Kaito seemed to be completely fooled by Sugar's childlike appearance. He just stood there, motionless, even as Sugar neared him—until the Rinnegan in his eyes flashed with a faint glimmer and met her gaze.
Sugar was gleefully thinking she was about to succeed. As long as she touched this "Shikiryū", no matter how powerful he was, he would be turned into a toy she could control at will.
If Doflamingo had still been conscious and present, he definitely wouldn't have let Sugar make such a foolish move. He had already seen for himself at Marineford just how overwhelming Kaito's Haki was—powerful enough to resist 99.9% of Paramecia-type Devil Fruits.
However, Kaito wasn't planning to gamble with himself, either. Once Sugar was locked in by his Rinnegan, her mind instantly fell into complete darkness. Suspended above that darkness was a single pair of deep purple Rinnegan, coldly staring down at her.
"Ah!!!"
Sugar let out a terrified scream before her vision went black, and she collapsed flat on her back.
Because she had eaten the Hobby-Hobby Fruit as a child, Sugar retained a child's temperament—easily frightened. And when it came to inducing fear, Kaito's Rinnegan was terrifying beyond belief.
The moment she passed out, the power of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit was deactivated. Inside the factory, all the toy soldiers immediately returned to human form. Outside, their families regained their memories of them.
Most of the people turned into toys were soldiers who had once loyally served King Riku. They hadn't yet processed what was happening and stood there dumbfounded, staring at their own human hands.
Gradually, cries began to erupt from within the factory—
"We're back!!!"
...
Outside the factory, a young girl with short pink hair was practicing sword swings with a blade nearly as tall as she was.
Not far from her stood a toy soldier wearing a black top hat and a red uniform.
The toy soldier had only one leg but stood firm, intently watching the girl swing her sword.
Suddenly, a strange ripple spread across his body. Then, his small toy form rapidly stretched and grew, transforming into a muscular man wearing a red cape and clad in gladiator armor.
The pink-haired girl froze in surprise. Lost memories came flooding back to her, and she suddenly turned around and shouted through her tears:
"Papa!"
The man and the girl were none other than Kyros and his daughter, Rebecca.
Kyros snapped out of his daze at Rebecca's cry. He had no time to wonder why he had returned to human form—he leapt forward on his single leg, racing toward Rebecca.
Father and daughter embraced tightly. No one knew how long they held each other. Eventually, Rebecca lifted her teary little face from Kyros's chest and whispered,
"Papa… Mom, she…"
"I know, Rebecca. I know..."
They fell into silence again. Kyros gently patted her back before struggling to his feet. He walked behind Rebecca and picked up the longsword she had dropped. A look of hatred spread across his face.
Though Diamante—the man who had killed Rebecca's mother—had already been slain by Kaito, the ones responsible now were merely low-level lackeys of the Donquixote Family. But in the end, it all traced back to them.
Now that he had regained his human body, the other loyal soldiers must have too. He had to gather them and head to the Royal Plateau for revenge!
Of course, Kyros knew he was no match for Doflamingo. But even if he died, he would make sure to take down as many of the Donquixote Family as he could. More importantly, he wanted to rescue King Riku, who was still imprisoned there.
Though Rebecca was still young, her experiences had made her more mature than most her age. With just one glance, she understood her father's intent. She immediately ran in front of Kyros, arms outstretched, trying to stop him.
To her, Kyros—now with only one leg—charging off to face Doflamingo was no different than suicide.
But Kyros had already made up his mind. He saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. That terrifying little girl must have run into some accident. Once Doflamingo reacted, it would all be too late.
Looking at the stubborn resolve in Rebecca's eyes, Kyros's gaze softened with paternal love. He reached out and gently ruffled her pink hair, speaking softly:
"Rebecca… If Papa doesn't come back, don't try to avenge me. Just keep training and wait for the right time. Believe that Justice will come one day."
As he said these words, bitterness welled up in his heart. That talk of Justice eventually coming—he was only saying it to comfort Rebecca.
Maybe he had once believed in Justice too. But after everything that had happened, he had long since lost faith—especially in the Marines.
Wasn't Doflamingo a pirate officially recognized by them? The Marines had allowed a pirate to become king, and no one had even bothered to investigate? How could he not feel betrayed?
Even if someone bearing the banner of "Justice" showed up years after his death, would justice that arrives too late still be justice?
That's why this time, he chose to rely on himself.
Gently pushing Rebecca aside, Kyros couldn't bear to meet her desperate gaze. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the Royal Plateau.
...
What he didn't know was that Rebecca hadn't stayed where she was. The moment he left, she quietly followed after him.
...
Inside the SMILE factory,
The soldiers had calmed down from the excitement of regaining their human forms. Now, they were all looking at Kaito, their eyes filled with gratitude.
Facing their gazes, Kaito spoke calmly,
"Everyone, I am Admiral Shikiryū of the Navy. I am already aware of what's happened in Dressrosa. From this moment on—you are free."
The moment Kaito announced his admiral status, another wave of commotion swept through the soldiers.
"I've been stuck in this hellhole for so long I didn't even recognize him—he's Admiral Shikiryū, the strongest one!"
"God! It's really him! Dressrosa is saved!!"
"Admiral Shikiryū! Please save our country!!!"
Many of the soldiers, upon hearing his name, felt like they had finally found someone to rely on. They burst into tears of joy—grown men crying like children who had endured too much.
Watching this scene, Robin felt deeply moved. She turned to look at Kaito.
In the short time she had been with him, she had witnessed him save two countries from pirate tyranny. Her impression of the Navy had changed dramatically.
Kaito gave her a completely different feeling from Aokiji. Though Aokiji had also helped her in secret, what she felt from him was more fear than comfort.
But from Kaito… she felt an overwhelming sense of security.
As long as Kaito was with her—she truly believed—there was nothing in this world she needed to be afraid of anymore.