Chapter 295: The Punishment of the Donquixote Family (1)
The metal-legged toy soldier looked up and asked, "You're not from Dressrosa, are you? How do you know such a secret?"
"I know many things." Eric smiled and said, "We are here to take down Doflamingo and the Donquixote family."
"W-What?!"
"Don't shout so loudly." Eric quickly covered the toy soldier's mouth.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Let's talk about you first, Kyros ."
"...!" The metal face couldn't hide his astonished expression. "You know my name?"
"All memories of people related to me should have disappeared by now..."
"I haven't had contact with you, and you don't recognize me, right, Kyros ?"
"..."
"First, tell us about the current situation in Dressrosa. My companions need information."
"...Alright." The toy soldier named Kyros turned and slid forward on his single roller skate, leading the way.
"Since Doflamingo took the throne, he has strictly followed two laws."
"First, the entire country has a blackout at midnight, and no one is allowed to go out afterward. Humans return to their homes, and toys return to the toy house. No one is allowed to go out after midnight."
"Second, toys are forbidden from entering human homes, and humans are forbidden from entering toy houses."
"What happens after midnight?" Perona asked, asking the question that everyone was thinking.
"Ah! Help, someone, quickly report!" A scream interrupted Kyros 's explanation.
"Vanessa, it's me!" Ahead, a toy was persistently harassing a woman, its claws gripping her skirt, like a madman harassing a woman in broad daylight.
The woman, referred to as "Vanessa" by the toy, declared, "The toy's broken. It's a human disease!"
The toy anxiously replied, "Listen to me, it's not like that! Think, Vanessa, it's me!"
"Let go, you're disgusting!"
The man beside the woman punched the toy away. "Get away from her!"
Everyone watched as the toy was dragged away by two soldiers, still screaming loudly, "Vanessa, I'm your lover! Don't mess around with that kind of man—please remember me!"
It was unclear what the crew members were thinking, but Eric felt the paint on the toy's head was off.
The toy was finally taken to a house with a smiling face painted on the door.
"Vroom~"
The surrounding crowd was all knocked out by Eric 's Conqueror's Haki.
The toy soldier asked in surprise, "What did you do?"
"Nothing, I just couldn't stand the minotaur-like behavior."
The toy frantically escaped from the fallen soldier's grasp and rushed to its beloved woman, first punching the man beside her hard in the face, then helping the woman into a more comfortable sleeping position, so she wouldn't always face down.
"Ah, perfect man strength."
"What the hell is 'man strength'?"
The group continued forward and found a single mother playing with a toy dog and her child.
"Wait here for a moment." The toy soldier stepped forward and invited the toy dog over.
Kyros noticed the hesitation on the toy dog's face and explained, "Don't worry, they won't tell anyone."
"Who exactly are you?"
The toy dog tilted its head towards the mother and child, its voice deep. "I am that child's father, the woman's husband. My name is Tusk."
The toy soldier asked, "Child, do you have a father?"
The child smiled brightly and answered, "No."
The soldier then asked the mother, "What about your husband?"
The woman casually said, "No, I'm not married. Isn't that normal?" She smiled at the toy soldier.
Only the members of the Dawn Pirates and Heart Pirates saw the melancholy on the toy dog's face.
"What a scary ability..."
"This country is filled with people who've been forgotten and those who've forgotten others."
"These toys are so pitiful..."
Kyros spat with hatred, "And all of this was caused by the ability of Doflamingo!"
Esdeath asked, "What exactly is Doflamingo's goal in turning you into toys? Punishment? But it doesn't seem to have any deterrent effect on those who have lost their memories."
"By turning over half of Dressrosa's population into toys, Doflamingo enacted the law of separation between humans and toys, thereby controlling the thoughts of the residents of Dressrosa."
"After becoming a toy, they are controlled by Sugar and bound by a contract: they cannot harm humans and must work or fight to the death for the Donquixote family."
"Many toys work for the Donquixote family day and night."
"But the toy dog and the toy who was forgotten by their lover didn't work, right?"
"..."
"Doflamingo's main goal is to control the residents' minds. In short," Eric helped Kyros shift the topic, "You need to be cautious of that girl named Sugar."
"Girl?"
"Yes, when she eats the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, her body stops growing. No matter her age, height, or appearance, they remain the same the moment she eats the fruit. She has light blue hair, loves grapes, and don't let her cuteness fool you—"
"If she touches you with her hands, you'll turn into a toy. All memories related to the target will disappear from your mind. Even the thought of saving you won't occur, so, don't let her touch you."
"Ugh, that's awful, so scary!"
"You already know the abilities of all the Donquixote family executives. Except for Pica's ability, which is a bit troublesome, leave it to Esdeath to handle. As for the others... it's up to you."
"The user of the Bomb-Bomb Fruit is mine. No one better take him from me. Hmm."
"Hey, is this battle plan really that simple?" Law asked, shocked. "Who's going to deal with Doflamingo? Who will take care of his two top subordinates, Diamante and Trebol?"
"Anyone can handle it, right?" Eric laughed, spreading his hands. "With Doflamingo's strength, it's not worth me personally taking action."
Law shouted in excitement, "Don't underestimate Doflamingo!"
"Don't yell so loudly." Eric scanned the crowd. "Everyone around is watching us."
"Also," Eric leaned in close to Law, "You're underestimating my companions. Even if I don't make a move, they can easily defeat the Donquixote family."
"That's right, Little Law." Kurome patted Law's shoulder. "Leave it to us."
"Little, Little Law?"
"If we haven't taken down the Donquixote family by 8 PM tonight, I'll step in."
Kyros asked again, "Who... who are you?"
"We?" Eric looked up at the nearby bullfighting arena. "Just a bunch of pirates."
(END CHAPTER)
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