Leaking the whereabouts of those two to the outside world had been done in the hope that enemies would go after them.
It would let Cavendish and Urouge achieve some tangible results while under the eyes of witnesses.
That way, once Moria was defeated afterward, it would not seem so abrupt.
And so, a few hours after the events on Thriller Bark, inside Dressrosa—
"What am I supposed to do... I have no hope left. If they catch me and drag me back, they'll force a contract on me... But if I run, what will happen to my family?"
In a dark corner, the newly transformed toy soldier clutched his head in pain as he stared at his red-painted wooden arms and toy rifle.
He had never imagined that choosing to resist would lead to something so horrifying.
"You're grieving. Can you tell me why?"
All of a sudden, a strange voice rang out, accompanied by a large shadow.
"You—"
The toy soldier instinctively raised his rifle, but then immediately realized it was only a toy gun. He slumped in despair and gave up resisting.
"You're here to capture me, aren't you? Go ahead, then. I've accepted my fate. I only ask that my family not be implicated..."
"No. I am merely a traveler passing by."
Issho drew his shikomizue slightly, revealing a gleaming blade before gently sheathing it again.
From outside the alley came the sounds of bodies collapsing and cries of pain, as though several men had just been struck down.
"You... why would you do that?"
The toy soldier seemed to realize something and looked stunned.
"This is Dressrosa, territory of the Donquixote Family.
"If you attack their people, you'll be asking for huge trouble!"
Issho smiled and opened his clouded white eyes.
"As you can see, though this old man is blind, I do possess a little strength."
"It's useless, old man. The king here is Doflamingo, one of the current Warlords of the Sea. He's stood unshaken for over twenty years. Do you know just how—"
The toy soldier anxiously tried to explain just how terrifying the enemy was.
But Issho cut him off with a single sentence.
"What has already been done cannot be undone with regret, can it?"
"...That's true. They won't let anyone who opposes the Donquixote Family go."
The toy soldier sounded pained.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have stayed here. If I hadn't, you wouldn't have acted, and no one else would have to suffer because of me."
Issho's expression shifted slightly. Through Observation Haki, he examined the toy soldier before him. The emotions the other party was giving off were genuine... which meant—
"You are a good man, then?"
"I... I don't know. I only helped some people, and because of that I became an enemy of the Donquixote Family, and then..."
The toy soldier spoke bitterly.
"Forget it. I'm just a toy now. You should leave quickly."
"Why not tell this old man about it?"
"...Do you really not think I've caught the human disease?"
"I told you. I am a traveler."
"Is that so? Then you must have seen Devil Fruit users before, right?"
"I am one myself."
"I see. I don't know what exactly you intend to do, but perhaps if I tell you the truth, my past won't be buried completely."
The toy soldier seemed to have made up his mind.
"I used to be human. Someone who liked helping others.
"One time, I helped an old man, and from him I inherited one final wish—about the great riot that happened in this country several years ago.
"That old man believed the king would never have done such a thing. Something must have happened.
"The king's tears weren't fake. No one could slaughter people while grieving in such anguish at the same time.
"Because of that dying wish, I tried to investigate a little... but I was threatened."
"So the suspicion behind that dying wish was true?"
Issho asked,
"I know a little about this country's past. In the casinos, people are always cursing the former king.
"But from what you're saying now, it seems there may have been another side to the story."
"I'm sorry. I can't say for certain that it's true."
The toy soldier spoke with bitterness.
"Because after I uncovered the truth, I was turned into a toy. Escaping now was only sheer luck.
"I had actually already decided to give up and leave this place with my family.
"But they've already forgotten I ever existed.
"To them, I'm only a toy suffering from the human disease. Those pursuers outside came because of that."
"I see. Then what do you plan to do next?"
"I don't know. But I'm afraid they'll use my family to threaten me. They may have forgotten me, but they're still my family."
"In that case... wait. Perhaps things may yet change."
Issho lifted his cane and lightly tapped it against the ground.
The toy soldier before him suddenly began to rise.
It was not buoyancy.
It was gravity being altered!
"This—"
The toy soldier stared at himself in disbelief as he floated upward, farther and farther from the ground, ascending into the sky.
"Go and hide for now. If you wait, perhaps a turning point will come."
Issho said this as he watched the toy soldier vanish completely into the heavens.
Then, leaning on his cane, he slowly turned around and walked out of the alley, ignoring the Donquixote Family members pinned helplessly to the ground nearby.
What exactly are you trying to do, Demon Ren...? You set this trap to invite this old man here, exposed the darkness of this country, and guided me to seek the truth. But what is the final goal you're trying to achieve?
Issho looked up at the sky, his clouded eyes filled with confusion.
His Observation Haki had already picked up on the abnormal changes in the weather earlier. It was even stranger than the Grand Line's weather itself.
Most likely, it was the work of a Devil Fruit user.
