Luffy abolished the king and returned the power that should have belonged to the people back to everyone, simply to see what this group would ultimately be capable of.
Of course, it was said that the king had been abolished—but in truth, it was only abolished on the surface.
At present, Luffy himself was equivalent to a king, or rather, to the arbiter of this experiment.
How Dressrosa would be governed and developed from now on would be entirely up to its people.
After all, it was only a small kingdom.
This small step was merely a seed, and even Luffy himself could not predict what kind of fruit it would eventually bear.
One day in the future, he would be able to destroy the World Government, and this experiment might offer him some inspiration.
Everyone looked at Luffy in unison.
"The chaos will last for a while."
Luffy nodded and said, "Take a good look. Sabo, if the Revolutionary Army were to kill the Celestial Dragons right now, what would you do afterward?"
This question had never been seriously considered.
Eliminate the Celestial Dragons, and the World Government would collapse.
Countless kingdoms around the world that had been oppressed by the government would also be freed from its rule.
Sabo shook his head, confused. "I don't know… You're right, Luffy. I've decided—I'll stay in this country for a while and see with my own eyes what direction they choose."
Koala thought for a moment and asked, "Luffy, without a king, won't this country become paralyzed?"
In fact, the people outside were already dumbfounded.
Defeating Doflamingo and restoring King Riku?
Yet King Riku himself had said he was unworthy of being king.
Who would maintain the army to protect the kingdom?
Who would ensure stability?
Ah—we're the ones deciding?
Unlike the previous chaos, this was chaos of the mind.
"King Riku, although you are no longer a king and have lost your royal status, you are still a member of this country."
Luffy laughed and said, "There are people outside who are confused. What are you going to do?"
He would not make demands, nor would he interfere—only offer an appropriate reminder.
Like a spectator in the audience, quietly waiting for the performance to begin.
King Riku came back to his senses, took a deep breath, and said, "Luffy, thank you very much for liberating this country. I'm just a little worried. It's fine to withdraw from the World Government and no longer be protected by the Marines, but what if the World Government decides to act against us?"
Whether or not there was Marine protection didn't really matter—having the protection of a Yonko was practically the same.
What truly worried him was how the World Government would react to Dressrosa losing its status as a member nation.
"Don't worry. The World Government will certainly send CP agents to check on the situation, and you won't run into trouble anytime soon."
When Vegapunk finished developing that weapon, perhaps it wouldn't be the Kingdom of Lulusia that was destroyed—but Dressrosa.
Of course, at that time, Luffy would take the initiative.
Since this experiment had been proposed by him, it was only natural that he would ensure it proceeded smoothly.
Was the World Government the only one with weapons capable of destroying a country?
Shirahoshi had awakened, Pluton slept in Wano, and his own Fuwa Fuwa no Mi could also cause natural disasters.
They were not without equivalent deterrents.
When that moment came, Dressrosa being a small kingdom would no longer be a problem.
"I understand. I'll go talk to the people outside first."
With the situation having reached this point, King Riku had no further doubts and immediately left the palace.
Seeing this, Kyros immediately said to his daughter, "Rebecca, you stay here for now. I'll help His Majesty—no, I'll help your father!"
Rebecca, only fourteen years old, couldn't understand these complicated political issues yet.
But there was one thing she could understand.
It was Luffy who had helped Dressrosa and restored her father's lost limb.
As for losing their royal status, she hadn't been worried about that in the first place.
Back then, when her parents married, her mother had given up her status as a princess and fled with her father before giving birth to her.
Looking at Luffy now, the girl bowed deeply and politely to express her gratitude.
"Thank you for saving us—and for saving my father!"
After speaking, she looked at Doflamingo with open hostility.
Doflamingo smiled. "Fufufufu… I've already pleaded guilty, little princess. Don't look at me like that. This kingdom can't condemn me right now. Perhaps you can imprison me once Dressrosa recovers."
Was it possible he was foolish enough to wait around to be arrested?
In any case, the Straw Hat wouldn't kill him for now—they still needed him to investigate certain matters.
With that thought, Doflamingo turned to Luffy and asked,
"I'm also a citizen of Dressrosa. Do I also enjoy the political power of ordinary people?"
Hearing this, Luffy couldn't help but laugh.
It reminded him of something utterly absurd from his previous life.
A mayor once delivered his inauguration speech while in prison.
Reality truly was stranger—and more exciting—than fiction.
"Do whatever you want. As I said, I won't interfere with the experiment lightly. But, Doflamingo, don't violate the two basic rules I've set."
"Rule one: everyone has an equal right to live."
"Rule two: anyone who has reached the age of sixteen—regardless of whether they're male, female, whatever gender they identify as, or even a warship—doesn't matter. They all have the same political rights."
"So, as long as my factory is legal, it can develop in Dressrosa without any problems?" Doflamingo narrowed his eyes.
Sabo snorted, frowned, and said, "There are also those children. You take them as slaves—that's not allowed!"
"I know. I'll release them and provide appropriate compensation," Doflamingo replied.
Luffy had no interest in getting involved—he simply wanted to see how things would unfold.
"Everyone, stay here. I have something else to take care of."
After saying that, Luffy disappeared down the corridor.
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(End of Chapter)