Chapter 154: Change of Ownership
She didn't know how much time had passed, but the suddenly erupting roars gradually disappeared. All the citizens of Dressrosa understood that this battle, the cause of which they did not know, had come to a close.
In front of the Corrida Colosseum, one by one, terrified citizens emerged from their hiding places, discussing the incident with the equally bewildered people around them.
In the crowd, a sturdy man wearing a steel helmet looked up at the King's Plateau. The royal palace was covered in cracks and looked as if it were about to collapse. A hint of loneliness flashed in his eyes.
Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out in the surrounding crowd. With a series of gasps, the crowd retreated one after another, clearing a path down the middle of the road.
The man in the steel helmet saw this and subconsciously followed the crowd's gaze. The next moment, his eyes, hidden by the helmet, widened. His facial muscles trembled violently, and he bit down hard.
At the front of the cleared path, a figure over 3 meters tall, with jet-black oni horns and fully armed, walked slowly forward. In one hand, she was dragging a bloody corpse, which left a long trail of blood on the wide road as she strode unhurriedly toward the colosseum.
Although the corpse was soaked in blood, from his short blond hair and pink feather coat, his identity was easily discernible.
"Is that... His Majesty the King?!"
In the crowd, a series of disbelieving gasps suddenly rang out. They never expected that the Heavenly Yaksha, who had once saved Dressrosa from the hands of the Riku Royal Family, would die just like that.
The gladiator, "Ricky," looked at Doflamingo being dragged like a dead dog, his fists clenched, his eyes under the helmet flashing with endless joy.
"Doflamingo!! You scum... you're finally dead!"
At the focal point of the awed and fearful gazes, Yelena's figure paused. She slowly turned her head to glance at this man who was clearly different from the others, a hint of confusion in her eyes. But she quickly turned her head back and, under the watch of the crowd, stepped into the Corrida Colosseum.
A few minutes later, another strange event occurred in Dressrosa. The countless toys that had been scattered throughout the island gradually turned back into humans. Immediately after, memories of these people once again appeared in the minds of many.
For a moment, the entire country of Dressrosa became chaotic once again.
Not only that, but the pirates and spies who had originally belonged to other forces, after regaining control of themselves, immediately used their Den Den Mushis to report their experiences and the intelligence they had gathered to their respective organizations. Along with it was the news that one of the Seven Warlords, Doflamingo, was dead, and that Dressrosa had been conquered by the Archangel Pirates.
In just a moment, the intelligence regarding Dressrosa had spread throughout the entire New World. Every power that had ever sent a spy to Dressrosa now knew what had happened.
In Dressrosa, the chaotic situation grew more and more intense, and bloodshed had already occurred.
The gladiator Ricky watched this scene, his eyes darkening. He slowly took off his helmet, preparing to step forward and stop the chaos from escalating.
However, just then, a figure over ten meters tall appeared with giant footsteps at the most conspicuous part of the street. The giant with a longsword on his back scanned the citizens and announced loudly to everyone, "The Donquixote Family has disappeared! From today on, Dressrosa will temporarily be the base of the Archangel Pirates!"
The gladiator, Ricky, was taken aback, an ominous look in his eyes. The people who had defeated the scourge of Dressrosa were another group of pirates, and they had now taken the country for themselves. For a moment, an endless panic surged up, completely occupying his heart.
He subconsciously wanted to step forward and ask what kind of rule that Archangel would impose. However, a large hand reached out from behind him and rested on his shoulder.
The gladiator Ricky subconsciously turned his head and, at the same time, quickly drew the sword from his waist. However, the next moment, his movements froze. The eyes under his helmet became moist, and his voice became choked.
"Kyros..."
"We all forgot you..."
Behind him, a one-legged man with a greatsword on his back shook his head and replied with a smile. "I'm back—"
Inside the Colosseum.
Louis sat in the front row of the audience seats with a proper posture, casually placing his spear and sword within reach. Beside him, Uta, wearing an oversized hoodie with the Archangel Pirates' flag on it, sat in a casual posture. She gently swung her long, fair legs, her body swaying slightly as she hummed an unknown tune.
On the giant fighting stage in front, Goldberg had set up a bonfire and was roasting several horned Fighting Fish over the fire.
CLANG...
With a series of clanking chains, Gerd, carrying her giant axe, hung the captured Devil Fruit users over the water at the edge of the colosseum. After doing this, she raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and sat down with a plop beside the bonfire.
