The vast army finally arrived. King Riku, embracing a do-or-die resolve, prepared to face the pirates.
Below the royal capital, the carousing pirate coalition saw King Riku's forces approach. They quickly noted, however, that the king's army was now significantly smaller than their own.
"Hahaha, it looks like they couldn't scrape together any more men!"
"The king himself has to fight. How pathetic!"
Hearing the pirates' jeers, King Riku's expression remained unchanged, but his men bristled with anger.
"Shut up!" the pirate leader, Monroe, commanded, silencing the laughter of the crowd.
The pirates immediately quieted down. Not only was Monroe their captain, but he was also the one in charge of this operation.
Watching King Riku approach, a malicious idea formed in Monroe's mind. The Donquixote Family wanted King Riku to fall into despair, didn't they? Then he would just add more fuel to the fire, ensuring the king would be reviled for the rest of his life, with no chance of recovery.
"Your Majesty, King Riku! It's been a while," Monroe called out as if they were old acquaintances. "We carried out that little job for you perfectly. Is this really how you treat us when we visit your kingdom?"
"Pirate, I do not know you, nor have I ever made any deals with you," King Riku replied, his face a mask of royal dignity. "All I know is that you are invading my country, and for the sake of my country, I must drive you out."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. King Riku, you truly are a hypocrite," Monroe said, spreading his hands in a theatrical gesture. "You don't even have the courage to admit what you've done. So what if a few commoners died? You're the king! Your power is absolute. Why should you care about the lives of peasants? Besides, you seemed to be enjoying the slaughter yourself earlier. Why the phony act now?"
"You—"
Monroe's words struck King Riku's deepest wound. He's right. No matter how he tried to defend himself, his sword was still stained with the blood of his own people. It was a stain that could never be washed away.
"You what? Was our captain wrong?" a pirate grunt shouted, seeing the king's pained expression. "You're just a hypocrite! You act all high and mighty, but now that you've been exposed, you're still trying to keep up the act. Who'd believe you?"
Monroe didn't mind his subordinate's outburst. The situation was in his favor. He noted the large number of civilians watching from the shadows; this performance was another heavy blow to King Riku's reputation.
Swish!
A blade sliced through the air and pierced the heart of the pirate who had just spoken. Blood splattered as the man fell to the ground, his death swift and silent.
"Your Majesty, there's no need to waste words on these damn pirates," Kyros said, calmly walking to the pirate he had just killed and pulling his bloodied sword free. "They are clearly slandering us. Justice will prevail in the hearts of the people. I believe Your Majesty would never do such a thing!"
He stared down the pirate leader, his presence not losing an inch to his opponent.
"We will always believe in His Majesty!"
Hearing Kyros's declaration, the royal ministers voiced their support one by one, standing firmly with King Riku.
King Riku's heart was filled with gratitude, but he knew that feelings were useless now. The most important thing was to drive out these pirates and investigate why they were so insistent that he had ordered them to attack the Marines.
It was all a conspiracy, and the more King Riku thought about it, the more his head swam. Thinking was futile. For now, he just had to make the pirates retreat.
While King Riku was lost in thought, Kyros and the pirate leader faced off, neither willing to back down. It seemed a battle could erupt at any moment. The two armies stood with swords drawn, but no one moved, as if waiting for a command from their leaders.
"Charge!"
King Riku shattered the silence. At his word, the men behind him rushed toward the pirates.
"Alright, boys! Show them what pirates are made of! Kill them all!" Monroe roared, giving the order to attack.
"Charge! Let's take Dressrosa and make it our own!"
"In your dreams! As long as I'm here, you won't advance another step!" Kyros declared, raising his sword and charging toward Monroe.
The battle exploded into a frenzy. The citizens watching from the shadows had little interest in the outcome. No matter who won, their status as lambs to the slaughter would remain the same. And yet, Dressrosa was their home. They could not bear to see pirates run rampant in the land they loved so dearly.
CLANG!
The sharp sound of steel on steel rang out. Kyros was strong, but Monroe was no weakling either. Otherwise, Robin wouldn't have appointed him as the temporary leader of this pirate coalition.
With Kyros occupied, King Riku, clad in his armor, joined the battle himself.
His opponent was another pirate captain, Barossa. Fearing for his own life, Barossa made sure no one else got their hands on the king.
King Riku could not be allowed to die. At least, not yet. That was the consensus among the pirate captains.
Though King Riku was old, his fighting style was fierce and fearless. This made Barossa hesitate, afraid that he might accidentally kill the king if he struck too hard.
"Fight with me! Drive these pirates from our home!" King Riku cried, holding his sword high.
"Kill them! Defeat the pirates and protect our home!"
Inspired by the king's cry, the soldiers responded to his call to arms.
"Naive fools," Barossa sneered, shaking his head. Did his earlier restraint make King Riku think that Dressrosa could still be saved? Even if the pirate captains weren't fighting at full strength, the Donquixote Family was still pulling the strings from behind. None of them would let King Riku achieve his wish.
Since King Riku is so ignorant of his own situation, then I, Barossa, will shatter his spirit and his pride. I will plunge him into the depths of despair! Barossa thought. At the same time, his body began to transform.
"ROOOAR!"
A terrifying roar pierced the eardrums of everyone on the battlefield, causing them to turn and look.
