LW: Things are ticking along slowly for now, but we're getting to the main plot soon enough.
Rubber King & Mirror Master - New World Chaos: Sobering History, Laments of a Family
Greenbit
"Where'd that fucker run off to now?" Doflamingo snarls as he bursts out of the underbrush of Greenbit, Law's Room teleport actually having further range than he expected, even managing to exceed the range of his observation haki for a minute, hence the blond's irritation as he's now lost Law AND Caesar.
Turning to look into the sea he spots …. The monstrosity that could only be something warped by Giola's Art Art fruit, meaning she was still keeping the Straw Hat occupied for now. Letting a grin settle on his face he focuses his haki and right there, he detects Law, on the bridge, alone and unmoving. Well if he wants to die that badly, who was a man like Doflamingo to argue with him?
Thousand Sunny
"I have arrived, what the Hell's going on?" Sanji asks as he lands on the back of what used to be the Sunny, seeing over the railing that Shirahoshi was in her naga form, trying to spear Giola with her trident or grab her with her tentacle hair, the cook trying to ignore the fact her chest was both bigger than this morning and sloshed rather than bounced.
"That hag down there used her Devil fruit powers to do THIS to us, and then the Sunny" Nami whines, catching her breath after her climatact failed to do anything, almost melting in her hands when she tried to attack with it.
"Currently only Shirahoshi's trident hasn't become inoperable due to the dream clouds she's throwing around. Such as the fact my sword won't leave it's sheath as it is" Brook sighs, while Chopper waves around the bunny heads that are supposed to be his hands.
"Even my points are messed up, this is supposed to be Arm Point Sanji, not Bunny point!" he cries.
"Devil fruits aren't much better, my blooms are coming out as shadowy things more so than solid structures" Robin sighs, hoping this level of backlash wasn't affecting her original body.
"There has to be something" Sanji scowls, teeth clenched around his cigarette.
"Ship!" Medusa cries, waving her arms "Ship help!"
"What's she talking about?" Momo asks.
"I can't believe it, I think the kid might actually have given me an idea" Nami grins.
"Well, she is Robin's daughter" Sanji smirks
Bridge between Greenbit and Dressrosa - a few minutes later
"...My alliance with the Straw Hats is reaching its end. They were useful idiots, thinking they could defeat an emperor of the sea, but they got me this far. I don't even need to live to see tomorrow, once they've destroyed the factory, I can die happy, knowing Kaido will send you to hell right behind me" Law grins.
"That sounds almost noble, sacrificing your life and those of your allies, just to take me off the board permanently" Doflamingo sneers mockingly.
"True, but it's not in the end. As much as I'd love to see where things fall after you're gone Joker, I need to settle the score for what you did 13 years ago" Law states, drawing his sword.
"Oh, you're still on about that, holding a grudge really isn't healthy Law. Besides, you may have put a wrinkle in my plans, but I still hold all the cards" Doflamingo smirks, his mocking grin wider than usual.
Law chuckles "No, you don't. Because I hold the best one. I have Caesar, and as long as he's out of your hands, you can't make SMILEs, and once your current supply runs dry, you're fresh out of luck, and about to get fucked" he declares as he rushes the Warlord, his sword swing clashing with the man's string attack, diverting the shockwaves toward the approaching Fighting Fish, killing them instantly.
Room ensured Law had the mobility advantage, but Doflamingo's strings were stronger than they looked, able to block his sword with what at least seemed like relative ease. But Law had come this far, he wasn't going to let the grinning psychopath get away with this unscathed.
Colosseum
"Scorchistan's Rolling Logan is making quite a name for himself today, practically tearing through the competition, is there anything that can stop his Rolling Cradle?" The announcer shouts as Logan grapples a fighter and cartwheels, picking up speed until he starts rolling around like a discount, yellow Sonic the Hedgehog, slamming into several other fighters before ending his current opponent with a crunching leg split.
