"So, what exactly is it that you want to tell us?"
Franky looked at the Soldier Robot marching ahead of them, his eyes filled with suspicion.
This guy hadn't said a single word since earlier. What was he playing at?
Merry was looking at Kyros in confusion as well, clearly unable to decipher his motives.
After exchanging glances, Franky continued, "If you're not going to talk, then we'll be parting ways right here."
"We need to find that factory and destroy it as soon as possible."
With that, Franky moved to leave with Merry.
Just then, Kyros stopped in his tracks, turning to inspect Franky and Merry with a scrutinizing gaze.
Sensing Kyros's stare, the two paused. Merry asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"You two have been shouting about that sort of treasonous business this whole time," Kyros probed carefully. "Why are you doing that?"
"Treasonous business?"
"You mean..."
"Destroying the factory, of course."
Kyros glanced around. Seeing that no one was paying attention to them, he lowered his voice. "You seem to know quite a few hidden secrets."
"So I'd like to ask... what is your true objective?"
This time, neither Franky nor Merry answered right away. Instead, they returned Kyros's scrutinizing gaze.
At that moment, the same thought crossed both of their minds: there was definitely something up with this Toy Soldier!
After a brief silence, Franky said, "Our objective should be pretty easy to figure out."
"On the other hand, you..."
At this point, Franky narrowed his eyes and fixed a sharp gaze on Kyros. "Why do I get the feeling... that you're just as interested in the factory as we are?"
He couldn't say why, but that was the distinct vibe he was getting from the guy.
Kyros fell silent, offering no answer.
Seeing this, Franky pressed on, "I don't know why you're so interested in Doflamingo's factory, but as long as you can tell me where it is, I can destroy it."
"That's right," Merry agreed, nodding along. "So if you know where it is, please tell us."
Hearing that, Kyros looked at Franky, then at the lovely little girl, Merry. After a moment's pause, he said, "Follow me."
Watching Kyros turn on his heel and walk off, Franky quickly asked, "Where to?"
"To the flower field," Kyros replied. "Don't you want to know the factory's location?"
"Once we get there, everything will become clear."
If he wasn't mistaken, Leo should have already scouted out the exact location of the factory by now.
All that was left was to launch the operation!
"The flower field?"
Franky and Merry looked at each other, clearly confused as to why they were heading to a place that sounded like something out of a fairy tale.
Still, lacking any other leads, they had no choice but to follow.
Franky quickly hoisted Kyros onto his shoulder and said, "Point the way. I'll carry you."
"That would be ideal," Kyros said with a smile.
While he wasn't slow, his speed still couldn't compare to a powerhouse like this.
Meanwhile, Merry, sitting on Franky's other shoulder, eyed Kyros with curiosity.
For some reason, she felt that this Soldier Robot didn't seem like a machine at all. Instead, he felt like... a human!
A human?
Merry blinked. Why did she have such a strange feeling?
She couldn't explain it, but the thought startled her nonetheless.
"You..."
"What is it?"
Kyros glanced back at Merry. He felt quite favorably toward this kindhearted little girl.
Merry pressed her lips together. Noticing several passersby eyeing them, she shook her head. "It's nothing. Let's talk once we reach the flower field."
Whether this guy was really human or not, she sensed that this topic might be taboo.
After all... this country was filled with so many different kinds of toys!
Kyros was puzzled, but he didn't press the matter.
Before long, the three rushed out of the Corrida Colosseum, arriving at the exterior grounds.
"So, what kind of place is this flower field, anyway?"
Seeing that there was no one around paying attention to them, Franky asked, "You've got to give us the details, at least."
"This isn't the place to talk," Kyros replied. "I'll explain everything once we arrive."
What they intended to do today was to overthrow Doflamingo!
They couldn't afford to leak even a whisper of their plans.
"So mysterious..."
Franky grumbled under his breath, but he refrained from asking further, knowing the soldier wouldn't spill the beans anyway.
"Stay sharp. Make sure the guards don't catch us."
"Aren't you a Soldier Robot yourself?" Franky scoffed. "Why would you be afraid of the guards?"
"It's different," Kyros said, shaking his head.
He may be a Soldier Robot, but he was a wanted Toy Soldier. He couldn't afford to be captured under any circumstances!
Franky thought it over, recalling how the two guards had been chasing him earlier.
In that case... there really was something special about him?
Just then, a girl's shout came from a nearby window.
"Mr. Soldier!"
"Hm?"
Hearing the voice, Franky instinctively stopped in his tracks, looking curiously toward the window at Rebecca. "Does that person know you?"
Merry also stared curiously at the pink-haired young woman, wondering who she was.
"Ah..."
Kyros gave a subtle nod. A complex expression crossed his face as he looked at Rebecca, momentarily lost for words.
After a moment's silence, Kyros said, "I saw the roster. You entered the tournament after all, Rebecca."
"I recall trying to talk you out of it."
From his perspective, he truly didn't want Rebecca taking part in this contest.
After all... this tournament was extraordinarily dangerous!
"But I have to do this!"
Rebecca looked at Kyros with unwavering determination. "I will win!"
"And then... then I think we can all live together again!"
As she spoke, tears began welling up in Rebecca's eyes.
"She looks like she's about to cry," Merry said softly.
No... that wasn't right. She was already crying!
Why was she crying?
Kyros saw it as well. But she was already inside the Corrida Colosseum—what else could he say?
And yet... as a father, there was still something he had to tell her.
"A crying warrior can't win the tournament, Rebecca," Kyros said. "So pull yourself together!"
"If you're going to do this, then carry your convictions through to the very end!"
With that, Kyros looked away from Rebecca. He lowered his head, tapped Franky's shoulder, and urged, "Hey, let's get out of here quickly."
"Hm?"
