Terrifying Ability

"So, that night, Doflamingo forcibly seized the throne of this country?" Usopp said.

After he finished speaking, he realized something was wrong, because he remembered what the other person had said about King Riku harming his people.

Could it be that King Riku was threatened by Doflamingo to kill his own people?

"No, that's not it." Kyros shook his head and said, "That night, Doflamingo didn't directly seize the throne of Dressrosa, but instead made two demands of King Riku."

"The first thing is to King Riku to abdicate and make him, a descendant of the Donquixote Family, the Royal Family of this country."

"The other one is... before dawn, give Doflamingo 10 billion Beli to buy this country, but don't tell the people about it!"

"Otherwise... let Dressrosa be stained with blood!"

Upon hearing this, Usopp's expression changed once again.

10 billion?

Is it really that exaggerated?

This is an astronomical figure for a country.

After all, they are not Celestial Dragons.

"That's quite an outrageous number," Nicole Robin remarked.

As someone who is well-versed in history, I know very well how much money a country can normally afford.

For a country that has always lived in poverty to come up with 10 billion Beli is simply...

"Yes, it's an astronomical figure," Kyros sighed. "At least for us in Dressrosa."

Dressrosa was simply too poor, so King Riku really couldn't come up with a billion Beli directly.

This is probably why that bastard Doflamingo would directly make this demand.

Um?

Wrong!

That bastard never intended to keep his promise from the beginning, as evidenced by what he did afterwards.

Thinking of this, Kyros felt extremely angry.

That damn Doflamingo!

"So you only have the former option?" Perona said.

If he couldn't come up with enough money, he would have no choice but to abdicate; otherwise, the country would be slaughtered by the Donquixote Family, which was probably not something Royal Family like King Riku's would want to see.

No, that's not the case.

Kyros shook his head and said, "King Riku has chosen to gather as many as possible of these one billion Beli to solve this problem."

"For this reason, he didn't hesitate to swallow his pride and send troops to raise funds for Beli."

"Wait a moment."

Perona spoke up, "Didn't Doflamingo say that King Riku wasn't allowed to reveal the truth?"

If the military had mentioned this when they were collecting Beli, Doflamingo probably would have just led his men to wipe out the entire country.

"Yes, Doflamingo indeed forbade King Riku to reveal the truth," Kyros said. "So when the army was collecting Beli, they didn't tell anyone the truth either, only saying it was the King's order."

"Afterwards, in order to make these words more convincing, King Riku even knelt down and kowtowed to everyone using Image Den Den Mushi in order to borrow enough money from them."

"And that's why... everyone chose to believe King Riku, and gave all their money to the army that came to raise Beli."

"What an appeal this is," Nico Robin murmured.

Although His Majesty the King personally knelt down to make the request, this alone demonstrates just how powerful King influence is.

After all, that's all the money an ordinary person has!

"So you've raised enough money, right?" Merry asked.

Upon hearing this, Kyros fell silent.

For a moment, he didn't know how to answer the question.

"What's wrong?"

Merry blinked, clearly not understanding the meaning Kyros's reaction.

"Doflamingo didn't give us time to raise the money," Kyros sighed. "This whole thing was a trap set by Doflamingo from the very beginning."

"Trap?"

Merry paused for a moment, then asked, "What do you mean?"

"It seems this guy never intended to give King Riku a way out from the start," Nico Robin remarked.

Upon hearing this, Merry glanced at Nico Robin with a puzzled look. Had the other girl understood?

How come she didn't notice anything?

Nicole Robin didn't explain, but simply glanced at Kyros, signaling him to continue. Once he finished speaking, Merry would understand.

"Doflamingo's condition was problematic from the very beginning," Kyros explained. "Because Monet entered the Royal Palace beforehand, Doflamingo knew very well what kind of person King Riku was."

"So... Doflamingo seems to have put forward two conditions, but in reality, he only gave King Riku one choice."

"And this choice... is a trap set by Doflamingo!"

At this point, Kyros's expression gradually turned angry, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

"It is problematic in itself to solicit Beli from the people without letting them know the truth," Kyros said. "You could say that Doflamingo is exploiting the trust that King Riku enjoys among the people."

"After collecting the Beli, he used the power of the String-String Fruit to manipulate King Riku into massacring the people, thus completely erasing King Riku's good image in the hearts of the people and turning him into a murderous demon!"

"After that... Doflamingo used his abilities to manipulate the Royal Army, and together with King Riku, he hunted down the people. As a result, the unsuspecting citizens harbored deep hatred for the Royal Army and King Riku."

"And that was Doflamingo's original goal."

By using special means, he incited the unsuspecting populace to resent King Riku, thus enabling him, a descendant of the Donquixote Family, to legitimately inherit the country.

It can be said that the method was quite clever.

Nicole Robin naturally realized this as well, which is why she said that earlier.

Perona recalled the scene where Doflamingo used his ability to immobilize Sanji; she hadn't expected Doflamingo's ability to control others.

Is it similar to a marionette?

What a terrifying guy.

Merry simply said, "How vicious!"

Doflamingo's plan was incredibly malicious.

"It is indeed vicious, but also very effective," Kyros said.

"And then?" Usopp asked quickly.

"Then, this guy made a powerful entrance, defeating all the Royal Army with overwhelming strength and taking King Riku," Kyros said through gritted teeth. "In this way, in the eyes of the people, he is a savior who has defeated the demon, and then... the people will be able to accept him as the King of Dressrosa."

As he finished speaking, a shadow fell over Kyros's face.

