King Riku stared madly at the dust cloud where Vergo had fallen. To stop him from losing control completely, Kyros quickly stepped in front of him.
"Your Majesty, that's enough," Kyros pleaded, holding back the struggling king.
"Kyros, didn't you hear me? That man is the murderer!" King Riku said, his voice thick with hatred.
Before Kyros could respond, the citizens in the crowd could no longer contain themselves. They were convinced King Riku was putting on a show, trying to shift the blame.
"King Riku, you butcher! Even now, you're still trying to weasel your way out of what you've done! You are not fit to be our king!"
"I will never forget the sight of you slaughtering us last night! And you still have the gall to make excuses! You've really outdone yourself, King Riku!"
"Just die, King Riku!"
Not a single person believed the king. They all hurled insults at him, some even picking up stones from the ground and throwing them.
"Heh... why won't you believe me? I'm telling the truth!" King Riku said, clumsily dodging the stones. He stumbled backward until Viola caught his teetering body, stopping his retreat.
"Viola, what about you? Do you also believe your father is a murderer?" Having lost the faith of his people, King Riku desperately sought solace from his family.
"Of course not. I will always believe in you, Father. You would never do something like that," Viola said with a reassuring smile, her support for her father unwavering.
"Haha... good, good," King Riku laughed, a desolate sound.
"Kill him! Kill the murderer!"
The crowd's shouts grew louder. Even when the Royal Guard arrived, they were unsure of what to do. Should they protect their king, or not?
Tap, tap, tap.
Vergo, feigning injury, rose from the ground and walked before the crowd. "King Riku," he said, his voice cold. "I never thought you were this kind of king. You are not worthy to rule Dressrosa. I will report this to the World Government, and they will decide what measures to take. For now, you'd best behave yourself. We're leaving."
Without waiting for a response, Vergo turned and led the Marines away. The other Marines shot a cold glance at King Riku before following their commander.
What a masterful way to turn the tables. King Riku glared at Vergo's retreating back with pure hatred. The shock of the past few moments had sobered him slightly. What had happened, had happened. The most important thing now was to regain the trust of his people and restore stability.
"Sir! Sir, don't go! If you leave, King Riku will surely torture us!"
"Yes! That monster won't let us live!"
"He's already in league with pirates! There's nothing he wouldn't do! We can't stay here; it's a death sentence!"
"Sir, please, take us with you! We don't want to stay in Dressrosa anymore!"
The citizens blocked Vergo's path, their panicked chatter giving him a headache. But he had to continue the act.
"Everyone, rest assured!" Vergo's voice boomed. "The Marines stand for justice! We will not allow evil to fester, even if it is the king of a nation! We will not tolerate his wickedness!"
"Hooray! Hooray!" the citizens cheered.
King Riku and his family watched Vergo's performance. While the king was filled with disgust, most of the others saw nothing wrong. To them, Vergo was a Marine with a strong sense of justice, a man they could trust.
In comparison, King Riku's words now seemed far less credible. Sometimes, the most terrifying thing is not the enemy, but the distrust of your own allies.
"Damn him," King Riku cursed under his breath.
"Father!" Viola looked at him with worry. There was only one way to clear his name now: use her Glare-Glare Fruit ability to read Vergo's memories. But how could a Marine possibly agree to that? It was an impossible task.
Kyros said nothing, simply standing guard in front of the king. It didn't matter if King Riku had done it or not. He was his benefactor, his father-in-law, and his daughter's grandfather. That was reason enough.
"Don't worry, everyone. We will be back soon!" Vergo promised.
"Sir, you have to come back quickly!"
"I can already feel the devil staring at my back!"
"Rest assured!" With a wave of his hand, Vergo and his men departed.
King Riku and his family didn't try to stop them. Once the Marines were gone, the king collapsed onto the ground. The citizens, who had been so bold with the Marines present, had already scattered and disappeared.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Kyros asked, rushing to his side.
"I'm... I'm fine. But Dressrosa is finished," the king lamented. "I've lost the trust of my people. I'm not a worthy king. What am I to do?"
"Your Majesty, what's the use of blaming yourself now? We need to clean up this mess," a familiar voice said. It was Scarlett, holding Rebecca, her face hidden by a hood.
Hearing her voice, King Riku forgot his tear-streaked face and looked up at his eldest daughter.
"Scar...lett."
"It's me. Let's get out of here first," Scarlett said, giving him a reassuring look.
"Sister!" Viola cried out, seeing the familiar figure.
"Viola, you've grown so much," Scarlett said, turning to her.
"Alright, let's go back first and talk."
The chaos in the once-lively Dressrosa had finally subsided. But now, the streets were eerily quiet, the former prosperity gone. The citizens were all packing their belongings, preparing to leave, certain that King Riku's insane retribution was coming.
Aboard the warship, Vergo reported the events in Dressrosa to his superiors, mentioning King Riku's abnormal behavior. After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, he let out a small sigh of relief. He was confident his superior wouldn't pass up the chance to claim credit for this.
After all, Dressrosa was a member nation of the World Government. Its collusion with pirates would surely be met with sanctions. But to make sure the World Government took it seriously, Vergo decided to add more fuel to the fire.
"Doffy?"
"It's me. Is it done?"
"Mostly. Now we just need to make sure Dressrosa can never clear its name. I need some help on my end."
"I see. I'll talk to him. I'm sure he's a smart man and will help us out. Otherwise, it's about time I settled the score with him anyway," Doflamingo chuckled, his voice full of confidence.
"Good. I'll wait for your news, then."
"Don't worry, just do what you need to do. I'll take care of it."
"Also, Doffy... are you really going to go head-to-head with Whitebeard?" Vergo asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"What, you don't believe in me?" Doflamingo's eyebrow arched.
"Of course not. It's just that Whitebeard's forces are much stronger than ours. If we fight him head-on now, we won't come out on top," Vergo voiced his concerns.
"Don't worry, I have a plan," Doflamingo reassured him. "Besides, if I really wanted to run, no one in this world could catch me."
He then added, "I'll send Diamante to help you."
"Enel and Diamante? It's been a long time," Vergo said with a touch of nostalgia.
"It has been a long time."