One Piece: The Devil Fruit Collector-Chapter 241: A God Who Possesses Everything, Yet Has Nothing!
Chapter 241: A God Who Possesses Everything, Yet Has Nothing!
As Doflamingo’s words fell.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, inside the Room of Authority, the expressions of the Five Elders froze almost simultaneously. Unbelievable anger flashed across all their eyes.
"Doflamingo!"
Saint Warcury roared: "Do you know what you are saying? Although we don’t know how you learned of that Lord’s existence, He is not an entity a creature of the lower world like you can mention..."
Halfway through, his voice suddenly stopped.
Or to be precise — all five fell silent.
A moment later, they spoke again simultaneously. Though their voices overlapped, they were remarkably unified.
"Mu is surprised."
"You should know what consequences will follow after saying such words to Mu."
Within those words, there was an indescribable coldness.
"Descendant of Donquixote."
Different from the disdain of the Celestial Dragons or the Five Elders, who viewed living beings as ’mortals’ and ’bugs’, in that voice even disdain had been erased. There was only indifference — indifference towards everything in this world. Everything was within His grasp; too few things were worthy of His attention.
Even the words threatening Doflamingo were spoken very plainly.
But Doflamingo knew.
There was not half a word of falsehood in the other party’s statement. With just one word from the other party, even a Celestial Dragon could be killed immediately; even the Fleet Admiral of the Navy would be executed on the spot.
He is the Creator of the world, the Abyss, the Deity, the Master of the Empty Throne.
He is — Lord Imu.
But...
"Fuffuffuffuffu..."
Doflamingo was still smiling. Under those sunglasses, his eyes burst with sharp light and powerful spirit.
"God — what do you think I staked as chips in this gamble?"
He grinned, sticking out his tongue to lick his lips.
"My country, the power and influence accumulated so far, my family members, and my own life..." He threw them all onto the card table. "What I staked... is my everything!"
He laughed loudly, looking at the Den Den Mushi before him.
Yes. He had staked everything he had, just to earn the qualification for this conversation.
Therefore, Imu on the other end of the Den Den Mushi fell silent.
"Staked everything..."
Through the Den Den Mushi, those eyes seemed to be looking at Doflamingo — or perhaps they saw the shadow of some old friends from the past. The same ambition, the same hunger, the same... interesting quality.
"Mu is listening."
Thus, controlling the bodies of the Five Elders, Imu responded softly.
"A transaction."
Doflamingo got straight to the point.
"Three God’s Knights are dead — I don’t know how the contracts on them were broken, but I think this should be enough for you to confirm the identities of ’The Zodiac’ and that ’Star Lord’, right?"
The other end of the Den Den Mushi did not speak. But the Five Elders, whose bodies were controlled by Imu, knew that what Doflamingo said was correct. When the God’s Knights were truly ’killed’, Imu and they had thoroughly confirmed the identity of that Star Lord of The Zodiac.
It was exactly from that moment...
"You don’t want them to leave Dressrosa, do you?"
Doflamingo said. "I can help you."
That was clearly the bargaining chip of his transaction. But Imu merely said: "You do not have that kind of power."
He did not hide His contempt for Doflamingo’s power.
"Indeed."
Doflamingo didn’t deny it: "Those people from The Zodiac — although I don’t know their origins, every single one of them is a monster. I certainly can’t exterminate them on my own. They should be leaving Dressrosa soon, and when they will appear next — no one can say."
"And even if they appear again later, what can you do? Rely on the God’s Knights? Or rely on the Navy to exterminate them?"
His words were met with silence from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
But the Five Elders felt a chill emanate from their souls.
That was fear.
Yes. Just as Doflamingo said, after the fall of the three God’s Knights, the Five Elders had come to realize their awkward situation. The power displayed by The Zodiac was simply too overwhelming. As symbols of divine martial force, the God’s Knights were almost completely outmatched — even three of them together were ultimately wiped out in a single strike by ’Saru’.
And undoubtedly, this was their failure.
The candidates for the God’s Knights were selected by them from among the most outstanding Celestial Dragon powerhouses, then bestowed with the Deep Sea Contract personally by Lord Imu. The incompetence of the God’s Knights reflected directly on them.
And Doflamingo was still speaking.
