At the same time, on the outskirts of Dressrosa, inside a small house, a tall, commanding, and awe-inspiring man sat in silence—though he had only one leg.
He was staring blankly at his hands, eyes filled with disbelief.
"I… I've returned?"
This one-legged man was none other than Kyros, who had just regained his human body after being a toy for so long.
He had long dreamed of becoming human again, and now, suddenly, his wish had come true.
"No… if the curse on the toys is broken, something must've happened at the House of Toys. Sugar must've been attacked… and the only one who could have done that…"
The first face that popped into Kyros's mind was Lance.
"He really went after Doflamingo… with the toys returning to normal, Dressrosa will fall into chaos. All the crimes Doflamingo committed over the years will be exposed to the world!"
"He's trying to destroy the Donquixote Family!"
"But… can he really do it?"
Even knowing the Donquixote Family was facing ruin, even knowing Doflamingo would be enraged and targeted by many, Kyros couldn't feel at ease.
Doflamingo wasn't someone easy to defeat. His scheme to usurp the kingdom still haunted Kyros to this day.
"No. I can't let my savior face Doflamingo's army alone. Even if I die—I'll fight alongside him to the end!"
Kyros had been a gladiator who won three thousand consecutive battles, his hands soaked in blood… That's why he always believed his hands were too filthy to touch the innocent. Even when he first held baby Rebecca, he wore gloves, afraid to taint her with his bloodstained hands.
But Doflamingo gave his life purpose.
Even if it meant throwing his life away—he would defeat that man!
Lance was fulfilling the wish he himself had dreamed of for years—how could Kyros just stand by?
"Doflamingo… I will take this country back from you and return it to King Riku with my own hands!"
Determination burned in Kyros's eyes. He opened the door and, even with just one leg, raced through the night toward the House of Toys.
…
Lance pulled out a small, cloth-like object from his pocket. In an instant, it unfolded into a full-length Western-style sword made of steel, right in front of Trebol.
"That's… the power of the Flutter-Flutter Fruit?!"
Trebol shouted in shock.
He knew Diamante's ability like the back of his hand. He couldn't believe it—this monster had gained the same Devil Fruit ability!
"What did you do to Diamante?! You actually stole his Devil Fruit?!"
Trebol couldn't comprehend it.
"The dead don't need to know too much," Lance said coldly. "Just understand what it is that's going to kill you."
[Fluttering Earth: Army Flag]
Lance touched the ground with his palm, and instantly, the entire floor of the House of Toys began to ripple and flutter like fabric.
Trebol quickly used his mucus to glue himself to the ground, trying not to be knocked off balance.
But Lance launched himself forward like a blur, legs bursting with explosive speed as he closed in.
"You think you can beat me just because you got Diamante's ability?"
"You fool. Go to hell!"
Trebol roared.
[Beta-Beta Chain]
He swung a thick, bead-shaped chain of goo toward Lance.
"You think such childish tricks are enough to stop me?"
A flash of cold light crossed Lance's eyes as he twisted in mid-air and evaded the chain effortlessly.
Then, the sword in his hand suddenly expanded—from two meters to nearly four!
"Don't even think about getting close to me!"
[Beta-Beta Cannon Shot]
Trebol's face changed as he began wildly spraying thick, sticky goo in all directions.
"You've got nothing new. It's the same boring tricks over and over."
"If you hadn't been sucking up to Doflamingo all these years, I doubt he'd have kept someone so utterly useless by his side."
"You're too weak!"
"Kuro, Kuro Jr.—rip through all of it."
Suddenly, two humanoid black shadows appeared in front of Lance. With their long, sharp claws, they shredded all the goo flying his way.
[Blade: Serpent Sword]
As Lance closed the distance, his sword curved like a snake, weaving through the layers of mucus and darting straight for Trebol!
"No—!!"
Trebol couldn't react in time. All he could do was watch the blade stab toward him.
Shunk!
A quiet, fleshy sound echoed.
The entire House of Toys fell silent.
The trembling ground calmed. The sticky goo stopped flying. Everything froze.
"Trebol, you're so weak… I don't even feel like eating you."
Lance willed the sword back, pulling it from Trebol's forehead.
The mucus covering Trebol's body dissolved, revealing his skinny, skeletal frame. He collapsed, eyes full of bitterness and despair as life faded from them.
"Tasty… delicious… Master…"
Kuro and Kuro Jr. watched Trebol fall and licked their lips impatiently.
"If you want something tasty, go eat those guys. But not this one… I don't want such a disgusting Devil Fruit."
Lance flicked the blood off his sword, then folded it back into a handkerchief-like shape.
"Let's go. The toys have returned, and one of the top officers is dead. All that's left… is Doflamingo."
With a smirk, Lance turned and calmly left the House of Toys, his two shadows trailing behind.
…
About ten minutes later, two figures arrived with a squad of guards.
They were Jora, the Art-Art Fruit user, and Señor Pink, the Swim-Swim Fruit user.
"We were too late."
Señor Pink frowned, chewing on his pacifier.
"Trebol's dead… the Young Master is going to be furious!"
Jora's face went pale.
"Hmm?"
Pink twitched his ear. His expression turned grim. "He's here."
Just as he said it, Doflamingo glided through the front doors of the House of Toys, arriving beside Trebol's body.
You couldn't see his eyes behind those sunglasses, but the contorted rage on his face said everything.
"I'M GOING TO KILL THAT DAMN BASTARD!!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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