Chapter 13: The Shame of the Celestial Dragons

While Marine Headquarters was carrying out its daily operations, Fleet Admiral Kong urgently received the news. Normally, a mere pirate crew from one of the Four Blues wouldn't warrant the attention of someone as high-ranking as the Fleet Admiral. After all, Kong, with his countless responsibilities, primarily focused on matters in the New World. But this pirate crew was called "Donquixote," and what made his head ache even more was that the captain was a former Celestial Dragon, the brat Doflamingo from the Donquixote family.

For a noble Celestial Dragon to stoop to piracy was not only unacceptable to those in the Holy Land of Mariejois, but it was also a source of shame. They absolutely refused to acknowledge Doflamingo's former Celestial Dragon status. The Celestial Dragons, who looked down on everything, found it humiliating enough that he had fallen to the mortal realm. Now, he had become a pirate! Those Celestial Dragons would be furious. After reading the report, Kong immediately sensed that this was a big problem. Any matter involving Celestial Dragons was beyond the authority of the Marines. After all, the Marines were merely an armed force under the government; how could they presume to make decisions regarding the internal affairs of the World Government, the head of the household?

Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office.

Kong finished reading the report from the North Blue Marine branch, his brow furrowed, his expression grim. He remained silent for a long time.

"Kong, old friend, has something serious happened? You look terrible," Sengoku, the current Admiral, asked with concern, seeing the state of his senior.

Kong sat in his chair and sighed. "Indeed. Take a look yourself."

He handed the report to Sengoku, who was slated to succeed him as Fleet Admiral. As the only current Admiral, "Black Arm" Zephyr was semi-retired, dedicated to training new recruits and cultivating new strength for the Marines; "Iron Fist" Garp refused to be promoted to Admiral and was constantly chasing after Roger. None of them were easy to deal with, and now all the pressure of the Marines would fall on Sengoku's shoulders. Sengoku's own duties were already extremely heavy. Although he didn't personally hunt down pirates, as the next Fleet Admiral, he had already begun to handle various Marine affairs for his senior, gradually taking over authority.

After reading the report, Sengoku also fell into deep thought. Finally, he burst out angrily, "Preposterous! Those Celestial Dragons are really something, always making trouble for us. The Marines' forces are already limited, and now this happens! We should report this to the World Government and let them handle it themselves."

Kong, his head aching from Sengoku's outburst, said, "This matter is indeed beyond our jurisdiction. After all, he's a Celestial Dragon, and he hasn't committed any overt pirate acts yet, merely flying a pirate flag and defeating the One-Eyed Pirates. We can't handle this like a regular pirate case. The Marines will stand down for now. First, I'll report this to the Five Elders. This is their family matter, after all. Let's hear their suggestions."

"Damn those Celestial Dragons, always causing trouble for us Marines," Sengoku fumed.

"Alright, Sengoku. In our position, you must understand that we are not our own masters. This position no longer represents just you. We have to consider the thousands of Marines behind us. We can't let our personal feelings disregard the Marines who trust us. Everything is for justice," Kong stood up and said to Sengoku earnestly.

Although Kong wasn't tall, at that moment, in Sengoku's eyes, he appeared immensely imposing, his sense of justice overflowing, filled with dedication to the righteous cause of the Marines. Indeed, didn't every Marine join the Marines for the sake of justice? Everything was for justice. How could personal emotions override justice? In this position, how could they betray the trust of the countless Marines?

The position of Fleet Admiral wasn't an easy one. Everything was for justice, Sengoku thought to himself.

Holy Land Mariejois, the residence of the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons.

Kong arrived with the report to meet with the Five Elders.

The Five Elders, the highest leaders of the World Government, the pillars of the World Government, ranked above the Fleet Admiral. Their subordinate organizations included the direct secret intelligence agencies (CP0-CP9) and the Marines.

Kong arrived at the Five Elders' location, where five spirited old men sat in high positions.

One of the Five Elders, dressed in a black suit with white, curly hair, a bushy white mustache, a flat cap, and a scar on his left cheek, spoke, "Kong, why have you come here? Shouldn't you be busy handling Marine affairs? What do you want with us old men?"

Another Elder, dressed in a dark blue suit with long, straight white hair and a long beard, chimed in, "The Roger Pirates are still running rampant in the New World. Shouldn't you be focusing on dealing with them?"

