On the King's Plateau in Dressrosa, King Riku, clad in armor, watched with a furrowed brow as Kyros fought below, surrounded by a retinue of guards.
"Kyros, it all depends on you. You must not fail," King Riku murmured, his hand gripping his sword, his heart in turmoil.
In contrast to her father's unease, Scarlett, Kyros's wife, had complete faith in her husband's abilities. She believed Kyros would be the great hero who saved their country.
"Father, don't worry so much. I trust Kyros. He will definitely drive these pirates out," Scarlett said, coming to King Riku's side and placing her hand over his on the hilt of his sword.
Feeling his daughter's comforting touch, King Riku's grip on his sword relaxed slightly.
Seeing him calm down, Scarlett let out a sigh of relief. Her greatest fear was that her father would work himself into illness over the crisis in Dressrosa, a disaster they could not afford.
"Don't worry, Scarlett. Your father is not that fragile. I will not fall until our country is saved!" King Riku forced a smile for her, speaking the oath he had made in his heart.
"Father! I will stay by your side," Scarlett said, looking at him deeply and speaking her own vow.
"Father, big sister, I'll be with you too!" The young Viola, who had only been listening, quickly voiced her own pledge upon seeing the solemn mood.
"Haha, Scarlett, Viola, don't you worry!"
Hearing his daughters' supportive and understanding words, King Riku was deeply moved. But this was a moment of grave danger for their nation. As its king, it was his duty to live and die with Dressrosa. But his two beloved daughters? No. If tragedy were to strike, he did not want them to share his fate. He had already made arrangements for their escape.
However, Scarlett and Viola were unaware of their father's plans. Seeing the state of their father and all of Dressrosa, they had long ago made their own decision: they would share Dressrosa's fate.
"Sister, why don't you let me watch things here? Rebecca needs you," Viola said to Scarlett.
At the mention of Rebecca, Scarlett felt a headache coming on. The little girl was still just a toddler and couldn't be without her mother, a fact that brought Scarlett both sorrow and worry.
"Alright, Viola. I'll leave things here to you. Please watch over Father and Kyros for me," Scarlett entrusted to her.
Viola nodded, her big eyes blinking beautifully.
Below the King's Plateau, Kyros, wielding his greatsword, led a group of men willing to fight for Dressrosa in a bloody battle against the pirates.
Though Kyros was a formidable warrior, these pirates were no pushovers. They were hardened men who had survived countless battles on the sea. Even the weakest among them could not be taken down easily, and Kyros had to pay a price to defeat each opponent.
The sound of tearing flesh filled the air. Kyros's unadorned swordplay was a terrifying spectacle for the pirates. With each swing, his blade went in white and came out red, felling many of his foes. His comrades, however, were not so fortunate. It often took three or four of them to take down a single pirate, and only by sacrificing themselves.
Overall, the situation still seemed favorable for Kyros's side, simply because they outnumbered the pirates.
"Hey, hey, you big guy over there! Why are you fighting so hard? Tell me, is it really worth it?" a pirate captain called out to Kyros, who stood like a god of slaughter amidst the carnage.
"We walk different paths. There's nothing more to say. Get out of Dressrosa, you despicable pirates!" Kyros shouted, raising his sword and pointing it at the pirate crew.
"Wahahaha! That's hilarious! What a bunch of fools!" the pirate captain laughed.
Infected by his mood, the other pirates also began to laugh mockingly.
Hearing their laughter, Kyros's face grew colder, his killing intent sharpening.
"You idiots," the pirate captain sneered, "have you ever wondered why we can act so freely in Dressrosa? It's because we're your guests! What, did King Riku decide to get rid of us after he was done using us?"
The pirate's words were a shocking revelation.
"What?"
"They were invited by His Majesty, King Riku?"
"Impossible! That's absolutely impossible! King Riku would never be so foolish!"
The pirate captain's accusation spread like poison among Kyros's men, sparking a crisis of faith. Their trust in King Riku was already fragile, and now, what little they had was on the verge of collapsing.
