Charloss should have been the most typical Celestial Dragon.
Proudly proclaiming himself a "descendant of the gods," he believed himself to be a "god" walking among mortals, above the law.
Any action he took was justified, and no one could restrain what he did to "commoners."
This included bullying, enslaving, massacring...
He could also take anyone he fancied as his spouse, discarding them once he grew bored.
Branding slaves was, of course, standard practice—classic slave-owner behavior.
This was how Charloss should have lived his life.
But before he could grow into an adult who could wield the privileges of a Celestial Dragon at will, he experienced an extraordinary horror...
When the "Cross Guild Massacre—Celestial Dragon Execution Incident" occurred, he was merely a four-year-old child.
Though already showing signs of cruelty under his father's influence...
The massacre left him with deep psychological scars.
Even after being rescued, he fell into a state of mental instability...
Until that figure bathed in holy light, with pristine white wings, burst into his hospital room. Then, he finally understood.
This was his faith!
His savior!
This person—not him—was the true god, towering above all.
And he, Charloss, was only fit to grovel at his feet as a devout follower...
The god was merciful to him.
He saved him, then redeemed him.
So...
He was willing to offer everything to his god.
"Saint Charloss, the Five Elders wish to see you."
A CP0 agent in a white suit and mask bowed respectfully before stating his purpose.
"Understood... Lead the way."
Charloss's response gave the CP0 agent pause, but he quickly turned to guide him.
It was almost laughable.
As a Celestial Dragon who had survived the execution incident, the Five Elders had never sought revenge against the Cross Guild.
Instead, they had ignored him entirely.
And today... was his first time being summoned to the Five Elders' council chamber.
A powerless, ordinary Celestial Dragon like him was no different from the elite's symbolic livestock kept in Pangaea Castle.
The CP0 agent escorted Charloss down the broad pathways of Pangaea Castle.
The once-automated walkways had long ceased functioning after Michael's years-long ban on the slave trade and Fisher Tiger's slave liberation movement.
Thus, the journey felt unusually long.
But it didn't matter.
The Five Elders had requested his presence. No matter how slowly he walked, they would wait.
Charloss carefully measured every inch of the land, sensing the so-called "holy" atmosphere of the place...
All of it... filled him with utter disgust.
These repulsive creatures of his own kind... were obstructing the Savior's grand plan!
At this thought, Charloss's face openly displayed malice.
"Please enter... Saint Charloss," a CP0 member said softly as they reached the door, pushing it open for him.
Charloss nodded and strode inside without a backward glance at the scenery beyond the door.
"Charloss... You've actually grown up now."
The first to speak was Nusjuro, his tone neither warm nor cold as he smiled at Charloss.
"Charloss greets the Five Elders... I wonder why an ordinary Celestial Dragon like me has been summoned to the Five Elders' council chamber?" Charloss feigned confusion.
"Could there be something you wish to ask me?"
"That... depends entirely on you, Charloss" Nusjuro Saint replied, his smile fading.
"If you tell us exactly how much classified information you leaked to Michael... we might still let you walk out of here alive."
"No wonder... when I left my palace, I suddenly had this feeling that I could never return... So you all already knew." Charlos suddenly laughed.
"Alright, fine, I'm scared of you all. Yes, yes, it was me. I reported all your movements and plans to my God the moment I learned of them... For my God's grand cause, I wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice my life! Let alone just passing along some information!"
"...You actually did this! Just because he saved you back then!? Have you ever wondered why Michael specifically chose to save you!?"
"I've always believed this was the bond between me and my God... Of course, I also considered whether this was part of my God's scheme... But the day you chose to sweep things under the rug and even tacitly allowed the Cross Guild to exist, I stopped caring!" Charlos' expression grew increasingly twisted, his voice rising to a hysterical pitch.
"At the very least, my God spared this worthless life of mine! Isn't that enough!?"
"A traitor to the Celestial Dragons... deserves only death."
"Haha! Death? You think death is punishment for me?" Charlos threw his head back in laughter, tears streaming from his eyes.
"You Five Elders sit so high and mighty... Have those seats turned your brains to stone?"
As he laughed and cursed, Charloss tore open his clothes.
His body, which should have been obese and bloated, had long since become lean and wiry.
The apparent bulk came entirely from... the explosives he had somehow acquired and wrapped around himself.
"Elders? You dare to pass Judgement on my God's faithful?"
Charlos sneered contemptuously and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"You! Aren't even worthy of smelling Michael's farts!"
The next instant, the bombs detonated.
...
"Hey! Did you hear? Something huge happened in Mariejois this time!"
"Don't spread this around! Even though we Marines got the news, it's not for public consumption!"
"Tsk tsk, who would've thought the Celestial Dragons would have internal strife? One of them couldn't stand losing his slaves, went insane, and attacked the Five Elders with a bomb strapped to his body!"
"And I heard this Celestial Dragon was the sole survivor of that execution incident years ago!"
Three days had passed since Charlos' suicide attack on the Five Elders.
Though Charlos was dead, the Five Elders emerged largely unscathed.
Five Mythical Zoan users being taken out by a bomb would've been the real joke.
The news was suppressed from reaching the outside world, but as part of the World Government system, the Marines naturally learned of it.
....
Meanwhile, Michael stood by the shore of Marineford.
Once upon a time, he had watched Sengoku and Garp battle Golden Lion from this very spot.
Now, clad in the uniform of the Grand Inspector, he held a bottle of decently expensive liquor.
He twisted it open and poured it into the sea.
"Next life... don't ever be a Celestial Dragon again."
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