"The Celestial Dragons are just a bunch of fat, useless trash — the people you select from among them to bear your power will never be that strong. Relying on them, you can never kill the Star Lord."
He said coldly. Then, opening his arms: "So I will bring you an opportunity — an opportunity for you to personally eliminate ’The Zodiac’."
"Shut up!"
The Five Elders shouted from within — they couldn’t control their bodies, but their souls could still produce sound.
"How could the Lord personally take action."
Let Lord Imu personally eliminate The Zodiac? They all knew such a thing was impossible. Because although this Lord is the supreme God of the world...
"I know — you are still being ’bound’. Aren’t you?"
Doflamingo’s words nearly gave the Five Elders a heart attack.
"Doflamingo!"
They let out roars of shock and fury. They didn’t understand how this man, stripped of his Celestial Dragon status, dared to say this directly. This was one of the greatest taboos in Lord Imu’s heart.
And the truth was exactly so.
In that instant, the Five Elders felt an immense pressure radiate from the depths of their souls.
"Lily..." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
Imu’s voice could barely maintain a human vocal quality. That was hatred born of betrayal.
In fact, if someone had been in Mary Geoise at that moment, they would have noticed — in that instant, the sky over the entire island turned dark.
But Doflamingo merely looked at the Den Den Mushi before him.
In his mind, reflections of the past emerged.
He was seventeen years old. He carried his father’s severed head back to Mary Geoise, attempting to restore his Celestial Dragon status. He was rejected and ridiculed by all of them.
"You abandoned your status and became a creature of the lower world — and you still want to become a ’God’ again?"
"Trash, get lost!"
"You still want to see the Five Elders? Who do you think you are?"
Unwillingness, anger, and hatred drove him to quietly infiltrate Pangaea Castle by himself that night. And it was exactly that night that he saw the truth of the World Government.
In the deepest room of Pangaea Castle, he saw the Five Elders — the highest authority in the world — kneeling on the ground. Before them stood an incredible tree. Doflamingo couldn’t determine exactly how large it was. He only knew that inside that room named the Room of Flowers, what existed was only a part of its canopy, while its trunk seemed to be rooted within the entire Red Line itself.
Beneath the canopy, he saw that ’God’ and the Celestial Dragons’ ’National Treasure’ — the very source of their authority as World Nobles, standing above all living beings.
What he witnessed that night became his greatest trump card to this day. Over the years, even the World Government had been forced to compromise with him because of it.
And now, he revealed that trump card.
"You cannot truly leave that room, nor can you unleash your power without restraint!"
"What you obtained by cooperating with the twenty founding kings... is only [Restricted Freedom]!"
Doflamingo looked at the Den Den Mushi, enunciating each word clearly. "Unless..."
He raised his hand and pointed it downward. Through the special Den Den Mushi, the other end could see clouds and blue sky — Doflamingo was clearly airborne. And the place the Den Den Mushi was directed toward was Dressrosa.
Whether it was Imu, or the Five Elders whose bodies were controlled by Imu yet could still think — all of them could clearly see the extraordinary sight below.
The Birdcage, which Saru had previously discovered advancing constantly along a special trajectory, had unknowingly carved a massive magic circle across the entire island. Within the circle, the twisting, turning paths of the Birdcage formed ancient characters one after another.
And right at the center — the Corrida Colosseum, specially expanded into a specific shape not long before, its five gates cooperating with the patterns of the Birdcage to form the unmistakable shape of a Pentagram.
That was an ancient legend whispered across certain corners of the sea, spoken alongside the names of Davy Jones and the Sun God Nika:
[Carve the Abyssal Magic Circle, offer blood and wails as sacrifice]
[The Demon will answer the summons]
[Slaughter, desire, greed — all your wishes can be satisfied]
The Five Elders knew exactly what that was.
The ’Teleportation Array’ that only God’s Knights and the Five Elders could use — the symbol of Imu’s power.
Now they understood.
Doflamingo had never, from the very beginning, believed the God’s Knights could defeat The Zodiac. Or to be precise — the defeat and death of the God’s Knights was something he had been happy to see. Because whether it was the God’s Knights or The Zodiac, they were all just bargaining chips prepared for this negotiation with God.
But...
The Five Elders all knew it was not enough.
