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Chapter 56
Everything in the world smells different when it burns. A blank sheet of paper isn't the same as a damp tree. Expensive boar and human flesh may smell alike when charred, but 10-year-old Doflamingo hasn't tasted meat in a long time.
The flames leaped before his eyes, and the dark night sky turned red with the blaze.
Shouts, curses, and screams. The noise of walls being burnt and cracked tore through the pain, jolting him awake.
His eyes were covered, and his body was bound to the city wall, like a condemned sinner.
"It's the Celestial Dragons' family!"
"Don't kill them; let them suffer alive!"
The angry crowd stood beneath the tower, hurling insults at the Don Quixote family displayed on the wall.
Rocks, spoiled vegetables, rotten eggs, and trash rained down on those strung up on the wall.
Doflamingo felt the sticky mess hit his face and drip down. He heard his father's wails.
What an irony, Father.
You renounced your esteemed Celestial Dragons status, mistaking it for pity and kindness, hoping to live peacefully and amicably among the common people. But do you see it now?
Oh no, you can't, as your eyes are also covered.
But can you hear it?
Their greedy breaths, their cruel laughter, their boiling desires...
Father, these are the 'civilians' you wished to embrace!
Did they thank you?
No!
They saw a 'God' descend from the altar!
This is the folly and the lowliness of humanity.
Who could resist crushing the great 'God' beneath their feet?
They just want to trample and spit on the deity that fell into the mire.
And you, Father, are you weeping?
Crying now is pointless.
Doflamingo felt an urge to laugh.
The heat intensified, and the flames licked the walls. He smelled the scent of cooking meat. His feet felt scorched.
The stream of insults didn't stop; more rotten refuse flew from all directions.
Tears stained with blood ran from Doflamingo's eyes. Amidst the deafening scorn, he finally burst into laughter:
"Ha ha ha ha ha!!!"
His fists were clenched tight.
"Remember this, all of you..."
"I won't die..."
Blood dripped from his teeth, the result of a beating, but he wore it as the last vestige of his dignity.
The crowd's expressions wavered at the sight.
Though tormenting the Celestial Dragons relieved some of their anger and bitterness, a primal fear lingered.
"No matter what you do to me, I will survive... Ha ha ha ha ha!!!"
Doflamingo raised his head, staring down contemptuously at the stunned onlookers below:
They might prefer to see him burn on the wall, but they didn't want to see him beg.
I am a Celestial Dragon!
The most exalted being in this world!
Fury surged within Doflamingo, his cracked lips parting to reveal a defiant grin:
"I will be the end of you all..."
"Not one will be spared!"
The scene shifted abruptly to dimly lit rooms filled with grime and despair, littered with refuse and waste.
Flies buzzed around, yet the warm sunlight outside the window could not pierce the damp and cold confines of the room. Her grip, once tight, slipped away slowly and without strength. Doflamingo stared at his mother, lying motionless on the hospital bed, as his pupils seemed to lose their light. Nearby, Rosinante's sobs were audible.
"Sorry, Joker," his father said in a muted tone, sitting in front of the bed, his eyes red and face worn.
"Sorry... does that help?" Doflamingo suddenly laughed, his laughter spiraling into hysteria as tears mingled with his outburst. "It's all your fault, all your fault!"
In his maniacal state, Doflamingo drew his pistol. He pointed it at his father. "If it weren't for you, my mother wouldn't have died from her illness. If it weren't for you, our family would still be happily living in this world! If it weren't for you, I'd still be above as a Celestial Dragon!"
Donquixote Homing looked at his gun-wielding son, horror dawning on his face, but soon it was replaced by a gentle smile of relief. Then the gunshot echoed. The Celestial Dragon fell slowly, blood pooling around him.
"Sorry..." he whispered. As his vision blurred and turned red with blood, he saw his son crying and laughing amidst the chaos.
The scene flickered to a silent weight. A blonde child ascended a pristine and sacred staircase, a bloodied head in hand. Blood still oozed from the head, its expression frozen with traces of a gentle smile. Above, five elderly figures looked down on the world like deities.
'This was supposed to be my life,' Doflamingo thought to himself. He presented the severed head to the highest powers of the World Government, declaring coldly, "I'm going to become a Celestial Dragon again."
But the response was five pairs of eyes filled with contempt, ridicule, sarcasm, and indifference. "The Don Quixote family are traitors. You're not entitled to live in the Holy Land anymore. Go back. You're no longer Celestial Dragons. Also, clean the staircase to the sky."
After cleaning the Stairway to Heaven, Doflamingo boarded a merchant ship to North Blue, like a lost dog. There, a group of villainous rogues approached and knelt before him. "Listen... Joker... you are a king. Never let anyone disobey you. One day, you will become the king of this sea."
'Yes, I am a king. One day, I will be the king of this sea,' he affirmed to himself. Doflamingo proclaimed, "I am Doflamingo! I want to be the king of the sea! World Government, Five Elders, Celestial Dragons... I will destroy this world and everything you rule! I want--"
Snap! Doflamingo's eyes snapped open as he was jolted from his sleep—a searing pain on his face. No, it wasn't only his face; his entire body ached without respite.
He was perplexed.
"Sorry, I didn't want to disturb your dreams, but you were being too loud," a deep voice said.
Doflamingo saw a black-haired Marine sitting nonchalantly across from him, a lit cigar resting in his mouth, shrugging helplessly in his direction.