Kong replied neither humble nor arrogant, "Five Elders, I wouldn't have come here unless it was absolutely necessary. Are you familiar with Donquixote Doflamingo?"

The Five Elders fell into thought after hearing Kong's words. After a long while, the Five Elder in a dark red suit, without a tie, with blond hair and a blond beard, and a scar on his chest, spoke first, "There is such a person. But their family has already renounced their Celestial Dragon status and gone to live in the North Blue. Doflamingo… I believe he's the eldest son of Donquixote Homing, is he not?"

"That's correct. But I heard they weren't doing well. A few years ago, Saint Homing even requested to return to the Holy Land, but we refused. After all, they were the ones who abandoned the glory and status of Celestial Dragons. Anyway, what's happened with that brat, Doflamingo?"

Another Elder, dressed in a dark green suit, bald on top with two tufts of mustache in the shape of an eight, and a birthmark on his forehead, added.

Kong, hearing all the twists and turns, took a deep breath to maintain his composure. "According to our intelligence from the North Blue, Doflamingo has not only formed the Donquixote Pirates and defeated the One-Eyed Pirates, who had a bounty of 50 million berries, but he has also successfully entered the Grand Line."

"Hmph, he's just a brat from the Donquixote family. Defeating a nobody is nothing to brag about. As a noble Celestial Dragon, he has stooped to becoming a pirate, associating with the lowest of the low. He has completely thrown away the nobility and pride of the Celestial Dragons," the Five Elder who had initially questioned Kong said indignantly.

"Although he's a discarded Celestial Dragon, that brat is still a Celestial Dragon. He may not be a major threat now, but who knows what he's planning," the long-bearded Five Elder analyzed.

"You're overthinking it. A discarded Celestial Dragon, without our support, can't do much. Our current priority is the Roger Pirates. A mere brat from the Donquixote family… the Marines can just send someone, and he won't be able to escape," the blond Five Elder said dismissively.

"The matter of Celestial Dragons is never trivial. Doflamingo, despite his young age, has willingly disgraced himself. This is not only a stain on the reputation of the Celestial Dragons, but also a slap in our faces. If that brat gets killed by some pirate, the status of the Celestial Dragons will also be affected. No matter what, the status of the Celestial Dragons cannot be threatened," the bald Five Elder retorted.

Kong remained silent, awaiting the Five Elders' orders.

Seeing their disagreement, the Five Elder dressed in a white robe, bald, wearing glasses but with his eyes closed, spoke. He was the only one of the Five Elders not wearing a suit or sporting a beard, and he held a sword similar to Zoro's Sandai Kitetsu. Unlike the other four, he wore geta (wooden clogs) instead of leather shoes, suggesting he might be a samurai from Wano.

"Enough. The dignity of the Celestial Dragons is inviolable, and their status is unshakeable. We have ruled this world for 800 years. Kong, since he has abandoned his Celestial Dragon status and embraced the pirate life, we don't need to show any courtesy. Issue a bounty for Doflamingo's capture. Remember, even though he's a pirate, he's still a Celestial Dragon. He is to be captured alive. Furthermore, the most important thing right now is the Roger Pirates. Laugh Tale must not be found by them. You know what the emergence of a Pirate King would mean, don't you?"

Although the bald, robe-wearing Five Elder spoke calmly, Kong heard the undeniable authority and the terrifying killing intent directed at anyone who dared to challenge the Celestial Dragons' rule.

The other Five Elders, hearing the bald elder speak, said nothing further, clearly acquiescing to his words.

Seeing this, Kong immediately took his leave from the Five Elders.

Returning to his office, Kong immediately ordered his guards to prepare Doflamingo's bounty poster and to notify all Marine branches to pay special attention to Doflamingo. But what gave Kong an even bigger headache was the Roger Pirates. They were the Marines' biggest threat at the moment. He deeply understood the Five Elders' urgency regarding the Roger Pirates. A Pirate King must not appear, or the world would descend into even greater chaos.

However, could the emergence of a Pirate King be stopped by the Marines? The long-vacant throne of the Pirate King was eagerly awaiting its owner.

In the New World, the Roger Pirates continued their voyage. Their journey was nearing its end. Roger was not worried about the Marines' actions. This was the confidence of the strong. Knowing that his time was limited, Roger was still striving towards the throne of the King.