Just as Asaq and the others looked around in astonishment at everything before them, a few figures emerged from the crowd.
Among them was Violet, who had escaped during the battle and was once a member of the Donquixote Family.
Behind her were a sturdy old man with an iron mask resting on his chest, a pink-haired girl, and a tall man with only one leg.
Seeing these people approach, Kronos immediately recognized them.
The sturdy old man with the iron mask was King Riku, the former ruler of Dressrosa.
The tall one-legged man was Kyros, the former commander of the Dressrosa army.
And the pink-haired girl was Kyros' daughter, Rebecca.
As they came forward, the group knelt respectfully before Kronos.
King Riku quickly spoke up.
"Thank you! Thanks to your actions, the Donquixote Family has been defeated, and we have been freed from darkness.
"Although I know you didn't come specifically to save us, we are still deeply grateful for everything you've done!
"You destroyed Doflamingo—for that, we owe you everything."
Violet, Kyros, and Rebecca all added in unison:
"Thank you so much!"
Kronos narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly uninterested in their gratitude.
After all, whether they thanked him or not didn't matter to him.
So, he went straight to the point with King Riku.
"You were the last king of this country, right?"
Hearing the question, King Riku froze for a moment, then nodded in confirmation.
Kronos continued,
"Now that the Donquixote Family is gone, I assume you'll be king again?"
King Riku's expression shifted into unease.
"I'm afraid that wouldn't be right. I failed to protect my people from Doflamingo and caused them great suffering. I have no face to continue ruling. I am ashamed of my citizens. I doubt they would still want me as king."
He turned and said,
"Let Kyros be king instead..."
But Kyros immediately stepped forward to stop him.
Before the discussion could continue, Kronos waved his hand dismissively.
"I don't care about any of that. I don't care who becomes king.
"What I do care about is that Dressrosa becomes part of my territory, and that my pirate flag is raised over this land. Is that clear?"
Hearing Kronos' demand, King Riku replied solemnly,
"I have no objection to Dressrosa becoming part of your territory.
"After all, it was you who saved this country."
Kronos nodded.
"Good. Then it's settled. Dressrosa is now my territory. As for who becomes king—you can settle that among yourselves. Just make sure this country never leaves my control."
With that, Kronos turned and led his crew back to the Angel of Redemption.
Below, Violet, King Riku, Kyros, Rebecca, and the others all bowed once again in gratitude.
Violet then turned to her father.
"Father, how can you be so sure the people don't want you to be king again?"
"Doflamingo is gone now. Things won't go wrong like before."
"If you still have doubts, why not ask the people directly?"
With that, Violet pulled King Riku toward the nearby citizens.
"Everyone! Would you still accept my father as the king of Dressrosa?"
Hearing her voice and seeing Violet and King Riku together, the citizens lit up with joy.
"Of course! Why wouldn't we?!"
"Back when King Riku ruled, we were all living happily!"
"Everything that went wrong was because of Doflamingo!"
"We still trust you, King Riku!"
"Be our king again!"
Hearing the voices of his people, King Riku couldn't help but burst into tears.
He had failed to protect them before, allowing Doflamingo to rule and plunge Dressrosa into darkness.
And yet, even after all of that, they were still willing to trust him.
To believe in him.
To accept him back.
And so, King Riku was restored as the rightful ruler of Dressrosa.
The nation emerged from its long nightmare and stepped into a new future.
Dressrosa was now officially part of Kronos' territory.
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