In Xiao's eyes, what the Revolutionary Army pursued was not true change.
At best, they would remove the most corrupt nobles and replace them with new ones who appeared more righteous. The structure itself would remain untouched.
Nobles would still be nobles.
Commoners would still kneel.
Even if the Celestial Dragons were overthrown, the ruling class would not disappear. It would only change names.
The majority of people in this world did not long for absolute freedom. What they wanted was simpler—fairer treatment, lighter chains, a master who did not squeeze them dry.
Understanding that made many so-called revolutions meaningless.
Xiao had no interest in becoming a liberator.
Power, once obtained, was not something he intended to relinquish.
Joy Boy had once tried to challenge the old order. He possessed ancient weapons and overwhelming strength, and for a time he shook the world.
But strength alone did not change the structure of society.
Freedom without stability meant hunger. Ideals without grain meant chaos.
In the end, he was betrayed.
Xiao had no desire to repeat that mistake.
He would not become Joy Boy.
He would inherit the throne Joy Boy failed to seize.
Marineford had proven something to him.
Luffy had died.
Xiao was certain of it.
And yet Luffy revived through awakening.
Fate had intervened.
Everything—resources, coincidences, even the survival of others—had bent toward ensuring that Nika awakened.
That was no accident.
With Nika's awakening, eight centuries of prophecy, belief, and accumulated expectation converged on Luffy.
The Celestial Dragons would likely fall one day.
But what would replace them?
In this world—much like countless others built on bloodline and inherited legitimacy—lineage mattered.
Nobility was not just power. It was narrative.
It was history repeated until it became truth.
So, Xiao made his move early.
Pure gold opened the door.
He could not be made a Celestial Dragon outright—the Five Elders refused to stain their bloodline with an outsider.
But compromise was offered.
Marriage.
A union of families.
An "X" added quietly behind the Jay Garcia name, marking merger without public disruption.
It was enough.
Through marriage, Xiao gained status.
Through status, he gained legitimacy.
And now he waited.
If Luffy succeeded in tearing down the old regime, Xiao would step forward at the final moment and inherit what remained.
If Luffy failed—
Xiao would simply take everything himself.
Either way, the throne would not escape him.
As for whether Luffy would ever choose to rule—
Xiao did not believe so.
Luffy chased freedom, not authority.
When faced with complicated governance, he avoided it.
He fought for friends, not systems.
He liberated individuals, not structures.
That was his strength.
And his limit.
"Is that why you called me here?"
Doflamingo's tone had changed.
There was distance now.
Hatred for Celestial Dragons still lingered in him.
Xiao ignored it and pointed out the window.
In the distance stood a golden-roofed castle.
"That," he said calmly, "was once the stronghold of the Donquixote Family."
Doflamingo's fingers twitched.
"Do you want it back?"
"Do you want to stand there again?"
Silence.
The sunglasses hid his eyes, but his breathing had grown heavier.
"What's the price?" he asked at last.
Xiao closed his fist slowly, as if grasping the world.
"Everything," he replied.
"All of you."
It was not a request.
It was recruitment.
Doflamingo stood.
He walked toward the door.
He paused briefly.
"I'll think about it."
Then he left.
Xiao watched him go and smiled faintly.
"I'll give you one year."
"After that… the era will change."
He drained the wine in his glass.
Later, Xiao visited the recently released Level 6 prisoners.
They had tested the boundaries while he was absent.
CP0 and Van Augur had already beaten them into submission.
But submission was not loyalty.
Darkness spread across the hall.
Tentacles rose and lifted the injured pirates from the ground.
"I am disappointed," Xiao said calmly.
"This is the strength of Impel Down Level 6?"
He raised three fingers.
"I only need three of you."
"You decide who lives."
Silence fell.
Fear returned to their eyes.
Burgess straightened immediately.
"The captain's serious."
Laffitte chuckled softly.
"How unfortunate."
For Xiao, this was not cruelty.
It was instruction.
In this world—
Bloodline decided status.
Legitimacy decided rule.
And fear decided obedience.
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