Dressrosa. The country of love, passion, and toys.
The climate was pleasant, and the environment was excellent, as if the harsh weather of the New World seas was simply unable to affect this place.
The citizens and living toys went about their business as usual.
It seemed that the bloody events caused by Doflamingo when he seized the throne a few years ago had been completely forgotten by the populace.
The darkness hidden in the shadows of this country remained entirely undiscovered, and on the surface, only beauty and passion could be seen.
Except, of course, for the brutal fighting fish colosseum.
The fact that Diamante, who originally managed the colosseum, had been killed by Cyrus in the East Blue didn't seem to have affected the arena's operations at all.
Sweeping his Observation Haki over it, Cyrus could clearly see the bloody battles taking place in the ring while the people in the surrounding stands shouted and cheered wildly.
High in the sky, Cyrus scanned his surroundings before his gaze locked onto the royal palace.
It was located at the absolute highest point of the entire island.
Boom!
Cyrus turned into a streak of fire and shot straight towards the royal palace of Dressrosa.
...
At the Dressrosa docks.
"He's not there, there's only two people!" Baby 5 held a pair of binoculars and looked at the approaching ship in the distance.
She saw Issho and Robin standing on the deck, but she didn't see Cyrus anywhere.
Sugar, who looked like a small child beside her, was stunned, and a look of genuine fear appeared on her face.
"Then where could he have gone?" her voice trembled slightly.
Although her Devil Fruit ability was incredibly powerful, Sugar herself was very weak.
After eating the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, her body had stopped aging entirely, and while this child-like physique often allowed her to use her ability by surprise, her physical courage hadn't grown along with her power.
"The Young Master said he would definitely come openly. A person as powerful as him wouldn't sneak over," Baby 5 reasoned with a frown, biting down on the butt of the cigarette in her mouth.
"Could it be that he didn't come?" Buffalo asked, his windmill-like hair spinning lazily above his chubby build.
He also had a deeply worried look on his face.
They were waiting here for the enemy to arrive, planning to use Sugar's ability on him while he was still unfamiliar with the place.
Although the plan was incredibly simple, it was definitely effective, after all, who would be on high guard against a little girl of a few years old holding a stuffed toy?
But while the plan was well-thought-out, the actual target of the ambush was currently missing.
The three of them stood there blankly, watching the ship on the distant sea slowly approach.
Boom!
Just as the three of them were wondering what to do next, a terrifying pressure suddenly appeared and swept across the entire island.
The trio whipped their heads around, looking towards the royal palace at the highest point of the island.
That was exactly where the terrifying pressure was coming from.
Faintly, they could see massive streaks of black lightning erupting from the palace, so intense that the lightning seemed to darken the very space around the building.
"Buffalo!" Baby 5 shouted without hesitation.
Buffalo, who had eaten the Spin-Spin Fruit, was a spinning man.
He could not only use his ability to create small storms, but also make his hair spin like a helicopter rotor to fly in the sky.
Snatching up the bewildered Sugar, Baby 5 jumped onto Buffalo's back as his massive body rose into the air and flew urgently towards the royal palace.
...
On the approaching ship, Issho's white eyes were fixed on the island that was drawing closer.
"Cyrus has made his move. We might encounter enemies on our side as well," Issho warned, his expression serious.
"Cyrus's strength is already difficult to target. The people around him—us—are the best means to restrain him." Issho said this, but he felt a bit emotional inside.
'When did I ever become a burden?'
However, he was definitely not weak!
Robin held the sword in her hand with a solemn expression.
She nodded without speaking, her eyes fixed firmly on the royal palace at the highest point of Dressrosa.
...
A clash of Conqueror's Haki erupted at the royal palace.
A terrifying aura surged from Cyrus, who was sitting casually on a sofa in the main hall.
The Donquixote Family Executives gathered around him fainted in droves, and only a few barely remained standing, though their faces were entirely pale.
The other person who had unleashed Conqueror's Haki was none other than the Young Master of the Donquixote Family, Doflamingo.
At this moment, the King's Haki was surging from his body, and veins were throbbing wildly on his forehead.
Just a moment ago, a flash of fire had flown in through the huge window, and Cyrus had simply appeared like that.
Then, without saying a single word, Cyrus had directly unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, forcing Doflamingo to stand up and meet the pressure with his full strength.
Black lightning from the clash of their wills sparked between the two, slowly but surely pushing towards Doflamingo.
"Flame Demon Cyrus!" Doflamingo gritted his teeth, squeezing the three words out from between them.
"Yeah, I told you this nickname sounds bad. It really does, especially when you say it," Cyrus replied.
Looking completely relaxed, he pursed his lips, clearly dissatisfied with the new title.
"That time in the East Blue..." Doflamingo began, looking at Cyrus.
Although Cyrus's Conqueror's Haki wasn't currently showing the overwhelming power that destroyed Mary Geoise, his mere presence here put immense pressure on the Warlord.
So, he forced himself to speak again. "I was ignorant that time in the East Blue..."
As Doflamingo spoke, the veins on his forehead throbbed wildly.
The few executives who were still conscious looked at their Young Master in complete disbelief.
'The Young Master is...? Backing down?'
Not just them, but even Cyrus was genuinely stunned when he heard this.
People with Conqueror's Haki were basically the type who would never admit defeat, unless, of course, something happened that completely broke their absolute bottom line.
"You want to live?" Cyrus retracted his Conqueror's Haki and looked at Doflamingo standing not far away.
"No one wants to die." Seeing Cyrus retract his aura, Doflamingo also relaxed a little bit inside.
"Not going to give it a try? Maybe you'll win?" Cyrus placed the sword in his hand by his side, leaned back against the soft sofa, and sized up the Warlord.
"Some things don't need to be tried to know the result. Besides, I have already paid the price—Diamante and the North Blue," Doflamingo reasoned.
The few members of the Donquixote Family who hadn't fainted from the clash remained completely silent, quietly watching the situation unfold.
'What's wrong with the Young Master?' He had clearly been prepared for a life-or-death battle with Cyrus just moments before.
"Is that so? It's not impossible for me to let you go this time. You have Celestial Dragons here, right? Let me see your sincerity," Cyrus offered after thinking for a moment.
But these words made Doflamingo's expression turn even uglier.
"Or is it that you, a former Celestial Dragon, can't bring yourself to act against your own kind? But that's not right, you should hate them," Cyrus noted, stroking his chin and watching Doflamingo closely as he spoke.
He wanted to see exactly what kind of trick this guy was planning to play.