Chapter 108

"It seems like you are already aware of our identity." Doffy chuckled, eyeing the bounty poster that slipped through Riku's fingers.

"This makes it simple. I originally wanted to take back the kingdom by force, even if it meant burning down the entirety of Dressrosa. But it seems like my brother and in particular someone in my family are against such methods and feel there are better alternatives to such cruel ways." He paused while turning to me and then towards Issho.

"So, heeding his words, I will only take a part out of Dressrosa which rightfully belongs to me and my brother in its entirety. I will not bother the rest of Dressrosa and its subjects, and neither you nor your subjects will bother me or my family. As long as you can follow this simple rule, we can live harmoniously. If not, I might have to kill a few of your loved ones to get the message across. Is that understood?" Doffy commented, turning to me as if questioning whether I was happy with this arrangement. I simply gave him a smirk.

I knew that to make Dressrosa truly our stronghold, we could not conquer it by force. Conquering by force would be the easiest way, but that wasn't the right way; the knowledge from my other world had taught me how to truly conquer people. Tormenting the people who are going to become your subjects would never be a good thing for your future.

Such an environment would breed too many snakes waiting for the chance to strike. So, I decided to play on human emotions to win over Dressrosa's people. Sooner or later, they will come to realize that their original monarch cannot guarantee their safety, and when they find out there is someone who can, the seeds of doubt will be sown, and then later everything will take care of itself.

Human mentality will choose the ones they can rely on, despite us being branded as evil. For humans, as long as their self-interests aren't affected, they would not mind if their leader was a saint or a sinner.

King Riku, visibly shaken, nodded slowly, realizing the precarious position he and his kingdom were in. "I... I "

Just as King Riku began to crawl out of his shock, Marcus, the young and ambitious captain in the king's army, roared as he drew his sword and charged at Doffy.

"You pirate bastard! How dare you talk to our king like that?" Marcus's pride had clouded his judgment, making him forget the earlier display of power from Issho, who was standing right next to him.

As Marcus rushed forward, both King Riku and Commander Tank froze in shock. I couldn't help but chuckle at how naive the captain was being. It had taken me hours of talking to convince Doffy to take such a roundabout way to subdue Dressrosa. If I had let my brother have his way, he might as well have burned the entirety of Dressrosa and become the king of ashes.

Before Doffy could take action, Lucci moved. He appeared in front of Marcus, using Soru. "Tobu Shigan!" Lucci's flying finger pistol attack tore into the captain's chest, making him abruptly stop in pain.

But Lucci didn't stop there. He closed the distance and unleashed his most powerful technique. "Rokushiki Ogi: Rokuogan!" A powerful shockwave generated by little Lucci's fist broke the captain completely, sending him flying through the air until he crashed into a post.

Just when everyone thought the captain might be spared, Gladius arrived next to the fallen Marcus. He pulled out the twin pistols I had personally designed for him and pulled the trigger.

"Bang... Bang... Bang!!!" The gunshots rang ceaselessly as Gladius emptied the chamber, littering the captain's body with a dozen bullets.

The entire area fell into shocked silence. No one dared to move, not even the captain's subordinates, who were frozen in place under Doffy's cruel gaze. Doffy was just waiting for an excuse to unleash his anger.

"King Riku, I hope we can come to an understanding. But if you really want to fight us, then be prepared for the consequences." I stepped up, the thunderclouds looming ominously overhead, rumbling as if ready to burst any second. King Riku couldn't help but look at the night sky in shock and awe. The entire sky above Dressrosa was filled with thunderclouds, with streaks of lightning threatening to break free.

When Riku lowered his gaze from the sky, I was already standing in front of him. "We will be taking over the forest town in the north that leads towards Green Bit. I hope you and your men stay away from our home. As for the people already living there, they can choose to stay or leave. You have a day to move anything from the town in the north that you deem important. Trust me, my brother is not as forgiving as I am, so I hope you don't try anything foolish." I chuckled as the thunder rumbled more intensely overhead.

"You... you! Dressrosa belongs to the Riku family, and the people of Dressrosa will never welcome you. We are affiliated with the World Government. They will send the Marines, the Admirals, to drive you out," Tank stuttered, gathering some courage to put himself between me and King Riku.

"Do I look like I care? I only informed you out of courtesy because we are neighbors. As for the World Government and Marines, I hope they send someone strong. I'm itching for a fight." I tapped Tank's shoulder with the sheathed Kitetsu, making sure the message sank in properly.

King Riku, still visibly shaken, nodded slowly. "I... I understand. We will abide by your rules."

Doffy grinned wickedly. "Good. Let's hope it stays that way."

As the tension settled, Issho turned to King Riku. "Remember, King Riku, desperation can drive people to the brink. But make sure your decisions are for the greater good of your people. Not all who claim to protect you have pure intentions."

With that, we continued towards our new home towards the north of Dressrosa, leaving behind a bewildered King Riku and his retinue, who now had much to ponder about their future and the safety of Dressrosa.

After the Donquixote family group vanished from sight, everyone sighed in relief as if they had just escaped the jaws of death. Tank couldn't hold back any longer and turned to King Riku. "Your Majesty, was it wise to let such pirates take over our country? Their mere presence is a threat to Dressrosa. We must drive them out somehow."

King Riku wore a gloomy expression, as if all hope had been stripped away. "What are you proposing we do? Fight them? Did you not see what that single blind man did to those pirates who attacked Dressrosa earlier? And now they have two more figures among them who might be as dangerous as the blind man," he bellowed in frustration, his mind racing to think of countermeasures.