While he was drawing all the attention from the crowd, Rebecca is unsure if she should be glad or disappointed in her people, as despite everything these fighters were too busy trying to kill her for the glory to notice how close she was parked herself to the edge, a single parry and they were out of the ring. If this wasn't her one chance to spit in Doflamingo's face she'd probably lean more on being disappointed at the 'easy' wins she was racking up. Still, the 'Back to the Water dance' as it has come to be known, at least was a chance to keep training her speed and reflexes, even if it required her opponents to be single iq dumbasses to pull off as often as she did.
Maybe she spoke too soon as she'd drawn Logan's attention, as he stomps toward her, laughing maniacally as he does "I'm going to enjoy crushing you, little weed" he taunts lowly, before shouting to the crowd, asking them which of her bones he should break first. Of course the great lummox just gave her more reasons to actually injure him, especially because she doesn't think she could trip him like the others (another reason she was glad Hirudin was in Laki's fight, he'd have swatted her like a fly)
"Time to give the crowd what they want!" he laughs before lunging at Rebecca with his meaty arms, the gladiator princess rolling and leaping over his strikes, looking for the right moment, any opening in his attacks.
"Rolling Logan has Rebecca in his sights, amped up by the crowd's desire for bloodshed. But is he the one who'll end the Phantom Princess' streak of flawless victories? We'll just have to wait and find out" The announcer bellows, eager to see how this fight turns out.
There was blood though, just not Rebecca's.
"Ahh, demon bitch!" Logan bellows, snorting like an angry bull as his thumb drops to the floor, Rebecca panting heavily at the amount of leaps and bounces she needed to perform to get in position "Too bad for you, I only need one hand to crush you!"
A little away
"Would you look at that, little Rebecca really has come into her own" 'Smiling gladiator' Agilia muses as she blocks Cavendish's rapier with her shield "Took a bit to get her to understand that it's ok to hurt people when your life's on the line, but she's gotten rather good at it since" she chuckles.
"So, she's never killed anyone in the arena then? Despite all her time in the ring?" the blond asks curiously.
"Not directly, those Fighting Fish can be lethal, but she tries to avoid death and even sometimes maiming, though I understand with Logan, the man is clearly got some screws loose" she grimaces, then gasps "Oh no"
Logan had managed to grab his slippery foe, his massive fist encompassing her entire torso "Got you now bitch. No be a good little fucker and scream for me, while I crush you nice and slow" he laughs, licking his lips and his fingers clench around her.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
"That's enough you titanic freak, unhand Rebecca this instant!" Agilia shouts as she slams her axe into Logan's forearm, cutting into the flesh but most importantly causing him to drop the pinkette like a sack of bricks, Rebecca panting and coughing as she pushes herself to her hands and knees, then stands, quickly retrieving her sword.
"Thanks for the save Agilia"
"Don't get all submissive already princess, you still got a lot of fight to win that Devil Fruit. Keep your eye on the prize and don't let people like this lumucks get in your way" the older gladiator lightly scolds, getting a nod and a serious huff from the pinkette "That's what I like to see, there's your game face" she laughs heartily.
"Teaming up are we, then I'll just send you both to Hell together!" Logan bellows as he charges them like a wild beast.
"Hope you got a plan kid" Agilia stage whispers.
"1, but I need a boost" Rebecca replies with a half smile.
"Oh, this might be fun" she smirks as she takes a knee, Rebecca using Agilia as a platform to leap into the air, drawing Logan's attention to her, before she spins over, kicking him in the back of the head before sliding her sword under his boot as he tilts forward, knocking him into the water.
"Oh, that was cheeky, the big brute was so focused on you he didn't see the edge. You're really good at that" Agilia laughs, "Now let's see how many more you can take down!"
