The Marines immediately began asking questions. "What happened, Admiral?" "Fujitora, are you alright, Admiral?" "How did Doflamingo die instantly?"
Voices filled the area as the confused Marines looked between Fujitora and Doflamingo's corpse, unable to understand what had occurred inside the mysterious black sphere. As for Gojo, he simply walked away without paying much attention to Fujitora's reaction.
Issho remained silent for a moment before finally asking, "What was that?"
His question was directed at Gojo's back as the latter continued to leave. Gojo stopped in his tracks. Without turning around, he replied, "Well, this is something that I generally feel all the time whenever I keep my Six Eyes active. You can say that I used to suffer from it before I gained full control over it, which I only achieved after two years of training."
After saying that, Gojo resumed walking.
Fujitora did not attempt to chase him. There was no point. Doflamingo was already dead. Moreover, after everything Gojo had displayed during their confrontation, Fujitora understood very clearly that there was a high possibility he would not be able to defeat him.
I do not fear death, Fujitora thought, his grip tightening slightly on his cane sword. However, if I fight Gojo now and die by his hands, that death would accomplish nothing. Doflamingo cannot be saved anymore, and my own demise would serve no purpose. It would be nothing more than a meaningless sacrifice—no different from suicide.
Meanwhile, as Gojo walked away from the battlefield and passed through several streets, the citizens of Dressrosa gradually began recovering. Earlier, before he had even started fighting Doflamingo, Gojo had released his Conqueror's Haki and rendered countless people unconscious. Now that the battle was over, many of them were slowly waking up and regaining their senses.
Those who had learned what had happened looked at him with reverence. Some stared in disbelief, while others looked at him with profound gratitude.
Before long, King Riku approached and stopped directly in front of him. Kyros had also arrived after killing Diamante and finally taking his revenge, with Rebecca standing close beside him. Several of the Straw Hats were present as well.
King Riku looked toward Gojo and said sincerely, "On behalf of all the citizens of the Dressrosa Kingdom, I thank you. You have saved us by killing a scourge like Doflamingo."
Gojo simply shook his head. "Well, I didn't do this for that reason."
Everyone listened quietly.
"I did this because someone trusted me. You could also say someone made a deal with me to do this." Gojo paused briefly before continuing. "If you want to thank the real person, then thank Isadora. He was once a royal knight in your ranks. So, if he wasn't lying, then you should remember him."
The moment those words were spoken, the expressions of King Riku and the others changed slightly as memories from the past surfaced in their minds.
Isadora... King Riku thought as a familiar face came to mind. Not only him, but even Kyros remembered the knight, a proud swordsman.
King Riku nodded slowly and said, "Well, then I must personally meet him and thank him for hiring someone like you."
Gojo nodded. "Well, that's that. And there is something you might want to know. He lives in the East Blue now and goes by the name Kishimoto there. He is a very good swordsman in the Frauce Kingdom, so you should be able to find him there." Gojo paused briefly before adding, "And now he also suffers from Werner's syndrome. He doesn't have much time left to live. After hearing this news, I hope he'll be happy. I fulfilled my promise."
A heavy silence followed those words. King Riku's expression became complicated.
"Well, I will definitely try to bring Isadora here if he wishes to return," King Riku finally said. "And I will definitely honor him for bringing someone like you here. Even after escaping from the Dressrosa Kingdom, he never forgot about his country. He never forgot his loyalty toward it." A faint smile appeared on King Riku's face. "That makes me very happy."
Gojo nodded. "Well, he will definitely be happy about it. But I have a blunt suggestion for you."
King Riku looked at him attentively.
"You might not like it, but I hope you do not become the King of Dressrosa again."
The surrounding people immediately became startled. Gojo, however, continued calmly.
"Because if you become king again, then this time it was Doflamingo. Next time, it will be someone else. Your excessive kindness is your biggest enemy."
King Riku remained silent and listened.
"I'm not saying that you shouldn't be kind to your subjects," Gojo said, looking directly at him. "But you're simply too kind toward everyone, even pirates who come to your island. So that's my suggestion. The rest is up to you. And even if you do become king again, at least consider what happened this time. Learn from it and improve your governance even further."
Hearing this, several of King Riku's supporters immediately became unhappy. Some wanted to argue with Gojo right away, while others looked visibly angry at his blatant criticism of their monarch.
However, before any of them could speak, King Riku raised his hand. "Enough. Don't say anything."
The crowd immediately fell silent. King Riku then looked toward Gojo and said, "What Gojo-san said is not wrong. It is indeed something I must reflect upon." His voice carried deep sincerity rather than offense. "I will definitely keep this in mind, and I will definitely strive to improve myself."
Hearing this, the surrounding people could only suppress their objections, while Gojo simply nodded in acknowledgment.
His job was merely to give the advice that he believed was best. Beyond that, he did not particularly care what King Riku chose to do. He had made a deal with Isadora—or Kishimoto, as he was now known—and he had fulfilled that promise. His part was done. What happened to the Dressrosa Kingdom from this point onward was none of Gojo's business.
After a brief pause, King Riku spoke again. "Well, you have worked quite hard and fought many battles today. I would like to invite you to stay as our guest in the Dressrosa Kingdom until everything returns to normal."
Gojo did not think about it for long and simply nodded. In truth, he was not in the mood to leave anyway. He had already planned on staying in Dressrosa for a few days. Ever since leaving Alabasta, he had been traveling almost continuously from island to island without much rest. A few peaceful days on a proper island were exactly what he needed before continuing his voyage.
"Alright," Gojo replied.
Seeing him accept the invitation, King Riku visibly relaxed. "Thank you, Gojo-san."
Gojo simply waved his hand dismissively. For him, it was nothing special. King Riku, however, was genuinely pleased that the man who had liberated Dressrosa was willing to remain on the island for a while longer.
Soon, preparations were made for Gojo's stay. Officials and attendants hurried to arrange suitable accommodations, while word of Doflamingo's defeat continued to spread throughout the kingdom like wildfire. Meanwhile, Gojo followed the escorts without much concern.
The matter of Dressrosa had finally come to an end, and for the first time in quite a while, he could simply rest for a few days before setting sail once again.
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