
Ghidorah didn't hide his intent—his voice was cold and filled with killing intent.
Everyone trembled. The air around them turned heavy.
"Fufufufufu… Then, on behalf of the Donquixote Family—I accept."
Doflamingo laughed maniacally, showing not a trace of resistance.
His mind had quickly pieced everything together:
Joining the so-called "Great Kingdom" plan—no matter the cost—would bring massive returns.
Even setting everything else aside, the sheer overwhelming power of Ghidorah was enough to make the alliance worth it.
"Good. In that case, cease all Donquixote Family operations."
"I know you control many industries in the underworld.
Your new mission is to mass-produce weapons and recruit personnel—
Our enemies are the Twenty Kings and their 100 allied nations…"
Ghidorah wasted no time giving his first order.
"But… what about Kaido?" Doflamingo asked with a troubled expression.
"Hmph. Don't try to play tricks."
"You're in the New World now—go to Wano Country and see for yourself."
"You don't need to worry about Kaido. Just carry out the mission I gave you.
When the time comes, I'll send someone to negotiate with you…"
With that, Ghidorah unfurled his wings in a mighty gust, soared into the sky with a burst of wind, and flew toward the Land of Wano, guided by memory…
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