Doflamingo: I’ve Become the Vice Leader of the God’s Knights?!

"Hmm?"

Garling eyelid twitched as he met Orion's gaze, barely suppressing the urge to curse.

He didn't expect Orion to not only pit him against Ethanbaron, Topman and Saturn but also to covet the position of the God's Knights leader.

However, although the appointment of the God's Knights leader wasn't up to him, Im-sama had already confirmed the candidate during his visit to the Flower Room—his own son, Shamrock.

With Im-sama appointment, even if Orion wanted to interfere, Garling wasn't worried about losing this position.

Thinking this, Garling smiled faintly and replied calmly "Of course, I will resign from the position of the God's Knights leader. However, this position has always been appointed by Im-sama. I dare not interfere with who the next leader will be."

"Is that so?"

Orion nodded, then stood up decisively. "It seems it's time for me to visit the Flower room."

Before Orion could take a step, a Den Den Mushi on the table in front of the sofa suddenly rang.

Im voice came through the Den Den Mushi.

"Orion, I can make concessions regarding your purge of the Marcus and Shepherd families, but you must not interfere with the God's Knights. Most importantly, I have already decided on the leader of the God's Knights. There's no need for further discussion!"

Hearing this, Orion glanced around the Chamber of Power, his expression displeased.

"Im, were you eavesdropping just now? I didn't expect you to have such a hobby. There's no need for this. In my presence, there are no secrets. I'm sure Sengoku has already told you—I prefer to play with my cards on the table. If you want to know something, you can ask me directly. There's no need to secretly install a surveillance Den Den Mushi in the Chamber of Power."

"..."

The Den Den Mushi fell into a brief silence.

Clearly, Im was rendered speechless by Orion's words.

After a brief pause, Im spoke in a deep voice "The Chamber of Power has no eavesdropping Den Den Mushi, nor any surveillance Den Den Mushi."

Orion shrugged slightly "Since there are no eavesdropping Den Den Mushi, then you must have been using Observation Haki to listen in? Impressive, as expected of you. Your Observation Haki can actually cover the entire Holy Land!"

This time, Im didn't remain silent.

"I did not!"

"Why so defensive?" Orion blinked in confusion. "Let me clarify, I'm not mocking you. I genuinely wanted to compliment you on your powerful Observation Haki!"

The Den Den Mushi took a deep breath, clearly indicating that Im was on the verge of exploding.

"Let's get to the point."

Im didn't want to continue on this topic and quickly moved on.

"About the matter of the God's Knights..."

"Wait,"

Before Im could finish, Orion promptly interrupted.

"This matter, I must intervene! If you disagree, let's settle it with a fight. I've been curious to see what's hidden beneath that mask of yours!"

"Orion, you—" Im was furious and the Den Den Mushi swelled rapidly, seemingly about to burst.

Before Im could react, Orion swiftly changed the subject.

"Of course, I'm not unreasonable. If you make a concession, I'll take a step back."

"Since you've already decided on the leader of the God's Knights, it shouldn't be a problem for me to appoint a vice leader, right?"

"Vice leader?" Im tone noticeably relaxed as she asked "Who do you want to appoint as the vice leader of the God's Knights?"

Hearing this, Orion turned his head to look at Doflamingo standing to his left and said straightforwardly.

"Donquixote Doflamingo!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Garling, Ethanbaron, Topman and Saturn all looked up at Doflamingo in disbelief.

Doflamingo himself was caught off guard, his eyes widening behind his sunglasses.

'Me? A vice leader of God's Knights?'

After a brief moment of shock, Doflamingo took a deep breath and straightened his previously hunched back to an unprecedented degree.

If it weren't for Orion dislike for bowing, he would have surely kowtowed to him.

The reason was simple: Orion not only brought him back to the Holy Land to reclaim the dignity he had lost years ago but was also pushing him to the position of vice leader of the God's Knights.

Whether it was the leader or vice leader didn't matter.

What mattered was that, as the vice leader of the God's Knights, he would have the authority to enforce the law against the Celestial Dragons.

This was far more prestigious than his previous obsession with restoring his status as a Celestial Dragon.

After all, decades ago, his father had renounced their Celestial Dragon status and left the Holy Land, leading to him, his younger brother and their mother being beaten by civilians who harbored hatred for the Celestial Dragons.

His mother had even lost her life as a result.

Now, decades later, Orion not only brought him back to the Holy Land but also elevated him to a high position.

Such a great favor was akin to a rebirth.

Even if he had to bow down ten times, it would still be a bargain for him!

"Agreed."

Under the incredulous gazes of Ethanbaron and the others, Im's voice came through the Den Den Mushi with a firm response.

"Alright, let's wrap things up for today." Orion decisively ended the call and turned to Doflamingo, who was still dazed by the sudden turn of good fortune.

"Report to the God's Knights immediately. If you have any questions, ask Gunko. Integrate yourself quickly and don't disappoint me!"

"Fufufufu, as you command!"

Doflamingo straightened his posture, mimicking a Marine salute and then swaggered out with an unmistakable air of arrogance, striding right between Garling and Ethanbaron.

"Everyone, dismissed~"

Orion didn't linger either. After a quick glance around, he stood up decisively.

"Hancock, let's go."

***

Gion stood before the gates of a grand estate, her expression heavy despite the mountain of treasures and endless piles of Berries confiscated from the Marcus and Shepherd families.

On her way here, she had listened to the reports from the two vice admirals with growing unease, but it wasn't until she saw the sheer scale of the wealth before her that she truly grasped what they meant by "rolling in riches."

Excluding the rare artifacts and gold, the Berries alone seized from the Marcus and Shepherd families were enough to cover the expenses of the Marine Headquarters, the four seas and all the branches in the Grand Line for at least two years.

With the addition of the gold and jewels, the Marines wouldn't have to worry about funding for the next two years.

Of course, none of this is important.

What matters is that all these treasures of gold, jewels and Berries were collected by the Celestial Dragons through levies imposed on the member nations of the World Government.

The sheer amount of Berries, gold and jewels confiscated so far is staggering.

She couldn't even begin to imagine the astronomical sums of wealth that the privileged Celestial Dragons had squandered over the years.

Every single Berry, every piece of gold and every strand of jewelry squandered by the Celestial Dragons was extracted from the citizens of the member nations, leading to widespread suffering and impoverishment among the people.

How could the world not descend into chaos if this continued?

[A/N : change im pronouns to 'she' since lotta people believe she is a female]

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