He wasn't blaming King Riku; after all, the country had been able to live in peace and prosperity for so long because of the benevolence of the successive King Riku.

If anyone's to blame, it's that bastard Doflamingo!

"But is this reasonable?" Merry said, "Although he became a hero of this country in this way, becoming the king of a country is not an easy thing."

After all, the throne isn't something that can be inherited just like that.

"Have you forgotten what the clan chief just said?" Zoro asked.

"What you said?"

Merry paused for a moment, then remembered what Gan Qiao had mentioned about things from eight hundred years ago.

If one had to be precise, Don Quixote was indeed the King of this country.

Thinking of this, Merry said, "So... because Doflamingo is a descendant of the Donquixote Family, he was able to rightfully become the King of this country?"

"That's probably true," Kyros said.

Although he didn't know why Doflamingo, a Celestial Dragons, had become a pirate and even Shichibukai.

But since the other party is Celestial Dragons, then they have special privileges.

Therefore, it's not surprising that the other party could become the King of this country.

The problem lies in whether the other party can get the people to accept him, Royal Family who was parachuted in.

But after what he did before, the people accepted him, which is what makes that bastard Doflamingo so clever.

Kyros then glanced at his daughter, who was still fighting hard in the scene, and sighed silently.

He only hoped that his daughter could live peacefully until they won.

"This country fell into Doflamingo's hands overnight...?" Usopp said. "It's like a nightmare."

This was truly a nightmare for the Riku Family.

Overnight, they went from the Royal Family to prisoners... Who could accept that?

"What a cunning man," Nicole Robin said.

No wonder that guy was able to fake his resignation from the Shichibukai; he's definitely got some brains.

"You despicable Doflamingo!" Franky, his face streaked with tears, exclaimed, "I'll never forgive you!"

That guy is such a jerk!

"Back then, we couldn't see the truth behind King Riku's madness either," Gan Qiao sighed, "So we tried to contact the New King, Doflamingo, and this is what happened..."

"We feel deeply ashamed for not trusting King Riku."

"To have King, revered by millions, die on trumped-up charges..." Merry said, "That's just too cruel!"

King Riku probably couldn't rest in peace even after his death.

"No, King Riku is still alive," Kyros said.

"Huh?"

Merry was taken aback. Wasn't Doflamingo supposed to be ruthlessly exterminating the Riku Royal Family? How come he's still alive?

Could it be... that the King managed to escape?

"Doflamingo took a liking to Princess Viola's Devil Fruit ability," Kyros explained. "So Doflamingo made Viola join the Donquixote Family."

"She agreed, on the condition that Doflamingo spare her father."

"So, to this day, this princess is still Doflamingo's subordinate."

"She was appointed as a cadre and renamed Violet."

At this point, Kyros's expression became somewhat complicated; his sister-in-law was probably having a hard time too.

After all... she was working for the enemy.

"Cadre?"

Usopp said, "So, this princess traded her entire life's freedom for the old King's survival?"

"Um."

Kyros nodded and said, "Now... he must be living somewhere in this country."

"However... the suffering he endured over these ten years is absolutely immeasurable."

"Princess Viola must be the same!"

"Fear, anger, tears... I really don't know how they survived these ten years."

Despite it being completely unjust, they were falsely accused, ultimately making the Riku Royal Family a despised force throughout the entire country.

Under such circumstances, he really couldn't imagine what those two were feeling as they lived on.

Then, Kyros continued, "And those National Taxi Soldiers who were manipulated by Doflamingo and harmed, just like King Riku, that night, they must have suffered just as much because they were powerless to do so."

I wonder if, in the past ten years, anyone has chosen to commit suicide out of overwhelming guilt.

If that's the case... then the loss would be enormous.

Therefore, he hoped that the other party could endure the pain and survive, so that they would have the opportunity to witness their defeat of Doflamingo.

"Wait a moment."

Usopp said, "Weren't King Riku's Royal Army all killed that night?"

"Some were indeed killed, while others chose to join Doflamingo and become his bodyguards," Kyros said.

"What?!"

Franky immediately bristled, yelling, "These guys actually dared to betray us?!"

Despite being a member of the Royal Army, he chose to become a lackey of Doflamingo, the usurper... What is this if not betrayal?

Those bastards!

"I believe they made this choice under extremely painful circumstances," Kyros said. "Given the chance, they would have turned against Doflamingo."

Doflamingo Doflamingo's ranks doesn't necessarily mean betrayal.

Maybe they're looking for an opportunity to deliver the final blow to Doflamingo!

After all... only by surviving can one have a chance to kill Doflamingo, right?

"If that's really the case, then it's truly heartbreaking!" Franky covered his face and cried, "It's all a tragedy, you're all so pitiful."

Looking at Franky rolling around on the ground, Usopp gave him a somewhat helpless look, then thought to himself, 'It's really hard to imagine how much suffering those who endure humiliation endure.'

Even though their enemies were right in front of them, they had no choice but to become their lackeys and obediently do their bidding.

If one's mind isn't strong enough, they'd probably go crazy.

No, that's not all.

Kyros said, "Even if you add up the Taxi Soldiers were killed and those who surrendered, they still wouldn't equal the total number of the Royal Army!"

"What's the meaning?"

"It's a toy, isn't it?" Zoro said.

Now that they've figured out what's going on with the toys in this country, he concludes that the soldiers were turned into toys by the little girl named Sugar.

This also explains why everyone has forgotten about that part of the Royal Army.

It has to be said, that ability is truly terrifying.