In the Waiting Areas/ Underground Zones
'I need to find Mr. Luffy, Mr. Zoro, and Ms. Vivi are counting on me. Maybe I should ask Miss Saria where Miss Laki is, she probably knows' Bartolomeo thinks as he runs around the Colosseum, not finding hide or hair or his idol. Until a door creaks open just in front of him, and the busty bombshell of a pirate steps out, causing the gadfly to stop with a squeal of his boot soles "THERE YOU ARE!" he screams in joy, prompting her to look at him.
?
"There's a structure down here even King Riku didn't know about, seems we should focus our searching on subterranean locations" Hack's voice echoes through the DenDen Mushi
"Interesting. And here we are without Morley as backup, shame that" Koala frowns "By the way, any sightings of the Straw Hats, I heard they were supposed to be coming along soon?"
"The Straw Hats, or Robin and Kaya?" the fishman chuckles "Best guess, Laki and Saria are actually Straw Hat and Mirror Demon, given the latter can use Iva's Devil Fruit powers"
"Oh, I hope Sabo hasn't noticed yet, I don't want to miss his reaction" the woman grins "Keep me posted, we'll try meet up as soon as we can" she adds as the snail goes back to sleep.
Under the Flower Field - Rebellion Headquarters
"Many centuries ago, our Tontatta ancestors set off to sea, not for treasure but for resources our people needed that the island could not provide" Gancho began to explain, everyone gathering around Robin like it was 'Storytime with Grandpa', which in their defence the Tontatta Chief did look old enough to be everyone's grandfather "But, they couldn't hide themselves from the Big People, and those encounters almost never ended well. Before long our race was in danger of going extinct. When all hope seemed lost, they landed upon Dressrosa and met with the King, who offered the Tontatta's a deal: In exchange for a bit of labour, he would provide us with a home, resources and safety"
"Greenbit" Victor guesses.
"And the name of that King, it was Donquiote" Gancho reveals, the pirates gasp while his people's hands clench upon their weapons "This incident occurred over 900 years ago, but it still remains the start of the Tontatta's darkest Era, we call it the 'Age of Slavery'. There are some surviving manuscripts and documents detailing the cruelty and torment our ancestors suffered through at the hands of the Royal Family. And they were HORRIFYING. Our ancestors wept and toiled underground, hidden away from the world, while the Big People lived a life of luxury, built upon the backs of my people's efforts, with the riches WE discovered!" the old man begins to scowl and wave his arms erratically, though all the Tontatta seemed affected by even the retelling of the story. Even the straw Hats were affected, Ussop and Alvida's scowls and Franky's rivers of tears just being the most notable, just above Valentina's rotating tomoes.
"Now the next hundred or so years were part of the Void Century so the records of that era were lost to us, we assume more of the same shit all things considered" Gancho summarises, Robin frowns as it seemed even the Tonttata's have no record of that era of history "But 800 years ago, a New King came to Power in Dressrosa!" Gancho cries, the others responding with a cheer of
"KING RIKU THE FIRST!"
'They really love this guy and his family, understandable given what Doflamingo's ancestors did to them' Kaya muses to herself, wiping away her own tears quickly.
"Riku soon learned the truth of our people's sad history, of the pain and suffering the last King had inflicted upon us, he did something shocking. He bowed his head and apologized for the actions of his predecessor, begging for forgiveness. Later, the King devised a plan to help us, he proposed reparations. For all the suffering done to us, we could now take whatever we wanted from the country, no questions asked or goods exchanged…"
"So that's why the locals are a bit stupid, it's essentially built into Law to just play dumb if the 'fairies' stole your stuff" Alvida mutters, pinching the bridge of her nose while Artemis giggles.
