As Zephyr moved deeper into the city, he occasionally overheard the discussions of the people around him. Within a few steps, he could see dilapidated buildings. From the surrounding chatter, Zephyr learned that the town had just experienced a massive storm the day before, which damaged many structures.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Zephyr stopped in front of a shop. To his right, several employees were holding up a long ladder. At the top, a man was continuously hammering nails into the shop sign, the sound echoing loudly.
Just then, a unit of Dressrosa Kingdom soldiers, clad in uniforms resembling those of a colosseum gladiator, passed by Zephyr. The leading soldier addressed the residents who were making repairs: "Let us help as well."
Hearing this, the employees were immediately taken aback and waved their hands hastily. "No, no, no! How could we trouble the Royal Army with such trivial matters?"
"It's no matter. This is by order of His Majesty King Riku." The leading soldier nodded to his subordinates, and the troops quickly began to move, integrating themselves into the crowd and taking up the heavy labor.
"By order of His Majesty King Riku?"
"He truly is the most enlightened ruler Dressrosa has ever had." "Even if we are poor, we can still live well."
The surrounding residents spoke with great emotion.
Zephyr watched the entire scene, then quietly left, thinking, Unlike the countries I've seen before, molding such a simple and honest environment must have taken a lot of effort.
Zephyr suddenly felt the urge to meet the King of this country, but then, considering his current identity, he suppressed the impulse.
Over the next two days, Zephyr walked through various parts of Dressrosa daily. The poor yet simple-hearted populace confirmed that King Riku was indeed an enlightened ruler.
However, the fact that such a large country had not been attacked by its neighbors, even being hailed as a "nation without war for eight hundred years," was truly astonishing. After some inquiries, Zephyr also learned the underlying reasons.
The accommodating King Riku used various methods to negotiate and form alliances with amenable countries, while for those that were less cooperative, he adopted a strategy of compromise and concession.
King Riku was happy to forge friendships with the rulers of other nations, and coupled with the fact that Dressrosa was a member nation of the World Government, these factors combined allowed the miracle of "eight hundred years without war" to continue to this day.
Yet, a catastrophe was imminent, gathering force for this very night.
Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...
Suddenly, the sound of something being carried by the sea breeze woke King Riku in his bedchambers. He rose from his bed and looked up, only to see a man with a bizarre appearance and an arrogant expression perched on the windowsill opposite him.
The man curled his middle, pinky, and thumb fingers, hooking his index and ring fingers inward, and grinned maliciously. "My name is Donquixote Doflamingo. You know what that means, don't you?"
King Riku's face registered surprise, yet he maintained a composure that suggested he had long anticipated this moment, so much so that he didn't shriek for a guard.
But in the end, his greatest fear had come true. Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
Suddenly, the sound of charging warhorses startled Zephyr awake from his sleep in the inn. He got up from the bed and looked outside, only to see dozens of soldiers in the Royal Army uniform riding warhorses and pouring into the busy street.
Hearing the commotion, the residents rushed out of their homes, curiously watching the leading figures like Kyros.
"That's... Captain Kyros of the Royal Army, and Vice-Captain Tank..." "What in the world is happening?"
The citizens expressed confusion one after another.
In front of the citizens, Tank and a few other soldiers stepped out. They unrolled a huge piece of leather and placed it before the crowd. If one looked closely, they could see cold sweat dripping down the faces of the soldiers.
Kyros was practically biting through his lip. He took a difficult step forward and said,
"Everyone, listen to me. Starting now, please immediately gather all the cash in the town." "What?"
"Hey, what is the meaning of this?"
"King Riku would never forgive you for doing something like this!"
The citizens protested vehemently. Kyros and the others looked distraught, turning their heads away as they thought, It was impossible to begin with, something like this...
"This is..."
Zephyr, watching the scene from the second floor of the inn, came downstairs to the street. Just as the conflict was about to escalate, visual Den Den Mushi placed throughout the town suddenly lit up, displaying the white-haired, haggard face of King Riku.
"His Majesty King Riku?"
Joy flashed across the faces of the citizens, but King Riku's next words stunned them once more. "Citizens, I know you must have many doubts about this sudden request, but there is no time to explain..."
At this point, King Riku suddenly fell to his knees, kowtowing to the camera. "Please, lend me all the cash you have on you!"
Zephyr was momentarily startled. The other citizens were so shocked they could barely speak, stammering, "The King... bowed his head."
"Your Majesty King Riku, how can you kneel!"
"Get up quickly! This will bring shame to the royal family!" "How can you face the Kings of previous generations?"
On the projection screen, the ministers around King Riku tried to pull him to his feet, but King Riku violently shook them off.
King Riku raised his head again, snot and tears streaming down his face. "Please! As a token of my gratitude, you can cut off my hands or feet right now, I don't care! Please lend me the money! I beg you!"
With that, King Riku kowtowed once more.
Among the surrounding residents, some could no longer bear it. Waving their hands, they shouted, "Everyone, hurry! Do as the King says, and bring out all your wealth!"
"That's right! Our benevolent King Riku must have a reason for doing this!" "He must have some unspoken difficulty!"
"Hurry, hurry!"
Seeing this, Kyros, who had been on the verge of drawing his sword to threaten the populace, slid his partially drawn blade back into its sheath, tears streaming down his face.
Zephyr cracked the first smile he'd had in over three months of travel. But it was only a fleeting moment. He then, unnoticed by anyone, used Soru to move rapidly toward the King's Plateau ahead.