"Wh-what is that?!"
The more timid soldiers stared in shock at the giant black bear standing before King Riku, their mouths trembling, unable to form complete words.
Putting aside the reactions of others, King Riku, who was facing the beast head-on, was under immense pressure. Looking up at Barossa, who now towered several meters above him, his heart grew heavy, but there was no despair, no fear.
"Barossa the Roaring Bear, a bounty of 180 million," King Riku recalled, tightening his grip on his sword, the only thing that gave him a sense of security.
"Despair, King Riku! Your fate is sealed!" Barossa bellowed, slamming a massive bear paw down toward the king.
BOOM!
The paw struck the ground with a tremendous impact. King Riku had narrowly escaped the moment it fell.
The commotion did not escape Kyros's notice. Seeing the king in danger, he tried to go to his aid, but Monroe would not let him pass.
"Get out of my way!"
Kyros swung his sword in a wide arc. Monroe parried with his own blade. They exchanged dozens of blows, but Kyros could not break free from Monroe's entanglement. When he saw that King Riku had not been hit by Barossa's attack, he breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to go all out to finish his opponent and help the king.
Feeling the increasing ferocity of Kyros's swordsmanship, Monroe understood his intentions.
But this also angered him. He was a pirate with a bounty of over 100 million. He had no complaints about losing to the Donquixote Family, but to be pushed back by a mere captain of a royal guard? Who did this guy think he was?!
Who?!
"Are you underestimating me?" Monroe's face twisted in rage.
Kyros did not answer, focusing all his attention on defeating the man before him.
"Slash!"
A wave of sword energy shot out from Monroe's blade, knocking the leaping Kyros back several meters.
CRASH!
Kyros used his sword to protect himself, but he was still sent flying into a crowd of soldiers, landing hard and kicking up a cloud of dust. For a moment, his condition was unknown.
Meanwhile, a deep, distinct paw print had been smashed into the ground where King Riku had just been standing, a testament to Barossa's immense power.
King Riku stared at the crater, cold sweat beading on his forehead. If he had been a second slower, he would have been crushed into a paste.
"Men, kill them all!"
Having demonstrated his power, Barossa turned his attention to the subjects behind King Riku. Since he couldn't kill the king yet, his people were the next best target. This would surely drive King Riku deeper into despair.
"Kill!"
The pirates were stronger than King Riku's army to begin with, and the king's remaining supporters were not seasoned warriors. The battle quickly became a one-sided slaughter.
Blood flowed, and bodies piled up. Though the pirates suffered some injuries, they were mostly superficial. King Riku's side, on the other hand, was decimated. Apart from the king himself, Kyros, and a handful of wounded survivors, everyone else had been sent to the afterlife.
It was a tragedy. This was war.
King Riku was no stranger to the consequences of war. He had anticipated such an outcome. But the disparity between the two sides was too great. Even he was now struggling to survive Barossa's attacks, and he didn't even know that Barossa was holding back.
Kyros was willing but powerless. After being knocked back by the sword wave, he had immediately gotten up to re-engage Monroe, preventing him from making another move. But while he had stopped Monroe, his comrades had not been able to stop the other pirates.
"Stop! Stop it!" King Riku cried out in anguish, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
Seeing this, Barossa reverted to his human form and did not press the attack. He wanted to see what King Riku would do.
Kyros and Monroe, both injured, took a step back from each other, ceasing their fight.
"Well, King Riku? Is there something you wish to say to us?" Monroe asked, walking over to Barossa's side.
"Your Majesty."
Kyros stood protectively beside the king, his sword at the ready.
After this battle, King Riku realized how naive he had been. He had hoped he could drive away the pirates, expose the conspiracy, clear his name, and restore peace to Dressrosa. Reality had just delivered a resounding slap to his face, waking him from his dream.
His own life didn't matter. No amount of humiliation mattered. All King Riku could think about now was the safety of Dressrosa. How could he make them leave without further bloodshed? If force couldn't make the pirates retreat, then he would have to try another way.
Though he hated these pirates with every fiber of his being, King Riku spoke with a veneer of civility. "What price must I pay for you to leave Dressrosa?"
The king's words stunned everyone. Just moments ago, he had been so defiant. How could he have changed so drastically?
He really is weak, Monroe thought, inwardly ecstatic, but his face remained impassive.
"Your Majesty, you can't!" a wounded soldier pleaded.
"Yes! This is surrender! We can still fight, Your Majesty! What does it matter if we lose our lives? We are not cowards! The people of Dressrosa have courage! We will not yield to pirates!"
"Your Majesty, I disagree! I would rather die than let these pirates run rampant!" Kyros added his own plea.
King Riku felt a wave of helplessness. He didn't want this humiliation either, but what other choice did he have?
"I understand how you feel," he said, turning to reason with them. "But we have no other way. Do this for Dressrosa. Think of your families."
Hearing the king's words, Kyros and the others looked conflicted, and the grip on their swords loosened.
Heh. Perfect. Now Monroe and his men didn't even have to do the persuading themselves. King Riku was surrendering on his own.
Monroe and the other pirates watched this tragic play unfold with sneers on their faces. Since King Riku had offered, it would be rude not to make a grand demand.
The defeated should know their place. Once you've lost, you don't get to talk about pride or dignity in front of the victor.