Kyros's brow furrowed, but he refused to believe it. He saw it as nothing more than a pirate's scheme. To stop it from spreading, he raised his voice. "Don't listen to him! We all know what kind of people pirates are! Should we trust them over King Riku?"
"That's right! They're pirates! How can we believe anything they say?"
"Damn pirates, I almost fell for their lies!"
Hearing Kyros's words, the royal guard came to their senses, a sense of relief washing over them.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. That's not what King Riku said when he joined forces with us," the pirate captain continued, refusing to give up. "Is he too ashamed to face us now, so he sent you to stop us instead?"
"Damn you! Shut your mouth! Do not slander King Riku!" Kyros roared, his teeth clenched in fury as the cold light of his sword flashed toward the pirate captain's face.
"What, did I hit a nerve?" the pirate captain said, effortlessly dodging Kyros's blade while continuing to sling mud at the king. "The hypocrite hired us to do his dirty work and then refused to pay up, is that it? And now we can't even have a little fun on his island?"
As long as King Riku wasn't here, he could say whatever he wanted. Even if the king were present, he'd say it anyway.
"Die! You have no right to slander King Riku! He is not that kind of person!" Kyros shouted, his swordsmanship growing smoother and more fluid, each strike aimed at a vital point.
"You have to own up to what you've done," the pirate captain said, parrying Kyros's sword and taking a few steps back. He quickly recited the lines Robin had taught them. "The attack on the Marines was all done on King Riku's orders. Why else do you think the World Government is targeting Dressrosa? We know how much King Riku hates that particular Marine officer!"
Kyros hadn't believed a word of it at first. But when he heard that it was all to deal with that Marine Commodore, and recalling King Riku's recent frantic behavior, a seed of doubt was planted in his heart. For a moment, he was unsure what to believe.
If even Kyros was wavering, it was far worse for the men of the royal guard. Their trust in the king was already pitifully low. After the pirate's accusations, that meager trust had vanished completely.
"Hahaha, we're all fools! So this was our good king's plan all along!"
"He abandoned us long ago!"
More and more voices rose up. The weapons held tightly in their hands fell to the ground with a clang.
"No, that's not true! His Majesty is not that kind of person! Don't believe a word these pirates say!" Kyros quickly shook his head, trying to cast out the doubt from his mind as he shouted words of encouragement to his men.
The pirates, however, did not attack. They stood by calmly, watching as the army before them gradually lost its cohesion and will to fight.
"Captain Kyros, stop deceiving yourself. You should know better than any of us what kind of person King Riku is."
"Heh, of course the Captain defends him. He's the king's son-in-law, after all!"
"So, our lives mean nothing? We were just part of a deal between the king and the pirates?"
"He played his cards well! Sacrificing us in exchange for having pirates protect the peace of Dressrosa."
The taunts came from all sides. Kyros didn't fear battle, but he feared disunity among his own ranks.
Once their hearts were scattered, they could no longer be led. And now that their trust in King Riku was gone, their faith in him was also hanging by a thread.
"Men! No matter what King Riku has done, the most important thing right now is to drive these pirates out! Are we just going to stand by and watch them rampage through our homeland?" Kyros pleaded, trying to stir their hearts.
"Hahaha, don't worry about that!" the pirate captain interjected, ruining Kyros's attempt. "We have an agreement with King Riku. From now on, we'll be the ones protecting Dressrosa. He can keep being king, and we won't interfere with each other. Of course, that means we get to do whatever we want."
The members of the guard, who had been slightly moved by Kyros's words, now lost all hope. This had nothing to do with them anymore. The entire country of Dressrosa had been sold out by their king. King Riku would remain King Riku, but they were now less than nothing, their lives no longer their own.
"You damn bastard," Kyros cursed, glaring at the pirate captain. But he didn't attack. He needed to know the truth. If what the pirate said was true, then what did that make him? What had he been fighting for?
Kyros was lost. The sword in his hand no longer felt sharp. After his curse, he ignored everyone on the battlefield and turned toward the King's Plateau. The answers had to be there.
"Captain, should we go after him?"
"No. Let the bullet fly for a while."
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