But no matter what, he seemed to have found the evil hidden within this country.
And compared to what he had encountered before, this was even more vile.
The entire matter reeked of something deeply unusual, whether it was Demon Ren's side or the current Warlord of the Sea's side.
Both were the same.
But if what that toy soldier said was true, then he could not ignore someone who used Devil Fruit powers to commit such atrocities.
That was the very reason he had chosen not to see in the first place—because he could never simply look away!
On the golden ship beside Dressrosa—
"Fuffuffuffu... That guy, will he really come here?"
Wearing his pink feather coat, Doflamingo let out a low laugh as he looked coldly at his so-called ally.
"Or are you playing me for a fool?"
"No need to be so impatient, Doflamingo."
Tesoro chuckled darkly, his gaze equally cold.
"We are allies, after all. We're facing a common enemy.
"Sure, I have my own considerations, but right now, we are definitely on the same side."
"Allies? You mean after stealing my Fruit and then swaggering around everywhere?"
"Things put up for auction getting snatched away is perfectly normal. This world has always been one where the weak are prey to the strong.
"The fact that I managed to develop in secret right under your nose was my own skill. And later, didn't you figure out who took it from you?
"But you couldn't do anything to me, so all you could do was cooperate."
"Fuffuffuffu... Then what about now?"
Doflamingo's finger suddenly twitched.
An invisible thread, impossible to detect with the naked eye, shot toward Tesoro's body, nearly piercing him.
Crack—!
A burst of lightning suddenly exploded across Tesoro's clothes, revealing the golden armor beneath.
At the same time, that Parasite string was instantly destroyed!
"Doflamingo, now that's just boring. If you want to control me, you might as well attack directly. What's the point of a numbing tactic like that?"
Tesoro frowned. With a light stamp of his foot, the entire golden ship trembled.
"Or are you planning to fight me first?"
"Fuffuffuffu..."
Doflamingo grinned widely.
He had sensed the disturbance in the ship. As a fellow Paramecia user, he immediately grasped the source.
"Awakening, huh? So this entire ship is under your control. No wonder the whole thing is made of gold. But—"
He suddenly leaned forward, staring at Tesoro in an aggressively predatory posture.
"—this doesn't suit your usual style.
"You left your own nest, your home turf, and traveled all the way to my territory just to discuss how to deal with the Demon Pirates.
"No matter how I look at it, it's far too strange. With your personality, you'd sooner put bounties on their heads all across the world."
At some point, fine threads had already spread throughout the room, turning it into a spider's web.
"A pointless guess. Didn't I already tell you? I have my own interests to consider.
"If you don't believe me, then for the sake of our alliance, I'll give you a piece of information."
Tesoro cast him a sidelong glance and sneered indifferently.
"Recently, some news leaked into the territory of the Yonko.
"A certain Warlord's transaction ran into trouble, and he lost the source of his raw materials. Tell me, who do you think that person is?"
"Tesoro!"
Doflamingo's pupils widened. The threads around them nearly instantly twisted forward in a lethal storm toward Tesoro.
But in the next moment, the gold on the surrounding walls warped into serpent-like forms and bit down tightly on each of the threads.
The attack halted.
Tesoro waved dismissively, his face full of contempt.
"It wasn't me, so why are you taking your anger out on me?
"Though... so the one doing business with Kaido really was you, huh?
"What kind of trade could possibly make even a Yonko get involved?
"I'd actually be very interested in helping you out with it—before we deal with the Demon Pirates."
"..."
Doflamingo paused, then stared coldly at the smiling Tesoro.
"Arrogant fool. People like you never get a good ending."
"Then I'm in real danger, aren't I? A lot of business techniques rely on bluffing, after all."
"Fuffuffuffu..."
Doflamingo rose, pushed open the window, leapt out, and vanished from sight.
"So the one said to be holding the reins of a Yonko in his hands... turns out to be nothing more than a child dancing with a tiger.
"Heh. Joker, was it? A mere joker would never be this frightened by an enraged king..."
Tesoro withdrew his gaze thoughtfully and muttered with a cold laugh,
"As for this gamble, I don't know who between you and me will ultimately win.
"But it looks like the clown will definitely remain a clown."
His words had only just fallen—
When suddenly, thunder roared!
Boom—!
Time rewound to the moment Doflamingo and Tesoro were speaking.
Under the eyes of Dressrosa's citizens—
The sky was changing!
At some unknown moment, pitch-black clouds had swallowed the entire heavens.
Even straining one's eyes to the limit, there was no end in sight.
The officers stationed throughout Dressrosa immediately grew tense, because the intelligence reports had made one thing very clear:
The arrival of the Demon Pirates was often accompanied by thunderclouds.
But—
"Violet didn't send any warning. What's going on?"
Diamante, a sheathed longsword hanging at his waist, frowned as he looked toward the storm clouds.
"Is this just a natural weather change?"
(End of Chapter)