At this time, after killing the Celestial Dragon who had been stationed as a guard, Elior advanced toward the treasure vault.
But along the way, he passed through a vast hall — clearly a meeting chamber.
An oval table stood at the center, surrounded by twenty-two chairs.
"So this must be the so-called Elder Council… twenty-two seats. That means twenty-two elders," Elior murmured. "No doubt most of them are masters — perhaps all of them. After all, the Gorosei were all chosen from among them."
According to what Stussy had said earlier, this current generation of the Gorosei was the forty-sixth since the founding of the World Government — and also the one that had held power the longest.
Every generation of Gorosei had been selected from the elite among the elite — the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons. It was proof that the Celestial Dragons truly ruled the world.
Elior's mind began to turn with new thoughts.
Now that he had come this deep into Mary Geoise, he was realizing the truth: the Celestial Dragons were far from simple. Their influence, power, and internal hierarchy were far more intricate than he had ever imagined.
But Elior had prepared for this. He had studied their structure before coming here, gathering every piece of information he could. To conquer the world, one had to know the enemy as well as oneself.
Twenty minutes later, Elior pushed open the colossal gates of the treasure vault. The doors themselves were made of solid gold and glittering gemstones, standing fifty meters tall and fifteen meters wide — each side nearly eight meters thick.
He placed both hands on the door and forced it open with steady strength.
"It's heavy… as expected of a vault only monsters could open. If a thief wanted to rob this place, they'd need to be far stronger than ordinary humans."
When the doors finally parted, a radiant light burst out from within — a blinding brilliance of gold and jewels piled into mountains, rivaling the treasure halls beneath Gran Tesoro.
But Elior merely glanced over it. He had no interest in wealth.
His purpose was something far more valuable.
This was only the main hall — several sealed chambers branched from it, each labeled with gold plaques. His gaze moved from one to the next:
DEVIL FRUITSPURE GOLDSPECIAL COLLECTIONS
"There's even Pure Gold?"
Elior wasn't surprised to see a vault dedicated to Devil Fruits — that was expected. But Pure Gold? That caught even him off guard.
He knew of it: a legendary substance capable of extending one's lifespan. Not true immortality, but enough to keep someone alive far beyond their natural limit.
In this world, true eternal life likely did not exist — not even for the Gorosei. Only Imu, the shadow who had lived since eight hundred years ago, might hold that secret.
Elior pushed open the door to the Pure Gold chamber.
It was a massive room. At its center stood a cauldron ten meters tall, glowing faintly under the dim light.
"So this is Pure Gold?"
He used Geppo to rise into the air and looked down. Inside the cauldron was a shimmering golden liquid — molten metal, glowing softly yet strangely cool to the touch.
"Liquid gold…? But it's at room temperature."
He examined it closely. Normally, metals could only remain liquid under intense heat — yet this gold flowed freely, like sunlight turned to water.
"So this is what they use to prolong their lives," Elior said quietly. "The World Government really does own tons of Pure Gold."
How many Celestial Dragons had extended their lives using this? How many had cheated death while others perished like insects?
Even then, Elior suspected that only a select few had the right to use it. Ordinary Celestial Dragons likely didn't even know of its existence — just as only the most elite were allowed burial in the so-called Tomb of the Gods in the Valley of the Gods.
It revealed how deep their hierarchy truly went.
Elior's eyes narrowed. As much as the sight of the gold tempted him, he couldn't carry it out — not now. But he made a mental note:
When I return to destroy Mariejoa, this vault must be preserved. This will become mine.
Next, he entered the chamber labeled DEVIL FRUITS.
Inside, ten ornate chests rested neatly in a row, each sealed with protective locks.
"Only ten?" Elior muttered. "Then these must be extraordinary."
He frowned thoughtfully. In the world above, Celestial Dragons treated Devil Fruits as disposable luxuries — throwing them to slaves for entertainment. If they could waste them like that, how many more must be hidden in this city? Perhaps every household of the nobles had its own stockpile.
But these ten… these were different.
"They must be ancient or unique types," Elior guessed. "But I can't take them with me now."
He decided to leave them untouched — for now. When he returned to raze Mary Geoise, this treasure vault would be one of his first targets.
Finally, he stepped into the chamber marked SPECIAL COLLECTIONS.
The moment he entered, his eyes widened.
At the center was the skull of a dragon — a real one, massive and ancient. Nearby were black scales and horn fragments sealed in reinforced glass.
This was no dinosaur. It was the same type of creature Kaido could transform into with his Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon.
"Ryuma of Wano once slew a dragon like this…" Elior murmured. "But was that beast another Mythical Zoan user, or a true dragon?"
He continued deeper into the room.
Artifacts filled every corner — strange, ancient, and priceless. Weapons, relics, fragments of history long erased from the world. Among them were two great blades, both enormous and finely crafted.
But they weren't Supreme Grade Blades, or Elior would have taken them immediately.
Then he saw something that made his breath catch.
A massive tome — bound in black leather, thick and heavy.
The title engraved on its cover:"Complete Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."
It was far thicker than the version Judge had once given him.
Elior stepped forward, his eyes gleaming.
"This… could change everything."