Dressrosa, in a secluded hut.
A girl with sakura-colored hair swung a massive sword, her delicate appearance starkly contrasting the weapon's imposing size.
"Boom!"
"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"
Exhausted, Rebecca, the sweet girl with pink hair, let the giant sword crash to the ground as she knelt, panting heavily. Sweat trickled down her pale cheeks, dripping onto the dirt below.
"Stand up, Rebecca! You are not strong enough to survive in this country!"
Not far from her, a one-legged toy soldier, speaking with human words, shouted encouragement.
"Mr. Soldier, I-I'm too tired," Rebecca replied, lowering her head and biting her red lips, her voice trembling.
The toy soldier, Kyros, gazed at her with a mix of infinite sorrow and pain. He was, in fact, Rebecca's father. She was born to him and Scarlet, the princess of Dressrosa. But tragedy had befallen their family when Doflamingo executed a ruthless plan to overthrow King Riku, the original ruler of Dressrosa.
To save King Riku, who was held hostage by Doflamingo, Kyros had sacrificed his left leg. However, just as he was about to attack Doflamingo, he was touched by Sugar, a member of the Donquixote family with the ability of the Childlike Fruit. This Devil Fruit power, deceptively named with a child's innocent vision, carried an unimaginable, despair-inducing force.
Anyone touched by Sugar's ability was transformed into a toy, and everyone else lost all memories of that person. From that moment, the affected became invisible to the world, a mere toy in the eyes of everyone.
Kyros's wife and daughter lost all memories of him. Even when Diamante, a Donquixote family leader, killed his wife, she had no memory of him in her final moments. Kyros, as a toy, couldn't even feel his wife's warmth as she died in his arms, nor could he shed tears.
It was hell, pure despair.
The Childlike Fruit's ability had brought ultimate despair to the country. All toys in Dressrosa were once people transformed by Sugar's power, their loved ones forgetting they ever existed. Despite this profound despair, Kyros could not afford to fall. He had a daughter to protect.
Watching Rebecca, Kyros's heart ached with compassion, but his expression remained cold, as the toy transformation prevented any change in his facial features. This inability to convey his emotions added to the despair.
He couldn't express his feelings to Rebecca, for it would only bring her more pain. Instead, he continued to push her to practice relentlessly. In this pirate country ruled by Doflamingo through childlike fruits and violence, Rebecca, with royal blood in her veins, needed strength to survive.
"Pick up the sword, Rebecca! You must become stronger!" Kyros said, his voice stiff and mechanical.
"You have to live..."
In a voice too soft for Rebecca to hear, Kyros murmured his deepest hope.
"Boom! Boom!!!"
Suddenly, a deafening whistling sound exploded in the sky.
Rebecca and Kyros ran outside, their hearts pounding in shock. They looked up, their eyes widening in horror.
"Meteor, meteorite?!" Rebecca's red lips parted as she stared at the massive meteorite hurtling through the sky. Her pretty face was a mask of fear.
"The direction... it's falling towards...!!!" Kyros's voice trembled as he recognized the meteorite's target—the former kingdom palace of King Riku, now Doflamingo's headquarters.
"Whiteout!"
With a thunderous crash, the meteorite was intercepted by a jet-black thread pillar. The Donquixote family cadres worked together to break the enormous rock into smaller rubble. Pika, a leader of the Donquixote family, used his stone fruit ability to assimilate the fragments into his rock body.
Despair washed over Kyros. Even a meteorite couldn't bring down Doflamingo.
"Ah la la, your trick doesn't work very well, Fujitora." A voice rang out, drawing Kyros's attention. A man, half of his body covered in ice, approached from the sea. The air around him crackled with freezing energy, dropping the temperature rapidly. Behind him, the sea was entirely frozen.
"After all, there are many civilians here. A meteorite that's too large would also affect them. This is just an old man saying hello to a young man," said the blind, middle-aged man walking beside him, holding a cane sword.
Kyros's eyes widened in recognition. "Kuzan... and Fujitora!"
"Well, I feel the gaze of a Devil Fruit's ability. Is this the Staring Fruit from such a distance? Quite a useful ability. Let's take it back to the captain," Kuzan said, his Observation Haki spreading out. His eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, gleamed with an icy resolve.
