After speaking, Kuta ignored the three behind him and stepped forward.
As he advanced, the railing before him twisted on its own, then broke apart to open a passage.
He continued forward and, under the astonished gazes of King Riku and his two companions, stood suspended above the hollow.
"Let's go! Doflamingo's weapons factory is down below. We can reach the area beneath the Royal Palace directly from here."
He walked down through empty air, step by step, as though descending a real staircase.
With each step, ripples appeared in the air. They spread and became transparent stairs, faint but still visible.
Kuta had deliberately made the stairs visible for King Riku and his companions.
Otherwise, they would never have dared step onto thin air.
"How incredible."
Big News Morgans stepped onto the staircase and looked down at the transparent, glasslike steps of warped space beneath his feet, his face full of wonder.
King Riku and his two companions exchanged glances. They still had many questions.
But Kuta's arrival was also their greatest hope.
Whether his words were true or not, they had to cling tightly to that hope, even if it cost them their lives.
Nodding firmly, the three followed the others onto the staircase, gradually disappearing from the dim room.
As they descended, it was not long before they reached the bottom of the black hole.
It was completely dark now. Only the occasional glimmer of blue light from the mountain of garbage ahead allowed them to make out their surroundings.
"This is the toy factory's dump for broken toys."
Before anyone could ask, Kuta supplied the answer.
His companions were already used to it. Kuta seemed to know everything.
Although Big News Morgans and Firebird were both reporters, they knew little about Kuta. They assumed he had