"But, Your Majesty, those teens are from the Donquixote family. Their decision to create a base in Dressrosa may not be a coincidence. Sooner or later, they will try to take over the throne," Tank remarked, voicing his deepest fear: Dressrosa completely falling under the rule of a bunch of pirates.

"Yes, Your Majesty, Commander Tank is right! We cannot have pirates taking control of Dressrosa. We will have to drive them out," a soldier added. To them, King Riku was the most benevolent ruler they could have, and they did not want the status quo to change.

"Yes, Riku-sama, the entire army will fight for you. Even the civilians are willing to fight on your behalf. We cannot let such filthy bastards tarnish our country. I will personally chop them to pieces!" Another man, who had earlier been saved by Issho, bellowed in anger, showing his stance against the pirates.

"Rumble!!!"

Just then, the sky rumbled ominously, and a massive bolt of lightning descended upon the man who had just spoken, turning him to ashes in an instant.

The sudden descent of the lightning caught everyone off guard. The sight of the man turning to ashes was etched into everyone's mind. All those who had been vocal about supporting Riku unconsciously backed down. Even Tank couldn't help but gulp in fear.

"Let's leave them be for now," King Riku commanded, his voice trembling slightly. "We will get in touch with the Marines and discuss the matter. I am sure they will not allow such dangerous criminals to lurk within a country affiliated with them. Get to Balsa and evacuate all the people out of there, settling them in other towns. We first have to find out what their true motive is."

With that, King Riku mounted his horse, issuing a few more orders before hastily retreating in the direction of the palace.

As they rode back, the weight of the situation settled heavily on his shoulders. The future of Dressrosa was uncertain, and the threat posed by the Donquixote family loomed large. But Riku was determined to protect his people, no matter the cost. The storm had only just begun, and he knew they had to weather it with all the strength they could muster.

*******************

Room of Authority, Mary Geoise

The room held an ominous atmosphere as the five elders sat in eerie silence, each contemplating the recent developments. The tension was palpable, and the weight of their roles pressed heavily upon them.

"Why would Imu-sama personally take an interest in this matter?" Elder Nusjuro finally broke the silence, his voice laced with curiosity and unease.

"We are not here to analyze Imu-sama's decisions," Elder Saturn replied in a low, measured tone. "We are here to follow Imu-sama's bidding. If Imu-sama wants us to stop pursuing the Donquixote brothers, then so be it."

Earlier, Imu-sama had summoned them unexpectedly, commanding them to drop the matter of the Donquixote brothers. The elders had not considered the issue significant enough to bring it directly to Imu-sama's attention, which only added to their bewilderment.

"Well, Imu-sama is right. We are exaggerating the importance of these two brats," Elder Mars interjected, his dismissive tone evident. "What's the worst they can do? We can crush them like bugs with the power we wield."

Elder Mars had always believed they were wasting too much energy on these young upstarts, given the myriad of more pressing issues they faced.

However, Elder Warcury did not share this sentiment. "No, you are truly underestimating the threat the kid poses. Sooner or later, he will be akin to an ancient weapon himself. You should see the crater he left behind at Fish-Man Island with his attack. I am certain that given a decade or so, the kid might even catch up to our level, or perhaps even surpass us."

The other elders widened their eyes in shock at Warcury's assessment. They had been around for centuries, and for a kid to potentially catch up to them was almost unimaginable. Some even wondered how advantageous it could have been if these two had not been stripped of their ranks.

Unlike the other elders, Saturn's eyes shone with sudden realization at Warcury's words. "Maybe… maybe that is why Imu-sama asked us not to pursue those kids anymore," he mused, his mind piecing together a larger puzzle.

The rest of the elders were puzzled. "What do you mean by that?" Elder Ju Peter asked, and curiosity piqued.

"Imu-sama wants the kid to grow, though we don't understand why, Imu sama's orders are absolute," Elder Saturn explained, his voice carrying the weight of a revelation. "The last time Imu-sama had a proper challenge was eight centuries ago. Imu-Sama has been waiting for the return of Joy Boy ever since. As Warcury said, the kid has the potential to surpass us. So, Imu-sama wants to ensure the kid grows unimpeded. Once the kid matures, I am sure he will be able to entertain Imu-sama."

As Saturn spoke, the other elders' eyes shone with brilliance, as if they had suddenly realized the truth of the matter. Yet, despite their understanding, they knew that their speculations could never fully capture the true thoughts and motives of the divine being they served.

The room fell silent once more, the elders lost in their thoughts, each grappling with the implications of Saturn's insights. The weight of their duty to Imu-sama bore down on them, but so did the knowledge that they were dealing with forces and destinies far beyond their control.

"So, where are those brats now? And how are we going to deal with them from now on?" Elder Nusjuro couldn't help but question in frustration. He had been the one who almost successfully planned to wipe out the two brothers but had never expected the anomaly that was the younger of the two.

"It seems the kids have safely made it to the New World and are currently nestled in Dressrosa, gathering quite the powerful group," Elder Saturn replied, his tone measured. "As for how we are going to treat them, let's just treat them like every other pirate out there. As long as they don't blatantly challenge our bottom line, we'll turn a blind eye towards them."

Elder Saturn's verdict was clear, but it was more than a mere suggestion—it was a direct decree from Imu-sama, leaving no room for alternative approaches.

"And what about Dressrosa? Those greedy brats will likely sink their claws into the kingdom, reclaiming it for themselves," Elder Mars interjected. "We've already received multiple requests—more like pleas—from King Riku to send in forces to help them chase away the Donquixote brothers. Dressrosa is one of the major kingdoms affiliated with the World Government, with a seat at the Reverie."