"The one who assimilated the meteorite must have Paramecia's stone fruit. It's a bit weak. I heard from Mr. Ace that Doflamingo also possesses Logia's Snow-Snow Fruit and Gas Fruit. I wonder if they are here. If so, I'll take them back for Mr. Ace," Kuzan continued, a chilling determination in his voice.
Fujitora nodded, his face serious. "Our primary targets are Doflamingo's String-String Fruit and Sugar's Childlike Fruit. As for the others, it doesn't matter if we can't get them. The captain can acquire as many Devil Fruits of this level as he needs."
Kyros felt a spark of hope. Perhaps these men, powerful allies of the Flame Emperor, could bring justice to Dressrosa.
Rebecca, still breathless from her training, watched the scene unfold with a mix of fear and awe. The arrival of these formidable figures promised a dramatic turn of events in the battle against Doflamingo's tyranny.
Kuzan spoke calmly, his icy demeanor unwavering.
"Childlike fruit? What a troublesome ability. Isn't there someone here affected by it?"
Fujitora, under the astonished gazes of Kyros and Rebecca, walked toward them with measured steps.
"You... you are..." Kyros and Rebecca's voices trembled as they recognized the blind middle-aged man before them.
These two men were legends, known to all after the Entei Incident. The world had watched as these formidable warriors took the stage in a public live broadcast, their strength undeniable.
"The captain of the second division of the Entei Pirates' Grand Fleet, the 'Dark Ranger' Fujitora! And the former Admiral of Headquarters, Aokiji! Why... why are they here?!" Kyros's voice quivered with fear. These were significant figures at the pinnacle of the ocean's hierarchy.
The great incident in the Sabaody Archipelago had revealed the true might of the strongest individuals on the sea and the vast gap between them and the rest. Doflamingo, the ruler of Dressrosa, wasn't even worthy of standing on the core battlefield.
Each of these two men alone had strength that far surpassed Doflamingo. They were titans in the truest sense.
"Admiral? Well, I am no longer a Marine Admiral. Allow me to introduce myself. Under the command of Emperor Ace, I am a member of the Entei Pirate Ship Fleet and the captain of the first team, Kuzan." Kuzan's mouth curved into a slight smile as he looked at Kyros and Rebecca.
Their eyes widened in horror. Aokiji, one of the most powerful Admirals in the world government, had joined Ace's command?!
"Flame Emperor!!!" The very name sent shivers down their spines.
This was a true superpower in the sea! The man who had led the Entei incident and publicly executed three world nobles. The man who had brought even the Naval Headquarters to its knees. One of the Five Elders, the highest authority in the world, had been decimated by him.
Doflamingo, the source of endless despair for Kyros and Rebecca, wasn't even qualified to stand before Ace. The mere mention of Entei sent shivers through the hearts of even the Shichibukai.
"Why... Ace, the Flame Emperor... why..." Kyros felt his soul trembling.
Why would this man, whose very name made Doflamingo grovel, send two of his top men to Dressrosa?
Kyros and Rebecca exchanged glances, their minds racing. There had to be a reason why these two giants had appeared before them. The man behind these two, the one who could change the world with just a stomp, must have had a purpose.
Although Fujitora and Kuzan seemed to harbor no ill intentions, Kyros couldn't shake the fear that gripped his heart. Neither he nor Rebecca had ever met Ace or sought his help. Yet here they were, face to face with emissaries of the man who could topple nations with a mere word.
To encounter such a superpower was terrifying. The very presence of these men was enough to make anyone feel insignificant. Kyros and Rebecca stood there, their minds racing, trying to comprehend the fate that had brought these titans to their doorstep.
Kuzan spread his hands, addressing Kyros with a measured tone. "Well, Mr. Soldier is smarter than we thought."
He then turned his gaze to Rebecca, standing to the side. "Rebecca, the granddaughter of King Riku, right?" The mention of her lineage caused both Kyros and Rebecca to tremble.
"Don't be nervous, Mr. Soldier," Kuzan said, handing a flag to Kyros. "This is for you."
Kyros stared at the flag in his hands, stunned. Surrounding the skull were terrifying flames, seemingly capable of incinerating anything in their path. It was the pirate flag of the Entei Pirates, a symbol that had sent countless powerful pirates fleeing in terror.
