One Piece: King of the World Chapter 396: Imu the Ancestor of the Donquixote Family?

"You don't want to end up like us?" the curly-haired elder, who had always been the least talkative, murmured with emotion.

The expressions of the remaining four Elders were sowhat complicated.

"Five Elders"—what a prestigious title. As the highest authority in the World Governnt, countless people dread of sitting in their position.

But the burden that ca with it was not light.

The so-called highest power of the World Governnt was nothing more than an illusion. They wielded imnse authority, yes, but they were far from being the true rulers.

Before Lord Imu, they were nothing more than dosticated dogs. Even as the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons, they had to bow their heads and kneel before him.

This stark contrast between light and shadow was suffocating.

The longer they sat in power, the more unbearable it beca. Imagine it, on a daily basis, the world treated them with the utmost respect. But when the ti ca to face that one person, they had to kneel and kowtow. How could anyone feel at ease with such a reality?

Especially when the world believed them to be the highest authority, yet deep down, they knew they were re pawns. Over ti, if one didn't develop inner turmoil from this, then sothing was truly wrong.

Since coming into this world, Claudius had enjoyed all the privileges of a Celestial Dragon. Perhaps he showed respect to the Five Elders and certain individuals when necessary, but he had never once bowed to anyone.

And most importantly, though he had beco a Celestial Dragon later in life, over the past thirty years, he had cultivated his own arrogance. This was undeniable. Now, having reached the peak of his power, that arrogance had only solidified.

To ask him to beco Lord Imu's lapdog now?

Sorry, but I'd rather die than submit.

"Yes, I, Claudius, may sound arrogant, but I do not believe myself inferior to anyone in this world. In other words, there may be those who kneel before , but I will never kneel!" Claudius declared without hesitation.

"Claudius, he's incredibly powerful," the blond elder suddenly spoke softly.

Claudius grinned and asked, "And is Claudius weak?"

"He has lived for 800 years."

"You should know the legend of the Ope-Ope Fruit."

"That Devil Fruit holds the power to grant eternal life. Imu obtained that power over 800 years ago. For eight centuries, he has remained above the clouds, and who knows how many hidden cards he holds?"

"He has always been there, watching everything. Do you understand?" the bald elder, Nusjuro, added.

Claudius nodded and replied, "I understand completely. That's why I've made full preparations, Seven Warlords of the Sea, Marine Admirals, Marine heroes, the Fleet Admiral, and myself, along with the strongest CP agents."

"To be honest, I don't believe there's a single individual in this world who can stand against such overwhelming power alone."

"But if there is… then I will admit defeat."

The Five Elders listened to Claudius's words with increasingly complex emotions. His forces were indeed formidable. Even they, when comparing the power Claudius had assembled against Imu, felt that their so-called Lord had little chance of victory.

Claudius genuinely believed he had reached the ultimate peak. If he still lost despite everything.

"If Lord Imu is truly that invincible, then fine—I, Claudius, will surrender and bid farewell."

"The reason I ca here today, first and foremost, is to speak with you all and reassure you. Although we were enemies before, you are still my elders, so please rest assured. That's my first point," Claudius said, pausing.

The bearded elder then followed up, "And the second point, you want more information about Lord Imu from us, don't you? That way, you'll be better prepared when facing him."

"But Claudius, think about it—Lord Imu has lived for 800 years. This isn't the first ti soone has tried sothing like this. Do you really think he'd be unprepared? How much do you think we actually know? In the end, we're just his dogs," Nusjuro said suddenly, a trace of loneliness in his voice.

When he was young, he had been a swordsman who pursued strength with unwavering courage.

"If it's information you seek… perhaps there is one thing that may be of use to you," the blond elder said softly.

Claudius was montarily stunned before replying, "Please, tell ."

"You certainly know how to show respect when you need sothing," the blond elder muttered, sowhat displeased.

Claudius chuckled awkwardly. But the elder was only complaining out of habit—he understood that Claudius was simply drawing a clear line between public and personal matters.

"Consider this a parting gift from us," the blond elder continued. "Imu is not his real na. No one knows when he started being called Lord Imu, but according to ancient records… his surna was likely Donquixote."

The mont Claudius heard this, his expression shifted slightly. But soon, realization dawned upon him.

First and foremost, Imu was certainly a Celestial Dragon. The Five Elders had confird that he had lived for 800 years, aning he must have been one of the original twenty kings or at the very least, a direct descendant of the first generation of Celestial Dragons.

Among the twenty kings, only the Nefertari family had chosen not to reside in Mariejois. That left nineteen families.

Thus, Imu had to co from one of those nineteen bloodlines.

This much, Claudius had already speculated. But because he was too close to the matter, he had never considered his own family's connection.

Now that the blond elder had pointed it out, things beca much clearer.

Among the nineteen Celestial Dragon families, the Donquixote lineage had always been the strangest. Every few generations, so eccentric figure would erge and stir up chaos—Doflamingo, his father Homing…

And himself, Claudius.

The past fifty years alone had been particularly turbulent for their family.

Even Lancelot, whom Claudius had personally killed, must have inherited this strange bloodline. After all, he had dared to assassinate a Celestial Dragon was that not bizarre enough?

Claudius had never thought much about it before, but now, after hearing this revelation, he couldn't ignore it.

Eight hundred years ago, those twenty kings defeated their enemies and established the World Governnt. Regardless of their morals, their intelligence and ambition were undeniable. They couldn't have been fools, otherwise, their enemies wouldn't have lost.

At that ti, the World Governnt had been filled with ambition and drive, not the corrupt system it had beco today. The original kings must have been remarkable figures.

So why would they allow a single individual to rise above them and beco a dictator?

Thinking about it this way, the most likely explanation was that Imu, like every eccentric Donquixote before and after had gone too far in his madness and took control for himself.

Claudius couldn't guess the specifics of how it had happened, but if it was attributed to the Donquixote bloodline, then… it made perfect sense.

"Why do I suddenly feel this inexplicable sense of sha? Is the Donquixote bloodline really this bizarre?" Claudius thought helplessly.

(To be continued.)

T/N: Don't forget this was written in 2020; a lot of this was just the author's speculation.

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