The next day, after waking up in a luxurious hotel in town, Elior casually freshened up and left, paying no mind to Bonney, who lay sprawled out like a lifeless puddle of exhaustion.

After all, Elior had already told Reiju what his plans were.

To Elior, Reiju was both a subordinate—and a convenient way to satisfy certain impulses.

[Ding! Location detected. Would you like to sign-in?]

As Elior made his way up King's Plateau, the system's voice echoed in his mind. He was mildly surprised—just as he expected, Dressrosa was a viable sign-in location. But it seemed the check-in could only be triggered at the top of King's Plateau.

"Sign in."

[Sign-in successful. Reward acquired: Absolute Command.]

"Absolute Command?"

Elior was intrigued. This was the first time he had received a non-combat-related ability. In the next instant, detailed information surged into his mind. He quickly understood the essence of this new power.

The activation method was simple—eye contact. With just a glance, Elior could exert total control over someone.

Anyone affected by Elior's Absolute Command would become fully loyal to him. It wasn't just control—it was brainwashing. The target wouldn't become a mindless zombie, but in their heart and soul, they would believe Elior to be their one true master. They would follow his every word, obey his every command—willingly and without question.

It was an incredibly powerful ability.

However, it came with one major limitation: Elior could only use it on those significantly weaker than himself. For example, he could easily dominate anyone in town, or someone like Cavendish, because their strength paled in comparison to his.

But someone like Admiral Fujitora was off-limits. No matter how strong Elior was, Fujitora wasn't that far behind.

That was the law of the system.

Elior couldn't help but marvel at the potential of this ability.

By now, he had already arrived at the top of King's Plateau — just below the royal palace of Dressrosa.

Elior thought of Doflamingo.

He suspected that this location triggered the reward specifically because of Doflamingo, a man who delighted in controlling others. Especially with Sugar's terrifying Hobby-Hobby Fruit, which turned people into obedient toys and erased them from memory.

In this world, many abilities were outright broken.

That's why Elior received a reward like Absolute Command here of all places—on King's Plateau.

It was, in essence, a skill of total domination.

As the palace came into view, Elior felt a rush of anticipation. Doflamingo wasn't just powerful—his influence, intelligence network, and abilities were all extremely valuable. If Elior could defeat him, it might be possible to take full control.

Soon, Elior came face to face with Doflamingo.

As expected, he was already waiting to welcome Elior.

Elior watched as he approached with that flamboyant swagger of his, all confidence and arrogance.

He hadn't even spoken yet. But just as Doflamingo locked eyes with Elior—through his tinted, flamboyant sunglasses—the technique was activated.

Absolute Command: Activated.

In that moment, Doflamingo stopped in his tracks. His eyes went dull for a few seconds... and then returned to normal.

"Doflamingo" Elior said coldly, "call me King."

In the lavish reception hall, besides Elior and Doflamingo, there was another person: Violet.

She was stunned the moment Elior gave that command.

But what shocked her even more... was that Doflamingo obeyed.

"Yes, my King."

And he said it respectfully.

Violet's jaw nearly dropped.

What was going on?

"Good" Elior continued. "From now on, you will refer to me as your King. You will obey everything I say."

"Yes, my King!" Doflamingo responded without hesitation.

Violet stood frozen, completely dumbfounded.

She had followed Doflamingo for years—she knew him. This wasn't the kind of man to bow to anyone.

And yet...

Had he surrendered to the Yonko, Elior?

What happened just now?

Violet didn't dare ask.

Shortly after, Elior left. But before he did, he and Doflamingo exchanged Den Den Mushi contact information.

No one — not even Violet, who witnessed the whole thing — knew that from this day forward, Doflamingo was Elior's puppet.

Unable to contain her confusion, Violet approached Doflamingo after Elior left.

But the man had returned to his usual self—cocky, dismissive, and arrogant.

"Violet" he snapped, "this isn't something you need to understand."

"Fuffuffuffuffu... You just need to know one thing: Elior is my King. And that makes him the King of all of you too!"

Violet had no choice but to leave the room, dazed and disturbed.

Not long after, Doflamingo made a call.

"I want you to find something for me. Aside from the Road Poneglyphs on Zou and Wano, and the one that's already in my possession, there's one left. I need you to track it down."

"Don't ask why. Just do it."

This was Elior's first order for Doflamingo — to locate the fourth Road Poneglyph.

Elior had one. The others were in Wano and Zou. That left one final piece to find.

With Doflamingo's extensive underground network and intelligence capabilities, it might just be a matter of time.

Of course, failure was possible—but Doflamingo was the most suitable person for this job.

Today, Doflamingo had become Elior's pawn.

Under the power of Absolute Command, Elior had no doubt: if he ordered Doflamingo to take his own life, Doflamingo would do it without question.

And to think — Doflamingo, a man obsessed with controlling others, was now the one being controlled.

But he'd never realize it.

His loyalty wasn't artificial — he genuinely believed Elior was his rightful master. That's the terrifying part.

It wasn't forced obedience. It was joyful obedience.

Doflamingo had once hoped to benefit from Elior's presence—but things didn't go the way he imagined.

"It really is a categorical command" Elior muttered, satisfied.

Doflamingo hadn't changed on the outside, but inside, he was now utterly loyal.

Half an hour later, Elior reunited with Crocodile, who asked how things had gone.

Elior merely said, "It went well."

Naturally, Crocodile had no idea that Doflamingo was now nothing more than a loyal servant.

To Elior, everyone — no matter who they were — was just a piece on his board.

And with Doflamingo under his thumb, the game had just gotten more interesting.