At dawn the next day, after a night of chaos, Vergo returned to his warship right on schedule.
"This is terrible, terrible, Commodore Vergo!" a Marine rushed to report.
"What's all this shouting about so early in the morning? What has happened?" Vergo asked, feigning ignorance with an air of authority.
"Sir! Commodore Vergo!" The Marine immediately quieted down.
"Speak," Vergo commanded.
"The pirates we captured... they've all escaped," the Marine reported, cautiously watching Vergo's expression.
"What? This is a serious matter!" Vergo feigned surprise. "Assemble the men at once! We'll set out to arrest them. They can't have gone far. We're close to Dressrosa; I'm sure that's where they've gone."
"Yes, Commodore Vergo!" The Marine hurried off to carry out the orders.
In less than half a day, Vergo's warship leisurely arrived at the port of Dressrosa.
But this was not the bustling Dressrosa they were used to. The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder and death.
"Is... is this Dressrosa?" a Marine asked, unable to believe his eyes.
Another Marine swallowed hard and nodded. "This is Dressrosa."
"It seems those escaped pirates have been causing trouble here," Vergo said to his men. "Quickly, protect the citizens!"
The group of Marines set off with great purpose, heading toward the chaos.
The citizens, who had been hiding in the shadows, saw the Marines arrive and rushed out, crying for help.
"Sirs! Marine sirs, please save us! Save us! King Riku has gone mad! He's gone mad!"
"What happened?" Vergo asked with a kind expression, helping a citizen to his feet.
"Sir, King Riku teamed up with pirates to slaughter us! He's insane, insane!" the terrified citizen said, his body trembling.
"Alright, I understand," Vergo said, comforting the crowd. "Don't worry, the Marines are here now. We won't let them get away."
"Thank goodness! We're saved!"
The battered and weary citizens looked at the Marines with relief, hoping they would put an end to this nightmare.
By the time Vergo and his men reached the center of the town, the group of pirates had been whittled down to only eight or nine men.
The pirate captain and Kyros had been fighting all night and through the morning. With the help of his men, the captain had been able to hold his own against Kyros, but as his subordinates fell and his own injuries mounted, he was gradually forced onto the defensive.
Exhausted, the two men stood facing each other, their swords locked, their battle now one of words.
"You've got some skill, you bastard. How about you join us?"
"You damn pirates! I'll never forgive you! Look at this devastation! This is all your doing! Go to hell!" Kyros roared, his eyes blazing with a fierce hatred.
"Bullshit! What about that old man? He's no different from us! He's killed just as many people!" the captain retorted, dodging one of Kyros's slashes.
"This is all your fault! His Majesty King Riku is not that kind of person!" Kyros held firm in his belief, refusing to accept that the king was a cruel man.
"You can know a person's face, but not their heart. Who's to say he wasn't just pretending all along? I think this is his true nature," the captain taunted, trying again to sway him. "You've got talent. Why not become a pirate with us? Good food, fine drink, women, treasure... whatever you want, it'll be yours for the taking."
"Die, you damn pirate!" Kyros was unmoved, charging forward with his sword once more.
"Damn it! If that's how you want it, then you can die too!" the captain snarled, his patience worn thin.
The two clashed again in a fierce and desperate battle.
Meanwhile, ever since Vergo had released his control, King Riku had been a broken man, muttering apologies to the empty air.
Viola, who had been watching from the side, saw that her brother-in-law had dealt with most of the pirates and risked running to her father's side.
"Father! Father!"
She shook his limp body, trying to wake him from his stupor.
"It's me, Viola! Wake up! Father, please wake up!" she cried desperately.
At the sound of her voice, a glimmer of clarity returned to King Riku's eyes. Seeing his beloved daughter, he burst into tears.
"I'm sorry, Viola! It's all my fault! I killed them! I deserve to die!"
With that, he reached for the sword beside him, intending to end his own life.
"Father, no!"
Viola threw herself onto his arm, stopping him.
"This wasn't your fault, Father! Someone is framing us! We have to find the real culprit!" she pleaded.
"The real culprit?" Hearing those words, a light rekindled in the king's eyes. He nodded firmly. "Yes, I must find the real culprit."
Seeing his fighting spirit return, Viola nodded as well. They both turned their attention to Kyros's battle.
CLANG!
The swords rang out as Kyros and the captain broke apart, each taking a new position. Kyros was the undefeated champion of the Corrida Colosseum, and the captain was a pirate with a bounty of over a hundred million. They were evenly matched, with no clear winner in sight.
"Hahaha! This is great! Come on!" the captain laughed arrogantly, ignoring his injuries.
"Die!"
Kyros's sword was a blur, each thrust aimed at the captain's face.
"Will brother-in-law be alright?" Viola asked her father, her voice filled with worry.
"All we can do now is trust in Kyros," King Riku said. The tear stains were still on his face, but the dignity of a king had returned to his bearing.
"Yes," Viola nodded.