If merely carving the Abyssal Magic Circle could allow Lord Imu to descend upon the world, they would have long since carved magic circles everywhere. But the conditions for Imu’s descent were far more demanding than that.
"You have not signed the ’Abyssal Sea Contract’. You do not bear Mu’s ’essence’ on your body. Merely carving the magic circle cannot allow Mu’s power to descend..."
Imu said coldly.
Correct. To make His power truly descend upon the world, what was needed was not just the Abyssal Magic Circle. The most important element was the ’Abyssal Sea Contract’ — the mark possessed by the Five Elders, symbolizing the essence of His power: the ’Abyss’.
However, just as Imu spoke, His words paused.
And not just Him. Even the Five Elders were rendered speechless.
Because in that instant, they saw the object in Doflamingo’s hand.
A segment of a tree root.
"That is —"
A rare fluctuation appeared in Imu’s voice. He clearly recognized its origin.
"Fuffuffuffuffu..."
Doflamingo’s laughter grew even more piercing.
"Now — are my conditions sufficient?"
The Five Elders had become completely speechless.
As holders of the Abyssal Sea Contract, they knew its effects intimately. They had exchanged everything they possessed to bear a part of Lord Imu’s essence within themselves. It was exactly this essence that could truly activate the Abyssal Magic Circle, allowing Lord Imu’s power to ’descend’ to the location of the circle.
But that essence — exactly as Roy had previously surmised — required two things.
First: sufficient ’Source Energy of Lineage Factor’ — the origin of all supernatural powers in this world. And the source energy contained within the tree root in Doflamingo’s hand was already enough to activate the Abyssal Magic Circle.
Second: the desires formed by the convergence of all negative emotions in the world.
The gazes of the Five Elders fell upon Dressrosa below. Even separated by the Den Den Mushi and a vast distance, they could hear the citizens’ fury transmitting from the island.
Even the arrogant Five Elders had to admit — Donquixote Doflamingo is a truly exceptional architect of chaos.
From the moment he drove all the citizens toward the Corrida Colosseum, he had already prepared everything. All of them longed to kill Doflamingo. All of them burned with rage. All of them were... food for the Abyss.
"Conditions."
Imu spoke again. And for the first time, His tone carried a distinct change — anticipation, excitement, and desire.
"King of the World."
Doflamingo didn’t hesitate, stating his true purpose directly.
"I want to make a ’Promise’ with you — just like that Davy D. Jones in the past."
"You will still be God, and I will be the new King of the World."
In his tone — true fanaticism.
Yes. Restore his status as a Celestial Dragon? Become ’Saint Doflamingo’ again? He hadn’t cared for such boring ambitions since he was seventeen. The purpose of this massive gamble where he staked his everything was exactly as he said — he wanted to seize the entire world.
"Davy..."
After hearing his words, Imu’s voice seemed full of memories.
The expressions of the Five Elders shifted drastically: "A Promise?"
As mentioned before — today’s Celestial Dragons, whether the Five Elders or the God’s Knights, had signed ’Contracts’ with Imu. Their status was below Imu, and they must obey His commands in exchange for power and immortality. Their life and death rested within Imu’s single thought; they were practically His slaves.
But the Five Elders knew.
At the very beginning of everything, before this Lord Imu had yet to rule over all — that first cursed one, Davy Jones, had made a ’Promise’ with Lord Imu. The relationship between the two was not that of Master and Servant, but an equal partnership. And it was exactly this equality that ultimately allowed Davy Jones to betray Imu and leave ’Hope’ for the world.
Now, Doflamingo was proposing this demand that could only be called taboo. He wanted to stand above all Celestial Dragons, above the Five Elders themselves — and stand beside Lord Imu.
"What... what kind of delusion is this!"
But clearly...
"This is the content of the transaction —"
Doflamingo didn’t care about their thoughts.
"Choose to cooperate with me. Share your power with me, in exchange for the opportunity to eliminate your greatest enemy."
"Or..."
He plucked the thread in his hand.
"Let me die here. Your enemies will escape, and you will continue to be trapped in that cage..."
He laughed loudly.
"Then make your choice..."
The Conqueror’s Haki on his body surged ever more powerfully.
"The God who possesses everything, yet has nothing."
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