Saint Charlos, born into the Celestial Dragons, should have been the perfect example of what a Celestial Dragon was meant to be.
Believing himself to be a "descendant of the Creator," a god walking among mortals, he thought he was above all laws. Every act he committed was righteous by default, and no one could stop him from doing whatever he pleased to "ordinary people."
Humiliating, enslaving, slaughtering…
Even taking anyone he fancied as a spouse, tossing them aside once he grew bored of them.
Branding slaves? That went without saying—classic slave owner behavior.
Originally, Charlos should have spent his entire life like this.
But before he could grow into a man who could indulge in the Celestial Dragons' privileges as he pleased, something truly horrifying happened to him…
When the "Cross Guild Massacre — Celestial Dragon Execution Incident" occurred, he was only four years old.
He had already begun to show signs of cruelty under his father's influence…
But that massacre—an execution that turned into wholesale slaughter—left a scar on his mind that would never fully heal.
Even after being rescued, he fell into a state of mental collapse for a long time…
Then one day, the man bathed in Holy Light, with white wings sprouting from his back, appeared in his hospital room—and at that moment, Charlos understood.
This was his faith.
His savior.
This man was the one who truly deserved to stand above all gods.
And he, Charlos, was nothing more than a believer crawling humbly at His feet.
God was gentle with him.
God saved him, and redeemed him.
So—
He was willing to offer everything to God.
"Saint Charlos, the Five Elders wish to see you."
A masked member of CP0, dressed in a white suit, bowed respectfully toward Charlos and conveyed the message.
"I understand… lead the way."
His calm response made the CP0 agent freeze for a moment before turning and walking ahead to guide him.
Ironically, even though Charlos was one of the Celestial Dragons, after that Celestial Dragon Execution Incident, the Five Elders had chosen neither revenge nor retaliation against the Cross Guild. Instead, they had ignored him completely.
And so… today was the first time he had ever stepped into the Five Elders' council chamber.
He was just a useless, ordinary Celestial Dragon—no different from the other pampered pigs and symbols kept within Pangaea Castle.
CP0 led Charlos down the wide streets of the Holy Land.
The original moving walkways had long since stopped running after years of slave trade bans enforced by Michael and the slave liberation carried out by Fisher Tiger.
So the road seemed a bit longer than usual.
But that didn't matter. He was someone the Five Elders themselves had summoned. Even if he took his time, they would wait.
Charlos carefully measured each inch of land beneath his feet, feeling the "holy" air…
All of it… filled him with disgust.
These repulsive creatures of his own kind were the ones obstructing his Savior's grand design!
At that thought, his face twisted into an unhidden sneer.
"Please, go in… Saint Charlos." The CP0 agent stopped at the door, pushed it open, and spoke softly.
Charlos nodded and strode inside without looking back at the scenery beyond the door.
"Saint Charlos… so you've grown up."
The first to speak was Saint Nusjuro, his tone sharp and mocking as he smiled at Charlos.
"Saint Charlos, I greet the Five Elders… but I'm curious, why summon an ordinary Celestial Dragon like me to your council chamber?" Charlos wore a mask of confusion. "Could it be… you have questions for me?"
"That… depends on you, Saint Charlos." Nusjuro's smile faded. "If you tell us how much classified information you've leaked to Michael… there might still be a chance you walk out of here alive."
"No wonder… I had this strange feeling when I left my palace. Like I'd never return. So, you already knew." Charlos suddenly laughed. "Alright, alright, I admit it—it was me. I told my God everything—every move, every itinerary, the moment I learned of it. For my God's great cause, I'd gladly give my life! Passing along some intel? That's nothing!"
"…You really did it. Just because he saved you back then!? Haven't you ever wondered why Michael chose to save you of all people?"
"I've always believed that was the bond between me and my God… Of course I've wondered if it was part of His plan. But the moment you turned a blind eye and tolerated the existence of the Cross Guild, I stopped caring!" Charlos's face grew more twisted, his voice rising to a hysterical scream. "At least my God let this worthless life of mine continue! Didn't He!?"
"Traitors of the Celestial Dragons… only have one end. Death."
"Ha! Death? You think death is punishment for me?" Charlos threw his head back and burst into laughter, tears spilling down his cheeks. "The Five Elders, so high and mighty… Have those chairs rotted your brains solid?"
Mid-laugh, Charlos tore open his clothes.
What should have been a bloated, greasy body was, in fact, lean and wiry.
The bulk was nothing but… explosives, strapped tightly around him.
"Five Elders… you think you can judge the believer of my God?"
A scornful smile twisted his lips as he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"You're only worthy of eating my God Michael's shit!"
The next second, the explosives detonated.
...
"Hey! Did you hear? Something huge just happened in Mary Geoise!"
"Careful what you say! We might've heard it here in the Marines, but don't spread it around!"
"Tsk, who would've thought the Celestial Dragons would have internal strife? One of them, unable to handle losing his slaves, went insane—strapped a bomb to himself and attacked the Five Elders!"
"And they say… that Celestial Dragon was the only survivor of the Celestial Dragon Execution Incident years ago!"
Three days had passed since Charlos's bombing of the Five Elders.
Charlos was dead, but the Five Elders were practically unharmed.
Five Mythical Zoan users dying to a bomb? That would've been the real joke.
The news was strictly contained from the public, but since the Marines were part of the World Government, they naturally knew.
At that moment, Michael stood on the shore of Marineford.
Once upon a time, he had stood here, watching Sengoku and Garp fight Shiki.
Now, dressed in his Chief Inspector uniform, he held a fairly expensive bottle of liquor in his hand.
He twisted it open and poured it into the sea.
"In the next life, don't ever be a Celestial Dragon again."
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