On the other side, Prince Riku Dalton III, who had been roared at by Basti, was the first to come to his senses.
"Run!"
Prince Riku's face was pale, but he still had his wits about him. He grabbed the dazed Duke Ditet and the limp Teddy.
"Use the rear noble-only passage!"
Though he knew full well the crimes of father and son, he was a prince of the kingdom—the face and Order of Dressrosa.
Whether from duty of station or the simple sense of justice that refused to abandon any subject, he could not flee alone.
Half-dragged by Prince Riku, Duke Ditet ran, shrieking over his shoulder, blaming everyone for the debacle.
"Worthless! All of you! Marines are good-for-nothings! You take our taxes and can't handle one rampaging Slave and a woman? What do we feed you for!"
"This way, Your Grace! Your Highness! Here!"
At a relatively intact stand entrance, Abbott, Ditet's steward, waved frantically with a squad of about twenty Marine Soldiers.
They had come earlier with Basti to "keep Order"; now they were the only straw left to clutch at.
Like drowning men grabbing driftwood, the group tumbled toward them and hid behind the Marines.
But Dock, burning for revenge and fresh from a hearty fight, was no match for common soldiers.
"Out of my way!"
Like a runaway heavy tank, the giant slammed through the hastily formed line, Armament Haki covering his bulk, sending Marines flying with broken bones. Cracks and screams rang out.
His huge foot mercilessly trampled the fallen, red eyes locked on the fleeing Ditets as he thundered after them!
"Stop him! Stop him now!"
A glance back at the death-dealing Dock made Duke Ditet's soul shudder.
Seeing the giant close in, the Duke flashed a vicious look and shoved Prince Riku Dalton III, who was trying to help him, hard to the rear.
"Agh!" The prince crashed down unawares.
Still dragging his son, Ditet screamed at Dock:
"Him! He's the kingdom's prince! Catch him and you walk away rich! Spare me and my boy!"
The vile act left the prince, struggling to rise, stunned and heartsick; the man he'd tried to save had cast him into the abyss.
Dock did not even glance at the fallen prince. Revenge for his wife Urti burned in him; princes and ransoms were dust.
His huge foot rose, hate poised to crush the prince's body—
At that razor-thin instant—
"Hey, big guy! Can't let you kill this one!"
A figure flashed in at blinding speed, slipping between them like a ghost—the very beauty who had nestled in Teddy's arms, 'Caroline'!
"Caroline! What are you doing?! Come back, it's dangerous!" Teddy froze, shouting at the impossible sight.
What followed shattered his world.
The curvaceous "Caroline" ballooned outward in the blink of an eye.
Silken Red Hair turned coarse, fair skin darkened to bronze, muscles knotting like dragons, until a five-metre mountain of muscle stood where the girl had been.
Casually, he caught Dock's steel-shattering foot on one shoulder.
"Tch, pretty strong, Oni-bro."
The transformed "Caroline" rumbled in a deep, rough voice.
With a heave he hurled the revenge-mad Dock several steps back!
In the opening he snatched the stunned prince and leapt to a broken wall that offered brief safety.
Teddy looked from where Caroline had stood to the hulking brute above, sensing the truth yet refusing it:
"Who are you? Where's my Caroline?"
In a falsetto that mocked his new bass, the giant said:
"I'm your Caroline, Prince Teddy~"
He gave a deliberate swivel of thick hips, the outline of something in his loose trousers—thick as Teddy's forearm—flashing in cruel suggestion.
"Or maybe you should call me—'Phantom Fox' Carlo!"
Back to his true timbre, openly scornful, he added:
"Gotta say, Your Highness, you taste… really good. Softer than most women!"
Looking at the five-metre ogre, Teddy remembered nights of passion—and why his backside had inexplicably bled and burned.
"S-so… the bleeding… was… was you?!" he quavered.
Carlo bared yellow teeth in a gleeful grin:
"Yep~ Felt nice, didn't it? Yeh-heh-heh-heh!"
"Bleeegh—!!"
Teddy's mind snapped. Shame, nausea and terror flooded him.
He doubled over, vomiting as if to expel his soul, tears, snot and drool smearing his face while his body shook uncontrollably.
Carlo savoured the sight; breaking haughty nobles who realized they'd been toyed with by "trash" pleased him more than killing.
"Right, I'll leave you to your fun little chase."
Glancing toward where Big Mom stood, he muttered:
"Not messing with that woman. Tch, even the Rocks Pirates after the Devil Fruit? Gotta move."
Hoisting the unconscious prince, he waved to the Ditets and Dock.
"Still got business—wonder if Shandon's got the Devil Fruit and my crew's free. Later, my dear Teddy. Ciao~"
With a few leaps he vanished among the broken buildings.
Left behind were Teddy, eyes dead, clutching his bleeding backside, and Dock, momentarily amused yet still burning with hate.
Amusement aside, the grudge never wavered.
Dock's murderous gaze fixed again on the paralysed Duke and the vomiting prince. He advanced like a funeral bell.
"D-don't come closer! I was wrong! I know it!"
Duke Ditet, soiled in terror, yet shielded his son:
"I'll free every Slave! Close the Colosseum! Take my money! Spare us—spare my boy!"
"Touching father-love—but blood debts are paid in blood."
Dock's fist smashed the Duke aside; killing Teddy in front of him would hurt more.
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