Just then, a series of heavy footsteps approached from behind Louis. Uta, who was humming, heard the familiar footsteps, and her eyes instantly opened, the butterfly-shaped bow on the back of her head twitching slightly. She spun her head around and, seeing the slowly approaching Yelena, smiled like a flower.
"Is it dealt with already, Yelena?!"
To this, Yelena slowly took off the special gas mask from her face and hung it at her waist. "Yes," she replied softly. "His strength was not as great as I imagined, so I took him down quickly."
Uta heard this, subconsciously glanced at the corpse Yelena was dragging, and showed a look of disgust. "Why did you bring this back—"
To this, Yelena thought for a moment and answered seriously, "Displaying the corpse of a Warlord in front of those with ulterior motives to demonstrate our military might. That way, we will have a much more peaceful time while we are stationed here."
Hearing this, Uta was momentarily stunned. Then, a speechless look appeared on her fair little face. "Who would provoke us?!"
Louis slowly turned his head and spoke to Yelena with a smile, "Good work, Yelena."
To this, Yelena was first taken aback, then waved her hand. "No, it took no effort at all."
Then, Yelena, with a backhand motion, threw the corpse into the water, letting it sink to the bottom to be devoured by the Fighting Fish.
As for Louis, he didn't spare Doflamingo's corpse another glance. For him, besides Hawkeye, there was no one among the Warlords worth noting.
Uta watched this scene, and her face instantly fell. She subconsciously glanced at the Fighting Fish on the grill. At this moment, she had already lost her appetite for the fragrant fish.
Just then, Road and Hajrudin walked into the colosseum together and greeted Louis.
"Captain, the executives have basically been dealt with."
"Good job, Hajrudin, Road." To this, Louis gave a thumbs-up, not hiding his praise at all.
The two heard him and grinned, unable to suppress the joy on their faces.
Not far away, Gerd sat on the ground, wiping the blood from her giant axe. "Only the captain would still coddle those two like little brats," she said with a helpless smile. "Then again, they really are like noisy little brats."
To this, Louis shifted his gaze to Gerd and teased with a smile, "If they are noisy little brats, then Gerd must be a cute and quiet little girl, right?"
Gerd heard him, and her motion of wiping her axe paused. She shook her head helplessly, but the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, and her eyes curved into crescents. "Honestly!"
Beside her, Goldberg, who was brushing sauce on the Fighting Fish, grinned, revealing two rows of large white teeth. "If I remember correctly—the three of them were quite noisy when they were little!"
To this, Gerd said, annoyed, "Speaking of which, you and Road are more than ten years younger than me and Hajrudin. How dare you call us noisy!"
Louis saw this and silently shook his head.
Then, he said thoughtfully, "Next, we will be stationed on this island. Do you all have any special arrangements you'd like for Dressrosa?"
To this, Hajrudin and the others exchanged glances and then said in unison, "We hope to keep this colosseum." This colosseum was huge. Even if the four of them were to fight each other with swords here, it wouldn't feel cramped at all. It was just right for them, giants whose bodies were far larger than ordinary people, to use for daily training and brawling.
Hearing this, Louis looked around the entire colosseum and quickly understood their intentions. "No problem!" he readily agreed.
Then, nearby, Uta spread her hands, gestured a large circle, and said with an excited face, "Louis, I want to build a large concert plaza outside the city!"
"You can," Louis nodded.
Louis's gaze then fell on Yelena, who was sitting on his other side. As if sensing his gaze, Yelena smiled and waved her hand. "I don't need anything special."
Louis heard this and was not surprised. Yelena had never had any special hobbies or pursuits.
Then, Louis turned his head to look at Kuina, who was slowly walking toward them, and asked with great interest, "Kuina, is there anything special you want?"
"?" Kuina, covered in blood, was completely bewildered, exuding an air of innocent confusion.
"..."
Uta saw this, sighed, and then explained in a low voice. Soon, under Uta's explanation, Kuina understood what Louis meant. After a brief moment of thought, she asked in a clear voice, "Can I have a large training ground with a professional chef? It's best if it's close to your location. And I don't need a bed."
Kuina's idea was simple. When she didn't have a mission, apart from eating and washing, she would be completely devoted to the training ground. She stated that with Louis's Life-Life Fruit ability, she could even save time on sleeping.
"..."
The group heard Kuina's words, their expressions varied, wanting to say something but holding back.
In the end, Louis nodded lightly. "You can."
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