"What you need to do," Kuzan continued, "is to plant this flag in the most prominent place in Dressrosa after Doflamingo's death. Let the Entei Pirates' flag fly high over this country. Then, use your identities to calm the populace and prevent chaos. How about it? Are you willing to serve the Flame Emperor?"
Kuzan's words hung in the air as he smiled lightly at Rebecca and Kyros.
"Let the pirate flag of the Entei Pirates fly in Dressrosa..." Kyros murmured. In this world, when a country plants a pirate flag, it signifies that the country is under the protection of that pirate group. Flame Emperor Ace intended to claim Dressrosa.
"Of course, the most important task is to reassure the people and inform them of the truth to prevent chaos and casualties," Fujitora added with a smile. It was an honor to serve Mr. Ace, whose orders aligned perfectly with his own philosophy.
"Hm..." Kyros hesitated, contemplating the weight of their decision. Did they have the power to do this?
"Mr Solider, Ill do it!" Rebecca declared, taking the pirate flag from Kyros' hand and raising her head defiantly.
"Rebecca?!" Kyros looked at her in shock.
"Mr. Soldier, this is our only chance to save the country from Doflamingo, isn't it? And do you think a superpower like the Flame Emperor would have his two division captains lie to us, pretending to care about the people?" Rebecca's face, usually sweet and pretty, was now filled with strength and determination.
"Rebecca..." Kyros murmured, moved by her resolve.
"We're a member of the World Government, yet because Doflamingo is a Shichibukai, no one comes to help us despite our paying the Heavenly Tribute! Dressrosa has become a Pirate Kingdom. Isn't it better to follow Ace's command and reclaim our homeland?" Rebecca spoke passionately.
Kuzan nodded approvingly. "Smart and strong girl."
"I... I understand, Rebecca," Kyros said, his voice thick with emotion. His daughter had truly grown up.
"We will let the Entei Pirates' flag fly at the top of Dressrosa!" Kyros declared, his heart swelling with pride and hope.
Kyros looked at Kuzan with gratitude and spoke loudly, "Very good, this is a gift from Ace to you."
Fujitora then took out a talisman bag from his arm and opened it, unleashing a strange flash of light that converged into a crimson point. With a resolute command, "Purify!" the Suzaku flame erupted suddenly, engulfing Kyros' toy soldier body.
"Mr. Soldier?!" Rebecca cried out in horror, but her fear quickly turned to disbelief as she witnessed the Suzaku flame slowly dispel the effects of the Childlike Fruit ability as Kyros now turned back into a Human.
The talisman bag, crafted by Ace, contained elements from the realm of understanding, designed to activate Devil Fruit abilities. Kyros stared in awe as feeling returned to his hand, and Rebecca's cries of "Father, you're my father!!!" pierced through the emotional haze.
Overwhelmed, Kyros embraced Rebecca tightly, tears streaming down his face. His daughter had regained her memories, and the bond they once shared was restored.
Fujitora's gaze sharpened as he watched the heart-wrenching reunion. "What a heinous crime, Doflamingo," he muttered, his resolve hardened by the tragedies inflicted upon Dressrosa.
"Let's go," Kuzan commanded, turning towards the palace. "Use Doflamingo's head to pave the way for the captain to become king."
After a moment of tears and relief, Kyros and Rebecca stood up, clutching the flag of the Entei Pirates with newfound determination. They were ready to proudly raise the pirate flag over Dressrosa.
Sugar suddenly Gasped, her face pale with shock. "My, my ability!!!" she exclaimed, staring at Doflamingo in confusion.
"What's happening?!" Doflamingo demanded, sensing that something was terribly wrong.
"It seems... like one of my toys has been liberated from my control," Sugar murmured, her voice trembling.
"What?!" Doflamingo's surprise quickly turned to concern.
Sugar's childlike fruit ability is the key to his ability to completely dominate Dressrosa, We can not have any Accidents!
Then, without warning, the ground shook violently under a sudden surge of gravity. The Donquixote family's cadres were thrown to the ground, unable to move under the crushing force.
Doflamingo struggled to raise his head, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, realizing that their situation had taken a dire turn.