The once-bustling streets were now a field of ruins.
When Vergo and his men surrounded the area, the fight between Kyros and the captain was nearing its end.
"Captain, the Marines are here!" one of the remaining pirates warned.
"Damn it! These guys never give up," the captain cursed, forcefully pushing Kyros's sword away.
"Pirates, surrender immediately! You are surrounded!" the Marines declared, their rifles raised.
"Go to hell, Marines!"
The pirates, having already been tortured, were not about to accept this fate. They fought back.
"Fire!" Vergo commanded.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A volley of gunfire erupted, and the last few pirates fell, sent to the afterlife.
"Now it's your turn," Vergo said, his face an emotionless mask.
"Armament Haki: Hardening!"
"Soru!"
Vergo moved in a flash, stealing Kyros's prey. Kyros was annoyed, but he said nothing. These were the Marines; they were not to be trifled with.
"Damn you, Marine! Die! Die!"
"You're at the end of your rope. Your usefulness is over."
Vergo's hardened fist pierced through the pirate captain's chest.
"Aaargh!"
With his last breath, the pirate tried to fight back, only to be met with an even more ferocious attack.
"Shigan!"
Vergo's fingers moved in a blur, stabbing into the pirate's body in a brutal baptism of pain.
THUD!
The pirate collapsed, and the crowd erupted in cheers.
"He did it!"
"The Marines are here! We're safe now!"
Vergo calmly looked at the fallen pirate, then took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his fingers.
"Commodore Vergo is so strong! He should have been promoted to Vice Admiral by now!" the Marines cheered.
The only ones who remained silent were King Riku and his family. Their situation was now incredibly awkward.
"Sir! Arrest King Riku! He's in league with the pirates!"
After the cheering died down, the citizens, remembering the blood and tears of the previous night, turned their hateful gazes on the king, wanting to tear him limb from limb.
"Everyone, my father would never do such a thing! There must be some misunderstanding!" Viola stepped forward, trying to calm the injured crowd.
"Die! The whole Riku family is rotten!"
"Yeah! Now that the pirates are dead, there's no proof, is there? You come here now to play the victim, but it was our families who died yesterday! We saw what King Riku did with our own eyes! Don't think you can fool us!"
The citizens erupted in anger at Viola's words.
Vergo watched the confrontation with a detached expression, doing nothing.
"Everyone, please calm down," Kyros said, stepping in. "I believe His Majesty King Riku is not this kind of person. We will give you all an explanation."
At Kyros's words, the crowd settled down slightly. He had fought the pirates, after all; he deserved some respect.
Seeing the angry mob calm down, Vergo knew he had to act. While everyone's attention was on the royal family, he secretly activated his ability.
"Parasite String."
WHOOSH! A sword flew through the air, aimed at the person who had been shouting the loudest. King Riku was posed as if he had just thrown it. Kyros and Viola, busy trying to reason with the crowd, hadn't noticed.
"Father, no!" Viola screamed, hearing the sound.
"Your Majesty, no!" Kyros cried out in shock.
"No! It wasn't me! Someone is controlling me!" King Riku, now free, clutched his head and wept.
CLANG!
Vergo blocked the sword, saving the citizen. But now, King Riku was caught red-handed. There was no explaining this away.
"What more is there to say? He's trying to kill us! He's in league with those pirates!"
"Kill him! Kill King Riku! He doesn't deserve to be our king!"
The king's actions had ignited the fury of the crowd. They all clamored for his death.
Kyros and Viola were at a loss, powerless against the pressure of the mob.
"Alright," Vergo said, seeing that the time was right. He stepped in to stop the incitement. "If King Riku is indeed connected to the pirates, then we, the Marines, cannot ignore it."
"Quick, sir! Arrest him!"
"Yes! Or he'll surely take revenge on us!"
The citizens pleaded anxiously.
"Rest assured, the Marines are on the side of justice," Vergo declared, raising the banner of righteousness. "Come with me."
He pushed past Kyros and Viola and approached the king.
King Riku sat on the ground, a broken man, his face a mask of grief and despair.
Vergo knelt down to help him up, whispering a few words in his ear.
"It was you! Damn you! This is all your fault!"
The lifelessness in King Riku's eyes was replaced by a burning hatred. He threw a punch, so fast and hard that Vergo couldn't dodge it. The king's fist sent him flying, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Commodore Vergo!" the Marines shouted in alarm, rushing to his side.
"Father, what are you doing?" Viola gasped, covering her mouth in shock.
"Your Majesty!" Kyros was equally stunned.
For a moment, everyone was dumbfounded. This was a direct assault on a Marine.
"It was him! It was him! It was really him! Kyros, kill him!" King Riku roared, his eyes bloodshot, his teeth clenched in rage.
"He's mad! He's completely mad!"
"He's really lost it. Dressrosa... is finished."
Lying on the ground, a faint smile flickered across Vergo's lips before quickly vanishing.