By the time King Riku and Kyros arrived on the streets with their men, the pirates had already ravaged the area beyond recognition.
"Monsters!" King Riku cursed, looking at the bodies scattered everywhere. He hated the pirates, but he also hated his own powerlessness.
"Quickly, see if there's anyone still alive!" Kyros commanded the soldiers under him.
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers hurried to search the area, but their efforts were fruitless.
"Sir, there are no survivors!"
Hearing the soldier's report, King Riku's face became ashen, and a sea of sorrow washed over his heart.
"Hahaha, you should have seen it!"
A pirate's voice reached their ears. When enemies meet, their eyes burn with hatred.
"Die!"
Kyros, who had already charged forward with his sword drawn, dispatched the pirate in a few swift moves, avenging the fallen citizens.
When King Riku reached Kyros's side, he began to frantically stab the pirate's corpse with his own sword.
"Your Majesty!"
Seeing the king's frenzied state, the soldiers wanted to intervene, but Kyros stopped them.
"Let the king vent his frustration," he said.
The group watched in silence as King Riku unleashed his grief, until he was too exhausted to lift his sword any longer.
"I am such a failure! I've failed my people," King Riku cried, dropping his sword.
"Your Majesty, now is not the time for despair or avoidance," Kyros said, trying to reason with him. "Dressrosa needs you. Your people need you. Don't you see that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? If we can defeat these pirates, you will win back the trust of the people. Then, we can face the World Government's wrath with a united front."
Kyros's words were like a beacon of light. King Riku's eyes brightened, and his spirit was instantly rekindled.
With a wave of his hand, he led Kyros and the others off once more, ready to eradicate the pirates and regain the trust of his citizens.
Elsewhere, the pirate alliance, having caused a bit of destruction, paused their rampage to report back to the Donquixote Family.
"That's the situation. What are your orders, my lord?"
The pirates, who had been so arrogant moments before, now stood with ears pricked, awaiting instructions from their superiors.
"You've done well," Robin's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, like a demon's whisper. "If I'm not mistaken, King Riku and his men will be coming to attack you soon. When they do, pin the blame on them. How you do it is up to you. The goal is to make Dressrosa more chaotic, more desperate."
"Yes, my lord. We understand," the pirates replied, holding their breath. "But... the things you promised us..."
"Rest assured, you will be well compensated," Robin's voice was cold. "But remember your mission. If anyone dares to betray the Donquixote Family, they will die a most horrible death."
"We wouldn't dare! We will remember your instructions, my lord."
"See that you do."
With that, the Den Den Mushi went silent.
Aboard the Ark Maxim, the Donquixote Pirates had approached Dressrosa. They didn't get too close, instead sending a small team ashore to investigate in secret. Diamante had entrusted this task to the still-young-looking Law, Baby 5, and Buffalo. The others were to remain on standby. The moment Doflamingo was found, the final assault would begin.
Green Bit.
On the surface, it was an uninhabited island, covered in a dense forest of towering plants, a veritable primeval jungle. But hidden deep beneath the forest floor was a kingdom—the Tontatta Kingdom of the dwarves.
As luck would have it, Doflamingo, before passing out, had managed to drag his body here, where he was found and kindly taken in by the dwarves.
Unsure if he was a good person or a bad one, and to be on the safe side, the little people had taken certain precautions, tying Doflamingo to a sickbed with three layers of thread inside and out.
The moment he awoke, Doflamingo understood his situation. Looking at the threads binding him, he recognized the power of the Stitch-Stitch Fruit. This confirmed that he had arrived in the kingdom of the dwarves. He was a little surprised that Leo, who should only be about 15 or 16 at this time, had already eaten the fruit.
But he was more curious about whether Princess Mansherry had eaten the Heal-Heal Fruit. If not, that would be for the best; a fruit like that was best kept for his own people. If she had eaten it, so be it. As long as he could win the trust of the dwarves, he would not only gain a powerful healer but also their loyalty and support.
"Time to eat!"
A small person hopped onto Doflamingo's chest and spoke to him with a fierce but trembling voice.
Hearing the call for food, Doflamingo rolled his eyes in boredom. Given his size and the size of the dwarves, the meals they had been providing were barely enough to keep him from starving.
"I'm a good person. When are you going to let me go?" Doflamingo spoke for the first time in days, his voice startling the little dwarf. He had recovered some of his strength.
"Good people don't say they're good people! You must be a big villain!" the dwarf retorted.
"Er..."
Doflamingo was rendered speechless. He was genuinely confused. Weren't the dwarves supposed to be naive, romantic, and pure-hearted? This wasn't what he had expected.
"See? You have nothing to say! You are a big villain!" the dwarf said, pressing his advantage.
"Not at all," Doflamingo said with a smile. "If I were a villain, I would have escaped long ago. I could have broken these ropes you've tied me with at any time."
The little person on his chest clearly didn't believe him, pouting.
To convince him, Doflamingo decided he had to show off a little. He effortlessly freed one of his hands from the stitched bindings and flicked the dwarf's little head with his pinky finger.
"Ouch!"
The dwarf was knocked over by the flick and scrambled back in a panic.
"Do you believe me now?" Doflamingo asked.
The fallen dwarf quickly stood up, looked at Doflamingo's freely moving hand, then at the sincere smile on his face, and finally relaxed.
"Alright, alright, I believe you," the dwarf said, then paused, a new thought occurring to him. "Wait a minute. If you could have broken free all this time, why did you ask me to untie you?"
"Because I'm a good person. I didn't want you to misunderstand. After all, you are my saviors," Doflamingo said, his expression utterly sincere.
"Oh, so that's why!" The dwarf's face lit up with understanding.
"Mhm, that's right."
"Well then, you can get up yourself! I believe you now."
"Stand back, I'm getting up. My body has gone rusty from lying down for so long."
After the dwarf hopped off his chest, Doflamingo began to break free from his remaining restraints.
Snap, snap, snap!
With the sound of tearing threads, Doflamingo was finally free.
"Wow, you're amazing for a big person! You broke Leo's ropes just like that. I wonder what his face will look like when he finds out," the dwarf said, climbing onto Doflamingo's shoulder.
"My name is Doflamingo. And you are?" To avoid arousing their suspicion, Doflamingo deliberately omitted his family name, 'Donquixote'. The dwarves held a grudge against his family, a problem to be solved when the time was right.
"I... I'm Wicca," Wicca replied.
"Wicca. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for saving me." As he heard the name, Doflamingo tried to recall any information he had about her.
"You're welcome! Hey, how did you know it was me who saved you?" Wicca asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.
"I guessed," Doflamingo said with a smile.
"Is that so? Hehehe," Wicca giggled happily.
When her laughter subsided, Doflamingo touched the empty space where his arm used to be, a nostalgic look on his face.
Wicca noticed his expression and, thinking he was sad about his lost arm, quickly tried to comfort him. "It's a shame. If your arm were still here, I'm sure Princess Mansherry could have healed it for you!"
"Mansherry?" Doflamingo murmured.
"That's right! Our princess's powers are incredible!" Wicca said with pride.
Doflamingo just smiled respectfully. He wasn't surprised, just lamenting the fact that the Heal-Heal Fruit had indeed been eaten by Mansherry.
"Well, I'm very grateful to all of you. Wicca, could you take me to see your king?" Doflamingo asked.
"Of course! You're a friend I've approved of!" Wicca promised without a second thought.
"That's wonderful."
Doflamingo smiled, his belief in the naive and kind-hearted nature of the dwarves—and their exploitability—now fully confirmed.