-Real World-
Three prominent Celestial Dragons had died before the cameras of the Sky Screen, sending shockwaves throughout the world. It turned out that even gods could bleed and die like ordinary mortals!
Saint Charlos, the most despicable of the World Nobles, had suffered the most agonizing death. Before his final moments, he experienced the treatment he'd inflicted on countless slaves—watching his own internal organs spill across the deck, dying slowly in excruciating despair.
Though Saint Shalria and Saint Rozward hadn't died with dignity either, their deaths had been mercifully quick. They were fortunate not to endure prolonged suffering like Charlos.
Countless people harbored deep grudges against the so-called God's Clan. While their resentment was publicly suppressed by Marine force, dissatisfaction had been accumulating for generations. This volcanic rage would inevitably erupt someday.
The moment the Celestial Dragons lost their protective shield, it was natural for everyone to kick them while they were down. Every intelligent creature in the world would relish the opportunity to step on these gods' corpses, spit on their remains, and desecrate them before moving on.
The people of this world had suffered under Celestial Dragon oppression for far too long. They wished for nothing more than the complete extinction of the Twenty Kings' bloodlines. Without the Heavenly Tribute draining their resources and the boot of tyranny on their necks, even exploitation by common pirates would be preferable to their current existence.
The Celestial Dragons' gruesome deaths in the Sky Screen brought secret joy to most viewers. This included Marines, ordinary civilians, pirates, World Government agents, and even the Celestial Dragons' own slaves. The more miserable the gods' deaths appeared, the better—audiences eagerly anticipated what horrific revelations the broadcast might show next.
In the present timeline, the three Celestial Dragons responsible for the future catastrophe were currently residing in the Sabaody Archipelago. Initially, they'd shown little interest in the mysterious Sky Screen phenomenon, preferring to torture their slaves and take human lives for entertainment.
The Sky Screen's revelation that all three would die within five years had completely shattered their composure. In this twisted world, when had it ever been the gods' turn to face mortality? What purpose did the Marines and CP0 serve if they couldn't protect their masters? Even dogs fed scraps could bark a warning—what use were these supposed guardians if they failed in their primary duty?
Using their vast wealth, the Celestial Dragons had booked the most luxurious hotel suite in the Sabaody Archipelago. Guests of other races had been "politely" asked to vacate the premises by CP0 agents. Any injuries sustained during this "eviction process" would, unfortunately, be at the victims' own expense.
The three World Nobles gathered alone in their opulent suite for a private discussion. Saint Charlos, the most pathetic of the gods, wept uncontrollably within his bubble helmet.
"Father, I don't want to die yet!" he sobbed. "Five years is too short! I'm too young to die!"
Saint Rozward glared at his disappointing son with disgust. The boy did nothing but play with women all day, and he didn't even choose physically strong slaves. His pathetic display made the patriarch's anger boil over.
"Stop crying! What else can you do besides weeping and sniveling?" he snarled. "Look—your sister isn't carrying on like this. Control yourself before the slaves start looking down on you!"
Saint Rozward's strategy was simple: since they knew about their deaths in advance, they would simply avoid that fate. They wouldn't travel to Dressrosa and would remain near Marine Headquarters instead. If something could threaten them there, then only the Holy Land of Mary Geoise would be truly safe.
Saint Shalria recalled the Sky Screen image of her head being blown off. Her death had been utterly undignified—reduced to a ridiculous headless corpse.
"This is all Doflamingo's fault," she hissed. "That former Celestial Dragon abandoned his birthright, and the Five Elders deliberately indulged him, allowing him to retain certain privileges. They bear responsibility for nurturing this monster that will threaten us five years from now. The Heavenly Yaksha of the Donquixote Family has certainly given us gods quite a surprise."
She continued her analysis with cold fury. "Vergo, that undercover Marine agent, belongs to Doflamingo. Three Celestial Dragons died by his hands. We truly underestimated that thick-browed, earnest-looking traitor. What gave him the audacity to massacre Marines and murder World Nobles in front of an Admiral?"
Future Admiral Smoker's earlier assault on Saint Charlos had been disrespectful enough to the god clan, but that incident paled compared to Vergo's wholesale slaughter. Killing Celestial Dragons before witnesses was the ultimate taboo. This scene had truly shocked the entire world.
Women were naturally vindictive creatures, and this woman happened to be a Celestial Dragon. Though these future events hadn't occurred yet, Saint Shalria was already planning retaliation.
"Father, we should unite with other Celestial Dragon families to pressure the Donquixote family," she suggested with vicious satisfaction. "Doflamingo is too dangerous to leave unchecked. The Five Elders should eliminate him immediately."
Even without his daughter's prompting, Saint Rozward had already been considering this course of action. He'd long resented the Donquixote Family, and their conflict with Saint Mjosgard in the Sky Screen had only deepened his animosity. Since they'd already made enemies, they might as well commit fully to the conflict. They were all Celestial Dragons—who should fear whom?
Both families remained outside the Five Elders' inner circle, making their status roughly equal for political maneuvering.
Moreover, they'd received intelligence that the Five Elders had already issued a summons to Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Before undertaking any combat missions, he was required to report to Mary Geoise for questioning. It remained unclear how the Five Elders would handle this former Celestial Dragon who would supposedly cause such catastrophic destruction in the future.
At that very moment, Doflamingo found himself sneezing repeatedly—not from illness in his robust constitution, but because countless people worldwide were cursing his name. The Sky Screen had transformed him into a world-destroying villain, making it impossible to avoid unwanted attention.
"Young Master, the atmosphere aboard this ship is wrong," Gladius observed nervously. "Are we still heading to the Holy Land after what the Sky Screen revealed?"
"This damned broadcast has put us in the spotlight for everyone to scrutinize," he complained. "All our family's important secrets are exposed. Do we have some grudge against whoever's behind the Sky Screen?"
Diamante, the clownish swordsman, wasn't pleased about his apparent future power growth. Though it looked impressive that he could easily defeat Trafalgar Law, he didn't understand how the famous blade Hebi no Ken would come into his possession. He worried that someone else might claim such a powerful sword first. If intercepted, he'd have no recourse.
Doflamingo had brought only these two executives on his journey to the Holy Land. Diamante and Gladius's constant bickering was giving the former Celestial Dragon a splitting headache.
Since boarding the World Government vessel, their freedom of movement had been restricted by CP0 agents stationed outside their cabin. They were essentially under house arrest. Doflamingo was seriously considering one option: should he simply leap overboard and escape back to Dressrosa?
The Heavenly Yaksha had no better alternatives at the moment. For once in his life, the Sky Screen had truly rattled him.