A few days later.
The Kingdom of Dressrosa, a tropical island with the atmosphere of a vacation resort, had its shores surrounded by countless rocks.
Clean streets bustled with people, and food stalls, clothing shops, and all kinds of entertainment venues could be found everywhere.
"It feels like the town has been much livelier than usual lately."
"Isn't that the truth? My business has gotten a lot better too, hahaha."
In front of a brightly decorated stall, a bearded owner dressed in a white chef's uniform smiled as he handed over two ice creams.
One went to a blonde girl, and the other to the toy puppet beside her. No one found this strange scene unusual.
"Here, your ice creams. That'll be 400 Berries."
"Thanks."
The girl paid with a smile, then left arm in arm with the toy puppet.
Talking, moving toys like this could be seen everywhere on the streets.
Some sat outside cafés reading newspapers like a family, while others carried little girls on their shoulders like fathers and daughters.
Whether human or toy, everyone wore happy smiles.
This was Dressrosa, known as the Kingdom of Love, Passion, and Toys.
The blonde girl took a lick of her ice cream and beamed. "Although the king was unfortunately killed while answering the call to participate in the Marineford War to protect the country, thankfully, our new king, Lord Weevil, is also a wise ruler."
"Yeah. He's also a powerful Shichibukai. Thanks to his protection, everyone can continue living peacefully like before."
The toy puppet answered with a smile, though an imperceptible bitterness flashed through his eyes.
Only those who had to return to the Toy House every midnight knew that Weevil, who looked so simple and honest, was truly an idiot.
The ones truly controlling this country were,