"... Riku declared our actions were the work of fairies, so the citizens accepted it with good humor. Thus the legend of the Dressrosa Fairy folk was born and still lives on to this day" Gacho continues "Under the benevolence of the Riku Family, a helping hand was always given to those who needed it, even neighboring islands felt the effects of this kindness and generosity. I can't claim that the country was ever considered the wealthiest nation in the world, the people were always smiling and laughter filled the streets. Our Ancestors returned Riku's kindness by planting flowers and greenery all across the countryside, making the island one of the most lush and beautiful in the New World. It was an act of love that grew until the entire county shimmered like a rainbow. The Tontatta and the Riku family are linked, by a bond of respect and friendship lasting 800 years" he smiles, then it swiftly drops "But alas that era may be coming to an end as well. A Donquixote has returned to our shores, taken the throne with force and guile, and seeks to repeat the actions of his forefathers upon the Tontatta tribe. First, he took my daughter and 500 of our people, his intentions are clear, he will make slaves of us all soon enough! We won't let him have his way, we shall fight to the bitter end! The Tontatta will never be subjugated by a Donquiote ever again!" Gancho declares, his statement heralding thunderous applause and cheering from the assembled Tontattas.
"And that is why we oppose this Despot of the Donquiote Line, so that everyone can be free!" the Toy Soldier bellows in agreement, causing the cheers to rise even higher in volume.
"We have Heroes on our side. Ussoland will bring us our promised Victory!" Leo declares, causing the crowd to start chanting "Ussoland! Ussoland!"
'SHIT! I'm way in over my head now, and worse I'm dragged the others into this mess with me. Where are Luffy and Kaos when you need them, even Zoro and Sanji would be a big help right about now' Ussop thinks while outside trying to appear cool as a cucumber.
"One question, who's that girl on the screen over there? The crowd seems to hate her, and given some of their jeers she's related to the former King?" Robin asks, eyes drawn to Rebecca and Agilia fighting through another surge of angry gladiators while the crowd hurl insults at her.
"That's Rebecca, the one you were looking for, and the one you were an asshole to when we were passing the arena" Artemis states, though it was directed at Kyros, while her eyes remained locked on the pink-haired gladiator.
"So, is there something we don't know about the former King and his family?" Robin continues, now aiming her question directly at the toy soldier who sighs.
"It happened 10 years ago. King Riku lost the support of his citizens in a sudden tragedy that echoes even now. He fought for his people until the very end, but that story has been lost to time, only the one Doflamingo tells remains as the official narrative. I don't blame them for this,the citizens don't know the truth, in their eyes Riku the 3rd was the monster of their nightmares"
"But that doesn't mean they get to treat Rebecca like shit because of it" Artemis growls her aura causing the Tontatta to seek shelter behind Ussop, though even he was starting to shiver at the anger and blood lust emanating from the Artist "She's not her Grandfather, she doesn't bear the weight of his sins, and nobody should force them upon her!"
"Child" Kyros begins but Robin and Franky stop him with a raised hand.
"She's right, nobody should feel they were wrong to be born, or that their very blood is tainted in their veins" Franky frowns under his fake beard.
"That was what caused the Battle of Marineford, a son being executed for who his father was. Yes he was a pirate but Ace was up there for being Roger's blood. The father of my youngest nearly died because he was the only child to share the blood of Whitebeard. My daughter knows what they're doing is wrong better than most"
"I am the offspring of the Devil of Ohara, and the Cataclysm Mayhem D. Apophis after all" Artemis sighs.
Kyros pauses for a moment to process, before trying to continue his recollection "After his ascension, Doflamingo attempted to wipe away Riku's bloodline, but I was able to take Rebecca away, keep her safe so she could grow up, but eventually we were discovered. Doflamingo decided to put her on Public Display. I swear that I will restore King Riku's name to the people of Dressrosa and I will protect Rebecca from harm, even if it costs me my life. THIS is why we fight, to put an end to all this torment!"
"Who are you, really?" Ussop asks, the rest of the Straw Hats more than a little curious, especially as they know the toys are all people.
"A Failure, as a man, a soldier, a husband, but most importantly a father. I will never forget the day I lost everything, but Rebecca has forgotten me because I was turned into this!" Kyros whispers, his voice sounding lost and broken "What kind of father am I if I can't protect my daughter from this Living Hell?"
TBC
LW: And with that revelation, I think we can call it a day. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll see you again in 2 weeks.