"Is it really okay to leave?" Franky asked, perplexed. "That kid is crying, you know."
"Yeah. Let's go."
Seeing how resolute Kyros was, Franky held his tongue and quickly carried them away from the area.
Merry, on the other hand, kept her eyes glued to that window until Rebecca vanished from sight. Only then did she speak up. "That girl seemed very attached to you, Mr. Soldier."
"Ah... I know."
Kyros lowered his head. "That's precisely why we have to hurry."
"Is she someone very important to you?"
"More important than anything," Kyros replied firmly.
Even though he had been turned into a toy, he would protect his daughter with his very life!
Merry didn't know the full story, but she could clearly feel Kyros's fierce resolve.
"Then let's get to the flower field quickly," Merry said.
She was now eager to hear the story behind this Toy Soldier.
"It's finally time for us to assemble, huh?"
Hearing the announcer's voice booming from outside, Luffy grinned broadly. "Finally, I can cut loose!"
He had been looking forward to this moment for ages!
Meiser, glancing toward the window in surprise, remarked, "They sure repaired that ring fast."
He had assumed fixing the ring would take an hour or two, but they had wrapped it up in just a few minutes.
That was remarkably efficient.
With a chuckle, Meiser reminded him, "Don't you forget what we discussed earlier, kid. Don't go wild and blow your cover."
"Got it!"
Luffy gave Meiser a cheerful nod before turning and sprinting toward the tournament entrance.
After watching him go, Meiser walked over to a pillar by the window, intending to watch Luffy's match from there.
By the time he arrived, most of the contestants had already stepped into the ring.
"Where are you, Straw Hat?!"
"Hm?"
Hearing that familiar voice, Meiser instinctively glanced back toward the colonnade, quickly spotting the man brandishing a rapier.
Meiser shook his head with a wry smile. "That guy is relentless, isn't he?"
The match had already started, yet he was still hunting down Luffy. Talk about obsessive...
"Bastard, wait right there!"
Cavendish rushed to the main gate, glaring furiously at Luffy, who was already up on the ring. "Wait for me!"
"Hey, Cavendish!"
Several staff members quickly intercepted Cavendish. "You're in Block D!"
"Do not interfere with the match!"
"Damn it, let go of me!"
Cavendish struggled furiously, his eyes locked on the distant ring, but he was completely helpless.
In the end, he was dragged away by the staff.
"Curse you, Straw Hat!"
"Phew..."
Seeing that the guy couldn't come over to cause trouble, Luffy let out a huge sigh of relief.
He was finally rid of that nuisance, at least for now.
Then, Luffy grinned broadly. "All right, time for the match to begin!"
Scanning the ring, Luffy's excitement surged.
"Time to go wild!"
"Ohh!"
With a roar, Luffy charged straight into the nearby crowd, knocking out several contestants with a rapid flurry of punches and kicks!
The display immediately caught the attention of the surrounding fighters.
"Looks like we've got a tough one over here."
A burly man who had just taken down several opponents grinned savagely. "How fun~"
"Allow me to take you out!"
With that, the burly man lunged toward Luffy, raising a massive wooden mallet and slamming it viciously down at him!
BOOM!!
The impact of the blow sent several fighters near Luffy flying into the air!
"Hmph, you know my power now, don't you?!" the burly man sneered.
From his perspective, Luffy had already been squashed flat beneath his mallet.
With a grunt, the brute lifted his hammer to admire his handiwork.
Yet the moment he raised the weapon, he froze in utter disbelief—the small fry's body was nowhere to be seen.
"?"
"Where did he go?!"
As he spoke, he frantically searched around, but there was no sign of Luffy anywhere.
Right then, Luffy poked his head up from the man's back, marveling aloud, "That's a seriously huge hammer~"
"Huh?"
Seeing Luffy casually perched on his back, the burly man was dumbfounded.
When the hell had this guy gotten onto his back?!
"Damn it, get off me!"
"Like I'd let you catch me!" Luffy huffed.
He leaped into the air, easily dodging the man's grabbing hand.
Then, he whipped his fist backward and launched it forward with tremendous force.
"Gomu-Gomu Pistol!"
WHAM!
The heavy punch slammed squarely into the burly man's face, sending him flying straight out of the ring in a single blow.
"?"
The surrounding combatants stared at Luffy's arm in sheer disbelief. "Did you guys see that?"
"His arm stretched out like rubber!"
"Is he an Ability User?!"
"Hey!"
"Speaking of a rubber ability... isn't that Straw Hat Boy?!"
Hearing that, the expressions of the fighters nearby changed drastically.
If this guy really was the legendary Straw Hat Boy, how the hell were they supposed to fight him?
With that thought, several of them began to lose their nerve.
However, a man farther away who hadn't realized who Luffy was charged forward, brandishing a massive battleaxe.
"I'll be your opponent!"
Luffy hesitated for a second before quickly spinning around and shouting at the top of his lungs, "This is just an ordinary punch!"
With that, Luffy dashed forward a few steps and slammed his fist hard into the man's face.
WHAM!
The single strike sent the man's eyes rolling back into his head, his body trembling before collapsing limp onto the ground.
"?"
"Did we see wrong after all?"
Hearing Luffy's proclamation, the fighters were suddenly plunged into confusion. Could it be that this guy really wasn't Straw Hat Boy?
"Forget it, just take him down first!"
"Yeah!"
Though they couldn't make heads or tails of the situation, the surrounding fighters decided to eliminate him together.
Seeing them rush him, Luffy reflexively whipped out his long leg, shouting, "Gomu-Gomu..."
"Hey, his leg is stretching again!"
"Ah..."
Realizing his blunder, Luffy hastily retracted his elongated leg, then declared with a straight face, "That one didn't count!"
"What kind of nonsense is that, you bastard?!"